Browsing all articles tagged with characters.
New Models for Magicians
In many fantasy stories, magicians often follow one or two traditional models. Many are often portrayed as guides or teachers that assist the protagonist. Often this mentor is described as an old man, with a long, white beard. They wear robes and carry walking staffs. Merlin and Gandalf cast long shadows over the genre. Alternatively, [...]
Rules? Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Rules
There’s a strong tendency in critique groups, whether online or in person, or in writing guides, or even just in casual conversation between writers, to talk about The Rules of Writing. They’re often talked about as if they are immutable, as if ignoring them will make you fail. This is false. One can say there [...]
Pretend to be a Dungeon Master and Level Up Your Storytelling
I think it’s a safe bet that many Fantasy-Faction readers have at some point played Dungeons & Dragons. I’m also willing to bet that many readers, myself included, have packed away our dice and minifigs and left them to collect dust in a forgotten drawer or in our parents’ attic. But there are a proud [...]
The Chaotic Champion – Part Three: The Recruited Hero
This the third article in our Chaotic Champion series. You can read the other articles here: Part One: Introducing the Champion Part Two: The Wandering Hero I started this series of articles with a summary of Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven. This plot is not only a perfect illustration of the Chaotic Champion in general: it [...]
The Chaotic Champion – Part Two: The Wandering Hero
This the second in our Chaotic Champion series. You can read the first article here. A gunslinger rides alone across the prairies, coming from nowhere special and going wherever the wind takes him. Stopping at a town, he gets into a gunfight at the saloon and finds himself in the middle of a feud between [...]
Writing Rules and Fantasy: Mary Sues
This is the last in a series of articles about common writing rules and how they apply to fantasy writing. Earlier articles in the series: – Show, Don’t Tell – Adverbs – Kill Your Darlings – Conflict The dreaded Mary Sue! Is there anything that will draw such derision and mockery towards your story as [...]
