Welcome to my chapter in the gargantuan book that is the internet!
As you may have guessed, I’m a fantasy writer. And this is my space to celebrate two things I love, reading and writing.
You’ll Never Write Alone
I believe that everybody should write, or at least have the tools to do so. I’m going to help show you how.
Writing can be a tough and lonely pursuit, something we pour our hearts and souls into, and the results can be cruel. I know what it’s like to battle the demons of doubt, to suffer rejection and migraine-inducing frustration.
To combat those feelings, I study the craft as much as I can and what I learn I share for the benefit of you and everybody else. Head over to my blog, The Writers’ Toolshed, for a stack of writing guides and support, especially relevant if you’re in the business of writing fantasy books.
And to help you along on your quest, you can download a copy of my brand new book on writing, Thoughts On Writing, for free when you join my Community of Writers. It covers all aspects of storytelling, plus a look at building your author brand and getting your stories published.
Celebrate Your Love of Reading
I believe that everyone should read, but should be treated to exciting, entertaining and thoughtful stories. I’m going to give them to you.
I’m a reader as much as I am a fantasy writer. I love to escape into fantastical worlds and marry myself to the causes of charismatic and intriguing characters.
Now more than ever I feel that we could all do with an escape, and reading can give us that. So when you join my Community of Readers, you’ll receive a free copy of my collection of published short fiction, Flying On The Ground.
When I describe this as a community, I mean it. I’m always happy to review any bits of work or answer any writing-related queries you may have. And if I can’t help, I’ll do my best to find someone who can.
The way we improve is by helping each other and that’s the ethos behind everything I do.
Discover Your Next Favourite Fantasy Books
I’m a huge fan of fantasy books. The Hobbit won me over when I was a youngster and then I was swept away by the Harry Potter craze growing up. Around the same time, The Lord of the Rings movies came out and stole my heart.
I love to write about characters who are thrown into difficult situations in unique and interesting fantasy worlds,
That’s certainly what happens in my debut epic fantasy novel, Pariah’s Lament.
When an attempt is made on the life of Ashara, Keeper of Yurr, his young, hapless advisor Edvar must uncover and stop those behind it. With enemies in the capital city and the belligerent Tesh, Keeper of neighboring kingdom Karrabar stirring trouble in the Borderlands, can Edvar hold together Ashara’s brittle reign?
The troubles ripple throughout Yurr, affecting an ancient race of people known as the Amast, who in their time of utmost need, turn to pariah Isy for salvation. Rejected by society, kith and kin, can Isy guide the Amast to safety during the greatest turmoil Yurr has known since the War of the Damned?
Become A Fantasy Writer Too
I began my writing journey a good few years ago. I’ve learned an awful lot, endured the lows and savored the few highs. I’ve spoken to bestselling authors about their experiences, interviewed agents and worked with publishers.
The insights I’ve gleaned from all of that are contained on this site. Why do I do this? Because I know what it’s like to be a budding fantasy writer.
I still recall the moment in my early days when I realised that if I wanted to do this properly and try and forge a career in it, I’d need to learn an awful lot. I’ve invested thousands of hours, but I love it and love it more each day.
So the way I see this site and the resources on it is that they represent an easy way over the mountain. The secret pass that winds around its edge, rather than up and over.
Above all, I don’t want fantasy writers to feel dissuaded or discouraged in the pursuit of their craft. It can be tough to take it all in, and some things are far more complex than others. But the way information is presented on this site, in both visual and audio form, I sincerely hope will help.
And remember, if you have any questions, just get in contact.
Get Your Stories Published
Like I said above, I try to help my fellow fantasy authors out as much as possible. Writing a fantasy novel is an incredibly tricky challenge, filled with pitfalls and obstacles. Even the best fantasy novelists struggle.
To help you out, I have a bunch of fantasy writing tools. You’ll be able to find:
- A list of fantasy magazines and journals
- Online writing groups
- A list of fantasy publishers
- And a list of book reviewers
If you prefer the written word, head over to my writing blog. There are hundreds of posts on there, covering pretty much every aspect of fantasy writing, such as a complete guide on worldbuilding, fantasy subgenres, and medieval archery and armour.
You’ll also find lots of useful posts on author marketing and book marketing and how to build your author brand.
I also co-host a podcast called The Fantasy Writer’s Toolshed, which is devoted to writing tips and discussions, all focused on writing fantasy fiction, as well as a bit of writing science fiction too.
You can find episodes on writing fantasy short stories, fantasy cliches, worldbuilding and twisting fantasy tropes, plus loads more topics helpful to the fantasy writer.
So, if you’ve always wanted to become a fantasy writer, you’ve found the right place.
There are lots more writing guides and posts you can check out, many tailored to the fantasy writer, which you can find below.
A Podcast For Fantasy Writers
The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed Podcast is my own podcast and it’s devoted to all things creative writing, fantasy fiction and book marketing.
The aim is to provide thoughtful and insightful interviews with experts and specialists in their field and bestselling authors from the fantasy genre and beyond.
So far we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing:
- Former FBI Special Agent and body language expert, Joe Navarro
- Adrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning SFF author
- Juliet E McKenna, award-winning SFF author
- Amish Tripathi, India’s fastest-selling author
- Aidan Mattis, historian and folklorist of The Lore Lodge Podcast
- Janina Arndt and Lucy Atkinson, The Fey Fellowes Podcast
You can also find interviews with psychologists and sociologists to help you craft more intricate characters. New episodes are live on the 14th and 28th of each month. Sign up by clicking the image below to get an email with each new episode.
Join A Community Of Fantasy Writers
If you’d like to join a community of fantasy writers, then you’ve found the right place.
Gathering on Discord and Facebook (400+ writers in each), you can meet like-minded people from all over the world. With them, you can share and discuss your stories, join one of our weekly writing groups and get all-important feedback on your stories.
You can join our writing group by visiting my Patreon page. Just click the image below:
Learn More About Writing
If you’d like to learn more about writing you can find links to scores of guides below on everything from worldbuilding to creating characters.
Writing Fantasy
Below you can find some of my guides on writing in the fantasy genre:
- A rundown on the best communities for fantasy writers, ideal if you’re looking to meet like-minded people.
- Learn how to start worldbuilding. The beginning is often the hardest part. This guide will help dispel the hesitation.
- Head here for a free worldbuilding template. If you need a helping hand with building your fantasy worlds, this template will help.
- How to write a fantasy novel. Writing a story as long as a novel is a tough task. This guide walks you through the process.
- General tips on writing fantasy. Some useful insights I’ve gleaned from years of being a fantasy writer.
- Fantasy name generator. This free tool offers unlimited names for all different types of races and characters.
- Fantasy name generator for human fantasy characters. If you want help specifically with human characters, this guide will be useful.
- Ideas for names for Elven characters. Likewise, this name generator tool helps with elf names.
- Demon name generator tool. Demons can be tough to define; this tool will help.
- Name generator for orc characters. Like demons, orcish characters can have unique and unusual names. Find some ideas here.
- How to create names for fantasy characters. Here are some general rules on naming characters in fantasy stories.
- How to write fight scenes. Fight scenes are frantic affairs. This guide will help you master the chaos.
- A guide to fantasy worldbuilding. A comprehensive guide to building a fantasy world, complete with examples and insights from bestselling authors.
- Natural worldbuilding – the best approach to building a fantasy world. This is my own theory and method of world building, which you may find useful.
- Archery in the fantasy genre. Everyone loves a character that’s handy with a bow and arrow. This guide explains what you need to know.
- The portrayal of mental health in fantasy books. Mental health impacts us all and is underused in fantasy. Here’s an examination of how it’s been represented so far.
- A guide to creating a fantasy horse. Horses feature heavily in fantasy books. This guide explains the key things to consider.
- A guide to medieval lords. Many fantasy stories feature lords or aristocratic characters. Find ideas to inspire your stories here.
- A guide to fantasy weapons. From swords to axes and spears, this guide will help inspire your own fantasy weaponry.
- A guide to creating a fantasy map. Creating a map can help you build your worlds and define your cities. This guide explains everything you need to know.
- Diseases of the Middle Ages. This guide offers insights into diseases that affected societies again to help inspire your stories.
- A guide to medieval fantasy castles. If your story features a castle, this guide will help you design it.
- The medieval cannon. If your tale features cannons, this guide to those found in the medieval period may help.
- A guide to siege warfare. If you want to learn how to bring down the castles of your world, this guide to sieges will help.
- Head here to learn how to write fantasy short stories. Writing short fiction is a great way to improve your craft. This guide explains what you need to do.
- The lives of medieval peasants. If your story features lower-born characters, this guide to peasants in the Middle Ages may come in use.
- The many subgenres of fantasy. The fantasy genre is awash with subgenres. Learn all about them here.
- A guide to fantasy armor. If you want to kit your characters out with amazing armor, this guide will help.
- How to avoid fantasy tropes and cliches. The fantasy genre is packed with cliches and tropes. This guide explains them in depth.
- Religion in fantasy. Faith and belief systems play a huge role in our lives. This guide explains how you can apply it to fantasy.
- The complete guide to the fantasy castle. Here’s another guide on castles in the fantasy genre.
General Creative Writing
You can find guides on more general creative writing topics below:
- How to write dialogue – writing conversations in fiction is tough. This in-depth guide on dialogue tells you everything you need to know
- Prose in writing – if you’re looking to brush up on your writing of prose, then check out this guide
- Learn how to find the best podcasts for writers in this detailed guide
- How to plan a story as a non-planner – not everyone is organized. If you’re looking to take a more structured approach, however, then check out this guide
- How to plot a story – plotting can be a tough and you can tie yourself up in knots. This guide explains everything you need to know
- The 10 most hated rules of writing – I did some first-hand research on the rules writers hate most of all. This guide reveals the results
- Sensory language examples in writing – for a long list of sensory words to help inject your writing with vivid descriptions, check out this detailed guide
- 4 easy ways to begin writing a novel – sometimes knowing where to start is the hardest part. Here are four ways to get going on the novel front
- How to write great romance scenes – romance plays a big role in our lives and invariably it features in fiction. Here are some tips on writing romantic scenes.
- What is passive voice? – Passive voice misuse is one of the most common issues in writing. Learn how to overcome it here.
- How to format a manuscript – before you send off your manuscripts you need to format it properly. This detailed guide offers everything you need to know about formatting
- 8 ideas to kickstart your creative writing career – if you’re really keen to get your career in writing off the mark, check out this guide
- What is characterization? – creating characters is vital to writing gripping stories. This guide offers lots of tips and insights on character creation
- Writing strong female characters – this guide offers in-depth insights on writing powerful fictional women
- General writing tips – if you’d after some writing-related FAQs, head here for the answers
- How to edit a story – editing can be a chore, but it’s also a process that requires structure. This guide explains a solid approach
- 5 reasons why writers should use StoryOrigin for book marketing – Story Origin is one of the best tools for book marketing. In this guide I explain my reasons for using it
- Easy tools writers can use to build suspense – creating suspenseful scenes is one of the trickiest things to do in writing. Head here to learn the secrets.
- Men writing women – it’s not uncommon for men to get things wrong when writing female characters. From enhanced bosoms and utter misguidance, this guide explains things to watch out for. It’s also one of the most popular guides on the site
- What is foreshadowing in a story? – foreshadowing conflict in stories is important to building tension and suspense. Learn all about it here
- How to create tension in writing – like suspense, tension is vital to a story. This guide explains how you can create it
- How to create a literary theme – knowing the best way to come up with a theme in a story is tough, but this guide offers some solid insights
- How to improve your writing skills – having a mindset of continuous improvement is useful when it comes to writing. Here are some tips on improving your craft
- How to edit a novel – editing something as big as a novel is tough. This guide offers a simple approach
- How do you know when to rewrite your story? – linked to editing, understanding when to scrap a scene or chapter is an important part of creative writing. This guide explains what to do
- 5 senses examples – an in-depth guide on using the senses in your writing
If you have any questions on building a career as a fantasy writer, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.
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