Gothic, Horror, and Mysteries: YA Fiction for Fans of Edgar Allan Poe It’s the time of year where readers start asking for creepy and the supernatural, and teens flock to stories of gothic horror and murder mysteries. There’s no shortage of young adult fiction in these genres and there’s even quite the list of Poe-inspired works. This is a list to satisfy those with an appetite for the macabre or mysterious! Edgar Allan Poe is often beloved by middle school students. As far as assigned reading in school goes, short stories like “The Tell-tale Heart” or poems like “The Raven” or “Annabel Lee” were some of my personal favorites that even my less bookish classmates enjoyed. These YA novels were inspired by the works of Poe. YA Novels Inspired by the Works of Poe The Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin A steampunk retelling of The Masque of the Red Death. The Fall by Bethany Griffin A new novel is that reimagines The Fall of the House of Usher. Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsay A paranormal gothic novel based on the poem Annabel Lee. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Creating a Realistic Fantasy World by Penny Ehrenkranz Did you ever wonder how David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Orson Scott Card, Stephen King, Piers Anthony, or J. R. R. Tolkien created their worlds? Creating your fantasy world means building a world based upon reality and making sure that your reader knows the rules of that world. J. How do you go about creating a reality that readers will accept as readily? Defining the Physical World Defining your locale can be a good place to start. Orson Scott Card began his fantasy novel, Hart's Hope, by designing a map. Instead of a map (or in addition to it), you may prefer to jot down descriptions of places you will need to use in your story. Defining the Rules of Magic Magic is often the key in fantasy. In Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover series, wizards and witches have innate power. Your society will be structured around the question of who has magic and who doesn't. Piers Anthony's Apprentice Adept series offers are two parallel worlds. Defining a Consistent Reality
Magical World Builder By, Stephanie Cottrell Bryant <map name="admap78618" id="admap78618"><area href=" shape="rect" coords="0,0,468,60" title="" alt="" target="_blank" /></map><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:468px;border-style:none;background-color:#ffffff;"><tr><td><img src=" style="width:468px;height:60px;border-style:none;" usemap="#admap78618" alt="" /></td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:#ffffff;" colspan="1"><center><a style="font-size:10px;color:#0000ff;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;font-family:Tahoma, verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;text-transform: none;letter-spacing:normal;text-shadow:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:normal;" href=" target="_blank">Ads by Project Wonderful! The Magical World Builder's Guide is a tool for creating a fantasy universe.
Mayn't Change the World Chapter 1: Dernière Danse, a puella magi madoka magica/魔法少女まどか★マギカ fanfic Dernière Danse - Last Dance The curtain rose (the fog came in). The witch's barrier bled into the landscape (below the stage, the conductor lifted his hands). Her heart thumped erratically in her chest (her face was set in a determined scowl). 'Again.' Across the stage from her was Madoka (Walpurgis). They met in the middle. Graceful, dizzying circles, and Madoka's dress billowed out as Homura raised her arm to spin her (fire billowed from Walpurgis as Homura leapt across buildings to destroy her). Walpurgis screeched (Madoka laughed) in response. Her heart lurched painfully and though she smiled through it, she felt trapped. 'Let them deal with it,' came the insidious thought. The brisk pace of the music sought to consume her, arms straining as she loaded the dance with as much force as she could muster (dozens of AT-4s lugged over her shoulders, even more lifted by her magic, she was an army of one). After all, what would they have done in her place? But she cared too much. Slowly, Normal…
Themes & Things To Keep In Mind When Writing Fantasy Stories and Adventures » Daily Encounter This list is far from complete. It’s not even trying to be complete. It knows better than that. It just wants to be helpful and provide some inspiration here and there; you know, offer little suggestions that might lead to bigger ideas. (Especially by using the words offered as Wikipedia searches!) Feel free to make suggestions in the comments! Weather Natural: sunlight, rain, snow, hail, fog, humidity, moonlight, wind, smoke, clouds, shadows, overcast skies, clear skies, lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, moon in sky during daytimeFantastic: summoned weather, unnatural coloration (eg. green fog) Terrain Changes Landmarks Natural: stone outcropping, lightening struck trees, large boulders, waterfallsArtificial: lone buildings (eg. towers, houses, barns), statues, signs/markers, border wallsFantastic: large skeletons (eg. dragons, giants) After-Effects of Events Tricks Cultures Mysticism Events Unfolding Harsh Situations fatigue, hunger, thirst, extreme temperaturesenemy territories (invading?
The Art of Description The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help You Bring Your Settings to Life by Anne Marble Return to Setting & Description · Print/Mobile-Friendly Version Description is something that gets in the way of many authors. Why? Well, because it's so darn hard to write. And no wonder. If you're not very accomplished at writing description, then sometimes you might want to avoid writing it. At the same time, some writers err in the other direction, including too much description. How bad is bad description? Avoid Huge Lumps of Description In the past, authors could get away with including long, detailed descriptions in their stories. Unless they're seeking out writers known for lyrical descriptive passages, today's readers wouldn't put up with that sort of thing. Of course there are authors who, even in today's marketplace, can get away with pages and pages of description. Make Description an Active Part of the Story How did I come up with that line? Describe What Your Characters Would Notice
Strange Horizons, a weekly speculative fiction magazine The Witch's Knives by Margaret Ronald 17 October 2016 I am here to rescue my husband, she rehearsed in her head, trying to ignore how the red sap trickled through her hair and how the railroad ties sank and splintered underfoot. Podcast: The Witch's Knives by Margaret Ronald, read by Anaea Lay In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Anaea Lay presents Margaret Ronald's "The Witch's Knives." Timothy by Philip Schweitzer 10 October 2016 She takes the usual accoutrements of a resurrection from a drawer in the night-stand: two damp cloths to go over Frances’s eyes, and a C# tuning fork to sound the life back into her. Podcast: Timothy by Philip Schweitzer, read by Anaea Lay In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Anaea Lay presents Philip Schweitzer's "Timothy." Archived Fiction View nearly every story Strange Horizons has ever published in our Archive, thanks to the kindness of our authors who allow us to keep their material online. Top
10 Writing "Rules" We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service. I give a hearty Here Here for #4! Remember, the whole Trilogy+ got started when the publisher got fed up with the fact Tolkien wouldn't finish. The moment I see something like "Book One of the (insert name of place or magic item and latin number)ogy", I want to put the book down. Flagged Creating the Perfect Setting - Part I It was a dark and stormy night... This is one of the most ridiculed openings, not because once upon a time it didn't work, but because too many people have written their own version of it. And yet setting, the weather, landscape, the opening scene, can often lay out the feel and tone of a book brilliantly, and create an instant context, often a time-stamp, a fixed point which helps the reader find the correct emotional stance to absorb the work. The first I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Khao San Road. Khao San Road was backpacker land. Note here that we don't just get setting but also information, some explicit, but a lot implicit. As David Lodge pointed out in The Art of Fiction, a distinctive sense of place was not always a feature of prose fiction. Unfortunately, the first thing some writers did was to overwhelm the reader with masses of descriptive detail, often using description only as a warm-up to the rest of the book. Fog everywhere. Writers have to think of setting.
Why Good Writers Sometimes Hire Ghosts Perhaps the most surprising fact about ghostwriters is that the people who hire them often write beautifully on their own. That's certainly true of my clients. Two of them are former English professors! Every one of them is exceptionally articulate, some commanding high fees on the public speaking circuit. A published ghostwriter improves your own chances of being published. Hiring a writer frees you to concentrate on promotion. Prior to the release of your book, a publisher would much rather see you engaged in building an advance audience than laboring over a word-processor. On paper, a skilled ghost may sound more like you than you do yourself. Most of my clients are great talkers. Ghostwriters are great listeners. With the possible exception of your mother, nobody hangs on your every word like a ghost. Two heads are better than one. When you work with a collaborator, don't be surprised if you hear yourself saying things you never knew you thought. It's more fun. Who are your clients?
10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing Dear Teenage Writers: Hi there. I was once a teenage writer like you (see goofy picture to the right), although that was so long ago that between now and then, I could have been a teenager all over again. Nevertheless, recently I’ve been thinking about offering some thoughts and advice on being a teenage writer, based on my own experiences of being one, and on my experiences of being a teenage writer who kept being a writer when he grew up. So here are some of those thoughts, for your consideration. I’m going to talk to you about writing as straight as I can; there’s a possibility that some of what I say to you might come off as abrupt and condescending. 1. It’s nothing personal. There are reasons for this. a) You’re really young. Now, if you’re really good, you can fake perspective and wisdom, and with it a voice, which is almost as good as having the real thing. b) You’re besotted by your influences. c) When you’re young, it’s easier to be clever than to be good. 2. Because, look. 3.
Creating a Believable World By Sharon Caseburg One of the greatest difficulties Speculative Fiction authors experience when writing stories in this genre is in their ability to provide a believable environment for their readers. Any kind of speculative fiction, whether it be hard-core Science Fiction, Time Travel, Horror, or Fantasy requires readers to put aside the conventions they have become accustomed to in the “real world” for the world the author presents in the story. This of course holds true for speculative romance stories as well. For the most part, readers of these genres are more than willing to put aside the customs of the world they live in, for the environment the author has created. However, when the author does not provide a believable realm, readers can easily become disenchanted with both the author’s world and in turn, the story itself. Basically, this translates to the more the author knows about the world he or she is creating, the more confidently the author can write about it.
The Point of the Paperback 1. “Why are they still bothering with paperbacks?” This came from a coffee-shop acquaintance when he heard my book was soon to come out in paperback, nine months after its hardcover release. Interestingly, his point wasn’t the usual hardcovers-are-dead-long-live-the-hardcover knell. I would have taken issue with his foregone conclusion about the domination of ebooks over paper, but I didn’t want to spend my babysitting time down that rabbit hole. I did what I usually do when I’m puzzling through something, which is to go back to my journalism-school days and report on it. Here’s what I learned, after a month of talking to editors, literary agents, publishers, and other authors: A paperback isn’t just a cheaper version of the book anymore. 2. The annual Bookstats Report from the Association of American Publishers (AAP), which collects data from 1,977 publishers, is one of the most reliable measures. What about from readers’ perspectives? 3. Enter programs like P.S. 4.
How Much of My World Do I Build? First, let me say that worldbuilding is an essential skill for every writer, regardless of genre. Not all writers need to concentrate on all areas of worldbuilding, but every writer must do some worldbuilding if he hopes to have a novel that is coherent, consistent, and real. Second, writers seem to come in three varieties — those who really have no idea what worldbuilding is or why they should bother with it; those who do know, but figure they’ll wing the details as they go; and those obsessive folks who secretly believe that they really can’t start the book until the whole planet is in place. I’ve spent time in all three camps — most of my time in the last one. The system works. Build only what you need; imply the rest. What do you need? A — Special physics It used to be that the only places where you might run into special physics were in SF and fantasy novels. If you require special physics, however, you must now answer the following questions. Special Physics — Matrin Magic On to step F.