Craft & Technique – Page 7 – Mythic Scribes Test Site

From Serviceable to Memorable: 5 Principles for Dialogue That Delivers

For my “writer self,” cracking (or clicking) open a new fantasy novel is one of the most exciting ways to spend my free time.

It’s also one of the most terrifying.

After all, I don’t really know what I’ll find inside, and encountering a badly-crafted story is more than disappointing. It’s downright painful.

I’m sure you could name many issues that hamper your literary enjoyment, but for me, one the biggest is subpar dialogue. I encounter it in books both traditionally and self-published. The story concept may unique, and the plot clever. The prose may even be compelling, well-paced, and active. Overall I’m intrigued…

Until the characters open their mouths.

Give Your Clichés a Makeover!

by Featured Author

This article is by Sarah Hood.

I know what you’re thinking: “Great, another article about clichés.”

Yes, I know. Google “clichés in writing” and most of what comes up tells you to avoid them. No, wait! Don’t hit that back button yet. I’m not going to tell you to avoid clichés. Because here’s the deal. You can’t avoid clichés.

If what I’ve heard is true, that there are only seven basic plots, then every one of them is cliché by now. And even if there are more than seven, you’d have to be a lot smarter than me to think up a plot that’s completely original.

I used to drive myself halfway to the psychiatric ward trying to come up with something that’s never been done before. I couldn’t do it.

4 Elements of Epic Storytelling

by Codey Amprim

When I’m immersed in fantasy, a trance envelopes me. There’s something about great fantasy storytelling that trumps all other genres in drawing me into the world and story.

Call me crazy, but I think I’m onto something here. And that something is the recipe for the domination of the imagination. Much like The Hero with a Thousand Faces, I think epic storytelling has a certain formula that can produce a killer product.

What is it that makes your heart plummet when the screen goes black after Master Chief detonates the nuke at the end of Halo 4?

What is it that makes you want to lend your back to carry Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom?

What is it that makes your muscles tighten every time your hero takes a blow, as if you were the one receiving it?

How Tolkien Influences My Writing

by Featured Author

This article is by Terri Rochenski.

My love affair with the fantasy genre started at an early age when someone bought me and my older brother The Chronicles of Narnia seven book gift set. I read them ‘til they fell apart.

Literally.

I can’t tell you how many times I checked the backs of every closet in our large farm house, totally expecting to find Mr. Tumnus. Oh, the disappointment of finding fantasy is just that—fantasy. Make Believe.

I was introduced to The Hobbit in middle school. The first time I watched the original cartoon released in 1977, I was hooked. I gobbled up the LotR series within the following month. While I may not have understood the underlying moral lessons at that age, re-reads through the years cemented Middle Earth as my favorite daydream land.

Profitable Games with Point of View (PoV)

by Featured Author

This article is by Dr John Yeoman.

I knew I had to kill the wizard that night. Sure, I felt bad about it. Hadn’t he always been my buddy? But he shouldn’t have fooled around with my wife.

Every new story writer knows the difference between first and third person narration. Don’t we?

The first person voice ‘I’ has power and immediacy. The narrator can convey his or her innermost feelings and intentions directly to the reader. Try changing the voice in the passage above to the third person: ‘He knew he had to kill the wizard, etc’. It loses its power. It’s awkward.

The third person voice is the newbie’s choice. It’s far easier to use than the first person. There’s no constraint on the Point of View (PoV). The narrator can be privy to every secret (although omniscience is optional).

What Fantasy Writers Can Learn From Horror

by Featured Author

This article is by Martin White.

Horror is by no means an underrated genre, but it’s typically forgotten in discussions of speculative fiction. Much ink is spilled on the differences between science fiction and fantasy, but horror is examined on its own, with few connections to its siblings.

As an advocate of genre-mixing, I’m drawn to horror from the direction of fantasy. One discusses our dreams, and the other our nightmares, but the two sometimes call upon surprisingly similar techniques.

The Owls Are Not What They Seem – Expanding Minds with Loose Ends

by Nathan Lauffer

This article is by Nathan Lauffer and Kevin Spencer.

We are all, to varying extents, seekers after truth. I’m certain we are hard wired for it. Humans are all philosophers, who vary only in the questions they ask.

Over the years, I’ve become fascinated with stories that operate in worlds whose mythology, or at least backstory, is not immediately rendered apparent to the reader/viewer. I like the way these stories progressively reveal these things as they go and give us a series of Uh-Huh moments.

Mystery in Stories Engages Us

Going back, I can recall shows from my childhood all the way up to the present that have done this. Dune made me wonder what was so special about the spice mélange and how it was made.

Delivering the Story

by Brian DeLeonard

To find your voice as a writer, it’s important to develop a consistent style. As your style develops over time, you will find it helpful in learning to write quickly and in making stronger choices with your writing. You want to cultivate a writing style that delivers the full impact of the story that you’re telling. Your unique style will become an important part of your brand as an author.

Even a great story can be muddled behind poor technique.

Here are a few tips which I’ve found useful for improving your style and delivering your story in the most effective way possible.