Fantasy and Horror Fiction Writing On Amazon 

Fiction Writing Books I Recommend

How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling (How to Write a Damn Good Novel)

by James N. Frey

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/05/2008)

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy

by Orson Scott Card

Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 07/05/2008)

Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy

by Analog and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine

Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 07/05/2008)

On Writing

by Stephen King

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/05/2008)

Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction

by Damon Knight

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/05/2008)

Fantasy Fiction Writing Articles 

Learn about fiction writing: fantasy, horror, and weird!

How Should Fiction Writers Set Goals?

As my late grandfather always used to say, "You will never reach your goals, if you do not make them in the first place." And he was right. Fiction writers often have trouble setting goals, I think, because we begin to think in abstract, artistic terms, instead of business-like ones. We go on about 'writer's block' and 'waiting for my muse' and sometimes cease to get anything done at all.

The Artistic Lie: Writers' Block

Once again I sit down in front of my computer, coffee cup at my elbow, a glaringly empty wordprocessing file open, and then%u2026 Writers' block. The writer takes a sip of coffee, looks out the window, fiddles with a pencil, waiting for an idea to magically pop into his head.

How to Create a Realistic Fiction Character

When writing fiction, it is easy to fall into the mindset of "Well, it's fiction! It's not supposed to be real!" Unfortunately, this is an incredibly wrong idea. One of the biggest problems in amateur fiction is cardboard, or flat, characters. Learning to create a realistic fiction character is a big step toward improving your fiction writing.

Fiction Writer's Guide to Getting Over Rejection

There is one thing that every fiction writer must expect: rejection. No matter how much your mother loves your short story or novel, no matter how many A grades you got on your work in high school, you will face rejection when you try to get published.

Kill Adjectives and Adverbs - Descriptive Writing Tips

In elementary school, the teacher taught students to utilize adjectives and adverbs generously in their writing. If you look at the average grade school student's story, you will find something a lot like this:

The thin, blonde woman talked loudly and angrily with the tall, nice man.

How to Maximize Your Writing Output

Increasing production of anything is usually the goal of business. Writers who wish to be published, or who already get paid for publishing, would be well served by increasing their own production. Basically, the more your write, the more you get paid. Maximizing your writing output is simple with some basic practices.

Fiction Essentials - What Every Good Story Needs

Fiction writers often expect the muse to guide them in writing a quality short story or novel. Usually, however, the muse can only take the writer so far. There are several fiction essentials: things that every good story needs to engage the reader and potential publishers.

Create a Daily Writing Habit with NaNoWriMo

Every November, a group of intrepid, would-be novelists gather together at www.NaNoWriMo.org and take the pledge to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. They offer support and encouragement to each other in community forums. They share accomplishments, aggravations, and the normal stresses of the writing life.

Three Essential Plot Elements of a Fiction Story

When a fiction writer sits down to start writing a novel or short story, there are several things that they have to decide. The writer must come up with the characters, the setting, and the plot. Perhaps that most important one in creating a riveting story is the plot.

Avoid Cliches to Make Your Writing Sparkle

There is a large contingent of writers who say cliches are cliches, because they work. A cliche is any phrase or comparison that is overdone and overused.

Pen Names and Pseudonyms - Why Use One?

Many people who write do not, for one reason or another, want to put their legal name on their writing. This is not only done with fiction novels, but also with technical writing, opinion pieces, and articles as well. These people will use instead, a pen name or pseudonym of their choice.

Character Sheets for Great Fiction Characters

The character sheet is the important part. It told us everything we needed to know about our character in order to play them convincingly.

When to Self Publish Your Book

Self-publishing or print on demand (POD) publishing is becoming a very popular topic on the internet. Many people have the dream of becoming a published writer, and self-publishing gives them the satisfaction of holding an actual bound book with their name on it without having to go through all the submission and rejection with a traditional publisher.

How to Write Realistic Dialogue in Fiction

Every fiction story needs several things: characters, setting, plot, and theme.If any one of these things is missing, the fiction story will not be very successful.

Tips and Tricks for Beating Writer's Block Fast

No matter what type of writing that you do, fiction, articles, technical manuals, or poetry, there is a good chance that you have experiences writer's block at some point in time. Writer's block is the inability to come up with something to write, or the inability to get what you are thinking about written.

Fiction Writer's Guide to Building a Website

The first thing that a fiction writer should consider when building a website is the domain name. That is the URL, or website address of the website. Many fiction writers choose to use their name for the domain name, since it is a marketable aspect of their career.

Five Reasons to Use Writing Prompts

Fiction writers often say that the most important thing to do, in order to create quality, publishable stories, is "BIC," or "butt in chair." This is the practice of sitting down every day and writing something - anything! One of the greatest things to do, in order to satisfy the need for daily writing, is to use writing prompts.

Seven Step Plan for Short Story Writing

Many people think that writing a short story should be pretty easy. After all, its only about two to four thousand words that they have to get down on the page. But, when they sit down to actually write the thing, they may discover something. Writing a short story is not as easy as it sounds.

Fantasy Fiction Writer's Guide to Creating Worlds

The genre of fantasy fiction is essentially all about make believe worlds, make believe creatures, races, and people, and the things that happen to them.

Marketing Your Fiction Book with a Website

Writers of fiction books often see the title of "Published Author" to be the apex of all accomplishments. Indeed, once your fiction book is published, you will probably have a publisher, agent, or marketing executive pushing your books to bookstore buyers and the like. After all, they make money if your book sells.

Fiction Writer's Guide to Creating Horror

Horror is one of the most popular genres of fiction today. People are clamoring for horror at the box office and on the bookshelves. Fiction writers strive to deliver.

Fantasy Language Creation for Fiction Writers

Tolkien wrote copiously about his elfish language, even including dictionaries and grammar guides in appendices of his books. There are organized groups who get together regularly and speak nothing but Klingon, a language from the Star Trek universe.

Fantasy Fiction Writer's Guide to Designing New Creatures

Fantasy fiction writers are at the apex of the creative genius chart. They have to deliver a scintillating narrative with realistic, dynamic characters, stunning settings built from scratch, and action-packed plots rife with magic, conflict, and passion.

Three Ways to Keep Your Creativity Pumping

Fiction writers are on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year. There is no telling when the magical muse will poke his or her head out of oblivion and speak.

Achieve Your Writing Goals One Step at a Time

What are your writing goals? Many fiction writers would simply answer, "to be published." That is, after all, the number one reason why we struggled through first drafts, re-writes, submissions, and rejections.

Writing Prompt Cards for Quick Story Ideas

Fiction writers often complain about not being able to come up with a great new story idea. Writer's block is often a result. If no idea bursts forth from their personal muse, they will not be able to write anything at all.

Three Tips for Dealing with Writing Rejection

Rejection is a part of every fiction writer's life. Even people like J.K. Rowling and Stephen King have been rejected many times. If a whiff of rejection is likely to send you into paroxysms of self-pity and despair, fiction writing may not be the thing for you.

Sign My Guestbook 

MLoriMotley I'll go check it out right away! Posted April 23, 2007

EelKat I've got a group here on Squidoo for lenses like this one. I'd love for you to add this lens to my group. Here is the address: http://www.squidoo.com/groups/writerslittlehelper Posted April 19, 2007

NaNoWriMo 2007 

National Novel Writing Month

Fantasy Writing Resources 

The Purple Wyrm Writer's Zone

The Purple Wyrm's Writer's Zone is full of speculative ficiton writing info and resources.

Absolute Write

This site, and the Absolute Writer Water Cooler (forum) is the top site for writing help and networking (I'm MMWyrm over there!)

M. Lori Motley's Official Site

This is my official fiction writer's page.