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Writer's craft

The Pedant: how to make your editor happy 6: What's all the fuss over hyphens?

Wed, 26/07/2023 - 12:51pm
What's all the fuss over hyphens?

President Woodrow Wilson once declared (heavens knows why) that the hyphen was ‘the most un-American thing in the world'. Observant readers will have noticed that he couldn't have said this (and no one could have written a report of his words) without a hyphen; thus perhaps proving that the President was blithely unaware of grammatical irony.  Read more

Ask the Editor 4: Why do I need you?

Tue, 18/07/2023 - 11:53am
Why do I need you?

Ask the editor: Why do I need you?  Read more

Ask the Editor 3: writing a synopsis

Mon, 03/07/2023 - 11:48am
Writing a synopsis

The synopsis is a strange document; it is at once the dullest, and perhaps the most important, part of the submission package. It reduces your book, your creative project, to a few lines of plain, unadorned narration; yet it allows a publisher to see the book as a whole, to get a feel for the narrative arc and the development of the plot.  Read more

Ask the Editor 2: the submission letter

Sun, 18/06/2023 - 5:27pm
The submission letter: practice and pitfalls

Your submission letter (also known as the query letter) is the first thing a publisher will read; that makes it an important document. Get it right, and you have captured their attention; get it wrong, and your book may be rejected without being read. In this article, I will look at the ground rules for the letter, and the pitfalls you should try to avoid.  Read more

Ask the Editor 1: What genre is my book?

Tue, 09/05/2023 - 9:46am
What genre is my book?

I am asked this question surprisingly often. I say surprising because one might assume, most of the time, that the genre of a book is obvious. And, most of the time, it is relatively obvious; authors tend to aim their efforts at specific markets. But once in a while, you come across a book that defies simple classification.  Read more

Worldbuilding 5: culture

Mon, 30/01/2023 - 7:28pm
Culture

Culture is a slippery concept; it's one of those terms we all know the meaning of until we actually think about it. For the writer, culture can be a two-edged sword: ignore it and your story lacks depth, colour and context; focus too much on it and you risk bamboozling - or worse, boring - your reader into putting the book down.  Read more

Worldbuilding 3: geography and physical location

Sun, 18/12/2022 - 5:47pm
Geography and physical location

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Worldbuilding 2: the basics of writing fantasy fiction

Sun, 04/12/2022 - 3:30pm
The basics of writing fantasy fiction

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Worldbuilding 1: character names in fantasy novels

Mon, 21/11/2022 - 7:34pm
Character names in fantasy novels

 

One of the more rewarding - and difficult - things about writing a fantasy novel is having the opportunity to create and describe a world different from our own; one where magic is real, where non-human beings interact with us, and where reality has a shape and texture that is anything but mundane.  Read more

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11 September 2023 - What's new

September 2023
  • ‘With the rise of a new genre, we've seen a lot of readers determined to label what qualifies as 'cosy fantasy'. Meanwhile, I'm out there writing dragon attacks that almost kill my main character, so... I really don't have a definition. This genre seems to be all about the vibes, and that's different for everyone.
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