Despite having poor luck on any kind of giveaways, I had entered one for a professional beta read of my current draft. With a twist of luck, just as I managed to find beta readers (I talked about it in my monthly ‘report’), I actually won – leading me to think how I might handle feedback from four sources, each with different pacing and approach. At the end of the previous month (Friday 30.8.), I’ve received the report file – but as I was preparing for the next day’s hike, actually looking on it had to wait for two days. So, what is a professional’s opinion on my story?
Continue readingCategory Archives: Writing
Fantasy thoughts: challenges of longevity
Fantasy literature often features creatures with lifespan significantly exceeding the lifespan of a human. In today’s post, I’ll look into some of the challenges it brings.
Warning: this post will be heavy on biological aspects of procreation. If you are afraid of science mingling with fiction, or uncomfortable around procreational topics, you might want to walk away.
Continue reading8/2019 writing update
While the previous month saw me fail on finding beta readers but succeed on some side writing work, this month turned it around. Completely. I am back to working on #1, the spark of imagination and desire to work on my writing rekindled…
Continue readingWriting: fear of the masters
There’s one question that appeared in my mind, even though it touches an unlikely subject: What would the authors of my favorite books think of mine? And, by extension, would I even want them to read it?
Continue readingFantasy thoughts: half-breeds/hybrids
One of the themes sometimes appearing in fantasy are half-bloods/half-breeds/hybrids (whichever term you prefer), most often between different humanoid species. Today, I’ll share my thought about them.
Continue readingWriting series: thoughts about release timing
In this post, I’ll look into the options regarding timing the release of individual books in a series, trying to combine a writer’s and a reader’s insight.
Continue readingDeath in writing: cheating the reaper
I’ve shared several aspects of character death over the past few posts. Today, I’ll bring this series to and end by covering the situations where a character manages to escape death against all odds.
Continue readingDeath in writing: sacrifice
In today’s post, I’ll look into one of the most powerful storytelling tools: sacrifice. Since some parts are well-known and working, I’ll try to look some other aspects as well.
Continue readingBook details: time in fiction
Some authors go into very high level of detail. In this post, I’ll focus on a specific one: time measurment and calendars in works of fiction, focused on fantasy.
Continue readingDeath in writing: last rites
Continuing my series of posts about character death, I’ll share my thoughts about burial customs – they are something that can show more about the (fictional) culture, their beliefs and traditions.
While death is almost inevitable in writing, not everyone will venture into what happens after. Sometimes, the story simply doesn’t give it a chance. Sometimes, it’d only be after the end and thus of little relevance. The reasons might be many. Yet, it’s something that has its place.
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