Creative email subscriber magnets for fantasy authors

Creative email subscriber magnets for fantasy authors

Dec 20, 2023 | Writing Tips

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

Nov 29, 2023 | Writing Tips

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?

Oct 25, 2023 | Writing Tips

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

Sep 27, 2023 | Writing Tips

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

Aug 30, 2023 | Writing Tips

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

Cosy fantasy: what it is and how to write it

Jul 26, 2023 | Writing Tips

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...