Creating Magic Systems

all images from Pixabay Greetings Storytellers. Diana here today to talk a little about magic as part of the craft of writing. And I'm not just talking about fantasy. Writers of speculative fiction—whether fantasy, paranormal, horror, superhero, science fiction, or religious fiction—are dealing with supernatural or hyper-scientific systems that stretch our reality and knowledge of …

Suspension of Disbelief

Hi, gang. Craig with you once again to talk about something directly related to the kind of fiction I write. It’s called the suspension of disbelief. Most of you’ve heard of this, but likely glanced off it and didn’t give it much thought. Specifically, it means that to enjoy the story a reader is going …

1984?

Hello SE friends, Gwen with you today, and I’ve an unusual topic to share. It was generated by recent comments made by neighbors, friends, and family members. Have you heard folks mention 1984? Not the year, but the book or the movie? Rarely a day passes that I don’t hear references to George Orwell’s book …

More Genre Clichés

Ciao, SEers! Last time, we talked about clichés in horror and how to fix them. This time, we're going to look at stereotypes in two more genres and ways to turn them around. Mystery Title of the book is "the character in the place (often vantage point)" i.e. The Woman in the WindowSolution: Find something …

Clichés in Horror

Ciao, SEers! Last time, I went over the three elements of a horror story as defined by Orson Scott Card---dread, terror, and fear. To read that post, click this link. Sticking with that theme, today, I thought I'd continue with ways to make our horror fiction stand out by discussing clichés in the horror genre. …