Like the classic joke goes, “In comedy, timing is… … …everything.” I’m reading the last in the Shadowmarch tetralogy by Tad Williams, SHADOWHEART. It’s a less than stellar name and most people don’t know that a four-book series is a tetralogy1, but Tad Williams is the reason I write fantasy–the reason2. So we’re going to…
Empire Strikes Back is my least favorite of the Star Wars trilogy1. This is heresy among accepted Star Wars fandom, but it is the way it is. You can rattle off the various elements of the movie that make it better than the others, a richer universe, more defined characters, a darker/grittier edge to it,…
The fastest way to start a literary nerd fight? Say X fantasy book is/is not epic fantasy. Epic fantasy may be the poorest defined genre currently being published1. I think this is a result of the ’80s/’90s where almost all fantasy published was epic fantasy. Epic fantasy was so pervasive within the genre that epic…
Fantasy characters are dicks. In fiction, in D&D adventures, anywhere “adventurer” is available as a life choice, people are dicks. You see it all the time. Main character meets Douchebag McAsshole and DMcA immediately starts talking down to him. I’m a wizard. I’m a barbarian. I don’t bow before anyone. I don’t show any semblance…
When I finish revising a novel, I feel like the train from the climax of Back to the Future 3. Doc Brown threw in those special logs and now I’m going twice as fast as a normal train. Reall, that works for when I finish the novel the first time and when I revise it…
Current, non-syndicated television runs in 30 or 60 minute time slots. Of those slots, the actual program will run 20-22 minutes or 42-44 minutes respectively. Its this constraint that allows a writer–if he or she so wishes to apply herself–to know the plot, the outcome, and the bad guy (if you’re watching one of the…
My wife is inspired. This means: I don’t have to cook dinner (yay!), it will most likely be delicious (yay!), you get another post (yay!). Elizabeth Poole and I often discuss our differing writing styles. She’s a plotter. I’m a pantser. Once I get a solid grip on the plot and the characters, I can…
I’m hanging out at Midas while my windows are fixed so my car can pass inspection. I’m posting from my phone, so please pardon the typos. The Pre has a small keyboard and I have fat thumbs. I tried to begin revision on THE TRIAD SOCIETY today, but I felt compelled to continue with JEHOVAH’S…