Hello! If you are new here, welcome. In my writing journey posts, I document the ongoing process of writing my first book so I can look back on it later. I’ve chosen to post them here so others can catch a real-time glimpse into the life of an aspiring writer. If you want to jump…
100+ worldbuilding questions to make your fantasy world compelling
Chances are, if you write fantasy, you need to build your own world. (See here for a list of fantasy subgenres.) Worldbuilding can span from creating a single city to an entire cosmos. Whether you just want to come up with the basics or you’re building an entire universe, here are 100+ worldbuilding questions organized…
How to determine what makes a book “adult”
A few months ago I finished reading the adult book Stardust by Neil Gaiman. In the foreword, Gaiman introduced the book as a “fairytale for adults.” Personally, I never considered fairytales as only being for kids, especially considering the ones from the Brothers Grimm, but I assumed he was referring to how some groups frown…
27+ fantasy subgenres essential for any writer to know
Fantasy can be broken up into dozens of subgenres. Some fantasy subgenres are popular and make up the face of mainstream fantasy (like high fantasy), while some are a little more rare and make for hidden gems (like nautical fantasy). These subgenres may revolve around tropes, the construction of the magic system, the worldbuilding, or…
Embark on my fantasy writing journey with me
My hands hurt. That’s what I think every time I type up pages and pages of the handwritten draft of my work-in-progress. But that’s not the only thing that runs through my head as I “transcribe” my second draft. Every time I want to stop typing or take a break, I remember what I’m doing…
Objective morality: the best answer to Kaladin’s morality question
Fiction has the potential to introduce questions and engage the mind in philosophy in ways nonfiction simply can’t. Nonfiction has its strengths, but it often doesn’t have the extensive worldbuilding and character development it needs to immerse the reader into the conflict. Fiction, especially fantasy, has a way of presenting moral predicaments that holds the…
115 character development questions that are actually thoughtful
Chances are, if you ask a reader why they love their favorite book, they’d say they love the characters. Characters, especially the main character, keep readers hanging by the edge of their seats and reading late into the night. They hook readers in the first place and then reel them in. But this is only…
An investigation into fantasy escapism
With intricate plotlines and worlds seemingly far from our own, stories make for an ideal break from the minutiae of daily life. Books can take you to places you’ve never been, places that don’t even exist. For that reason, escapism is becoming increasingly popular (or, at least, people are finally putting a word to what…
