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This article is by Anne Marie Gazzolo. In the essay, “On Fairy-Stories,” J.R.R. Tolkien speaks of a subject close to his heart. He had a life-long interest in and love for the genre, and approaches the topic as an author. According to Tolkien, fairy-stories allow us as readers and authors to experience what he calls … Read more
This article is by Sarah Hood. I know what you’re thinking: “Great, another article about clichés.” Yes, I know. Google “clichés in writing” and most of what comes up tells you to avoid them. No, wait! Don’t hit that back button yet. I’m not going to tell you to avoid clichés. Because here’s the deal. … Read more
This article is by Joseph Zieja. I’m an officer in the United States Air Force, and I’ve been wearing the uniform for ten years. I also write. I’ve had pieces appear in Daily Science Fiction and some other anthologies across the web and in print. So I have a tiny bit of writing clout to … Read more
This article is by Henry L. Herz. When my sons were five and seven years old, I wanted to share my love of fantasy with them. Struck by inspiration one day, I came up with a way to share the joy of entering the magical realms of fantasy. I would write a fantasy book for … Read more
This article is by Terri Rochenski. My love affair with the fantasy genre started at an early age when someone bought me and my older brother The Chronicles of Narnia seven book gift set. I read them ‘til they fell apart. Literally. I can’t tell you how many times I checked the backs of every … Read more
This article is by Dr John Yeoman. I knew I had to kill the wizard that night. Sure, I felt bad about it. Hadn’t he always been my buddy? But he shouldn’t have fooled around with my wife. Every new story writer knows the difference between first and third person narration. Don’t we? The first … Read more
This article is by Martin White. Horror is by no means an underrated genre, but it’s typically forgotten in discussions of speculative fiction. Much ink is spilled on the differences between science fiction and fantasy, but horror is examined on its own, with few connections to its siblings. As an advocate of genre-mixing, I’m drawn … Read more
This article is by Marc Davies. If you have watched television, read a newspaper, seen a play or been to a movie in the last couple of years, there’s no doubt that you would have been exposed to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people and their issues. The only way you could avoid it is … Read more
This article is by Martin White. Every epic needs an opposing force, and in most high and heroic fantasy, that opposing force is evil. Sometimes, it’s literal Evil with a capital E, embodied in an army of twisted champions. Other times, it’s the sort of evil that kicks puppies and kidnaps damsels. Either way, it … Read more
This article is by Dr John Yeoman. Every plot is a cliché, isn’t it? According to Christopher Booker, there have been only seven basic plots since the dawn of story telling, although Georges Polti expanded the total to 36. No good plot is original because successful stories evoke one or more of the Seven Deadly … Read more