Hard and Soft Magic in Fantasy
Nothing defines a world quite like hard and soft magic in fantasy. Does the magic have endless rules or no […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Tolkien’s Antidote to Hard Magic
No levels, no Hit Points, only epic conflicts between ages-old sorcerers: this is Tolkien’s antidote to Hard Magic.
Readers connect to Emotional Truths
Readers don’t connect to plots, they connect to emotional truths. When there are no new plots, only new twists, what
More than a Hero’s Journey
Use whatever plot structure you want; story is more than a hero’s journey.
Hubris defeats the Master Strategist
No matter the antagonist’s intelligence, drive or competence, hubris defeats the master strategist. In the second book of my series,
A Monster of his own Making
The last of my series villains is a monster of his own making. No amount of wealth or titles can
The Savage Antagonist
My series villains includes one seemingly simple brute: the savage antagonist. A man of rage and violence, born out of
Hero-Saviour-Monster-Villain
At the center of my series is an antagonist who is all things to all men: Hero-Saviour-Monster-Villain. My challenge? To
Conventions of the Urban-fantasy Genre
With the latest accidental project I need to understand the conventions of the Urban-Fantasy Genre. As if I don’t have
Not-so-accidental Tropes
Unplanned, unintended, unhinged; the finished novel is full of not-so-accidental tropes. Welcome to genre fiction.