Category: The Authorial Process

TROPES AND TRAPS – Avoiding Cliché in Fantasy Writing

It’s tricky to balance writing originally while still pleasing readers. If a fantasy author does this right, they’ve made magic. But it isn’t easy. Fantasy readers generally like more of what they’ve liked in the past, so an author needs to 1) be aware of the genre’s tropes and 2) include at least some of … Continue reading TROPES AND TRAPS – Avoiding Cliché in Fantasy Writing →

Gods and Tyrants – The Novelist’s Creative Process

Fiction authors get asked whether they're planers or 'pantsers'. This means does the author, before setting fingers to keyboard, plot out their entire story, and the characters arcs, and settings, and the themes/conflicts - and then stick to this plan until the work is finished? Or do they just start writing with only a vague … Continue reading Gods and Tyrants – The Novelist’s Creative Process →

Notes on Creating a Story (part 5)

This is the last of my posts on how/why I came to write my modern fantasy, The Lords of the Summer Season (check the book out at Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3g5kfuP ).  And what better note to end on than a romantic note! Of course, romance belongs in a fantasy about the Summer of Love, and Bradan has … Continue reading Notes on Creating a Story (part 5) →

Notes on Creating a Story (part 4)

This is part 4 of my posts on how/why I came to write my modern fantasy, The Lords of the Summer Season (check the book out at Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2QcFhwQ ). Other installments will follow.  No fantasy story is complete without a vengeful villain or, in this case, two vengeful villains without morality. They oppose … Continue reading Notes on Creating a Story (part 4) →