At some point, the beginning writer starts to notice that different stories are different from each other. They don’t all seem to follow the same rules. For a while (and I’ve seen this a lot), the writer tries to stretch “their” system of writing to fit the basics to cover all possible variations. This is where […]
Pacing, Part 2: Form and Content Read More »
When writers first start out, what they’re mainly aware of, writing-wise, is conflict. This is when you sit down and start writing a scene and go, “This is two people fighting about something, how exciting!” Let’s call that Level 0. Beginning writers have started to be inundated with English classes; they often have a set
Pacing, Part 1: Welcome to Intermediate Writing! Read More »
If epic fantasy is often about coming of age… In order to do/get the thing, the character has to pretend to be someone they’re not. Sometimes that character isn’t willing to do so, and gets beaten down until they must fulfill that role. Either they discover they’re not really faking it, OR they discover that no,
Simple Epic Fantasy Plots, Part 4: Imposter Syndrome Read More »
Okay, grimdark seems to love this plot like I love butter. The thing must be accomplished at all costs, because reasons. Hahahaha, reason. Using methods the character never would have considered at the outset (and they considered more than a few things), the thing is accomplished! And now they don’t want it, because the cost
Simple Epic Fantasy Plots, Part 3: The Ambition Read More »
I’m trying to look at books the way a librarian might, in order to help get me better at thinking from a reader’s point of view. Last week I did Jeff Lemire’s Roughneck. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is a standalone novel in the Agatha Christie Poirot mystery series. She’s most famous for Murder on the Orient Express, in
Think Like a Librarian: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, by Agatha Christie Read More »
The characters have to do the thing. Just one tiny little thing. Uh-oh. Remember the last time we had to do just a tiny little thing? It didn’t go well. The characters have to do the thing, which is usually identified as being super-easy. (Usually, there’s more than one character, although one of them is
Simple Epic Fantasy Plots, Part 2: Scope Creep Read More »
As far as I can tell, there are three main areas of contemporary fantasy that are so separated from each other that it’s pointless to try to lump them together. Epic/high fantasy. Urban fantasy. Everything else. Tropes and fans can and do cross over, but trying to figure out what’s going on seems to require
Simple Epic Fantasy Plots, Part 1: Danger Behind Us Read More »
Here’s the structure of a scene tends to go: Beginning Middle Ending Tell the reader everything they need to know for that scene in the beginning of that scene, unless the information spoils a plot twist or a reveal somewhere in the middle. Do not tell the reader anything they don’t need to know for that scene.
When to Tell the Reader? Read More »
Every writer has at least a couple of rules that they have to break, in order to become their own best writer. You may only break those rules if the reader will get more pleasure/interest/benefit out of those rules being broken than otherwise. Don’t be lazy. Be creative. … It takes writing time to write
I’m not sure how to explain it, but I’m trying to look at the best of the best books that I read and see them as a librarian might–who needs this book? who would love it? I read this one recently and was very impressed. Roughneck is a standalone graphic novel by Jeff Lemire, who does a
Think Like a Librarian: Roughneck, by Jeff Lemire Read More »
