Category: Reading Reflections
-
Let’s Talk Tropes: The Chosen One
Welcome to what I hope will be the first of a series of posts focused on tropes common in the fantasy genre. So if you enjoy the post, be sure to leave a like, and while you’re there, feel free to recommend what other tropes you think I should discuss. First, a definition is in…
-
Choosing the Opacity of Your World-Building
Among the multitude of differences that separate the practice of reading from the art of writing, especially when it comes to the fantasy/science fiction genres, one of the hardest to reconcile is that of world-building. For a reader, the setting cannot take center stage. Even for someone like me, who loves to explore new settings…
-
Five Types of Magic Systems
Although magic is not a requirement for fantasy settings, they are a staple of the genre. When it comes to how new and unique a novel’s magic system is, well, they can be just as varied as fantasy as a genre. Yet there are a few categories that most magic systems either fall into or…
-
Setting Study: A Song Below Water
The novel A Song Below Water, by Bethany C. Morrow, is a YA urban fantasy story revolving around two young women living in Portland, Oregon. The novel creates lore that takes some liberties with real-world mythos to create a story about race and about being unashamed of one’s identity. The novel’s main allure in regards…
-
The Craft of Bookish First Lines
First lines are difficult no matter the genre, and although fantasy allows for a wider range of topics to start off the book, the variety of choices can make it harder to pick which one is best. I’ve taken some of the fantasy books off of my shelf, a mix of urban fantasy, YA fantasy,…
-
Story-Beat Study: I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal
A few nights ago, I finished reading I’m Not Dying With You Tonight. It’s the first realistic-fiction novel I’ve read since graduating college, and one of the first of which I’ve read by choice in a very long time. You guys know me. I’m a fantasy nerd. But if you only study fantasy to write…
Katie Bachelder 