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How to Dress Your Victorian Female Character - Part 2
StockingsIt's worth noting that during Victorian times, a Lady never referred to her legs. Petticoats and other undergarments were worn to hide the shape of a woman's legs. Does your Lady wear...
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Fantasy Writing - The Setting
The Fantasy world can be on any world, in any climate, but invariably the classic form of an agrarian landscape, free of manufactured pollution comes to mind. Popular demands tend to prefer the simple...
View ArticleMy Next Fantasy Novel: Beyond the Fifth Gate
I'm getting excited. My young adult fantasy novel, Beyond the Fifth Gate, is due out in September. I held the proof print in my hands this week for the first time and I'm reading through it one more...
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Social Classes in Sword and Sorcery
Medieval life within the manor setting: a perfect study in not only how people lived, but also how social classes related to one another. High fantasy writers weave such medieval historical bits with...
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Beyond the Fifth Gate by Donna Sundblad
I'm happy to announce that my second fantasy novel was released yesterday at Fictionwise and should be up at Amazon by the end of the month.This book originated while I was writing Windwalker as I used...
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Show Not Tell
As a new fantasy writer, I stared at the critique. My mentor's words struck me. Show this. I thought I was showing. What did she mean? As writers, it's important to know the difference between showing...
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Cloak and Sword Woman:
© 2006 by Guest Author P. June Diehl (reprint with permission)Strong character development is a must, and beyond that, fantasy readers want (and need) multi-level female fantasy heroines. Want to write...
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Magic Rules - Part 1: Types of Magic--The Source Be With You
© 2006 by guest author P. June Diehl (used with permission)The illusive art of magic governs, unites and even conquers fantastic fictional worlds with enchanted powers. Fantasy authors must decide the...
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Magic Rules Part 2: Limitations of Magic – At What Cost?
by guest author P. June Diehl (used with permission)Fiction is about conflict, and fantasy is no different. Magic cannot be an all-powerful force, or there would be no conflict: If anything and...
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Magic Rules: Part 3 -: The Art of Creating A Magical System
© 2006 by P. June Diehl (used with permission)Instead of another article about writing the rules of magic, let’s look at how to create rules for our magical system, what things you need to...
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Bruise and Consequence
Guest Post by Author Teel James Glenn Bruise and Consequencebased on the book “Them’s Fightin’ Words!” by Teel James Glenn (published by epress-Online.com)Since the first storyteller sat around a...
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Balance the Missing Ingredient - Part 1
By Donna Sundblad author of Windwalker and Beyond the Fifth Gate“What’s missing?” Details move your story along. It’s complete with a beginning, middle and end, but your muse clucks its tongue quietly...
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Balance the Missing Ingredient - Part 2
Part 2 - Balance the Missing Ingredientby Donna SundbladDon’t DigressStudy your manuscript. Have you skipped important details readers want to know while expounding on minor details? Don’t paint the...
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Five Senses in Your Writing - Part 1
By Donna SundbladIn my book Pumping Your Muse, I challenge writers with exercises that reach deep into the imagination’s recesses where creative exercises carry the muse on a journey designed to force...
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Five Senses in Your Writing - Part 2
The Five SensesIncorporating all the senses provides familiarity and understanding for the reader. It helps the connect. This sensory information can be used to:·Transition between the present and...
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Beyond the Fifth Gate - Review
Those of you who own my creative writing book Pumping Your Muse may remember the flip side exercise that generated a new female character. That character grew to become the protagonist in my novel...
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The Role of Research in Fantasy Writing - Part 1
By Donna Sundblad Recently in an interview, I was asked what role research plays in my writing. No matter what genre you write, research is a necessary tool. I'm currently working on the sequel to...
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The Role of Research in Fantasy Writing - Part 2
Part 2: The Role of Research in Fantasy WritingCorrect SpellingsThis may seem like a no-brainer, but research includes checking the dictionary. Don’t rely on the spellcheck feature of your word...
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Why I Write by Author Kevin Gerard
by Guest Author Kevin Gerard (comment for a chance to win a copy of one of his books in the Conor and the Crossworlds series)I write because I want to make a contribution. I always wanted to write but...
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The Why Behind Setting
Whether you write romance, mystery, fantasy, science fiction or a sub genre, all fiction requires a believable setting. I tend to write character driven fantasy and learning to establish the setting...
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Pitching Your Idea - Part 1
By Donna SundbladThe other day I had an opportunity to chat with an author I didn’t know. Within a short amount of time, he sent me a link to his website and asked me to read his three self-published...
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Pitching Your Idea - Part 2
How Would Your Idea FitTell the publisher or editor how your idea fits their needs. If you’ve done your homework you’ll know what they want. If the guidelines say: “Fiction: May include, but is not...
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Authors Unleashed Interviews Donna Sundblad
Donna Sundblad, author of the young adult fantasies Beyond the Fifth Gate and Windwalkerstopped by Authors Unleashed for an interview. Check it out to learn about the inspiration behind these...
View ArticleWhat's Your Fairy Name?
I'm currently in the throes of writing two books, and amid my research I came across this nifty name generator that offered to dub me with a fairy name. This is it:Oak RainbowwandI'm a fortune...
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Fantasy Setting
I went to see Avatar last week and it was awesome. The characters came to life but so did the fantasy setting. I don't want to say too much about it for anyone who hasn't seen it it, but if you enjoy...
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