Worldbuilding Through Characterization
Aaron Miles
When somebody mentions worldbuilding the first thing you’ll think of is probably a lavishly detailed map, something filled with interesting geography, the locations of important cities, and maybe a dragon…
writing advice
What If… – Guest Blog by Tom Lloyd
Tom Lloyd
Writing—It’s all basically the same whatever genre, right? No, of course I don’t believe that! If I did, I’d be trying to make my fortune in romance or something. There…
On Planning My First Solo Author Event
Kellie Doherty
Planning a book related event is stressful on all accounts, no matter if it’s a simple reading or a large writing conference. Regardless of size, the same questions remain: Will…
As I Learn: Or Why I Stopped Calling Myself A Pantser
Gibril Kerefah
Do you already know what type of writer you are? You may call yourself a discovery writer, an outliner or a mixture of both. We traditionally think of discovery writers,…
Publishing Program at Portland State University
In early 2014, I was lucky enough to be accepted into the Master of Science in Writing: Book Publishing Program at Portland State University (PSU). I quit my day-job, moved…
Taking Comedy Seriously
Toby Frost
From Geoffrey Chaucer to Raymond Chandler—and a lot of people in between—all kinds of writers have used comedy to entertain and inform in their writing. Comedy can form a useful…
Worldbuilding: More Than Just Maps
When we think about worldbuilding, we tend to think of it on a grand scale: maps of continents in the front of fantasy novels, or astral charts showing rival galactic…
Character Development: Writing Realistic Personalities & Flaws
Carlyn Atkinson
This is the second article in our Character Development series. Click here to read the first article: Character Death and the Ultimate Sacrifice. In writing a novel, many authors are…
Editing Your Writing
Editing is, in a way, the less fun counterpart to writing a novel. However, in writing fiction, the devil often is in the details, and a good edit can make…
Going to a Writer’s Convention: What You Need to Know
When thinking about science fiction and fantasy conventions—sometimes referred to as cons—the mind automatically dashes off to PAX or New York Comic Con or any one of the conventions in…
Terry Pratchett and the Fantastical Power of Similes
Emma Rose Hollands
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is celebrated by fantasy readers around the world for its wit, humour, and worldbuilding. Those who enjoy the series, myself included, cannot deny the vividness of…
Character Development: Character Death and the Ultimate Sacrifice
Killing a character in your novel is a tried and true method for advancing your plot. Allegiances are torn, revenge is sought, kingdoms fall apart. Character death feels as essential…