The Obsessive Worldbuilder Quiz

Do you spend weeks and weeks designing the ceremonial cloaks that your orcs wear for their Annual Wereboar BBQ? Do you sketch maps of obscure villages that haven’t existed in your world for thousands of years on napkins? Do you lie awake before bed and think, “I really should figure out how the ogres in … Read more

Avoiding Fantasy Fatigue

If you’re reading this article you might be thinking two things: 1. Why would a fantasy website feature an article about being burned out with fantasy? 2. I’m burned out on fantasy, so I want to see what this guy rants about. Well, to put this into perspective, I’m a life-long fan of fantasy, have … Read more

Absolutism vs. Ambiguity in Fantasy

This article is by Matthew R. Bishop. In a recent article featured on Mythic Scribes, Christian Madera explored the strengths and limitations of “black and white” fantasy, while defending the rise of “grey” fantasy as something that can overcome the drawbacks of black and white. Let me clarify that I am an author of grey … Read more

Should You Write a Fantasy Trilogy?

I recently came to a part in my Work in Progress (WIP) when I said, “Huh, this doesn’t look like it’s going to be a standalone after all.” While I believe there are a lot of important decisions to make about your book (awesome characters, coherent plot, enough giant roach mutants, traditional vs. self-publishing), one … Read more

Is Fantasy Fiction Too Safe?

The last dozen fantasy books I’ve read would be classified as epic fantasy. Some kind of hero or heroine goes on a quest, or there are world-spanning conflicts between kings and queens. I guess you’re expecting me to say, “Ugh, I’m so sick of epic fantasy.” Actually, no. I quite enjoy these kinds of stories … Read more

Why You Should Burn Your NaNoWriMo Novel

If you’re reading this, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is over and you have one of the following in your quivering, coffee-stained hands: A string of nonsensical words that closely resemble the ramblings of a mad centaur. 50,000 words that are mostly just alternations of “I hate this” or “Crap!” A pretty solid attempt at … Read more

Cover to Cover II: From Idea to Story

Last time on Cover to Cover, I introduced this series of articles, which follows a novel from birth to potential publication. The previous entry was all about ideas. How to grow them, nurture them, and expand them. This time I’m going to show you how to take that idea and mold it into an actual … Read more