by Drew Ellenwood | Nov 5, 2013 | Fantasy & Science Fiction
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...
by Drew Ellenwood | Oct 10, 2013 | Fantasy & Science Fiction
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...
by Drew Ellenwood | Sep 27, 2013 | Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fantasy & Theology
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...
by Drew Ellenwood | Sep 21, 2013 | Fantasy & Science Fiction
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...
by Drew Ellenwood | Aug 24, 2013 | Fantasy & Science Fiction
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...
