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How To Write The Future
The How to Write The Future Podcast offers fiction writing tips for science fiction and fantasy authors who want to create optimistic stories because when we vision what is possible, we help make it so. By science fiction and fantasy author and fiction writing coach, Beth Barany.
How To Write The Future
137. The Art of Editing Speculative Fiction with Kristin Noland
”What if we could travel to a different galaxy? And then that's what the book is about. What if there were superheroes in the world? What if women ruled the world? Those types of things— It's the what if question and the answers.”
— Kristin Noland
In this episode, How To Write the Future podcast host, Beth Barany, talks to developmental and line editor Kristin Noland about the definition of speculative fiction, the importance of setting, and how asking “what if” can have a big impact on your world-building and story development.
ABOUT KRISTIN NOLAND
Kristin is a developmental and line editor who works with women authors of speculative and crime fiction and guides them on how to structure and tighten up their novels so they can give readers an entertaining and immersive experience. She’s edited over seventy books, including two bestsellers. With her caring and encouraging editing style, she helps authors create engaging and exciting novels!
Collection of free author resources, including a worldbuilding guide and an editing flowchart. https://www.nolandediting.com/author-resources
Website: https://www.nolandediting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristin.noland.146/
X: https://twitter.com/KristinNoland99
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noland_editing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinnoland/
You can follow Kristin on Threads at noland_editing
ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist, teaches novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor.
RESOURCES
Related Episode: What If… and Your Brain: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2022/11/07/18-what-if-and-your-brain/
Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/
Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/
Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/
- SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
- SHOW NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
c. 2025 BETH BARANY
Questions? Comments? Send us a text!
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CONNECT
Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580
Email: beth@bethbarany.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethbarany/
CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://get.descript.com/0clwwvlf6e3j
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
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Hey everyone. Welcome back to How To Write the Future Podcast. I'm your host Beth Barany, and I am an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer. I'm also a creativity coach for writers, a developmental editor, a podcaster, a filmmaker. So very excited today to have a special guest. I just wanna let you know that this podcast, How To Write the Future podcast is for people who want to, it's specifically for writers, science fiction and fantasy writers who want to create positive, optimistic futures because I believe that when we vision what is possible through our stories, we help make it so. So, introducing our guest today. Kristin Noland. Welcome Kristin.
KRISTIN NOLAND:Hi. Thank you very much.
BETH BARANY:So glad to have you here. So I'm gonna share with everyone, your wonderful bio. Kristin Nolan is a developmental and line editor who works with women authors of speculative and crime fiction and guides them on how to structure and tighten their novels so they can give readers an entertaining and immersive experience. She's edited over 70 books, including two bestsellers, and with her caring and encouraging editing style, she helps authors create engaging and exciting novels. So stay tuned to the end where we'll let you know how you can stay in touch with Kristin. So today Kristin and I are gonna talk about speculative fiction and, we're gonna dive a little deeper into that using, Kristin, your wonderful experience as an editor. Thank you again for being here.
KRISTIN NOLAND:You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
BETH BARANY:And I also, wanna let you know and also let the listeners know that I actually write sci-fi mysteries. So I have taken science fiction and mysteries and I've mushed them together and I'm really writing police procedurals set in in a near future, it's a little over a hundred years from now
KRISTIN NOLAND:That's fascinating to me. I'm just this morning was working on my novel. It's a magical, mystery slash crime novel. So it's got the magic in it as well as just the, regular mysteries. So, I love that. That's actually one of my favorite genres to read. So let's dive into it.
BETH BARANY:For those who don't know, and maybe even for those who do know, can you define for us what is speculative fiction?
KRISTIN NOLAND:Sure. It is quite a vast genre. And I think a lot of people don't know what all it entails, but science fiction is in there, of course. and fantasy, also horror, the utopian, dystopian genres, alternate histories, time travel, superhero, those type of books. All of that is under the speculative fiction umbrella right now. So it's basically a answering and asking"what if". So what if we could travel to a different galaxy. And then that's what the book is about. What if there were superheroes in the world? What if women ruled the world? Like those types of things. It's the what if question and the answers. And a lot of it tackles society's issues, either past issues or current issues or the future issues, if we have imagination of what a future issue would be. So it really encompasses all of that. I really enjoy the genre and other people's imaginations on things. Yeah, that's speculative fiction.
BETH BARANY:Love it. And I love your encapsulation of, it's the what if, and then tied with an issue, past, present, or future. I love that so much because that's where I've always been living since I was little. as a reader and also as a writer pretty much. So for you, why speculative fiction? What draws you to it? Both as a writer and as an editor? I imagine also as a reader.
KRISTIN NOLAND:Yeah. I think it is that. Different people's outlooks on what an issue is and how it can be changed and made better. Like I said, most of them are societal issues that, that are addressed in, in these books. And I think society does have many issues and we are trying to progress, but we haven't gotten there yet. We haven't made a utopian society yet, and I'd be honestly shocked because what's one person's utopia is another person's dystopia. So yeah. I think it's the alternate world that a lot of them show us, and I think that's interesting to me. I can really get immersed in another world and it could still be based on Earth. It doesn't have to be based anywhere else, but it's a whole different world that the author creates. And I really enjoy learning about what they think is a problem and how they see it as solutions can happen. It also sparks me to take a step further in my life to make that change. So I find that very appealing. To read and edit and write. This is my first book though. Let's not expect great things from this first one that I'm writing. But, yeah, I'm pretty excited about it though.
BETH BARANY:Exciting. Yeah. and you said a little bit already in the answer to this next question, which is what storytelling elements are highlighted in in speculative fiction? I don't know if you were referring to the what if quality, but yeah. Can you tell us more
KRISTIN NOLAND:Definitely, the what if quality, but also in speculative fiction is the fantastical or futuristic settings. So the setting is a large part as well because in speculative fiction, the characters world that they live in, whether it's, a different government society or if it's out its space or if it's in a fantastical land with blue grass and a pink sky or whatever, the setting needs to impact the characters. And so that's important. So what surrounds them will impact them because it also encompasses environmental fiction. They're in those ones the environment is really huge in impacting their lives. So that's also important.
BETH BARANY:Can you give me an example, either drawn from your own writing or from something that you've read? Maybe a famous book even where the setting impacts the characters, because I think this, you're so right and this is such a great point.
KRISTIN NOLAND:The setting impacts the characters. Yeah.
BETH BARANY:It makes me think about something like Lord of the Rings, where it's a big wandering story through all this different setting that impacts the, in terms of environmental challenges or even, like you were saying, an environmental fiction or eco fiction. The characters are Dealing with real ecological issues and problems. Or like in my stories--most of the stories are set on space stations, or at least these four books here in the first four books of the Janey McCallister series. It's all on a space station. So it has constraints, it has space constraints. I'm really leaning into the locked room mystery'cause that's essentially what is, yeah. It's in a huge environment. I deal with, a space walk. I deal with, depressurization. The way the space station was actually built provides a setting, and part of the mystery for one of the books. so the way the station environment is organized is the world in which my characters play in, and it defines who comes and how they come there. And, it impacts all the story in a lot of different ways. So is that what you're talking about?
KRISTIN NOLAND:Yes, it is. Thank you. Setting can impact in basically any genre. but to use some of my favorite examples, 1984, that's my absolute favorite. it was a warning. Not a way to go, people, but the setting there very much impacts because Big Brother is always watching. And so that's something that back then it didn't actually happen that way. There was influence and such, but nothing was in people's homes like it is now. So I think somebody watching everything you do and the people looking out for the things that you say and everything like that was hugely impactful on that story. So imagine a story that there wouldn't have been people to tell about, the thought crimes and, That kind of thing. So if they didn't have those people informing, then part of the story wouldn't have been as impactful. and that was part of that setting. The fake wars that were going on, I'm giving away a bunch of stuff for the book, the fake wars that they were having also, that impacted their lives'cause they thought it was real. And he even had the military trucks with the soldiers coming back in them. And although there was no war actually happening, so that setting and he pulled that in from military experiences that were going on at the time as well. So I think things like that. The Hunger Games, that was huge with all different types of settings. And it really showed how a jungle setting would be different than, maybe a desert setting would impact how they survived. And so that was huge, part of that story. So It definitely makes a difference in your, writing. Another one would be The Handmaid's Tale. It was still the United States, but it was much different. And in Canada everything seemed to be going as we knew it originally, but in the United States, things had flipped. So there that setting of that really impacted, even though they were normal houses and everything. They were set up in old buildings and repurposed and that kind of setting pulled that in too.
BETH BARANY:Ah, that's so great. Yeah. I really love this whole conversation around how setting impacts the story so intently. It's something that I see in beginning writers, encouraging them to get really specific and also understand how did it become that way. yeah. Is there any other storytelling elements that are highlighted in speculative fiction?
KRISTIN NOLAND:The characters of course, are gonna be big as in everything else. Yeah. So the world building, the characters and the plot, yeah, everything goes together as you well know, and as every author knows., everything is all together. in that. In most genres, sub genres, it needs to take a step back, the world building for the characters to evolve and into the plot. That said, there's fantasy and sci-fi, where it's a huge part. High fantasy is setting is probably a quarter of the book because you're describing these huge fantastical things that need a lot of description and readers love that. So those three things I think in speculative fiction in the world, the characters, and the plot. These characters dealing with the world the way it is in these books, that's what drives the plot. It's the characters and their surroundings. And when I say setting, I don't just mean a description of a mountain. I mean the world that they live in with the rulers and, their neighbors and those kind of things.
BETH BARANY:Yeah. And when you said the rulers, it made me think of one of the questions that I have in a resource for all our listeners, which is the World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers, and which is the power structure. What is the power structure? How did it come to be? What maintains it? Who wins, who loses? And something that I'm thinking a lot about is, who or what had to lose for this power structure to come into place? So I'm world building. My story world trying to come up with a backstory that takes place in 2060 for a story that takes place in I think it's 2133 is the current book I'm working on and it's our future. So I'm also working on what if in our future, in our near future, 30 plus years from now. But it's my character's backstory when this big thing happens. and I'm thinking all about power structures and environmental issues, space junk, and And what if this and what if that? And doing lots of research. because that is our setting, that's a big, pivotal thing that's gonna happen in my story that shapes the events of the character.
KRISTIN NOLAND:That's very important. I worked on a novel where, people with disabilities, they were the ones who were ruling society and the people who didn't have a disability were considered less than. And so that was interesting. And for me it took place a little too fast'cause it was only like 20 years in the future or so. And I asked them how the change happened, how we went from one thing to the complete opposite and the author didn't have an answer to that. And I was like, it's a great story. It's a great premise, but you're gonna have to have some supporting facts. Your made up facts, Yeah. But it has to be plausible. And so that was something that she needed to work on with that plausibility of how it became to be, because as we know, that's a struggle to get a power change.
BETH BARANY:How do authors research or for speculative fiction, what do you recommend?
KRISTIN NOLAND:I recommend looking at past societal issues and past problems with things. let's say we're having, right now, there's the gender issue, and it's been coming to light for a little bit now, again. this all happened before and we made slight advancements, but we're not making the big advancement that we need. So researching how that hap came about before, what people tried and how they succeeded in some areas and failed in others can help you get an idea for how to structure your story and how we can make it. Go even further and how much advancement we're actually going to get in the next 20, 30, 50 years, whatever the storyline is. but it's the research into what people did before. With, let's say even like a battle scene, or, something like a war. you would wanna see what wars were similar to that. And so you can pick up on the structure, the plans that they had, what worked, what didn't in order to make your story different with. How it turns out. or maybe the same, maybe people wanna have, say, here history's repeating itself and it's gonna be exactly the same outcome as we had before, is also an idea. But researching those things, it's very important to the story. even if you have something like a. Massive tsunami that happens. You need to look at the devastation that causes in multiple things, because, granted you've got a lot of water, but that water also sparks fires. So now you have a fires and you have that, and people need to deal with both of them. Or maybe somebody just has to deal with one in a different place and they, the water is less important to them. They're dealing with the fire, or maybe it's the aftermath where things are just covered in salt water and now you have a problem with your water. Being fresh water or, and being contaminated with salt water. And you have to figure out how to get all those things out, those impurities out of it. So you have drinking water, all of those kind of things you need to research so that your story's plausible. It's all about plausibility with those things. So you wanna make sure that you have the factual evidence to back up your story that's, taking it a step further or two steps further. But you wanna have that basis still there in the factual research. That's great.
BETH BARANY:I think that's really helpful.
KRISTIN NOLAND:I've been researching a lot for crime fiction. I have books here for crime scenes forensics and police procedurals, so that, I have that basis of knowledge for my story. So yeah, I'm doing that research which. Is fascinating to me. Me, yeah. The police procedurals not so much, but the forensics is extremely fascinating And how they work, the crime scene is really cool too. yeah, just because you're writing speculative fiction doesn't mean you can't have this crime thing in there.
BETH BARANY:Is there anything else about world building or, creating a society that is around our characters, in speculative fiction that you want to address?
KRISTIN NOLAND:I would say that most readers of the speculative fiction genre like fast-paced novels. So pacing is huge in it. Now high fantasy is probably, people probably want a little bit less in high fantasy, less fast-paced, or slower paced, because you need all of those descriptions in high fantasy. Pacing involves action scenes as well as the follow-up scenes. So the fast and slow, but in speculative fiction, there's going to be a faster pace overall, not quite as fast as thriller's pretty fast. Or horror, but it's going to be, and horror is in this, but horror is, like I said, like high fantasy needs a little slower. Horror's gonna need a little faster pacing. So pacing is also something that you wanna take into account when you're putting all your plot and all that into Yeah, since it's all meshed together with one thing leads to another and when editing there's, I pick up on so much stuff that deals with character and I may even put into a character subheading, some world building because of the effects that it has on the characters, that it should be affecting them more so characterization encompasses a lot. it's pulls in point of view and tone and all that into the character subheading in some of my editorial letters and such. yeah, it all comes together. But, pacing is another one that I would say that people need to think about when they're writing speculative fiction.
BETH BARANY:That sounds great. And, I should let our listeners know that you've written a post, for my blog on Writer's Fun Zone on ah, here it is:"What to Expect from Professional Editing." And so we'll reference that in the notes for the show. Listeners, Kristin is an editor and you're a specialist, which I love that you're a specialist. It helps refer people to you, I would imagine the writers feel really safe because you're, speculative fiction, crime fiction, and those are your two specialties, which is so awesome. And something I've been writing for the last gosh. How long has it been now? Since 20 16. Eight years. Yeah. So I've been deep in this space. And, so happy that you're here. Really the big question is when are they ready for you?
KRISTIN NOLAND:As a developmental editor, that's the big picture editing, so things for plot, characterization, character arcs and world building, those kinds of things. That's the developmental editing. To be ready for that, you should have a finished book. I prefer to have one that's probably in its second to third draft, but there are times where I have clients who've finished the book or they're so close to finishing and they're just not sure how to wrap it up, and they need some help with that. So I can also help with brainstorming ideas on how to finish the novel. But what I really like is to have them have not just written the full story, but gone back through and tried to catch any plot holes that might be there, or add some conflict that wasn't strong enough. I. Or make sure that their characters have goals and motivations for what they do and something that they want versus what they need. I come across a lot of wants and needs that are the same or very similar, and that doesn't quite work. So I would prefer them to have most of those things worked out to the best, and it's only to the best of their ability. So if they have done the best that they can, that's when you seek an editor in general. Once you've done everything that you can, then you go and find an editor for you. Now, line editing comes after the developmental, so all of the plot issues are figured out. The characters are deep and well-rounded and all of that stuff is good. And then line editing is where I look at each paragraph, each line of the paragraph, and make sure that it flows. From one to the other, make sure the chapters flow well together. And then sentence variation as well. So a lot of subject verb sentence structures is great. but we do need to have some other things mixed in there, so that it doesn't become repetitive reading. And so that's what I do. I help mold the language a little differently so it's a better read. Yeah. I do not change the author's tone or their voice, or their style, but I just tweak it and adjust it to be able to have an easier read, and make sure things are clear for the reader so that they can enjoy the book.
BETH BARANY:That's great. That's really great. So if people want to find you and reach out and get support, where can they go?
KRISTIN NOLAND:Nolan editing.com is my website. If you wanna learn a little bit more about me, I do have an about page and I also have portfolio that you can look and see what I've worked on so far. Those are just the published books, though that's hard for an editor. When you see their portfolio and maybe there's only 10 things on their portfolio. That doesn't mean they've only edited 10 books. They may have edited 50 books, but 10 of them are published, so we can't advertise the names of books that aren't published yet, or pictures of books that haven't been published yet. I say that I've edited over 70 books because I have, but there's only like 25 or something published so far. I have a YouTube channel, also. And I'm on Threads and LinkedIn. Those are the ones where I'm active on.
BETH BARANY:That's great. that's so wonderful. And so I encourage listeners if you want support and you're ready for editing to reach out to Kristin. So for our audience, is there any last tips that you would like to give them about, how they can orient themselves as a writer and just keep going? Any words of advice for our writers out there.
KRISTIN NOLAND:You hear the advice a lot that says, write what you know and that doesn't mean write your life story. It means write things that you're familiar with. One of my characters loves antique furniture, and I love antique furniture. so I've built that in so I can write a little bit about what I enjoy about it. so I can describe those things in the way I see them. So when I say write what you know, do your research. Make sure you have your facts straight so that you can adjust and tweak those into your story, and it makes it plausible.
BETH BARANY:Wonderful. I love that as a theme for today's episode of the amount of research that actually goes into writing these stories. I love it. I just wanna thank you so much, Kristin, for being with us today And I just wanna invite everybody who's listening to check out the World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers. And that's a free workbook, downloadable for you. Great, everyone. So signing off. Write Long and prosper.