Meta Monday 13: A Foundation of Air
illustration by jeloid
Fantasy writing must be grounded in both truth and life experience if it is to work. It can be as inventive and creative as the writer can make it, a whirlwind of images and plot twists, but it cannot be built on a foundation of air.
- Terry Brooks in The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing
Let us strive this week to find foundations in all that which is solid: our characters, plots, magics, worlds, and lives. Take hold of what you know can hold your weight and jump.
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Henry Miller’s Commandments
about 3 weeks ago - No comments
photo by ken
Henry Miller’s 11 writing commandments, as taken from Henry Miller Miscellanea.
COMMANDMENTS
Work on one thing at a time until finished.
Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.” (The project he was working on at the time)
Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
Work [...]
Fiction Friday 9: Convincing Madness
about 1 month ago - 1 comment
photo by onkel
Elodin proved a difficult man to find. He had an office in Hollows, but never seemed to use it. When I visited Ledgers and Lists, I discovered he only taught one class: Unlikely Maths. However, this was less than helpful in tracking him down, as according to the ledger, the time of the [...]
Meta Monday 12: The Ending of Things
about 2 months ago - 1 comment
photo by via
He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder.
-Tad Williams
Bear this in mind, my friends who are [...]
Merry Celebrations
about 2 months ago - No comments
illustration by Corrine A. Reed
The merriest of all holidays to you lords of men and monsters. May you find truth among lies, peace among foes, and threads of magic among that which is most mundane.
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Fiction Friday 8: Conifer Rosin
about 3 months ago - No comments
photo by robert young
The following is an excerpt from an early draft of Daughters of Oyr, my fantasy novel-in-progress.
The world around him moved at a crawling pace. The crowd of people were nearly still, save for a slight sway, like blades of grass pushed by the slightest breeze. One serving woman eased through the crowd, [...]
Dragon Re-Born E-Book Cover
about 3 months ago - No comments
Last month, I posted the cover art to the Wheel of Time’s second book, The Great Hunt. The whole series is being re-released in e-book form, with newly commissioned cover art that is significantly better than its former. I’ll keep posting the new artwork as it become available.
Today Tor posted the artwork for the Dragon [...]
Meta Monday 11: Stop Over Describing
about 3 months ago - No comments
photo by jim frazier
I think the tendency to over-explain and over describe is one of the most common failings in fantasy. It’s an unfortunate piece of Tolkien’s legacy. Don’t get me wrong, Tolkien was a great worldbuilder, but he got a little caught up describing his world at times, at the expense of the overall [...]
Fiction Friday 7: Leviathan
about 3 months ago - No comments
Scott Westerfeld’s newest book, the Leviathan looks like a truly amazing experience. Littered with steampunk artwork like the above, with a tight, intelligent prose, it is definitely on my holiday lists. I’m getting it for my book-worm cousin, hopefully someone feels the same way about me. From Westerfeld’s website:
Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian [...]
War of the Words Winner Announced
about 3 months ago - No comments
SciFi now and Tor put on an awesome contest earlier this year to find a fresh new face in Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Hundreds of people from around the world submitted (hundreds? Around the world? For a contest run by Tor? I’m surprised it wasn’t thousands). The winner has been announced: The Nemesis List by RJ Frith.
First thing [...]
Meta Monday 10: Why Women Should Read SFF
about 3 months ago - 1 comment
photo by John Le
When asked why women should read science fiction and fantasy, Ursula K. LeGuin replied:
Because it offers alternatives. What any group that is socially oppressed, or marginalized, or not in control, needs is to know that there are other ways to run a society, that the way this society is being run is [...]