Once again, I want to define some terms. I’m talking here about books with the “equipment” of both fantasy and science fiction: elves and lasers, for example, or magic and anti-gravity. I wouldn’t consider it a hybrid if there were a few machines that resembled magical artifacts but were fully explainable by any scientific laws and in any case were ( Read more... )

This is part rant, part how-to. One reason I think not very much domestic fantasy is written is the sheer lack of models; it’s much easier to walk the paths of, say, the save-the-world plot because there’s so much of it out there to show you how to do it.

( But I think there should be more domestic fantasy, because I like it )

This is mostly another, “Here is a list of ideas I think are really cool!” entries, and it doesn’t go into that much detail on any one of them. Just thinking about writing these gets me all bouncy. These are not prescriptions, these are Shiny.

( Some patterns )

A few people have asked for a rant on…non-complex fantasy ( Read more... )

I will say this three times. That makes it true:

I have nothing against light fantasy.
I have nothing against light fantasy.
I have nothing against light fantasy.

There. (We will not talk about my grudge against simplistic fantasy, because then I would have to foam at the mouth, and no one wants that. Besides, I know that simplistic fantasy isn’ ( Read more... )

This is the rant on various ways of creating subgenres-that is, small pockets within fantasy, rather than separate genres altogether like science fiction. Most of these are ways I’ve used. Others are ones I’ve seen recommended. Each will have its caveats, of course.

( On to the rant! )

Hm. A mixed bag, this one. I’ll just wander around and talk about whatever I see fit.

Yes, how was that different from the usual, again?

( Not exactly your typical rat-racing, sword-waving, maiden-chasing fantasy )

(I will answer comments on the espionage rant tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I've written about 11,000 words today, counting the rant, which, according to the way my wrists ache, was clearly too many. I'm happy, though).

Now this is an interesting topic, isn’t it.

( Oooh, neato )

This rant is on political fantasy-ideas about achieving it, caveats, problems with it. You know, all the usual things.

( Can’t think of a clever title for the lj-cut… )

It helps, I think, that a) I’ve been looking forward to this rant, and b) the fantasy books that I’ve enjoyed the most in the last month were both adult bildungsromans. One, Charles de Lint’s Memory and Dream, was a reread, and perhaps better than I remembered; the character’s adolescent past is entwined with recollections of her adult life, and ( Read more... )