Book Talk 1/26/18

Traci Kenworth

I’ve been reading The Vanishing Spark of Dusk by Sara Baysinger, Assassins of Truth by Brenda Drake, Nothing but Sky by Amy Trueblood, some other craft books, Your Wish is my Command, a YA anthology That Moment When, Staci Troilo’s When We Finally Kiss Goodnight, and Vivid Emotions by Rayne Hall. Vashti, I’m SORRY, I lost your book at the dr.’s office. I was at the point where Robbie was on the camping trip and good things were happening to him despite his father’s abuse. It’s my hope he got out of the basement okay, hopefully, with his friends’ help. If you get a chance to pick up a worthwhile story called The Basement by Vashti Quiroz-Vega do so, heartily recommend!

The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction Phillip Athans. 2010 by F & W Media.

From Amazon: Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most challenging–and rewarding!–genres in the bookstore. But with New York Times bestselling author Philip Athans and fantasy giant R. A. Salvatore at your side, you’ll create worlds that draw your readers in–and keep them reading!
Just as important, you’ll learn how to prepare your work for today’s market. Drawing on his years of experience as one of the most acclaimed professionals in publishing, Wizards of the Coast editor Athans explains how to set your novel apart–and break into this lucrative field. From devising clever plots and building complex characters to inventing original technologies and crafting alien civilizations, Athans gives you the techniques you need to write strong, saleable narratives.

Plus! Athans applies all of these critical lessons together in an unprecedented deconstruction of a never-before-published tale by the one and only R. A. Salvatore!

There are books on writing science fiction and fantasy, and then there’s this book–the only one you need to create strange, wonderful worlds for your own universe of readers!

I’ve been going back through my collection of craft books and I’ve found this one by Phillip Athans particularly helpful. There are six steps listed to how to write such books. The first is to start with an idea. He goes on to tell you how you know you’ve got an idea worth following. He gives you questions you need to seek the answers to about your world most of which help you to develop things. He goes into heroes and villains. Aliens. Monsters. Romance. Even languages. Yes, you can develop your own languages for a place as I did in some of my previous books and the one I’m about to send to agents. There’s a strategy to it all and this book helps with ideas on how to get worldbuilding just right.