Identifying how power works in your world is important because, let’s be honest, power is what drives society. Who has it, who doesn’t have it, and what those in power do with that power impact swathes of society and the people within it. It constrains some actions and allows others, creating a complex web of … More Top Tips for creating power structures in your fantasy books
There are lots of different ways you can define the concept of a main character. They’re the ones with the Points of View (POVs), they’re the ones with the most chapters, or they’re the ones that the story revolves around. A main character, for me, is a little bit of all of those three. Importantly, … More What makes a Main Character?
Are you subscribed to my writing advice newsletter? The latest edition of Writing on Caffeine is now in your inboxes! This month I’m looking at how to edit your first draft! Don’t forget, when you subscribe to my newsletter Writing on Caffeine, you get free access to my fantasy short story The Gateway of Arieum … More Editing your First Draft – Writing on Caffeine and Short Story Snippet!
“Can you not pray away the rain?” Zivami asked as he paced around the table in the centre of the tent. “That’s not how it works,” Valite replied, adjusting her cloak, “and you know it.” Zivami snorted. “Could at least try,” he said. “You’re lucky the wards are still holding up around here,” Valite said, … More Temple of Ukla (From the Archives)
As a fantasy reader and writer, I’m most comfortable in the world of 3rd person POV. However, if you’re writing a fantasy epic, how do you manage multiple POVs in your novel? Here are my top three tips: 1) be picky with your POVs2) write a unique character voice for each POV3) use your POVs … More Top 3 tips for writing Multiple POVs
“So, you used to be famous?” Marle could hear the excitement in her Granddaughter voice. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as she expected it to. It had hurt when her son had found out, aged fifteen, but then he had known enough about the world to know how different his life could have been … More The Lost Mage
I’ve got pages and page and pages of notes trying to work out the sequence in the middle of the story. It’s the bridging piece between the beginning setup and the key middle sequence and by gods does nothing I write work. (This is also a lesson in not trying to have too many POVs, … More Stuck in the Middle
Day 45. Day 45 started much the same as Day 44 and Day 43. Both boring days, with no interlude aside from when the food was un-ceremoniously shoved through the access slot next to the door. Kell stared at the ceiling, focussing on her breathing. She’d spent the first fifteen days of Quarantine being angry, … More Quarantine (From the Archives)
“We’ve got 10 minutes until the alarm goes off.” Fezula didn’t look concerned. She was never concerned about this. “Fine,” she replied, “let’s get to work.” She held out her hand at Tulep. Tulep passed her the bag of warded coins. “You know,” Fezula, “I thought you were going to be too stressed for this, … More The Joining Payment
“I can’t do it,” Felruza slammed her fist against the table. Why was it so damn hard? Why could everyone else do this one simple thing and she couldn’t? “It’ll come,” her mother said from across the table. Her voice was gentle, it always was, the opposite of her innate power which was creating fireballs … More Can’t Do It
Alex.J.Cobalt 