With the new Star Wars movie hitting big, people unfamiliar with fantasy and science fiction may feel out of their depth. For you normal folks, I offer a short introduction – a non-nerd primer so to speak – of accessible examples from fantasy and science fiction in four different media. Movie: Star Wars Recently my […]
Face it: As genres go, fantasy and science fiction do not lend themselves well to romance. Now before you protest by citing examples of book covers, let me say that romance is more than a buxom vixen next to a muscle man riding a dragon. That’s not romance; that’s just sex. Sex is not romance. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
