If you’re an author of any kind of speculative fiction, you’ve probably heard of Sanderson’s Laws of Magic. These are three cardinal rules for developing magic systems in fantasy stories, developed by the author Brandon Sanderson (on his website, he very humbly says that these are just guidelines you should feel free to break if… Continue reading A sci-fi author’s guide to Sanderson’s Laws
Author’s note: This post was originally written prior to the November, 2023 child grooming scandal and subsequent slow death of Nanowrimo as an official event. While I no longer support them as an organization, the challenge of writing a novel in a month is one I still believe has merit, so the writing advice below… Continue reading Warmup Wednesday: the Wikipedia method of worldbuilding
Author’s note: This post was originally written prior to the November, 2023 child grooming scandal and subsequent slow death of Nanowrimo as an official event. While I no longer support them as an organization, the challenge of writing a novel in a month is one I still believe has merit, so the writing advice below… Continue reading Stupid Advice Saturday: “Write what you know”
Author’s note: This post was originally written prior to the November, 2023 child grooming scandal and subsequent slow death of Nanowrimo as an official event. While I no longer support them as an organization, the challenge of writing a novel in a month is one I still believe has merit, so the writing advice below… Continue reading Warmup Wednesday: Do you really need all that stuff in your novel?
Nothing scares people like first chapters, and there’s a good reason for that. From a marketing perspective, it’s the highest-stakes part of your book. If you’re going the traditional publishing route, this is the first – and in many cases, only – glimpse of your work that agents and publishers are going to see. It’s… Continue reading The ultimate first chapter checklist
