The Way of Kings – Part One by Brandon Sanderson
Overlord
In the UK, The Way of Kings has now been split into two halves. The first book focuses on the ‘build up’ of the novel. I think they got the…
What’s in a Fantasy Name?
Lady Rosalie Skinner
Today I ask you to share some of your creative ideas. All authors have to give their characters names, whether they write romance, mystery, or fantasy. Fantasy authors have more…
Meeting Brandon Sanderson
As I write this, I’m sitting in Paddington Station, London. Pretty much every train has been cancelled and I’m going to be at least two or three hours late home.…
Embassytown by China Miéville
Max Edwards
My goodness gracious me is there a lot to get through your poor little brain in this book. From the great literary mind of China Miéville, comes this romp through…
Story Structure – Part 2: Revisiting the Three-Act Structure
Amy Rose Davis
A few weeks ago, I started my discussion of story structure with a post about inciting incidents and beginnings and where those first turning points should come in a story.…
Fantasy Books We NEED Now
Overlord’s Top 4 Fantasy Books We Need Right Now 2012/2013 seems a long way off, but I’m looking to it already…dreaming…wishing it would hurry the heck up!!! Some of the…
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
ChrisMB
If you ask any of my friends and family what my main interests have been for the last ten years, I guarantee that you would either hear “fantasy” or “zombies”…
An Introduction to Manga
Paul Wiseall
When you think of comics it seems normal in the Western world for minds to jump to the likes of Spider-man and Batman. In fact, these days characters like the…
Writer’s Den: Developing Supporting Characters
Thomas A. Knight
No matter what genre you write in, or what kind of book you’re planning, inevitably the story will touch more than just your protagonist and antagonist. These supporting characters are…
Magic In Fantasy: An Introduction
Leo Elijah Cristea
Magic has been around since the dawn of fantasy: in fact, much of what makes fantasy “fantasy” is the magic that permeates the genre. Even throughout worlds and stories veering…
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Chelsea Haller
After reading Tamora Pierce’s most recent book Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales, I wanted to reread her other pieces. Of course that means starting at the beginning…
Strengthen Your Voice
Rosalie Skinner posted a great article several weeks ago about what agents and editors hate to see in manuscripts. One of the things the agents mentioned was passive voice. Passive…