How to Be Productive

How to Be Productive

A reader and fellow author approached me with a question that I think is worth sharing. Hey Brian, I had a question for you as an aspiring writer. What are some tricks that you do to keep on top of your production? Most days I can barely get 500 words…
February 24, 20174 Comments

Learning to Be a Hero

The following words are those of reader Adam Smith. I recently finished writing my first novel, and I’m hoping to publish it sometime this summer. This has been a long process for me. It’s stirred up a lot of thoughts about what made me even want to write a book…
February 23, 20174 Comments
The Great Harry Potter Tweetstorm

The Great Harry Potter Tweetstorm

And now, we turn the proceedings over to @ClarkHat, who has produced another consciousness-expanding tweetstorm for our delight. Preamble: Clark's tweets were precipitated by: The epidemic of unimaginative Leftists latching on to Harry Potter memes to soothe their cognitive dissonance This article explaining the sociological implications of Rowlings books A follow…
February 7, 201715 Comments
Applying the Formula

Applying the Formula

A long-running controversy in writing circles rages around the validity of formulas. Keep in mind that I don't mean formulaic writing, which is just predictable and derivative. More accomplished authors than I swear by the effectiveness of time-tested plot structures, character archetypes, and pacing guidelines. Can these decades--sometimes centuries--old conventions…
January 25, 201710 Comments
Writing Stoically

Writing Stoically

The Stoic Writer Justin Knight joins Daddy Warpig, Dorrinal, and me as we chat about writing, the decline of Marvel Comics, and more. Listen in and support up and coming indie authors! UPDATE: I've started work on the outline for my first novel with Castalia House. Keep an eye on this…
January 24, 20173 Comments
How to Design Magic Systems

How to Design Magic Systems

When two magic systems love each other, sometimes they hug. A speculative element is what sets the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror apart from literary fiction. There's no element more speculative than magic, and it's become a common term of art to speak of an SFF universe's "magic…
January 5, 201724 Comments
Vox Day Book Aims for Martin; Hits Closer to Tolkien

Vox Day Book Aims for Martin; Hits Closer to Tolkien

Multiple Higo-nominated editor Vox Day intimates that he wrote his latest book with the aim of improving on George R. R. Martin. If early reviews are to be believed, A Sea of Skulls not only surpassed Martin's recent work, it landed somewhere closer to Tolkien territory. Quoth Vox: When I began writing…
December 21, 20166 Comments
Stories within Stories

Stories within Stories

People tell stories to entertain, inform, and advise others. As fictional representations of people, it only makes sense that characters in stories often tell stories themselves. Nested stories The nested story--or story within a story--is one of my favorite literary devices. If you make a mental list of your favorite…
November 1, 20162 Comments

The Designer Guide to Secondary World Religions

Ragnarok Publications has been gracious enough to host an article that I wrote on designing fictional religions on their blog. How do you avoid clichés like Crystal Dragon Jesus, the Evil Church of Evil, and smarmy secularist characters who know the Bible better than lifelong churchgoers? You build from the…
October 28, 201613 Comments
Captain America: Civil War – A Writing Master Class

Captain America: Civil War – A Writing Master Class

I just got back from seeing Captain America: Civil War, and I wanted to get my thoughts down while the experience is still fresh. So this will be more of a stream of consciousness post. A two and a half hour master class on writing Being an author, I can't…
May 8, 201613 Comments