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human intelligence vs....

** This email may show up long in your inbox, so you may need to click to expand and to read the full email. Or read online.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Hi Friend,

I was delayed a day in getting this newsletter out because I taught 2 classes yesterday:

-- one on how to make your story's setting work for your story where we did lots of writing and critiquing.

-- one on creative entrepreneurship for creative writers where we discussed how to show up with our true voice and how to do pre-sales.

Editing is hard. And, you can love the process.

There I said it.

I'm not afraid to admit that editing is still hard, and I'm editing my 16th novel.

I know how to handle the hard -- I have a process to manage each of the phases of editing.

Of course because I'm a writing teacher and creativity coach, I've packaged my know-how into a process for you!

If you're looking for help with your editing, especially the first read-through, then check out my new Edit Your Novel Checklist.

❤️

All the thinks (and things!) in a list this week:

Join next week's Substack Live on Monday, May 18, 10am Pacific on "Verbs, the Muscle of Your Story". Sign up here to be notified.
Listen to this week's How to Write The Future podcast episode, "Alex Kingsley: Writing Speculative Futures"
Gala Russ has 2 upcoming classes starting soon: Write Your Novel Summer Edition, starts in 2 weeks! (Register) and Write Your Novel: Deep Dive, starts mid-June: register for that here.
Take the upcoming "Mastering the Art of Writing Interiority and Emotionality" with Heather Davis (affiliate link)
Quiz: Breakout Novel X-Ray quiz (Lori Puma)
Join my Edit Lab: for science fiction and fantasy writers who feel stuck in revision build a polished manuscript they’re excited to publish or submit. (At the Founders price for a few more weeks only!)
Ooh! An alternative to Goodreads: The StoryGraph
Read the latest Writer's Fun Zone articles

❤️

🎤 Alex Kingsley: Writing Speculative Futures

How To Write The Future podcast, episode 204

“Fiction is a wonderful arena for dealing with some really complex topics and some difficult issues in a safe space.”

-Alex Kingsley

In my latest episode, I interview Alex Kingsley, a science fiction writer, playwright, game designer, and more exciting roles that inform their fiction writing.

Together we talk about AI cognition, the importance of human intelligence in creating for the future, how speculative fiction can help readers cope with complex issues, and why compassion matters in sci-fi.

Alex Kingsley: Writing Speculative Futures

How To Write the Future podcast, episode 204

Read | Listen | Watch

❤️

Happy Writing!

Best,

Beth

PS. I'm looking to be on more podcasts in 2026. Do you have one that I'd be a good fit for? Let me know. Know any shows that I need to be on to talk sci-fi/fantasy writing? Send me an intro!

💕 But wait there's more!

🎨 Looking for children's book clip art? Your hunt for inclusive clip art stops here. Get unique, brand new, handmade clip art every Tuesday from my friend and talented illustrator, Melquea Smith.

✨ PLUS a special guide on where and how to use them for only $9 a month here.

🎙️ I'm excited to announce that I'll be speaking at Alexa Bigwarfe's Marketing Bootcamp for Authors and Publishing Professionals, on "Heart-Centered Marketing": June 12-13, 2026.

🎉 I'll be a speaker again at Rhonda Douglas's 2026 Book Finishers Summit coming at the end of June. Stay tuned! Doors open June 8th!

🌟

If you find my resources helpful, please forward them to a friend who may need them too.

Help me help more writers!

Thanks!

❤️

Beth Barany
Creativity Coach for Writers

Teacher, Speaker, Workshop Facilitator
bethbarany.com

I not only teach and coach novelists, I am one too!

*Magical Tales of Romance, Mystery, and Adventure* author.bethbarany.com

Including the award-winning, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer (Book 1), and Into The Black, about Janey McCallister space station investigator (Book 1)

__________________________

❤️

Here to empower you with core principles, mindset tools, and doable roadmaps to build your sustainable, thriving, creative career on your own terms.

🚀

🐲

Passionate about supporting science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction writers; and creative entrepreneurs serving writers.

🎬

Filmmaker with a BIG mission: to celebrate warrior women!

Writer's Fun zone blog by and for creative writers, published by Beth Barany

Subscribe to be notified when each blog post goes live. Or wait for the weekly round-up in this newsletter. *Write for us.

Latest WFZ posts

☕️

Support This Creative Entrepreneur

My mission is to support your adventure as a creative and step into your next best self.

If you want to support my mission, I invite you to:

📚 buy my books

☕️ buy me a coffee

🎬 support my Henrietta The Dragon Slayer short film

Or share my products or services with your friends. Thanks!

❤️

Beth Barany is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist, and certified creativity coach for writers.

For the last 20 years, she's been working with writers of all kinds.

She specializes in helping sci-fi and fantasy publishing-oriented novelists experience clarity, so they can write, revise, and proudly publish their books to the delight of their readers.

Here be the legalese: In connection with the operation of this newsletter and business, Creativity Sparks includes affiliate links to trusted partners. Barany Consulting earns a commission from the Affiliate Links which commission is based on the number of sales that are made as a result of users of the Newsletter clicking over to the Affiliate Link and purchasing from the Affiliate Link a product and/or service. Thus endth the legalese.

I live in the territory of Huichin, part of the stolen land of the Chochenyo Muwekma Ohlone, the successors of the historic and sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County, in Oakland, California, the San Francisco Bay Area. Northern Hemisphere. Earth.

The Solar System. → Carina–Sagittarius Arm in the Milky Way galaxy. Milky Way subgroup → Local Group → Local Sheet → Virgo Supercluster → Laniakea Supercluster → Local Hole → Observable universe → Universe.

I stand with people of Ukraine and all peoples 🎗️ in their fight for freedom from oppression and the right to self-determine. Yes, all peoples. Not just some.

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