It’s not unheard of for fantasy fiction writers to spend a lot of time and effort on world-building. Character-building, on the other hand, often takes a back seat, resulting in one-dimensional archetypes instead of a cast with personality and motivations. Imagine the depth and complexity fantasy fiction characters might have if writers spent as much [...]

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My stance on beta readers and critique groups isn’t as contrary as my last post made it seem. I use beta readers. Sometimes, it’s just my wife. Sometimes I’ll seek out subject matter experts or other genre writers. I’m very particular about who I solicit input from, and what input I’m interested in. I used [...]

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Magic is a mainstay–some might even argue a defining characteristic–of fantasy fiction. A writer determines whether magic follows a system of rules or leaves it mysterious and unexplained when building the world the story is set in. That is only the first step of using magic in fantasy fiction, however. The writer then needs to [...]

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One result of the expanded role for Lady Temmere in “Relvan’s Rescue” was my decision to begin the story a few scenes “later” than where I originally started it. Where to start your fantasy fiction story is both an important and difficult decision to make. You only get one chance to hook the reader, to [...]

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I write using an outline. If you’re doing work-for-hire, you’ll probably have to turn in a chapter-by-chapter outline before you turn in a manuscript. I know there are many writers out there who prefer not to work with an outline, however. I find outlines to be invaluable tools for keeping a story on track and [...]

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