This article is by Adam Bassett. I’ve been writing stories since about the age of ten. It began with unfinished fan-fiction novels and has developed into original stories with (hopefully) intriguing settings and characters. During my time working on these projects there has always been a collaborative drive whenever I spoke with another who enjoyed … Read more
Writing can be a stressful task for even the most experienced writers, so the occasional method of unwinding can do wonders for the creative psyche. But can these various stress relievers actually improve your fantasy writing? If utilized correctly, I think they can not only help let off some steam, but do wonders for world-building, … Read more
That scene in The Fellowship of the Ring, the one where Frodo and Sam cross the Brandywine, has always bothered me. How did hobbits, famously averse to water travel, know how to steer the raft? Wouldn’t they have been carried by the current a mile or two downstream? In the book, Tolkien has Merry push … Read more
What’s a Novella? A novella sits somewhere between the short story and the novel — too long to be a short, too short to be a novel. You might ask how long it is, and depending on who you ask you’ll get a different answer. If you’re measuring word count, the novella comes in at … Read more
The Knight in shining armor, chivalrous to the very end. The majestic charger of gilded plate barding, galloping forever onward like a divine wind. The wielder of powerful, enchanted arms as the bane of the unjust and unholy. Unwavering devotion to their cause as the defender of the weak, and the usurper of the vile. … Read more
This article is by Jedi Knight Muse (Ally). Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved using my imagination. It didn’t matter if I was just playing pretend with my friends or playing by myself. I remember standing in my kitchen one night and telling my parents that I was Dorothy Gail (from Wizard … Read more
A couple of months back I wrote an article about how I’d decided to take a step back and re-learn the basics of storytelling (here). It’s been working out really well, and today I’m here to share a little of what I’ve learned so far. What am I doing, and why? First of all, a … Read more
This article is by Sheila Wisz Ellayn. It was over thirteen years ago that I went to sleep one night, unaware of the great and terrifying adventure that awaited me. The lights went off, I was feeling good and it seemed like anything extraordinary would take place that night. It was then that I encountered … Read more
Swords, castles, princes, serfs – just those four words are enough to place readers in a fantasy setting. They evoke a place both mysterious and reminiscent of fairy tales, archaic enough to hold secrets, but grounded enough to be relatable. It’s a trope to make all magical settings feel familiar. Let’s reboot the Medieval Kingdom. … Read more
This article is by Cassandra Rose Clarke. Imagine a typical fantasy writer’s day. They wake up, have their cup of coffee, faff about on Twitter for a bit, and then settle down and begin to work. Their work, of course, consists of retreating deep into their own minds, pulling on tiny threads of the fantastic … Read more