This is Part 4 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. As mentioned in Part 3 of this series, a hero is capable of experience fear, but moves forward regardless. He knows that his course could mean the death of him. In some cases, this truth is grimly ever present. And grimmer still, sometimes … Read more
In the south of France, around the mouths of the Rhône River, lies a region known as the Camargue. It is a land of marshes and reeds and waterfowl. Vast quantities of salt are produced in its wide salt pans, salt with a distinctive pink hue. And there are cowboys. Les Gardiens The cattle are … Read more
The foods we stuff down our gullets reflect the society we have established, the way we live our lives, and even our attitudes towards food itself. A society reliant on cheese must have established the necessary production and transport networks, while a person subsisting on caviar and champagne is unlikely to live the life of … Read more
This article is by Alex Baker. Fantasy is a genre that has always resonated with teenagers. Whether it’s imagining themselves exploring the halls of Hogwarts in the pages of Harry Potter, or deciphering the alethiometer in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, for many teens fantasy is a chance to immerse themselves in a universe … Read more
The last season of Game of Thrones has given me much to consider. Don’t turn away. This isn’t a spoiler, or a defense or an attack on the series, but an analysis of a key component of stories and why it can tear your darling to the ground. If story is a body then narrative … Read more
This article is by by B.K. Bass, and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. We’ve all been there: the butterflies hit our stomach, although that’s too kind a term, as it feels more like a pack of angry badgers scratching to get out. Our heart thumps like the drums of an orcish warband. Sweat breaks out … Read more
This is Part 2 in this series. Part 1 addressed how to write beginnings. If beginnings are important, endings are doubly so. From the first line of a story each word, each scene is driving the reader toward an eventual specific point. Predetermined, concrete, the ending is in place before the reader even knows the … Read more
Opening lines are touted as some of the most important of a story. How-To books and author blogs tell us to engage, captivate, immerse, excite—and to stop at nothing less. But what is the secret to an amazing story opening? Why do stories seem to succeed or fail on page one? In the Beginning Let’s … Read more
The Internet Hath Spoken Among the many things that I’ll miss about Game of Thrones are the memes. They were often funny and insightful, even when I didn’t agree with their point of view. When the last season came to a close, the memes pretty consistently expressed disappointment. Honestly, this was to be expected, as … Read more
Fantasy writers like to talk about world building, but what do you do once the world has been built? One of the things I enjoy with fantasy is how it can transport me to a different world. A place that only exists in my mind. To achieve this, world building is important, but it’s also … Read more
