Can the Protagonist Walk Away?
Are the events of the story inescapable: or can the protagonist walk away? The answer tells you whether the story […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Recursive Story MICE on a Budget
It’s the ultimate in story-building technique: recursive story MICE on a budget. It all stems from Mary Robinette Kowal’s guest
Ten Fantasy Mentor-Apprentice Tropes
The mentor-apprentice relationship fills the pages of fantasy more than any other genre, so here are ten fantasy mentor-apprentice tropes.
Outline or Discovery?
What makes for a better story, an outline or discovery? Plotting or ‘pantsing?’ Writers fall into two types: the plotter
Thirty-eight Elements of Story
The writer’s software ‘Fictionary’ works on thirty-eight elements of story. It’s a long and thorough list of goals, objectives and
The Flat-pack Hero’s Journey
The Flat-pack Hero’s Journey is nowhere more prevalent than in the fantasy genre. It’s the not-so-secret formula to story telling.
Fantasy Genre Tropes We Love and Hate
Reading more widely, I shouldn’t be surprised at the number of fantasy genre tropes we love and hate. A trope
Historical Fiction or Fantasy?
Historical fiction or fantasy? Which should I write? Months and years of painstaking research, or build my own worlds where
The Wrong Point of View
You draft the first book in a series, then realize you’re telling the story from the wrong point of view.
Story in Seventeen Beats
Another classic story-telling framework is the story in seventeen beats. It makes for fast-paced stories and works well across genres. Seventeen