Thoughts for authors of fantasy fiction
I thought I might pose some thoughts for fantasy authors to help them create a new fantasy world as the setting for their novel.
genre fiction
Writing Your Novel’s Premise
Writing a strong premise before you begin working on story structure (if you are a plotter) or just starting to write (if you are a panster) is important for a number of reasons. First, it will help you bring the idea for your story to life, and it is one of the foundational steps in … Read more
Character Archetypes – The Threshold Guardian
If your hero/ine needs to be tested, consider using a threshold guardian archetype character to add tension and conflict.
Character Archetypes -The Outlaw
Maybe your book needs an outlaw. Outlaws are not always the bad guy, nor are they always gunslingers, though that is what may come to mind. The outlaw and the lawman aren’t necessarily separate or opposite either. Maybe your outlaw tries to go straight, and your cop is dirty. Your outlaw can be the good … Read more
Plot Part 6 – Endings
We’ve talked about the inciting incident, and the climax in our plotting process. Now it’s time to consider the ending. Endings can be tricky. Endings should be gratifying and fulfilling for your reader. After all, the reader has invested their time into reading your ENTIRE book and unhappy readers are not good for writers. Make … Read more
Plot Part 4: The Inciting Incident
When you think of your story’s plot, it is helpful to think of a story’s parts to help you see the big picture and help you to begin to work out your story’s plot. All stories have beginnings, middles, and endings. They also have inciting incidents, midpoints, and climaxes. Regardless of the genre of book … Read more
Scene Senses
We’ve been discussing scene writing over the last several weeks, including the expectations for what constitutes a scene, what belongs in scene beginnings, middles, and endings, and setting up your scene for your reader. This week we will discuss scene senses. I like writing in scenes because using scenes breaks the writing process down into … Read more
Western Fiction
One category of novel that has been generally out of vogue because of low sales is western fiction. Sales increased by 7% in 2014 but are still low overall. If you write westerns, you write for a niche market, but readers of westerns are die hard for the genre, and if they like you, they … Read more
Urban Fantasy Notes
We’ve been roaming around the speculative fiction category for some stretch of time, and this week we are focusing on a subgenre of fantasy called urban fantasy. Fantasy and urban fantasy can be quite similar. Fantasy as a genre usually includes some magical or supernatural elements, and so does urban fantasy, and so does paranormal romance, … Read more