Rules? Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Rules
Ryan Howse
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 advice
Creative Writing: Writer’s Block aka The Dead End
Michael Everest
So for an opening article to get me into the swing of things here, I thought I’d tackle something that every writer can relate to. No, not overpriced fuel or…
Pretend to be a Dungeon Master and Level Up Your Storytelling
Eric Christensen
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…
The Chaotic Champion – Part Three: The Recruited Hero
Nyki Blatchley
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…
The Truth About Tropes
Adrian Faulkner
Every genre has its own tropes, those signature metaphors seen time and time again across multiple unconnected books by multiple authors. Fantasy, however, has more than its fair share. So…
The Art of Conflict
Sandra Norval
It was raining. Not just ordinary rain but the horizontal type where the wind just drives it into your face and your eyes sting with the salty grittiness of 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…
Writing Rules and Fantasy: Mary Sues
Victoria Hooper
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 –…
Consider Worldbuilding
One of the great joys of fantasy are the worlds those stories inhabit. In many of our beloved classics, the worlds are as important as the characters themselves. But the…
The Table Theory of Characterization
So you’ve written a fantasy novel. It’s full of political intrigue and clashing armies, nefarious wizards and heroic last stands. Now strip all of that away. That rollercoaster of a…
The Chaotic Champion – Part One: Introducing the Champion
The honest, hardworking peasants of a village are being harassed by bandits and decide they’ve had enough. They can’t actually do anything about it themselves, so they hire a group…
Writing Rules and Fantasy: Stories Need Conflict
This is the fourth in a series of articles about common writing rules and how they apply to fantasy writing. Here are the earlier articles in the series: – Show,…