An urban fantasy book is one which has an urban and modern city setting, and yet, it contains supernatural components - hence the name urban fantasy, where a real world setting is combined with fantasy. Also known as modern fantasy, it is a subgenre of fantasy. The interesting thing about urban fantasy as a subgenre is that it can quickly spill over into … [Read more...] about 15 Urban Fantasy Clichés to Avoid
Fiction
5 Reasons Why Your Protagonist Needs to Have Imperfections
It’s a fact of life that people are imperfect. In real life, we have flaws, insecurities and phobias that can sometimes take over our daily lives and become a part of us. When writing fiction, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of creating the perfect protagonist that is always confident, self-aware and makes no mistakes. However, it is important to remember that the flawless … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons Why Your Protagonist Needs to Have Imperfections
5 Tips for Making Antagonists Realistic and Non-Cheesy
An antagonist is the fuel that keeps the story going for the rest of the characters, including the protagonist. It is an antagonist who comes in between the protagonist and his or her goals and thus creates the conflict of the story. But many writers often mistake the antagonist to be a stereotyped monster - someone who is only an embodiment of evil. Hence more often than not, … [Read more...] about 5 Tips for Making Antagonists Realistic and Non-Cheesy
How Not to Write a Novella
Novella is the form between a short story and a novel. As such, it has elements of both of them. A novella tells a story that can easily be expanded into a full novel. On the other hand, the events in a novel happen in a limited amount of time, within a single setting, although, this is not strictly necessary, as long as the writer can easily explain how the characters got from … [Read more...] about How Not to Write a Novella
How to Create Unforgettable Characters
One of the markers of a good book is wonderful characters. Characters that leap out of the pages and gain substance – you can almost touch them. However, creating them is not easy, nor is it formulaic. You cannot simply download a computer program, input certain character traits as parameters and spawn an interesting protagonist with a supporting cast. Instead, we create … [Read more...] about How to Create Unforgettable Characters