While writers the world over struggle to craft truly original stories, theorists spend their time identifying ways in which they are actually all the same. Joseph Campbell famously reduced the number of stories to just one: The Hero’s Journey, as outlined in his influential 1949 work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In more recent …
6 Plot Alternatives To ‘The Quest’ In Fantasy Fiction Read More »
Characters are shaped by their pasts – that’s why so many superheroes have spin-offs dedicated to telling their origin stories. While you don’t need to write detailed accounts of what happens to make your protagonist who they are today (though you can if you like!), having some idea of where they came from can shape …
10 Unique Origin Story Ideas For Your Fantasy Protagonist Read More »
So you’ve got a killer idea for a fantasy novel. That’s great! It’s a beautiful feeling; that newness of an idea. We get it. Your idea has ignited your imagination with world-building possibilities. Your characters are whispering sweet nothings into your ear about motive and magic. But where’s there’s magic, there must be a system. …
7 Mistakes To Avoid When Creating A Magic System For Your Fantasy Novel Read More »
When you’re writing a fantasy novel, one of the most important parts of world-building is creating a magic system. Magic is one of the essential elements of any fantasy story. How big or small a role it plays in that story is completely up to you – but no matter what kind of magic system …
6 Key Questions To Ask When Creating A Magic System Read More »
As promised in our 2018 wrap-up post, we’ve got some exciting news to kick 2019 off with a bang… We’re so excited to announce that our fantasy publishing imprint Talem Press has signed debut author, Bronwyn Eley, in a three-book deal for her young adult fantasy series, titled The Relic Trilogy! With a background in the military, …
World-building is one of the most important parts of fantasy writing – and one that many writers understandably find challenging. As well as things like culture, customs, language, religion and politics, world-building involves the creation of the physical world itself. This is a huge undertaking, especially for writers whose strong point is storytelling, not geography! …
5 Tips For Better Physical World-Building In Your Fantasy Novel Read More »
Few things get us more excited here at Writer’s Edit than a brand-new book release… And the excitement only doubles when it’s a Talem Press book from our very own Founding Editor, Helen Scheuerer! In 2017, Helen launched her bestselling debut novel, Heart of Mist, the first instalment in her young adult fantasy series. And in just …
Urban fantasy is one of the most popular fantasy subgenres around. Defined as stories with magical or supernatural elements that take place in a contemporary city or town setting, the urban fantasy category includes the likes of authors such as Patricia Briggs, Cassandra Clare, Neil Gaiman and Jim Butcher. Its definition seems simple, but what …
So you’ve created a fantastical world full of unique cultures and ideas, and a diverse cast of characters to reflect that. And to add even more depth to your characters and setting, you want to weave in different languages. As a fantasy writer, using multiple languages has probably crossed your mind. While not an absolutely essential …
5 Ways To Incorporate Multiple Languages Into Your Fantasy Novel Read More »
Hello readers and writers! We’ve got massive news to share with you today… Writer’s Edit has launched a new fantasy fiction imprint: Talem Press! Talem Press is a new publisher of fantasy books, and is an imprint of Writer’s Edit Press. Founded in February 2017, they’re a completely independent, Sydney-based house. Talem is the latin word …
Writer’s Edit Launches New Fantasy Fiction Imprint Read More »
Fantasy fiction demands certain essential elements to fit into the genre and reach the right audience. But in seeking out those essential elements, you might fall prey to some dreaded fantasy clichés. Like any genre of fiction, fantasy is susceptible to a wide range of clichés. Unfortunately, it can be all too easy to fall into …