As soon as I spotted the cover for Jonathan Renshaw’s Dawn of Wonder, The Wakening, I knew this was the book to critique. “Dawn of Wonder” is already dramatic sounding, and adding “The Wakening” pushes it into melodrama. It doesn’t help that these words border on cliché. In addition, this book has 3,700+ reviews and only a D rating on Fakespot. The early chapters are available to read with Amazon’s Look Inside feature, so you can follow along there if you like.
Balancing plot and worldbuilding is a tricky business. You might want a world where magic is light and fun, but then want a plot about how magic is dangerous and needs to be hidden away. If that’s happened to you, then congratulations, you’re in good … read more »
Have you ever been reading or watching a story and enjoyed the setting so much that you wanted to experience it for yourself? Thanks to roleplaying games, you can! Using an established setting for your campaign is a time-honored tradition; it lets the players experience … read more »
A typical story opens when a problem appears and moves forward steadily in time until that problem is resolved. This linear progression is popular for good reason. It’s easier for us humans with our puny three-dimensional existence to understand, and it keeps us guessing what … read more »
Do you have advice for avoiding preachiness in your work? I assumed I had this problem because I like to write stories that teach and inspire and was getting too caught up in that motive. But I’m plotting a story with no teaching motive at … read more »
But soft, what podcast through yonder feed breaks? That there was an allusion, one of the many many literary devices authors have at their disposal. But what do literary devices mean, and how can they be used in a way that’s not grating and awkward? … read more »
Have you ever noticed how many more articles there are about writing female characters than there are about writing male characters? What’s up with that? Are women such strange and unusual creatures that we need an ever-growing number of books and articles to tell us … read more »
We’ve just turned five! We’re now old enough that you can trust us with scissors. It’s been a long journey from a fledgling blog to a bustling online space. Allow me to share the highlights. Read more »
After much drama and toil, the story of Teddy, Loris, and Emma comes to a conclusion this week! Last time, they discovered the truth of Emma’s connection to the Vanisher. Today, they venture into an otherspace that looks suspiciously like a certain school of witchcraft … read more »
