When all you have for counsel is yourself, you can never be sure if a re-write is the right thing to do. What if the original version is better? What if I've made it worse? There are, however, some things we can do to help make this crucial and difficult decision a little easier.
No, I'm not dead. Not yet, anyway.
Writing fantasy can so often leave you caught up in a web of your own making. Most fantasy involves a secondary world, that is a world different from our own. Granted, it doesn’t have to be totally original, but it raises the question: how different should we make it? Should we scrap everything we know and play God and build from scratch? Should we shape and morph things that already exist? Or should we keep what everyone finds familiar? These questions can be asked when it comes to inventing anything for our worlds, but one such area in which it’s particularly prevalent is with language. In this new world of ours, does everyone speak the same language?
As you may or may not be aware, I'm in the process of drafting 'A Fantasy Writer's Handbook', a non-fiction guide to writing fiction, fantasy fiction in particular. The book is split into three parts: fiction writing, fantasy writing, and what to do when the writing is done. Today, as a little midweek treat, I thought I'd share one of the chapters from part one: Dialogue.
Hi. I’m John Jarrold. I’ve worked in publishing since January 1988 – for 15 years as a publisher of SF and Fantasy and more recently as a literary agent dealing with the same areas. But this blog will also cover my other interests, including books and reading in general, films, theatre, Shakespeare, music, sport, food and drink. Onwards!
My website and the blog I decided to create helped get me my first book deal. That’s what a website can do, and it’s why this article by Robert Mening is well worth a read
The title says it all, really. I've added a flash fiction section to my list of publishers for short fantasy fic. There are about ten on there so far. I'll keep adding to it over the next few days and weeks. Click here to view the list As always, if you know of any… Continue reading New Flash Fiction Section Added to List of Publishers of Short Fantasy Fiction
A look back at a 2018 filled with twists and turns, and a glance into the hazy future of 2019
A few weeks ago, I published the results of a bit of research looking at the writing ‘rules’ loathed most by writers. Topping that list was the rule: ‘never use the passive voice.’ This post deconstructs the passive voice in a bid to see why it's so loathed.
Franzen's list of 'rules' touched a nerve with many writers. I wanted to find out why. Here are the results of a bit of research...
