Canadian 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 CommentI often write when I’m tired. Does that sound weird? Sometimes, I do it quite on purpose. Not because I’m trying to push through the fatigue or anything so banal, but because writing lifts me out of it. I’ve dozed…
Leave a CommentSun in the sky and hands in the dirt Winter is the worst. I know some people love it and while I really don’t have anything against it, I mean, it’s never done anything to me personally, it just feels…
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 Comment
