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.
How do I write a novel
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
Ten Scenes – Plot Part 9
Hiya! It feels like it’s been a decade since I’ve last posted, but here I am again with an attempt at normalcy. The last several posts were about various scenes or parts of a plot. I posted those bits and pieces with the intent of helping you to organize ten scenes that will help write … 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 5 – The Climax
Last time, we talked about the inciting incident— a great place to start thinking about the plot of your novel. This time I’d like you to think about the climax, which is the next plot point I think you should consider. The climax is that point in the narrative where the conflict or tension reaches … 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
Anatomy of a Scene
Motivation It’s been a few weeks but we are back! We are continuing our discussion of the topic of scene writing as a way to break down your novel into manageable chunks, and to consider each scene as an individual piece of the whole, but to also incorporate all the necessary elements into each scene … Read more
Anatomy of a Scene
Middles We’ve been focusing on scenes for the last few weeks. This week our focus is on scene middles. Each scene should have a purpose for being there. Each scene should move the story forward. Each scene should provide important information for the reader. As a reminder, a scene is a small part of … Read more
You’ve Been Writing That Novel for How Long?
How long? I expect that some of you will be pissed off at me by the end of this post. I am okay with that. Not because I want you to be pissed off at me, but because I want you to be the best writer you can be. Recently, over coffee with a fabulous … Read more