Tag: Novel

Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 2: Adaptation & Characterisation

Weeks ago, I spoke of how much I enjoy storytelling and my love for being a dungeon master. I do really love creating and playing in fantasy worlds and taking players through perils and adventures.

But even though I consider myself a storyteller first, writer second, the art of storytelling, specifically being a Dungeon Master—or any kind of RPG narrator, again just using one of the most popular titles—has had a profound impact on my writing, as I’ve learned many things in taking people through the theatre of the mind.

I began this series last week with lessons on Knowing your Audience and Sensory information. Here’s part 2 for your enjoyment!

Continue reading Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 2: Adaptation & Characterisation

Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 1: Audience & Senses

Weeks ago, I spoke of how much I enjoy storytelling and my love for being a dungeon master. I do really love creating and playing in fantasy worlds and taking players through perils and adventures.

But even though I consider myself a storyteller first, writer second, the art of storytelling, specifically being a Dungeon Master—or any kind of RPG narrator, again just using one of the most popular titles—has had a profound impact on my writing, as I’ve learned many things in taking people through the theatre of the mind. Continue reading Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 1: Audience & Senses

Resuming Fiction!

It’s been a while since I posted my last short story, or even a proposal for one. I’ve been busy, stressed, ill, dealing with issues and many more excuses you really don’t want to know about.

In the past couple of weeks though, as things have cleared up, I’ve managed to finish up a first version of one of the stories I proposed oh so many moons ago:  The Song, a Sci-Fi Noir story. The bad news is that I’ve decided to do something else with that particular story as soon as I’ve put it through a few revisions and test reads. I’ve never submitted a short story for publication in a magazine, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do but I’ll admit that it terrifies me. I don’t know if I’m even half the writer needed to pull that one off. But you know, fear is the mind killer after all, so I won’t let that stop me. Continue reading Resuming Fiction!

Detectives & Dames – Writing the Hardboiled Genre

During my holidays between Christmas and the end of 2016, I decided to jump into one of my story projects and get it going. I had my second novel to finish editing (second draft at around 40%), but decided to instead push on one of the story premises I’d posted some time ago, the Sci-Fi noir “The Song.”

As I sat at home, thinking what I should write, which story to pursue, this one kept coming back to me, with new details, new side-stories that branch off from the main one as the character listens to more of the same hypnotic melodies.

The Song is different to the other premises in that I had already written a few pages of it before I proposed it as another one-shot, and going back to it and advancing I remembered just how difficult it is to write Hardboiled stories, a genre I often and wrongfully call the same name as its film counterpart, “Noir.” Continue reading Detectives & Dames – Writing the Hardboiled Genre

Igniters – Planning Stage

Last week I spoke of Igniters and how I had to scrap this series of Star Wars novels for legal reasons, or maybe just to avoid having any legal reasons to begin with.

Since then I’ve been thinking about the best way to handle it, what the setting should be, and how to turn what was once Star Wars into a new idea, something that suits me. Continue reading Igniters – Planning Stage

Star Wars: Igniters – Time for a Revamp

I think if you check this site for five minutes, you’ll probably come across a couple dozen articles that at least mention Star Wars. It’s a big deal for me, one of my favourite franchises and one where I’ve lost hours on, both reading or in other ways consuming stories or making up my own, be it for RPGs or just simple daydream.  Continue reading Star Wars: Igniters – Time for a Revamp

Writing Guide – Naming

When I create a new world for an RPG campaign or fiction, I always spend most of my time with names, be it for characters, place or historical events. For me, it’s central to the process of world building, and depending on the rules of my world and its civilisations, it can help ground my fantasy enough for readers to find their way and grasp the basic concepts.

There isn’t really a big secret with naming, but I’m very particular about it. Continue reading Writing Guide – Naming

Narrative Aversion – In Medias Res

I’ve mentioned a few times in the past weeks that I would write an article on my absolute most hated narrative technique: In Medias Res, so let’s make good on that promise.

While the name might seem strange, you probably already know what In Medias Res entails. If you’ve ever seen a TV series or film or any other form of entertainment that begins not at the start of a story but in the middle of it, often a crucial scene, but then jumps back in time with “24 hours ago,” or some other time, then you’ve experienced In Medias Res, which classic Latin for “In the middle of things.” Continue reading Narrative Aversion – In Medias Res

Fiction Update – New Premises Incoming!

It’s been a few months since I set up the page for people to vote on the short stories they wanted me to write. I have already written two, the first ones people voted for, Fringes and Lion’s Claw.

I sent them to one of my proofreader, my brother in law, but haven’t heard back from him yet. Then again, my sister had a little baby girl last month so they’re a bit busy. I’m going to try to find another proofreader/beta reader for the stories next week to hopefully get these new stories up and running here. Continue reading Fiction Update – New Premises Incoming!

Review: Eisenhorn: Xenos

Mankind must suffer, so mankind can survive. These words are a maxim for one of the greatest of Imperial Inquisitors, Gregor Eisenhorn of the Ordo Xenos!

Continue reading Review: Eisenhorn: Xenos