Category: For Writers

Writing Inspiration

The World of the Fae

itemprop="discussionURL"4

​ Notes taken from the BristolCon 2016 panel ‘The F Word’.  Whatever happened to fairytales?  Today’s popular fairytales are very sanitised. Generic fairies roam the covers of children’s book. Disney gives everyone a happy ever after. In the UK, Enid Blyton has been responsible for numerous jolly little fairies, brownies …

Writing Inspiration

Writing Through the Storm

itemprop="discussionURL"1

This post was inspired by the BristolCon 2016 panel of the same name – with thanks to those authors who shared their personal experiences.  At some point in your life, difficult times will come. You may experience health problems, both physical and mental, illness or death of close friends and …

Writing Resources

How Do I Publish?

itemprop="discussionURL"6

Once upon a time, the only option to publish a novel was what we now refer to as ‘traditional publishing’. You write your novel, and you take it to a publisher. They give you a nice fat advance, publish your book for you, and then the royalties roll in. Right? …

Writing Inspiration

Diversity in Fantasy Novels

itemprop="discussionURL"7

  This post has been compiled with help from the BristolCon 2016 panel ‘The Regiment of Monsters’. Are fantasy novels diverse enough? Many fantasy novels, especially the epic fantasy of the last twenty or thirty years or so, involves a white male human lead character. In fact, the entire cast …

Writing Inspiration

The Call of Magic

itemprop="discussionURL"2

“Magic is Chaos, Art and Science. It is a curse, a blessing, and a progression.” – Yennefer of Vengerberg  This post has been developed from the panel “Not just Hocus Pocus” at BristolCon 2016. Why are we drawn to magic? Fantasy books are hugely popular at the moment, but what …