Fiction and Fantasy

Category: Behind-the-Scenes

  • Starting TVB Book 3

    I started TVB Book 3 on Monday. I’m scared. And even though I keep trying to remind myself that I’ve felt this before with Book 2, it feels like a fresh fear. I guess that makes sense. To paraphrase Sam from Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring adaptation, “When I go one more step,…

  • Confession: I am Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun)

    Sentai Filmworks 2014 Sentai Filmworks 2014 One of my favorite Rom-Com anime is Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. It follows an adorable, plucky highschool girl named Sakura as she tries to win the attention of her long-time crush, the stoic and unaware Nozaki-kun. But when Sakura finally gathers the courage to confess her feelings, Nozaki-kun mistakenly thinks she’s…

  • Confessions of a Writer Who Couldn’t Write Character Flaws

    Up until recently, I found it very difficult to write flawed characters. I fall deeply in love with my characters, so I really want other people to like them as much as I do. This makes showing others my work a terrifying event. It feels like bringing a boyfriend home for my parents to meet.…

  • The Victor’s Blade Update: Writing Book 2

    Writing book two of The Victor’s Blade has certainly been an experience. I’ve had a lot of responsibilities (plus work), so over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying out the “bit by bit” method for writing: chipping away at this manuscript one small daily goal at a time. It’s been keeping me writing, but…

  • How I Name Characters, Part 2: Word Associations Are My Friend

    YOUR CHARACTER NAME NEEDS TO BE PERFECT— —claims the internet, and I can already feel my heart rate rising. “[The name] has to suit the character’s personality, makes [sic] sense for the era and, most important, be super awesome…” Oh, and by the way, “[y]ou need a name that ‘fits’ your character too” (Klems). I’m…

  • How I Name Characters, Part 1: What First Initials Say to Me

    I used to suck at creating names. That’s kind of a problem when you want to write fantasy and don’t want to rip off Tolkien or have names as scintillating as “John,” “Bob,” or “Henry.” (No joke, I actually used “Henry” for a big bad once. Ouch.) Making up names seems easy. Slap some letters…

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