I grew up reading novels as my primary source of fiction. This influenced my perception of what a story was, and guided my steps as I developed my identity as a writer. The vision I beheld of my future career was filled with epic fantasy novels, not anthologies of short stories. How ironic that my [...]
Entries Categorized as 'Trends & Tropes'
Very Very Very Short Stories
Filed under Market Report, Trends & Tropes on November 22, 2011
Tagged: Ernest Hemingway, short stories
Superhero retirement plans
Filed under Trends & Tropes on December 30, 2008
Tagged: Batman, Bruce Wayne, comic books, superheroes
Bruce Wayne is hanging up the cape and cowl in 2009. I haven’t read comic books with any regularity since I got married, and only just heard about this event a couple months ago when it hit mainstream media. My immediate reaction was cynical, born of too many “death” events and the cold, hard business [...]
The right hero for the job
Filed under Trends & Tropes on December 9, 2008
Tagged: Chronicles of Jord, fantasy fiction, heroes, Logan Shadowhand, protagonists
There are many different types of heroes, each with their own set of motivations and methods. Picking the right protagonist for the story is an important task for a fantasy fiction writer. While I don’t subscribe to the theory that characters can take over a story and rewrite it, I have experienced struggles in writing [...]
Breaking the rules of magic
Filed under Trends & Tropes on November 11, 2008
Tagged: fantasy fiction, magic
Top ten lists provide good fodder for blog posts. I came across a “top ten” rules of using magic in fantasy fiction article last week. While I’m all for magic-related rules that fantasy fiction writers should follow, a good writer learns how and when it’s appropriate to break the rules. I’ve broken several of the [...]
Fantasy fiction theology: Robin Hobb
Filed under Trends & Tropes on October 21, 2008
Tagged: fantasy fiction, Farseer trilogy, Liveship Traders, religion, Robin Hobb, theology
Religion is often a defining characteristic of a culture. Fantasy fiction authors can use theology as a point of conflict between characters, as motivation for the protagonist or antagonist, or to add to the richness and depth of the world they have built. Limiting the inclusion of theology to passing references is a squandered opportunity. [...]
