I’ve learned to never say I won’t write something. I used to say I’ll never write romance. Now, most of my books have a romantic subplot. I didn’t used to be a fan of epic fantasy. Now, I’m writing an epic dark fantasy series. Didn’t plan on it. My Merging Read more…
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when creating your fantasy plants and animals. I gave some inspirational ideas in the post World Building: Creating Fantasy Animals and Creatures. Add a city or town name in front of peppers and you get Fatham sweet pepper found only on the Fatham Read more…
Fantasy worldbuilding can be as epic or a small as you need it to be. It’s both fun and challenging. Done right, it gives your readers a solid sense of place. Readers should feel like they can visit your world. This topic has been on my mind a lot recently Read more…
Over the years, I’ve talked a lot about my love for diverse fantasy worlds. I particularly enjoy seeing black and brown people in non-stereotypical roles. In general, I love fantasy worlds where the main cast isn’t all white, het, cis, male. But, I’ve avoided writing a post about this topic Read more…
Creating fantasy races is probably one of my favorite parts of world-building. I talked a bit about this topic in the post Creating Unique Magical Fantasy Races. I love when authors deviate from the typical fantasy characters to create something new. If you’re using known fantasy races like elves, you Read more…
Last week, we talked about creating magic systems. Today, we’re going over questions to answer as you’re creating a fictional world. We’re talking countries, cities and towns. In fantasy, most stories have a monarchy. I’ll admit, I’m more of a non-tradition fantasy sort of person. I tend to enjoy books Read more…
I’ve talked a lot about fantasy writing but the only world building template I created is in the book Building Dark Worlds. I thought of putting the template all in one post. But, that would be pretty long. Welcome to the Fantasy World Building Template series. Today, we begin with Read more…
Weeks ago, Cartoon Network posted a video mentioning black medieval knights. Black inventors, heroes, and leaders are often left out of history. Ask yourself as you’re learning…who is the focus? Why? Question the story ✊🏿✊🏼✊🏾✊✊🏻✊🏽💖 The Crystal Gems say BE ANTI-RACIST! Visit https://t.co/5ukinriWYO to learn more. pic.twitter.com/gNLYLO9PER — Cartoon Network Read more…
Dark fantasy is an interesting genre. It’s broad yet simple. It’s difficult to pin down a definition. I usually see it as a mix of fantasy and horror. Here’s a definition from Goodreads: “At its most basic, dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a Read more…
I like creating a magical fantasy world. I don’t mind books centered around regulars characters. But, I love, love stories where the main characters have powers and they embrace it. Probably why I gravitate towards manga and anime. Those characters get some pretty creative abilities. Last year, in the post Read more…