That critical second draft
Congratulations! If this is your first finished novel, extra congratulations. Now close the desktop or notebook folder your manuscript is in and don’t open it for at least two weeks. Minimum. A month will be even better. Do whatever it takes to forget that novel...
Top tips on writing fantasy from 21 successful novelists
The internet has no shortage of advice from writers on writing, but fantasy-specific tips can be harder to come by. That’s why we asked 21 published authors to give their top tip on writing in the genre. From paranormal romance to grimdark, you’ll find most subgenres...
Creative email subscriber magnets for fantasy authors
So you’ve taken the leap and built your very own snazzy author website. It’s very ‘Look out, world’ with a side of chic. You even have some reader traffic finding their way onto your home page. But now, how do you grab and keep their attention? By building up that...
How to use AI in your worldbuilding
AI gets a lot of flack from writers. It’s a new technology, barely out of its infancy. We are only just starting to understand and debate the legal ramifications and the uses of programs like ChatGPT. Some authors are up in arms. How dare software companies use their...
High fantasy versus low fantasy: what’s the difference?
We love fantasy in all its facets: epic fantasy, cosy fantasy, magical realism, sword-and-sorcery, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, fantasy with beasties and ghoulies and valiant heroes of all shapes and sizes. When you think about it, ‘fantasy’ is actually a huge...
How to create meaningful stakes in a story
I recently saw a movie that got me thinking about the state of stories. In particular – why aren’t all of them good? Whether it’s folklore, fairy tales, fantasy, science fiction, or literary, written, spoken, or filmed, humanity has been telling stories for millennia....
How to use humour in fantasy
Pratchett aside, fantasy isn’t a genre that immediately screams out ‘funny’. If you consider the grim-faced barbarians in Robert E. Howard’s stories, Moorcock’s tragic Elric, or indeed the epic scale of Tolkien’s work… well, it all seems a bit serious, doesn’t it?...
Cosy fantasy: what it is and how to write it
Are you getting weary of writing about political intrigue, violence, or long, complicated events that impact the lives of many people? I don’t blame you. We get enough of that in real life. But is there a market for any other kind of fantasy? Writers, take hope! An...