Top tips on writing fantasy from 21 successful novelists

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

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

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?

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

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

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?...