Tag: fiction
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Book Review: Divine Summons
During my break from non-fiction research, I stumbled upon this jewel on Goodreads. I was impressed by the strength of the prose and the story. Rebecca P. Minor did a pleasant job at it. Let’s delve into the details, shall we? Premise & Worldbuilding Divine Summons has a classic fantasy atmosphere with elves, dragons, monsters, […]
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Poems in Fiction—Worldbuilding—Ethereal Seals Poetry: Eulogies of Deliverance
Poetry triggers interesting reactions from readers. Not only is it a jump from storytelling long-form, but it invites rhythm, a detail of creativity not seen elsewhere in the story. I always found poetry bits to be fascinating—or tedious if they were too long and poorly done—in a story. My theory is the poetry activates different […]
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Writing Log 7/7/21
Short post today. It’s been another busy month for me. Between balancing my meditations, workouts, day job, reading and writing, the days speed by. Ethereal Seals takes another step towards series completion. Cover Artist Get! In the interest of book presentation, I’ve secured a cover artist for book one of the series. The price should […]
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Life and Death in a Fantasy Universe
Within fiction, some characters don’t share the typical life spans that Earth humans experience. Unusual lifespans in fantasy and science fiction can influence culture and plot considerably. We all enjoy our fantasy stories about long-lived elves, immortal dragons, or extraterrestrials who supercede death. When writing or reading about these characters, it can be hard to […]
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Creative Writing Exercise—Depression
We’ve all been there. Isolated, confused, bored, discouraged. Depression is a common hurdle we as humans face. Yet, there is little more satisfying than conquering that malaise. The spirit of victory fills our souls, driving us to new horizons; for as we sink to the depths of hell, we can only rise to the heights […]
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Brandon Sanderson Lecture 2020 Notes
By popular demand, I am reposting these lecture notes given by Brandon Sanderson of last year. Hello, my readers, I’ve got quite a gift to share with you today. The other week, I watched Brandon Sanderson’s 2020 lectures on creative writing. The whole playlist runs several hours, but I’ve put together a concise list of […]
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What Are My Favorite Fantasy Tropes?
In fantasy, you have a plethora of tropes that are reused; most of them never lose their charm. Everything from elves, dwarves, dragons, and halflings! In science fantasy, the scope expands to robots, cyborgs, aliens—the sky’s the limit. These formulas represent time-tested values that readers adore. Personally, I have my own set of fantasy tropes […]
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Making Fantasy Fiction Maps in GIMP: Tips and Tricks
Crafting a map for a fictional universe can be a handy resource for readers. Not every fiction has a cartographic reference, nor is it a requirement for good work. However, when done correctly, a map benefits both author and reader. In this article, I’ll give an example of how I create my maps. You can […]
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Book Review: Stalking the Wild Asparagus—and Herbology in Ethereal Seals
A week ago I finished a nonfiction book on foraging. It was a very enjoyable read, as it played into one of my biggest hobbies. It also had me thinking about the herbology in my fantasy novel, Blade of Dragons. I’ll provide a rundown of Stalking the Wild Asparagus, then tie in concepts to my […]
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What is Joy? How do you Describe it in Fiction?
The other day we covered the emotion of fear in fiction, and how useful it can be in creating tension within a character. Today, we travel to the opposite side of the spectrum: joy. Joy is a state of happiness or delight, often seen with positive emotional changes. We all have experienced joy at one […]
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