Category Archives: Game of Thrones

NOT EVERYONE IS THE HERO OF THEIR OWN STORY

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Philip Athans

Sometimes villains know full well they’re being villainous, that they’re hurting people, that what they’re doing is wrong and so must be done in secret, and so live in fear of being caught. When they are caught, they might at … Continue reading →

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IN A LANGUAGE FAR, FAR AWAY

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Philip Athans

Some more from the old online worldbuilding course… If we begin with the basic concept that no one literally speaks English in either Westeros or in the galaxy far, far away in which Star Wars takes place then we have to assume … Continue reading →

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DEFINING MY TERMS

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Philip Athans

It’s rather funny how a word sometimes sneaks into a family and gets itself adopted. Where does it come from, I wonder? I’d very much like to know. —Jean Cocteau, Intimate Relations (Les parents terribles) In pretty much all of my writing … Continue reading →

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ALL FICTION IS “AUTOFICTION”

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Philip Athans

In “Autofiction: What It Is and What It Isn’t,” Brooke Warner wrote: “Autofiction, which is short for autobiographical fiction, is one of those labels that ultimately doesn’t matter to the industry.” I agree, so let’s dispense with the term up … Continue reading →

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WHAT CAN YOU GET AWAY WITH IN FICTION?

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Philip Athans

Great question, easy answer: Anything. In fact, the question itself is silly. You don’t have to feel you’re “getting away with” anything. An epic fantasy novel featuring a gender-fluid protagonist? Why not? In fact, the only argument against is necessarily … Continue reading →

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SOME THOUGHTS ON HORROR

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Philip Athans

All fiction is shared experience. Authors reach out to some unknown other people, across time and distance, and say: “I felt this.” We look to horror in the same way we look to all genres of fiction, to experience what … Continue reading →

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FOR THE LOVE OF PRETEND MAPS

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Philip Athans

Or, more accurately, for the love of maps of pretend places. Maps have been appearing in fantasy literature going back—how long? I’m not even sure. At least to Tolkien, yes? Homer? Maybe—some editions, at least. There are ancient maps of … Continue reading →

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CONTENT IS KING

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Philip Athans

I had an opportunity to chat with Joanna Penn on her Creative Penn Podcast and the concept of writers as “content providers” came up. This is something I’ve been preaching for at least nine years now, as this former Grasping … Continue reading →

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WRITE FROM YOUR SELF

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Philip Athans

I’m writing this from the continuing COVID-19 crisis, the accelerating economic fallout, and the inevitable political firestorms that rage in and around those things and all the endemic problems those things shine a brighter and brighter light on. This is … Continue reading →

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FANTASY NAMES ARE HARD

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Philip Athans

Adam Bassett began his Worldbuilding Magazine article “Naming people: Creating New Naming Customs” with: “Names have value. Aside from an identity, an individual’s name offers something greater: a glimpse of the person’s culture, history, and ancestry.” I could not agree … Continue reading →

Posted in authors helping authors, authors to writers, best fantasy blogs, best genre fiction blogs, best horror blogs, best science fiction blogs, best websites for authors, best websites for writers, Books, characters, Dungeons & Dragons, fiction writing blog, fiction writing websites, Game of Thrones, help for writers, helping writers become authors, how to write fantasy, how to write fiction, how to write horror, how to write science fiction, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Pulp Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, websites for authors, websites for writers, writers to authors, Writing, writing advice, writing fantasy, writing horror, writing science fiction, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments