Writing fantasy

Worldbuilding 5: culture

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

Credited To:
- Noel Rooney
Topics:
- Fantasy |
- Editor's advice |
- Writing |
- Editors |
- Writer's craft |
- Writing fantasy |
- Worldbuilding

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 4: technology

Sun, 15/01/2023 - 5:14pm

Credited To:
- Noel Rooney
Topics:
- Fantasy |
- Editor's advice |
- Writing |
- Editors |
- Writer's craft |
- Writing fantasy |
- Worldbuilding

Technology

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Worldbuilding 3: geography and physical location

Sun, 18/12/2022 - 5:47pm

Credited To:
- Noel Rooney
Topics:
- Fantasy |
- Editor's advice |
- Writing |
- Editors |
- Writer's craft |
- Writing fantasy |
- Worldbuilding

Geography and physical location

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Worldbuilding 2: the basics of writing fantasy fiction

Sun, 04/12/2022 - 3:30pm

Credited To:
- Noel Rooney
Topics:
- Fantasy |
- Editor's advice |
- Writing |
- Editors |
- Writer's craft |
- Writing fantasy |
- Worldbuilding

The basics of writing fantasy fiction

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Worldbuilding 1: character names in fantasy novels

Mon, 21/11/2022 - 7:34pm

Credited To:
- Noel Rooney
Topics:
- Fantasy |
- Editor's advice |
- Writing |
- Editors |
- Writer's craft |
- Writing fantasy |
- Worldbuilding

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

Linked items...

13 March 2023 - What's new

March 2023

‘At their core, cosy crimes are very character-driven stories about unlikely and everyday heroes, and the tone of them is very humorous. The detectives are people who are underestimated - older characters or slightly bumbling eccentrics who make mistakes along the way and get themselves into trouble.

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The Bookseller - News - Bernardini stole manuscripts because he 'wanted to read books before they hit stores'

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 1:24pm — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

The Bookseller - News - Bernardini stole manuscripts because he 'wanted to read books before they hit stores' website

Former Simon & Schuster staffer Filippo Bernardini has said stole more than 1,000 unpublished manuscripts because he wanted to read books before they hit stores.

In court papers published on Friday (March 10th), Bernardini apologised for his crime but claimed he did it so he could dive into the stories before they were available to the general public.

‘We have poorer books as a result’: Why Australian publishers are silenced by fear

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 1:20pm — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

‘We have poorer books as a result’: Why Australian publishers are silenced by fear website

Writing and publishing a book about a controversial public figure is like diving into shark-infested waters, says ABC investigative journalist Louise Milligan. She told her Adelaide Writers' Week audience that if she'd written her 2017 award-winning book Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of Cardinal Pell today, she wondered if it would even be published. Read more

The Bookseller - News - World Book Day organisers urge focus on reading for pleasure, as National Literacy Trust survey reveals decline

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 11:16am — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

The Bookseller - News - World Book Day organisers urge focus on reading for pleasure, as National Literacy Trust survey reveals decline website

World Book Day organisers urge focus on reading for pleasure, as National Literacy TrustUK-based organisation which has campaigned since 1993 to improve literacy standards across all age groups. Excellent research information and details of the many initiatives the charity is currently involved in. www.literacytrust.org.uk. It also has a useful page of news stories on UK literacy, which links to newsletter http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx survey reveals decline

Ahead of World Book Day on Thursday 2nd March, the charity by the same name is urging teachers, carers and parents to encourage reading for pleasure as it continues on a sharp decline. Read more

Publishers are cynically using ‘sensitivity readers’ to protect their bottom lines | Books | The Guardian

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 11:12am — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

Publishers are cynically using ‘sensitivity readers’ to protect their bottom lines | Books | The Guardian website

As books become intellectual property assets, publishers become asset managers trying to future-proof their toxic investments

From Roald Dahl to Goosebumps, revisions to children's classics are really about copyright – a legal expert explains

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 11:09am — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

From Roald Dahl to Goosebumps, revisions to children's classics are really about copyright – a legal expert explains website

The backlash to Puffin Books' decision to update Roald Dahl's children's books has been swift and largely derisive. The publisher has been accused of "absurd censorship", "corporate safetyism" and "cultural vandalism." Read more

Bologna 2023: Back to Business—and It’s a Pleasure

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 11:05am — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

Bologna 2023: Back to Business—and It’s a Pleasure website

The 60th Bologna Children's Book FairThe Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. kicked off today, drawing 1,456 exhibitors hailing from 90 countries and regions of the world. This is more than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when there were 1,442 exhibitors. Read more

A Walk in Keats's Footsteps - The Millions

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 11:02am — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

A Walk in Keats's Footsteps - The Millions website

In the late afternoon of Sunday, September 19, 1819, 23-year-old John Keats struck out for his daily walk from his lodging in Winchester, England. He'd arrived in the city a month prior, leaving behind southern England's Isle of Wight for a change of scenery in the cathedral city of Winchester. Read more

Q&A: children's author and illustrator Harriet Muncaster

Thu, 16/03/2023 - 10:59am — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

Q&A: children's author and illustrator Harriet Muncaster website

Harriet Muncaster is the bestselling author of the Isadora Moon series and the middle-grade Victoria Stitch series (Oxford Children's Books). Her new book, Emerald and the Ocean Parade, was published on 2 March and introduces Emerald, Isadora's mermaid friend.

The gift of the grave

Wed, 15/03/2023 - 5:25pm — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

The gift of the grave website

A visit to the burial place of her uncle was to set Elsbeth Lindner on an investigations of her Jewish family's history

Wearing purple: how agents cornered the book to screen market

Wed, 15/03/2023 - 5:23pm — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

Wearing purple: how agents cornered the book to screen market website

In the mid 1970s, just after he set up his eponymous literary agency, the great, much missed Ed Victor saw an opportunity. Read more

Beware of Book Blurbs - The Millions

Wed, 15/03/2023 - 5:20pm — Chris Holifield

13 March 2023

Beware of Book Blurbs - The Millions website

Blurb is a funny sounding word. It's phonetically unappealing, beginning and ending with unattractive voiced bilabial stops, and its definition-an advertisement or announcement, especially a laudatory one-carries some of the same meaning as another unattractive word, blubber, which evokes excess in its dual definition as both an expostulation of unrestrained emotion as well as excess fat. Read more

Writing fantasy

Worldbuilding 5: culture

Worldbuilding 4: technology

Worldbuilding 3: geography and physical location

Worldbuilding 2: the basics of writing fantasy fiction

Worldbuilding 1: character names in fantasy novels

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