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Recommended for Writers: Book Architecture by Stuart Horwitz
I’m a big fan of Outlining, but I’m aware it’s not everyone’s bowl of candy. Aside from the “I prefer to flounder about like a fish at the bottom of a row boat,” there’s the rather better argument that Outlining can crush every story into the same tin can. And the traditional 15-point Story Arc doesn’t…
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Tara Maya’s Review: Dragon Blood by Lindsey Buroker
Caveat—Reader Beware! My reviews are written from a writer’s perspective, with an eye to dissecting good novels to find out what makes them work. Although I try to avoid explicitly discussing book endings, I am not as careful about avoiding all spoilers as some reviewers. If find if I employ too much caution about giving…
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What is Fantasy Romance? (Guest Post by Amy Raby)
Are you a fantasy reader who enjoys pairing the characters off in romantic relationships? Do you sometimes wish a fantasy novel would spend more time on the characters, go a little deeper into what makes them tick? If so, fantasy romance is the genre for you. When I started writing my own fantasy novels, I…
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5 Ways to Make Money Writing Romance (Guest Post by Vashti Valant)
FIVE WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WRITING ROMANCE by Vashti Valant There are so many ways to write Romance! And get paid for it. There are Pros and Cons to each of the career paths. But the good news is that these aren’t mutually exclusive. 1. Write for a Big Publisher PRO: When you dreamed of being…
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What Are the Obligatory Scenes for Genre Fiction?
I’ve been reading The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne. It’s a meaty book on writing, from the point of view of an editor who has an eye for highly popular, commercially successful books. His method is similar to Scott Bell’s Save the Cat outlining method, and since I’m a fan of…
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Recommended for Writers: The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
The classic book on outlining, originally written for screenplays, is Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat. For some examples of how I use the Snyder outline, and other outlining methods I use, you can peek at some posts I did for NaNoWriMo: How To Create A Three Act Beat Sheet My Favorite Outlining Method How To Make…
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Tara Maya’s Book Review: The Fire Seer by Amy Raby
Caveat—Reader Beware! My reviews are written from a writer’s perspective, with an eye to dissecting good novels to find out what makes them work. Although I try to avoid explicitly discussing book endings, I am not as careful about avoiding all spoilers as some reviewers. I find if I employ too much caution about giving…
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Novel Excerpt: The Fire Seer by Amy Raby
About The Fire Seer: PAIRED WITH HER WORST ENEMY… Taya has risen from humble roots to become a fire seer in the Coalition of Mages. Eager to prove herself, she arrives in the town of Hrappa to locate a “jackal”—a mage operating outside the Coalition’s authority—who has murdered three people. But in Hrappa, she discovers…
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Differences Between Genre Fiction Before and After the Millennium (Guest Post by Jack P.)
By and large, 90s was about wondrous adventures and hilarious hijinks along the way. Since the early 00s, it took a turn toward the night along with society at large. Here are some of the main differences that happened beyond the Post-Millennial Shift, due in no small part to the events of 9/11/01. Which is…
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