The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner and Lord of the Rings. I really can't choose between those two - they were the foundation for my passionate love of fantasy, and their magic has never faded.
And as I recall Murasaki was pretty freaked out when she came of age and realized that Genji expected her to sleep with him, because for so many years she saw him as a father/older brother figure. Bringing romance into an adoptive parent/child relationship is an extremely delicate subject, but...
Very useful links, thanks guys:D Most of my writing seems to take the form of flash fiction and short stories these days, so I'm always on the look out for reputable publications to submit to.
Sure, a short story can be a playground for concepts that don't demand a full trilogy, but I think...
As Konstanz said, the main thing is atmosphere, not detail. Get a feel for the kind of environment your characters are moving through - the smells and sights and sounds and all the other cliches - but keep it brief. Think of it as a doing a rough sketch rather than an architecturally correct...
Size isn't everything =P An organized group of diminutive but powerful magical beings could be dangerous indeed, especially if they're used to functioning close to, or in the midst of, the human world. In this case aesthetic does play an important role - even if their general appearance is...
I'm usually busy juggling about five books at any given time, which has led to accusations of literary promiscuity :p At least two of those will be fantasy, one will be a re-read (usually Terry Pratchett, so fantasy again) and the other two will be modern fiction and a classic. Although the...
Just about anything from the 60s onwards, provided the lyrics are good and it's not too mainstream. Punk, new wave, metal, alternative, etc... Celtic deathmetal/folk metal makes me very happy for some reason :p The only genres I can't stand are RnB and pop (although I make an exception for Lady...
I think it's not the age of the character but the maturity of the writing itself that determines the audience. The way the story deals with issues such as religion, politics, violence, sex etc. already gives an indication of who it's aimed at - teenage fantasy is written so that young people...
How many cities? Erm...one?:p I don't really go in for world-building on a grand scale. Writing about a modern-day city riddled with faerie half-breeds, vampire mafia and unscrupulous magicians, whilst steering clear of cliches and "supernatural romance", is more than enough to keep me busy at...
Agree with Scipio, if the character is important enough - and the funeral is interesting enough - then readers would care. Whether you make it a separate epilogue or not, the important thing is to write only what's necessary and relevant to the story and its conclusion.
As for your second...
It's definitely on my list of 'things to do one day when I have obscene amounts of spare time'. I'd like to draw it myself and maybe collaborate with someone on the storyline...I'd probably favor a more manga-esque approach, though.
My reaction was similar to Elder's. Epic quote :p
Firstly, I can't be bothered with chapter titles because choosing them takes me longer than writing the actual chapter. Secondly, I'm not a big fan of them anyway - they tend to be either overly-descriptive, totally dull or embarrassingly...
'Sparking' ideas is usually easy enough...taking a nebulous idea and setting it out as a logical draft is another matter >.> Usually it starts with a scene or a character, the former giving me a potential setting and the latter determining the thoughts/emotions I want to build the story around...