[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ht.ly] Spelling is a tool many fantasy writers use to lend originality to their writing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it distracts the reader from the story. I find myself getting caught up in this device, wondering if I should spell a word as it is commonly spelled or give it a […]
Magic, Magick, Magyck – Striving for Originality in Fantasy Read Post »
I’m sure this has been done to death, but I’m listing my five faves, thus dating myself. I’m old and I’m proud. [tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ht.ly] In the Court of the Crimson King – King Crimson Just read the lyrics and tell me you don’t want to write the novel based on this song. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KovJ7WLh2Qc]
Coffee Break No. 13 – Fantasy in Classic Rock Read Post »
I’d like to blame the heat for my malaise, but I know that’s not really it. After approaching the halfway mark, I stalled out. I hadn’t expected it since I have a pretty good idea where everything is going, but there it was. I was having a hard time pressing forward. Some of it could
Beating the Middle of the Novel Slog Read Post »
I’ve only recently begun exploring the world of Jorge Luis Borges. What I’ve encountered so far has been wonderful. I went in search of Borges interviews on YouTube and found the one posted below. I’ve excerpted a few passages from the video that touched me: The task of art is to transform what is continuously
More than Just Pen and Ink Read Post »
This is what I was watching today instead of getting a new post up: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k29wBfLmNP0]
Coffee Break No. 12 – USA into the knockout round! Read Post »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ht.ly] Responding to a comment here on the blog this morning (Thanks to Sarah Wedgbrow over at Folding Fields for jogging my memory), I was reminded of John Connolly‘s novel The Black Angel, the novel I was reading when I decided to write in earnest. Connolly’s story was dark and contained supernatural
Coffee Break No. 11 – John Connolly and The Seed of a Story Read Post »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ht.ly] I just checked my post history and today marks a year to the day of my first blog post here at Words and Coffee. I’m not sure what I thought when I launched W&C beyond that I was entering a bit of flash fiction in Ken Scholes’s contest and I needed
A Year of Blogging Read Post »
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ht.ly] I have not read much urban fantasy. In fact, my experience with the genre is limited to Neverwhere and American Gods (probably not truly urban fantasy, but I’ll take what I can get), both by Neil Gaiman. I don’t know if it’s the covers of many of the recent UF offerings,
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=ht.ly] Paolo Bacigalupi reveals the secrets of his success: Voodoo and liquor. Just kidding, but he does provide insights into where he gets his story ideas and what he wants his stories to do. Bacigalupi also reads from two of his short stories. It’s about an hour, but it’s well worth the
Coffee Break No. 10 – Paolo Bacigalupi on AuthorsatGoogle Read Post »