Historical fantasy author JDStanley.com. Writetrepreneur. Druid. Mythology junkie.
Story pacing – keeping your readers hooked, line by line Story pacing is another tool in our writing toolbox. When we talk about story pacing, we’re not referring to how fast a story takes place or the calendar time over…
Leave a CommentDruid tools are items of mysterious purpose both to our modern understanding and to non-Druids in the past. Since the actual Druids never documented their practices, it’s tough to know the real or exact purpose for some of the Druid…
Leave a CommentLittle Free Libraries – inspiring literacy and community connection I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, but I’m a bit obsessed with Little Free Libraries. You know the ones – those super cute wooden boxes scattered around neighbourhoods, filled with books…
Leave a CommentBlood Runner: from stand-alone to contemporary fantasy series Considering I never meant to seriously write Blood Runner at all, it amuses me that I grew so attached. It was supposed to be a throw-away practice piece trying out a fast-writing…
Leave a CommentMedieval Weapons – hand cannons and things you can’t pronounce Medieval weapons were plentiful and go beyond your garden variety knightly sword. I do profess an undying love for them all. Over time, I’ve accumulated quite a lot of reference…
Leave a CommentTrusting the Imbas – the art of listening to the earth As a Druid, we learn to trust the Imbas. But what does this mean? Listening to the earth is at the heart of being a Druid. And when we…
Leave a CommentThe art of spelling – don’t let autocorrect steal your magic The art of spelling is a dying one, it seems. In this age of smartphones and, okay, smart everything, they all come with a default autocorrect or automated dictionary…
Leave a CommentStory Element Tropes in Fantasy Writing Knowing what we know now, let’s have a look at some fantasy story element tropes and talk out ways to avoid the clichéd version. The bulk of advice about fantasy tropes tells us to…
Leave a CommentPlot Tropes in Fantasy Writing This time, let’s get into ways around a clichéd version of a few fantasy plot tropes, so you can take that perspective into any others to help improve your story telling. Again, the bulk of advice…
Leave a CommentWorld-Building Tropes in Fantasy Writing Now let’s focus on ways to not regurgitate clichéd version of fantasy world-building tropes to make your story unique. Typical advice around fantasy tropes is to avoid them. However, knowing that all those tropes shaped…
Leave a CommentCharacter Tropes in Fantasy Writing Let’s think about the ways we might steer clear of rehashing clichéd versions of fantasy character tropes to make your story more interesting and, hopefully, memorable. The usual advice about fantasy tropes is to avoid…
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