I’ve been reading comic books about as long as I have fantasy fiction novels. My dad bought me my first comic book, a Superman and Plastic Man team-up, when we moved from New Jersey to Iowa the summer after second grade. I spent many summer days after third grade with my face buried in a [...]
Superhero stories without pictures seem less super
Filed under Writing Journal on May 5, 2009
Tagged: comic books, novels, superheroes
Where do you start a story
Filed under Tips & Tools on April 7, 2009
Tagged: fantasy fiction, novels, short stories
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 [...]
Novels vs short stories
Filed under Writing Journal on June 30, 2004
Tagged: novels, Realms of the Dragons II, short stories
I fancy myself a novelist. There is something about the short story format that I just struggle with. I like the freedom that comes with a greater word count. Or perhaps I just have a natural inclination towards envisioning grander tales than would fit into 9000 words. Coming up with the story I was going [...]
Does page count equal quality?
Filed under Soapbox on May 11, 2004
Tagged: novels, Wheel of Time
The question was raised in another thread why recent novels, and fantasy ones in particular, are so fat? Examples like Wheel of Time and the new Dragonlance novels were sited as books that runneth over, and not in a “bountiful blessings” kind of way. I have no problem with 700+ page books or series that [...]
