14 Quick Tips for Fantastic Fantasy Writing

Start with action, be funny, and ask the tough questions! Fantasy author Bruce Coville shared the following insights on writing fantasy for children at the 2011 SCBWI Southern California Writer’s Day! Here are fourteen quick tips he suggested to make your fantasy novel soar! 14 Quick Tips for Fantastic Fantasy: 1.  Start with Action. Set [...]

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Finding the Fantastical!

Fantasy Author Bruce Coville spoke at the 2011 Southern California Writer’s Day. Filled with enthusiasm and joy, he spoke with passion about the adventure of writing fantasy novels! The following notes were taken during his talk: Fantasy is about Building Dreams: Fantasy helps us to start to build dreams, which is what lives are built [...]

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Bruce Coville’s Eight Tips for Fantasy Writers

Bruce Coville author of almost 100 books for children spoke at the 2011 SCBWI Writer’s Day. Among his many insights he shared these eight tips for writing fantasy novels and stories: 1)     Know the Rules There must be rules and structures and limitations in your book. When anything is possible, nothing is interesting. Solving a [...]

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The Quick Take Away: 2011 SoCal SCBWI Writer’s Day

It’s been awhile since I reported on a conference event, but never fear I’ve got lots of good information coming your way. I attended the 2011 Southern California SCBWI Writer’s Day this past Saturday with a variety of speakers from Susan Patron to Bruce Coville. Here’s a few quick take-away’s from the event: Susan Patron [...]

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The End of All Our Exploring: The Journey of Narrative

M.T. Anderson’s books ask you to question your reality. They demand you take nothing for granted, and they show you a new perspective of the world you thought you once knew. His keynote address at the 2010 SCBWI LA Conference was just as powerful in turning the world of writing on its head.  “This keynote,” [...]

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Ari Lewin: Writing Fantasy Novels

Ari Lewin is the senior editor at Disney/Hyperion, and she loves fantasy novels. She’s loved them ever since she was young. In fact, she loves fantasy so much that  her personal list for Fall 2010 includes four fantasy novels (out of five books coming out). Two are zombie books, one is high fantasy, and one is contemporary fantasy. The following are [...]

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Holly Black: Examining the Strange – The Basics of Writing Fantasy

Holly Black is the author of fantasy novels including The Spiderwick Chronicles, Valliant, Ironside, and a graphic novel called The Good Neighbors. She was a keynote speaker a the 2009 Summer SCBWI Conference in Los Angeles. The following notes are from her address: You Must Read in Order to be a Part of the Conversation… [...]

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