Starting a fantasy novel? Where to begin? It’s in your head; you can see the scenes, the characters, the settings; you’ve even envisioned the ending. Now, where to start it? A friend told me a hint: Start on the day that is different. That will grab your attention and your reader’s attention. Let’s look at […]
When time gets near Halloween, I want to see some appropriate Halloween-flavored movies, but no horror. I don’t like that. Light entertainment, not dismemberments. You might ask what do Halloween movies have to do with fantasy. And I would say, “Halloween is fantasy.” So here follows three movies that might be suitable for […]
First, who is Andrew Niccol? Andrew Niccol is the writer and sometime director behind the three movies about reality I discuss below. Then you’ll understand why I chose the title above. The Truman Show Truman Burbank. His first name gives the hint. He is the true man in contrast to the fake around him. His last […]
Let’s talk about fantasy worlds from various sources. I’m going to start, of course, with C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, a world simple enough for children and complex enough for adults. Magic Magic infuses Narnia from the beginning when Aslan sang it into being. But for the reader magic starts from the time Lucy hides in an […]
In order to connect with us meager humans in the real world, a fantasy novel needs to have at least a few things in common with life as we know it. Your populace could well have tentacles about their mouths or three arms at the top of their heads or hair on the bottoms […]
Is magic necessary in fantasy? My first inclination is to say, “I hope not,” because my book Curious Origins of a Restless World has no magic. Before you think, “Well, who would want to read that?”, at least stick with me through the end of the blog. Why? Because whether having magic or […]
In any fantasy or science fiction story, whether literature or film, there’s always at least one premise… One pill to swallow, if you will. Too many pills forced down the reader’s throat and they’ll choke. A person can take one, maybe three, premises, but too much more than that and the story simply gets silly. […]
Literary prejudice is an ugly thing. Years ago I took a night course on short story writing. (And you may say that while I might have taken it, it didn’t take in my writing. But whatever.) My teacher was very able. (She would say, “Don’t use that word ‘very’ or have too many parenthetical asides.” But […]
We fantasy readers want a champion we can root for, suffer with, struggle alongside, and ultimately cheer on. If our fantasy heroes too wondrous, too cold, or too inhuman, we are apt to quickly lose interest. And when you don’t care what happens to a story’s characters, the story’s sunk. Here are five traits with examples […]
This is my list of essential fantasy novels. Don’t like it – make your own list or leave a comment. I like to hear from you and discuss the wonderful world of fantasy. Here we go: 1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe This book is the classic definition of fantasy. It takes the […]
