How K.S. Villoso nailed character voice in The Wolf of Oren-yaro

How K.S. Villoso nailed character voice in The Wolf of Oren-yaro

(Warning: semi-spoilers ahead.) Voice may be one of the most elusive aspects of storytelling, yet we all know a good voice when we read one. When the voice is really good, we may even notice it from the very first line or two – as I did when I started reading K.S....
What we can learn from The Hobbit

What we can learn from The Hobbit

The Hobbit is one of the bestselling books of all time.  It’s also one of the best guides to writing fantasy.  Modern fantasy writers sometimes shy away from Tolkien, seeing him as dated or over-wordy. A desperate desire to see our work as original and unique means...
What actually is a ‘scene’ in a novel?

What actually is a ‘scene’ in a novel?

Is this a scene? If you’ve been writing fiction for long, you’ve probably asked yourself this question at some point, even if you didn’t think about it that way at the time. If you like to plan your stories, you might have found yourself creating a list of some or all...
Ways to use your invented language to create story conflict

Ways to use your invented language to create story conflict

If you love worldbuilding, inventing a language for your story world – be it a few words or a full-blown grammar – can be almost as fun as writing the story itself. But it can also be one of the hardest elements to work into your story in a meaningful way. You don’t...