back-to-school for writers: creating maps
You’ve heard the joke: If there is a map on the front of the book, expect to be dragged to each and every location marked on it. A map has practically become a fantasy novel cliche. That doesn’t...
View Articleback-to-school for writers: creating languages
Fellow writer and blog reader Megs Payne graciously agreed to write this guest post about creating languages. Thanks, Megs, for providing us with such a thorough and thoughtful approach to building a...
View Articlespider silk: the logistics of luxury
The world’s largest spider silk garment is on display for the first time at the Victoria & Albert museum. Spider silk is one of those ultra-exotic luxuries that crops up from time to time in...
View Articleare you my genre? on defining science fantasy
There is no doubt that I write fantasy. The whole secondary-world settings kinda give that away. The trouble starts when I try to narrow my work into a sub-genre. My stories don’t have the scale and...
View Articleweird worlds in fantasy and science fiction
I love weird worlds. Tempt me with a clockwork universe, a planet with two suns, or a moving city. Immerse me in the details of how life works in such a bizarre place. Entrance me with your...
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dragons I have known
When I first started writing fantasy, I swore that I would never ever include something so cliched, so stale, so overdone, as a dragon. Riiight. Whether I wanted them or not, dragons crept or stormed...
View Articletell me about deserts
It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in a hot climate (over ten years now). And even when I did, my experience was of a coastal urban environment. Right now I’m writing a story set in a desert. I’ve...
View Articleof kelpies and killer unicorns
On Twitter, Thea van Diepen and I had a long conversation about fantasy & supernatural races. And I realized something. I’m all about vicious equine races (shh, don’t tell my daughter). Killer...
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