Jan 12, 2019True Heroes Are like Shadows, Both Light & Dark, Good & BadPart V of Conflict, War, and Mortality I think when we write fantasy, sci fi, lit fiction … any fiction, when we join our own “what ifs” to the ink in our pens and spread a part of ourselves across each page, we invest our characters with everything that experience…Writing Tips3 min readWriting Tips3 min read
Dec 26, 2018Fantasy Is as Much About Its Villains as Its HeroesPart IV On Conflict, War, & Mortality — Characters of the Nasty Sort Characters of every sort, shape, and persuasion form the skin of a story. Villains, victims, heroes; for good or ill they inhabit a novel’s pages, march across its landscape. …Fantasy3 min readFantasy3 min read
Dec 19, 2018Characters — Love ’Em or Hate ‘EmFor myself, it’s the characters I remember long after the titles of the books I’ve read have settled into the bubbling quagmire that is my memory. I may not be able to place a name to them, but I can describe them — what they did, how they looked, their…Books3 min readBooks3 min read
Dec 9, 2018Writing Fiction, Fantasy, Sci Fi — What War Is and Isn’tPart III On Conflict, War, & Mortality It’s true. As writers we can pull some serious mileage out of warfare. As a fantasy author, at least of “epic” fantasy, warfare is all but mandatory. Epic? All right, it’s a legit term if a bit grand sounding. Let’s just say that several tomes are required to encompass the…Fiction24 min readFiction24 min read
Nov 30, 2018We’re All MortalThe shock was immediate. That damned Martin. He can’t kill off Robb! OK, he can. And obviously did! But it feels like I’m just happily sinking into the series and he’s killed off the bloody hero who’s supposed to carry this epic to the end. Or not. And at a…Game Of Thrones4 min readGame Of Thrones4 min read
Nov 27, 2018Conflict: A Reality of Living and WritingTo write is first and foremost to come face to face with the reality of ourselves. What we see will be reflected within the consonants and vowels, the pauses and flourishes of our words. For better or worse, warts and all, the more accomplished we become the more of our…Inner Journey2 min readInner Journey2 min read
Nov 6, 2018Music for Writing Fantasy — Part IIThe ink for my Music & Writing blog was still drying when I finished the prologue of my latest novel in the series, The Years of Bone and Ash. …Music29 min readMusic29 min read
Oct 30, 2018Music for Writing Fantasy, Sci Fi, and FictionA Concert Series with A Wee Story or Two Included I have listened to music while writing since the first time I sat staring down at a sheet of freshly scraped parchment, quill in hand, ink well filled, my lone candle pushing the shadows back even as its guttering light creates them. …Music30 min readMusic30 min read
Oct 20, 2018World Building for Fantasy and Sci FiThe Best Sci Fi and Fantasy Books Have Maps — (Editorial Opinion) 😉 I’ve read a number of authors on their take of world building for fantasy and sci fi. Author Nyki Blatchley’s Worldmaking: The Secret Ingredient approaches the issue of “time” very nicely. Well worth a read. World building is something we who write fantasy, and especially epic fantasy, and sci fi…Science Fiction4 min readScience Fiction4 min read
Sep 16, 2018The Best Sci Fi and Fantasy Books Start with A Great CoverOr Not …* As a general rule at least. I concede to there being exceptions. Many in fact. ALERT! Much of my own tastes and opinions follow. Feel free to agree or not. Just don’t hang the messenger. If you’ve read my earlier pontifications, you know I really enjoy anything written by Steven…Opinion4 min readOpinion4 min read
