Blog
Character Design: Writing Consistent Characters
One of my biggest pet-peeves in stories is the use of a character to drive the plot the wrong way. You’ll notice it from time to time, if you’re watching for it. It goes like this: an author writes a character one way for the majority of the plot, then, they just change that character. It throws the character under the bus.
Metaphor: Seasons and Weather
One of the first metaphors I ever learned was that of weather and climate. I think it’s that way for a lot of people because of how readily available the comparison is.
Tell Me a Star Wars Story
Last night as I was putting my daughter to bed, I asked her what kind of a story she wanted.“I want a Star Wars story,” she said.
Terrible Plot, Critique, and Taking Advice
Sometimes the things we write aren’t perfect and we need a different perspective.
Similarity in Writing. Or, “How Close is Too Close?”
In a previous article, I encroached on the concept of encroaching on someone else’s story. (That last bit about the cave and the coin.) And I thought it might be worth a followup about the theme of similarity.
A Ghostwriter, Ghostwriting Ghosts
A few thoughts about why I write, and why hiring a ghostwriter isn’t a thing I do.
Creating or Using Existing Creatures
One of my favorite things about writing Fantasy stories is creature design. So, I thought I’d put together a few writing tips about, well, designing creatures.
Top 10 Best Sellers in Amazon Fantasy – May 9, 2016
It occurred to me that there’s some value in keeping watch on the top 10 sellers in Amazon’s fantasy section. Here’s what’s popular on May 9, 2016.
Sometimes, Characters Leave The Party
A change of address from some good friends made me re-think how we write characters in groups.
Writing Fantasy Races: Elves? Which Elves?
Out of all the fantasy races, Elves are my favorite. Tolkien’s elves, Warhammer Elves, any given Elf in a video game. Not the Keebler Elves, though their cookies are at least decent. Nor Christmas Elves with their match-matchy outfits. Elf on a Shelf is especially right out. Yes, he’s a Christmas elf, but he gets… Read This Article
