Derek Leman
Ancient Goddess Magic #2
In the first post in this series, I mentioned I am out of my depth when it comes to feminist studies, but I am commenting on this one...
top of page
Derek Leman
Nov 263 min read
Writing Emotion #2
I probably shouldn't be writing this post. I am learning from Donald Maass how little I know about emotions. At 57 years old, I would...
60
Derek Leman
Nov 222 min read
Ancient Goddess Magic #1
Preface: I'm out of my depth here, having no background in feminist studies or feminist history. If I say something naive or offensive,...
100
Derek Leman
Oct 292 min read
Writing Emotion #1
The most emotionally intense book I ever read is Sarah Chorn's The Necessity of Rain . In fact, the experience of reading Chorn's...
180
Derek Leman
Oct 202 min read
History of Fantasy #2
The second chapter of Farah Mendlesohn and Edward James's A Short History of Fantasy covers the pre-1900 transition from myth to...
30
Derek Leman
Oct 162 min read
Nouns as Verbs?
This week Polly Schattel posted the following on Facebook: "Nouns turned into verbs joist me." I replied, "I mirror your sentiment." I...
120
Derek Leman
Oct 122 min read
History of Fantasy #1
I'll be giving brief summaries and comments on the chapters of Farah Mendlesohn and Edward James's A Short History of Fantasy (2009,...
60
Derek Leman
Oct 52 min read
The Case for Short Stories
If they're good. And that's the rub, isn't it. I haven't conducted a survey or searched for statistical data on reader preferences, but I...
220
Derek Leman
Sep 302 min read
Holy Perdition, Grimdark Magazine #40 Is Out!
Grimdark. In the 1st issue of Grimdark Magazine, Layla Cummins says the subgenre usually is characterized by "war-torn worlds, grim...
120
Derek Leman
Sep 272 min read
Some Quest Fantasy Tropes
I am not the best qualified person to list examples of tropes in Quest Fantasies because I tend not to remember a lot about novels unless...
100
Derek Leman
Sep 222 min read
The Key Emotion in Fantasy
Wonder. It's not me who thought of that answer. David Farland did in his outstanding little book, Writing Wonder. In case you're...
400
Derek Leman
Sep 192 min read
The Ancient Epic Known As "Eridu Genesis"
How can you not love the name of this ancient city? Eridu sounds like the invention of a wickedly talented fantasy author. Founded in...
260
Derek Leman
Sep 152 min read
On Poe's "MS Found in a Bottle"
For a moment of intense terror she paused upon the giddy pinnacle, as if in contemplation of her own sublimity, then trembled and...
90
Derek Leman
Sep 112 min read
How Dark is Reality?
Is it grimdark? Reader tastes have drifted toward a kind of gritty realism. Heroes are somewhat evil and villains are decent people,...
90
Derek Leman
Aug 302 min read
The Moon in Fantasy
While perusing The A to Z of Fantasy Literature today my eyes came to rest on an entry for "The Moon." My own stories are set in a world...
40
Derek Leman
Aug 232 min read
Ursula Le Guin on the Definition of Fantasy
Ursula Le Guin introduced me to fantasy when I was a third grader (back in 1975). Ged the Archmage amazed me and the world he inhabited...
10
Derek Leman
Aug 172 min read
Showing vs. Telling, Part 2
In Part 1, we looked at an example using The Great Gatsby to demonstrate how much more captivating prose is when it "shows" us things...
30
Derek Leman
Aug 92 min read
Showing vs. Telling, Part 1
Renni Browne and Dave King ( Self-Editing for Fiction Writers ) hilariously rewrite the beginning of The Great Gatsby , as if F. Scott...
80
bottom of page