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 […]
Genre
Posts on writing genre fiction
Not-so-accidental Tropes
Unplanned, unintended, unhinged; the finished novel is full of not-so-accidental tropes. Welcome to genre fiction.
Magic Conjures a Plot Hole
This is a problem with the fantasy genre: magic conjures a plot hole. Usually an entire Swiss cheese of plot
Six Essential Action-Genre Story Beats
What are the six essential action-genre story beats? The lack of which strips the novel of both genre and story?
When YA Tropes Turn Toxic
They are the mandatory elements of the genre, but what happens when YA tropes turn toxic? Are we offering impressionable
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.
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
What Made Me Write Fantasy?
What made me write fantasy? Here are some inspirations that pushed me to my chosen genre. There’s a much longer
How Long is my Story?
Fantasy authors need to know: how long is my story? The classification of a story will vary by genre, by