The Evolution Of A Logo

November 19, 2012 · 8 Comments

You may have noticed I updated the site logo last week. The background map is from my upcoming fantasy novel Glass. By adding the blood spots, sword, and slogan, I hoped to recreate that sense of adventure, that elusive feeling of awe that comes when you’re transported by a novel into a new world. Did I meet that goal? You be the judge.

Normally, on an author’s site, you expect to read posts about how that author came up with so-and-so story, or posts analyzing this scene or that scene. I’m sure I’ll do posts like that eventually, but I thought I’d do something different today. Something unexpected!

Today I’m going to tell you how I came up with my logo.

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Three Tips For Building Fantasy Worlds “Organically”

November 16, 2012 · 5 Comments

What is “organic” worldbuilding? Something you can pick up at the local farmer’s market?

“I’d like one world, grown organically if you please good sir. And throw some magic tomatoes into the mix while you’re at it!”

Organic worldbuilding is the gradual introduction of your story world as events happen, and it’s what produces salable novels in today’s marketplace. However there’s a fine balance between introducing too much and too little. Here are three tips that should help you find that balance in your worldbuilding.

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Keeping Things Consistent In Your Fantasy Worlds

November 15, 2012 · 4 Comments

Fifteen years ago, when I first started writing seriously, I remember what a struggle it was to keep things straight in my fantasy worlds. In one scene, my character Sam would hurl flaming hawks from his bow. Fifty pages later, that same bow would hurl ordinary arrows. Fifty more page, and he launched crossbow bolts. There was no consistency, or logic to it. And his weapon kept changing.

And don’t get me talking about consistency in the magic system. How come Sam could only work with such a tiny amount of magical power at the beginning of the novel, and at the end he could shape vast rivers of the stuff? That’s quite the character transformation.

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