The Truth Inside the Lie

“Kids, fiction is the truth inside the lie, and the truth of this fiction is simple enough: the magic exists.” – Stephen King, IT If there’s one question writers of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and their many sub-genres are asked by readers it is likely some permutation of “How do you make all this stuff up?” While all writers of fiction, by definition, make stuff up, it is far easier to understand the origin of stories that take place in the world we know. But when the stories involve strange lands, creatures, magic, or even alternate versions of our own…