Recent content by Mad Swede

That's hard to explain given that I think it all through in my head before I start writing. It just happens, and in this case it started on a Tuesday afternoon/evening. The idea struck me on my way home, I let it germinate for a few hours Tuesday night and then I thought the whole story through...

In my view this depends on what sort of scene you are writing, by which I mean where in the story does it occur? The way you set up the opening scene in a story will be different from the way you set up a scene later in the story when the characters are more established. More than that, what...

Gurkhal's translation is more accurate, but what I wanted to add is that Villhelm Moberg wrote the The Emigrants series of four books: The Emigrants (Utvandrarna), Unto a Good Land (Invandrarna), The Settlers (Nybyggarna) and The Last Letter Home (Sista brevet till Sverige). The books tell the...

Er, no. As a rule you and your editor will work out how long each chapter should be, based on the needs of the story. This is what my editor does. My publisher does not have any guidelines on chapter length at all, as this varies depending on the book.

If you use chapters to divide your story they should be as long as required for your story to flow. There is no set length at all.

It's when inspiration strikes like it did this time that I really land in the zone. In that zone my inspiration and my writing are on song, it all comes together and, as you say, the words pour out. I can't stop writing, I lose all track of time and I'm not even concious of how much I'm...

It's all about concentration. This is, for me, one of the most important things about writing (or doing anything else) well. It takes concentration, it isn't something I feel you can do on a wing and prayer. It needs thought, it needs preparation and it needs care. Once I've thought the story...

And now the spelling and grammar corrections are done, and I'm about half way through adding the last bits of prose. I'm really quite pleased with this novel, even though I do say so myself.

Don't use the back arrow on your browser, it takes you back to the old version of the previous page. Click on the relevant part of the breadcrumbs (eg some part of Home > Forums > Mythic Scribes Official > Ask the Staff) and you should avoid this problem.

Well, in my setting there is nothing in the law covering LGBTQ+people or acts. So technically these things aren't illegal. That doesn't mean these things are always seen as socially acceptable. There are a number of LGBTQ+ people in my stories and, as in real life, their degree of openess varies...

For me building tension in writing is all about triggering emotions in the reader. By that I mean that I try to put the reader in the situation by building a picture, an image if you like, of the situation. How does it feel, what do the senses pick up? Temperature, smell, light levels and so on...

I'm not sure where to begin, or how to put this. But... First, using an example like Don Quixote doesn't work. That book was contemporary fiction when it was written. And yes, the story itself would work equally as well if it were updated to a modern setting with cellphones and the internet...

Well, as Prince of Spires has name-checked me I guess I'd better comment. :) As others have already said, the key to being a writer is finishing what you started writing. Which also means you must write when you sit down to write. It doesn't matter what you write, the important thing is to...

Anyone who thinks that mainstream fantasy assumes a western European culture and aesthetic hasn't read enough. For a Byzantine style (and hence medieval style) setting, how about Harry Turtledove's Videssos Cycle or Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine Mosaic series? For a Saxon/Viking (and hence...

This is the even more expanded version! ;) The Very Complete, Very Extended, Printer Friendly, Evil Overlord List (plus other evil stuff)