Wizards of the Coast has been aggressively moving into the e-book market over the last year, publishing new titles as e-book exclusives and re-releasing their backlist. Maiden of Pain gets its turn today. A big thanks to everyone who pre-ordered the book. If you aren’t one of those types who will be glued to the [...]
Turkey, Wizards, and a Maiden
Filed under Writing Journal on November 20, 2012
Tagged: e-books, Janner Kohl, Maiden of Pain, Mig's Rebellion, short stories, Wizards of the Coast
Very Very Very Short Stories
Filed under Market Report, Trends & Tropes on November 22, 2011
Tagged: Ernest Hemingway, short stories
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 [...]
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 [...]
Reaction to a shrinking market
Filed under Market Report on February 3, 2009
Tagged: fantasy, fantasy fiction, Realms of Fantasy, short stories
The news that Realms of Fantasy will cease publication with their April 2009 issue has caused me to rethink the submission strategy I employed for my fantasy fiction short stories. The professional market is rapidly shrinking. “Professional” is defined as any market that pays a minimum of $.05/word (per the current membership requirements of the [...]
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 [...]

