I hear the question come up every once in a while: "Can I write fantasy set in a sci-fi universe?" There seems to be some cognitive dissonance...
Why Science Fantasy Works
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J.S. Morin
Medieval Stasis: Why is Fantasy Trapped in the Past
You're reading a story about a knight, a huntsman, and a wizard. They stumble across the ruins of a lost civilization, but something seems strange....
Series Mentality
Write one book, and you can feel confident in calling yourself an author. Write three, and you might make a career out of it yet. Write a dozen,...
Readers Are Rectangles; Writers Are Squares
All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. Take that axiom from grade-school math class and replace "squares" with...
Worldbuilding: the Gift that Keeps on Taking
"I'm working on a story, but I'm stuck on the worldbuilding." I've heard some variant of this enough times that I felt the need to do...
Worldbuilding: One Versus One Billion
There are over 7 billion people on Earth. Your story world may have more, it may have fewer, but unless you are writing a creation myth, you're...
Who Is Your Protagonist?
When you write, you're bound to end up with a protagonist or two along the way (it would be a good trick not to!). Understanding your plot and how...
Arguing With the Universe: The Magic of Black Ocean
With the release of the 5th book in the Black Ocean series (Alien Racer), I figured it was a good time to start talking some about the...
Editing Dialogue: When the Rules Become Suggestions
I have written characters that speak like kings and professors. Perfect diction. Perfect use of vocabulary. Perfect grammar. This is fine for...
An Author is a Ventriloquist
'Never let the audience see your lips move.' To a ventriloquist, this seems like obvious advice. But to an author, it can be equally valuable. Part...
This is Why We Have Editors
I use commas the way the B29 dropped bombs: let them loose to fall where they may, and hope they land where you want them. I can't spell names I...
Wonder vs. Nostalgia: Two Reasons to Read Fantasy
There are two reasons people read fantasy. No, really. There are dozens of reasons to read, from escapism to information, spiritual growth to...
Black Ocean Series Trailer
I put together a trailer for the Black Ocean series. Let me know in the comments what you think.
Mark Lawrence’s Great Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off!
Back at the beginning of March, fantasy author Mark Lawrence put out a call on his website for self-published fantasy authors looking for exposure....
Year 2 of My 5-10 Year Overnight Success Plan
Just like last year, I missed commemorating the late-January anniversary of my first book's release. Firehurler came out at the end of January,...
Frodo versus Bilbo: Who Is the Greatest Hobbit Hero?
Middle Earth has a curious habit of producing heroes from the most unlikely of sources: the Shire. A home for the homebody. Comforting to the...
Leonard Nimoy and Spock – The Actor Who Became an Ambassador
Leonard Nimoy passed away on February 27th, 2015, at the age of 83. He was William Bell in the TV series Fringe, and appeared in Mission Impossible...
Worldbuilding Part 01 – Introduction to Worldbuilding
Transcript (for whoever might prefer it): What is worldbuilding? The term gets thrown around a lot when talking about science fiction and fantasy....
The Best Fantasy Story Ever… Hasn’t Been Written Yet
What's the best fantasy story ever? The Odyssey? Alice in Wonderland? The Lord of the Rings? A Game of Thrones? Odds are, as good as those are, the...
7 Types of Villains
Not every hero has a villain. A hero can battle faceless foes, the environment, or even his own inner demons, but if you want to write about heroic...
5 Self-Editing Tips for Maintaining Point of View (POV)
It's common for stories to be told from multiple points of view. It allows you, as a writer, to explore and show different sides to a conflict. It...
Sci-Fi Time Capsule: The Terminator
This week in Sci-Fi Time Capsule, another take on time travel. Lost in the Hollywood blockbuster horror is the fact that The Terminator is, at its...
Ask an Author: How did you get started on Amazon?
Courtesy of /r/fantasywriters: I'm genuinely curious how you got started on Amazon? When I started, I was clueless. I didn't really start any...
Sci-Fi Time Capsule: The Twilight Zone “Escape Clause”
This week in Sci-Fi Time Capsule, we go way back. The Twilight Zone started in 1959, and "Escape Clause" is an all-time classic from the first...