Turning Ideas Into Words
Now, don’t tell me you’ve gone to all this trouble to make a world that is just the same as ours. Of course not! Right? Even if your fictional world is grounded in our reality, there will be something to set it apart (like a magical subculture – Neverwhere, Harry Potter, Skulduggery Pleasant…) As with… Continue reading World Building: Extraordinary
Last week, I started looking at world building in fiction. This may seem like an arduous task, but if you are a Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer it is, to some extent, unavoidable. In last week’s post, I looked at the physical world, what will essentially be the foundation of your fictional creation, the places your characters will… Continue reading World Building: Human
I am a Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer and as such, world building comes with the territory. Even if the project I am working on is based in the real world, inevitably, there will be at least one element to set it apart. It could be something simple like a mirror that takes you into parallel realities (why… Continue reading World Building: Physical
Take the heroism and setting of classics such as Gladiator, Ben Hur, or Spartacus. Mix in the savagery, violence, and strong language of Game of Thrones (taken to the next level in terms of language). Top it off with a hint of magic and a healthy dose of romance. And hey-presto! You have The Savior’s… Continue reading Review: The Savior’s Champion
Let’s talk about death for a moment. Or more specifically fictional character deaths. I do not consider myself to be a blood thirsty writer. I do not decide the fate of my characters by the roll of dice, or the toss of a coin (very few writer’s do, despite what you may think of us).… Continue reading Gateway Deaths
Here’s a true story for you to think about. It concerns a man called Elias Jaecks and the moment that I realised I didn’t know him at all. This revelation struck me after I had worked through the first 70,000 words of my novel and had come to write the first line of Jaecks’ dialogue.… Continue reading Finding Jaecks
Last week, I started looking at the different kinds of Narrative Voices you can choose from as a writer. As the choices and combinations are quite varied, I decided it would be best to split the discussion into two parts. If you would like to catch up on what was said about Person and Tense,… Continue reading Narrative Voices – Part 2
Choosing a Narrative Voice for your story can be harder than you might think. Sure, you may naturally gravitate towards writing in the third person, but if a story sounds better coming directly from the mouth of its main character, then that’s how it needs to be written. Sometimes, the choice is obvious, but there… Continue reading Narrative Voices – Part 1
Just a few days ago, Brooklyn Nine-Nine set a new record for the shortest cancellation of a TV series EVER. After airing five years with Fox, the studio announced on Friday 11th May that the comedy cop show had run its course. Within minutes, the internet exploded with irate fans (including Yours Truly) voicing their… Continue reading Fandemonium
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a strong story, must be in want of an enticing opening line. This is so universally acknowledged, in fact, that it barely needs repeating anymore. But I’m going to anyway. The first line of your novel/short story/novella/whatever you are working on is what… Continue reading Great Opening Lines
Rachael Farrimond 