Ian Tregillis is the author of the Milkweed Triptych trilogy, and is a contributor to George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards series. His latest book is Something More Than Night, a noir urban fantasy detective story of fallen angels and nightclub stigmatics. He joins us to answer questions on writing both historical fantasy and alternate … Read more
Multiple POV storytelling has a bad rap. Sure, the practice of splitting a single narrative across multiple characters’ perspectives has a long history. And its popularity continues to expand as our society grows ever more distrustful of singular truth, in favor of individual realities. But multiple POV writing is not without its critics—and some of … Read more
As fantasy writers, we accept that certain elements are expected in our novels. For example, the fight scene. Whether it’s an epic battle or a street duel, there’s going to be a fight somewhere. But what about love? I recently talked with a few friends about writing romantic scenes. The general feeling that these writers … Read more
This article is by Brendan McNulty. Wikipedia defines purple prose as “written prose that is so extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw excessive attention to itself.” It’s one of those writing styles we’re always told to guard against. The best way to look at it is to see what is … Read more
For my “writer self,” cracking (or clicking) open a new fantasy novel is one of the most exciting ways to spend my free time. It’s also one of the most terrifying. After all, I don’t really know what I’ll find inside, and encountering a badly-crafted story is more than disappointing. It’s downright painful. I’m sure … 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
When I’m immersed in fantasy, a trance envelopes me. There’s something about great fantasy storytelling that trumps all other genres in drawing me into the world and story. Call me crazy, but I think I’m onto something here. And that something is the recipe for the domination of the imagination. Much like The Hero with … 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