Copywork: The secret tool to sharpen your writing

Copywork: The secret tool to sharpen your writing

Aug 25, 2025 | Writing Tips

Writing your heart out and studying craft books are great, but much of a writer’s education comes from paying attention when they read. One excellent way to practice and cultivate that close attention is copywork. Copywork means carefully copying well-written texts to...
How to write crossover fantasy

How to write crossover fantasy

Last updated Jul 24, 2025 | Writing Tips

If you’ve been hanging around enough speculative fiction writers, you’ve probably heard the terms ‘high fantasy’ and ‘low fantasy’ tossed around. They both have their devotees and their conventions. But is there another way? Crossover fantasy, a blending of high and...
5 ways your fantasy characters can activate their magic

5 ways your fantasy characters can activate their magic

Last updated Jun 27, 2025 | Writing Tips

Every story is a universe in itself. When a writer embarks on creating a story, they are creating a universe, and every universe (that is recognisable to the human mind) is made of three specific ingredients: Space Time Magic The first two are self-evident – even our...
Nostalgia in fantasy ain’t what it used to be

Nostalgia in fantasy ain’t what it used to be

May 15, 2025 | Writing Tips

Nostalgia is at once one of the most comforting and dangerous things in the world. It’s also a cornerstone of the fantasy genre. Wait! Hear me out on this one. Right from the beginning of modern fantasy, there has been a call to a mythic past. Part of this stems from...
The rise of literary fantasy, and how to write it

The rise of literary fantasy, and how to write it

Last updated Mar 28, 2025 | Writing Tips

There’s a new major player in the world of speculative fiction. You’ve probably seen it on the shelves of your favourite bookshop and on the shortlists for some prestigious prizes. ‘Literary fantasy’ really is the best of all worlds, bridging highbrow character...