Turning Ideas Into Words
It seems quite appropriate to be looking at naming fictional places this week, as I have just spent some time over the last few days re-naming one of the places in my current Work In Progress (more on that later). First of all, apologies for the August hiatus. I would like to say this was… Continue reading The Name Game: Places
I say half a lesson because the analogy is not a perfect one (as you will see), but it is an image I quite frequently relate to when it comes to my writing. Quirrell came back out from behind the Mirror and stared hungrily into it. “I see the stone… I’m presenting it to my… Continue reading Outlining A Novel
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
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
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
First of all, let’s just be clear: there should be no negative connotations for being either an Overwriter or an Underwriter. These are not criticisms of style, but rather indications of the starting point of your writing process. By the end of your process, a reader should not be able to tell if you are… Continue reading Overwriters -v- Underwriters
Rachael Farrimond 