Fantastic news. UNTOLD TALES AUDIO ANTHOLOGY PODCASTS has been recognized as one of the top 25 sci-fi anthology podcasts on the web. (by FEEDSPOT)
Untold Tales

Writer/Reader/Listener Blog

June 22, 2023

Is AI dangerous?

Yes, but not in the way you think. Although some ‘AI Doomers’ (like Elon Musk, Geoffrey Hinton, also known as Google’s "Godfather of AI," and other misguided technologists and futurists) predict the demise of mankind will be cause…

View more
June 19, 2023

Why Writing Sucks…But We Do It Anyway

By Gil Schmidt   Because if we don’t write, we don’t feel complete. Because writing gives us satisfaction like nothing else does. Because writing is a constant challenge and meeting it is our form of defiance. Because calling o…

View more
June 14, 2023

The Art of Being Vague

As the writer of a story, you have all the details in your head. You have this intricate picture in your mind and your primary task is to figure out which words to use to paint that picture in the imagination of your readers. But there’s the p…

View more
June 7, 2023

Is it ok to be rude to A.I. ?

Empathy. Politeness. Ethics. Compassion. All HUMAN emotions and precepts. Enter Siri, Alexa, Google Voice, Cortana, Echo and the new plethora of machine generated voice assistants. As “learning” machine generated assistants become more …

View more
June 1, 2023

How to Effectively Take Criticism...

How to Effectively Take Criticism About Your Writing Without Turning Around and Making the Idiot Who Dared Savage Your Precious Prose the Murder Victim of a Rabid Two-Faced Alien with Mommy Issues in Your Great American Science Fiction Trilogy &nbs…

View more
May 27, 2023

Immersion

Let’s talk a bit about immersion. In your story, the purpose of immersion is to give your readers a feel for what’s actually going on, regardless of whether words are spoken. There are two schools of thought on what immersion actually …

View more
May 12, 2023

Critique Circles

Ready, Fire, Aim!         A boon (first time I’ve used that word) to new writers, those without a quality writing partner or two, is the Critique Circle, a rough and ready proving ground for works in pr…

View more
April 28, 2023

When the Words Stop

          Golfers avoid saying “shank”. During a no-hitter, the team whose pitcher is flirting with history refuses to acknowledge what is happening. And among writers, people who will often talk about anyth…

View more
April 22, 2023

Five Science Fiction Books Worth Reading Twice

            I can hear one of you saying: “But there are more than five science fiction books worth reading twice!” I understand that, Reader Who States the Obvious to Irk Me Into Wh…

View more
March 28, 2023

Chasing Ideas

A lot of ideas for writers come from the unconscious. Ideas will oftimes surface as passing thoughts, unbidden and unexpected. While focusing on one endeavor, a thought will pop into your mind that is totally and abruptly out of place, intriguing a…

View more
March 18, 2023

Hidden Gem: The Chung Keo Series

I picked it up because the paperback had a bright red cover with a dragon on it. It was right next to A Game of Thrones in that oft-visited corner bookstore on a sunny day in 1992. The title of the book was Chung Kuo: The Middle Kingdom, by David Wi…

View more
March 17, 2023

The Nature of Evil characters

I have only met a few really evil people in my life. One of them was a superior at a Fortune 500 company… a VP who was ruthless and cutthroat. He lied to people, He managed to set up and blame others for his mistakes, sabotaged competing …

View more
March 15, 2023

A Writer’s Inner Dialogue

A Writer’s Inner Dialogue That is the third cliché this page. Are you really a writer? “Shut up.” You call that characterization? You’re making that guy as flat as the paper you will ruin printing this out. “…

View more
March 9, 2023

Speed Listening

A lot of people have problems with audiobooks. Many have grown up in a world of videos and podcasts and have never really developed a passion for reading. Some read too slow, some have difficulties reading for long lengths of time. They like the id…

View more
March 8, 2023

Writing Style Tips

I’ve seen too many times the erroneous command to find your writing style as if it were a misplaced twenty or a lost puppy. You don’t find your writing style; you create it. The first tip is to HAVE a writing style. Here we should prob…

View more
March 3, 2023

When Do You Listen?

One of the main reasons that we created Untold Tales Audio Anthology was because it simply takes too long to listen to full audio books and, while we love quality science fiction, you simply cannot listen to an entire novel in a single sitting. How…

View more
Feb. 24, 2023

Reading as a Writer

If you are a writer, or want to be, you must have a steady reading habit. Don’t take my word for it: Stephen King says the same thing (less tactfully), and he’s written enough books to to create a massive Guy Fawkes Day celebration. (Boo…

View more
Feb. 15, 2023

Basic Writing Skills

For those beginning writer's there are a LOT of rules you need to learn. You might learn these in a writing class. You might learn them by joining a writer's group.  When you first write stories, you make a lot of these mistakes. Here are some …

View more
Feb. 6, 2023

We are so grateful to have listeners in 54 countries!

    We love our listeners, fans and patrons! And we know you are listening from far and wide to our podcast, produced in Melissa's home recording studio in sunny Peoria, Arizona... just 45 minutes west of Phoenix. For the data analyst…

View more
Jan. 31, 2023

Why I love narrating Sci-Fi

As voice actors, we have the choice of performing in many, many genres of narration. Some come easier to us that other based on our personal life experiences, instrument / voice and acting ability. Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Memo…

View more
Jan. 24, 2023

Good SF is Not About Technology

A lot of people think that good science fiction is all about technology. The truth, however, is that it is not. Good science fiction is not really about science, at all.  Sadly, many writers think this is true and focus a great deal of their…

View more
Jan. 8, 2023

SF Genres

For the uninitiated or for followers of different genres, such as Romance, Mystery, or Biographies, Science Fiction seems like its own distinct genre. However, those who read much Science Fiction soon realize that there are several categories of SF …

View more
Oct. 2, 2022

SF Subgenres

For the uninitiated or for followers of different genres, such as Romance, Mystery, or Biographies, Science Fiction seems like its own distinct genre. However, those who read much Science Fiction soon realize that there are several categories of SF …

View more
Aug. 26, 2022

Introduction to Untold Tales

UNTOLD TALES was created to fill a niche in the current writing market. There are many services that provide stories to people, including Books (hardbound, paperback, and electronic). Books are provided by a plethora of writers and supported by pub…

View more