First drafts are fickle creatures. They are hastily thrown together (especially if you are a “gardener” writer like myself) and need work to form the story that you see in your mind’s eye. Editing your first draft can feel like climbing a mountain without a guidebook – there is simply so much to fix, and … More Editing a First Draft – Top Tips
Food and drink is a vital part of any society. What we eat and drink depends on the land around us, the trade we have with other countries (or lack of), access to certain ingredients and cooking tools. If we have food from a street vendor or food from a five start Michelin restaurant, then … More How to write food and drink into your fantasy world
When I talk about a minor character, I’m talking about those characters who doesn’t really have a purpose beyond adding colour to a particular Point of View character’s story. Perhaps it’s the person serving coffee to our Main Character in the morning, or a fleeting mention of someone they once met. So, if our minor … More Using Minor Characters in your Writing
For me, a Sub-Plot is anything that takes the characters away from the main thread of the story on a merry little jaunt of their own, and then weaves its way back towards the main thread. They’re the plots that as a Gardener writer, there is a pause between coming up with the idea and … More Using Sub-Plots in your Fantasy Story
You know you’re reading a fantasy book when the first two (or sometimes multiple) pages are of maps of the world. These help give your reader a visual context (and help remind them where places are in relation to others). Maps aren’t essential for writing a fantasy book, but I’ve always found having one (however … More How to create a map of your fantasy world
Nainea held on tightly to her copper badge, curling up around it to stop them taking it off her. The cave floor was cold, still wet with the blood of the guards she had managed to kill. At least the badge still listened to her, it still obeyed her. But now, until she could get … More Expel (From the Archives)
The next morning, the birds sung over the Ruins of Evale. It was a haunting sound. The city should have been alive with the noise of hundreds of thousands of lives being lived. You shouldn’t be able to hear the morning songbirds this close to the walls. Tarya toed the ground with her boot. The … More The Ruins of Evale (From the Archives)
Bethes sighed as he breathed in the steam from the bowl in front of him. Every time he said it would be the last time, but then it happened again. And again. And again. Bethes could feel the steam do its work as it spread through his airways, and then seeped into his bloodstream. The … More End of Times (From the Archives)
Nainea held on tightly to her copper badge, curling up around it to stop them taking it off her. The cave floor was cold, still wet with the blood of the guards she had managed to kill. At least the badge still listened to her, it still obeyed her. But now, until she could get … More Expel (Stories on a Theme – “Isolate”)
The next morning, the birds sung over the Ruins of Evale. It was a haunting sound. The city should have been alive with the noise of hundreds of thousands of lives being lived. You shouldn’t be able to hear the morning songbirds this close to the walls. Tarya toed the ground with her boot. The … More The Ruins of Evale (A Teacup Story)
Alex.J.Cobalt 