Welcome back to another post about fantasy subgenres! Today I wanted to introduce Arthurian Fantasy, a genre dedicated to the high fantasy area of fantasy writing. On the surface, it seems obvious what Arthurian fantasy is. This subgenre is based on King Arthur and the overall Arthurian legend, but that's only part of it. This … Continue reading Arthurian Fantasy: A Definition
I haven't talked much about writing poetry on this blog. I have, however, talked quite a bit about speculative genres, mainly science fiction and fantasy. When you think about these genres, you might think of fiction, including novels and short stories. But speculative poetry also exists, and it acts as a great way to take … Continue reading How to Write Speculative Poetry
To answer the question, it depends on how you look at it. You could technically say that, yes, science fiction existed in the Middle Ages long before science fiction was really classified. Long before science fiction became known as a genre in the literary world. It wouldn't be exactly like what we read today, especially … Continue reading Did Science Fiction Exist in Medieval Times?
I recently wrote about science fiction tropes and how to include them in your writing. I thought today I would do the same for fantasy. When you think of fantasy, you probably picture certain characteristics that are typical for the genre. Dragons and medieval settings and magic are incredibly commonplace in fantasy, to name some … Continue reading Fantasy Writing Tropes to Subvert
Everyone knows about science fiction and fantasy, but what about science fantasy? This is another one of those hybrid genres within speculative fiction that don't strictly follow science fiction or fantasy rules. However, this hybrid speculative genre utilizes various tropes and ideas that both science fiction and fantasy often use, meaning it's super easy to … Continue reading What Is Science Fantasy?
Thinking about publishing your speculative fiction novel but don't know where to start? It's true there are plenty of publishers out there, but narrowing the best science fiction and fantasy publishers down isn't too difficult. Some of these speculative fiction small presses also accept speculative genres such as horror, gothic, and all kinds of subgenres. … Continue reading Speculative Fiction Small Presses
So you want to write fantasy? Good luck. In all seriousness, fantasy is notoriously difficult to write no matter which way you look at it. It's not uncommon for fantasy writers to take years to complete one single book (unless you're Brandon Sanderson, but we don't all have that luxury). Besides that, a major aspect … Continue reading Why Is Fantasy So Hard to Write?
You might think that there aren't a whole lot of speculative writing residencies and workshops for writers in a specific genre. It's true that many residencies focus on allowing all writers to focus on any project they're undertaking. However, several outlets exist for those who write speculative fiction. Speculative writers focus on sci-fi, fantasy, and … Continue reading Best Speculative Writing Residencies and Workshops
Some stories bring out the magic in everyday life but not in the way you might think. Good stories undoubtedly craft their own magic, sucking you into the world created. However, all genres can do that. I'm talking about magical realism, a subgenre of fantasy that adds magical, or fantastical, elements to a typical literary … Continue reading What Is Magical Realism? A Definition
Worldbuilding isn't just about building a physical world that your characters live in. A fantasy world, for example, might have its own physics, so things like gravity or motion work differently from ours. But that's not the only reason a world exists when you create it. A working world also needs a working culture or … Continue reading Worldbuilding A Fictional Culture
