Hey, fellow fantasy writers. Today, I wanted to share with you a few perhaps lesser-known ways to find inspiration for your fantasy worlds and characters... Pottermore Anyone who is a Harry Potter fan will know of the site Pottermore, which is rich in extended content about the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts universe. I've recently… Continue reading Inspiration Tools for Fantasy Writers
Category: Author Stuff
Life Lessons from Harry Potter
As a writer: Detail Detail is key. Not George R. R. Martin level of detail, right down to the petal detail on every flower in a meadow, but real detail. Character detail. Room detail. What people are really like and think about and talk about and do. Details matter; it makes the difference between a… Continue reading Life Lessons from Harry Potter
What A Panel of Black Authors Meant for Me
On Tuesday this week, I was able to hear authors Tomi Adeyemi (pictured with me above), Yomi Adegoke, and Elizabeth Uviebinene talk at a bookstore. These authors all had one thing in common - they were black, and they were Nigerian. It was a euphoric experience! I'm not the kind of woman (and never was… Continue reading What A Panel of Black Authors Meant for Me
How I Know I was Meant to be a Middle-Grade Author
Hopefully you know by now that I've made the switch from writing YA fantasy to now writing MG fantasy. I've been thinking lately that it's always been obvious that I am better suited to children's fantasy than young adult or teen fantasy, and here's why... I can be poetic and whimsical and silly with my… Continue reading How I Know I was Meant to be a Middle-Grade Author
How I became a fantasy author
Today I wanted to just kind of ramble about the fantasy that I love and how they have definitely been detrimental to my being a fantasy author myself now. Here we go... Cartoon Network I think it's safe to say that my fantasy-love journey started with this beautiful children's TV broadcasting channel. Carton Network showed… Continue reading How I became a fantasy author
Mind Mapping for Writers
I love mind maps. Countless times have they helped me figure out ideas that I was struggling with. Here are a few ways that you can use mind maps: Details for your story: this is the biggest one. I've used many mind maps to help me to discover detail about my story without feeling like… Continue reading Mind Mapping for Writers
Why Writing is Hard
Writing is hard. It is. Not because writing something is hard, because technically everyone can write something. Not because coming up with good ideas is hard, because all kinds of people (extraordinary and not so extraordinary) can come up with ideas everyday. No, writing is hard because: Discipline - it takes discipline to sit with… Continue reading Why Writing is Hard
What Do Children Want and Need from a Book?
By children, I mean middle grade (8-14) really. I've been thinking about this a lot, as someone who plans to be a middle grade author in the not too distant future. What do children want and need from a book in this day and age? Because, I bet it's not the same as 5 years… Continue reading What Do Children Want and Need from a Book?
“My Author Journey” Part One: First Fantasy Book Publication (Ash Born)
I'll start with "Ash Born". Anyone who has followed my journey or known me for a while should have heard of "Ash Born" at least once. If not, I really have failed it. Ash Born is the first book I ever published, well, it wasn't always known by this name.
New Year, Same Me
"New Year, New Me" doesn't really work because as the clock strikes 12, we don't actually change. We may have been given a new calendar year, but we are the same people with the same problems and the same bad habits. I don't mean to put a damper on the new year. I for one… Continue reading New Year, Same Me
S. R. Crawford 