What kind of magic would you want to have, if you could have the magic from a famous novel or series? If you leave the choices too open ended,...
If You Could Have Magic
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J.S. Morin
War in Fantasy
War is a common topic in fantasy. Not every story is about a war, or contains one, but at least in epic fantasy, they are more common than not....
Secret Project Revealed
Secret Project Command has given clearance to discuss the Secret Project. As it turns out, I'm a contributor to an upcoming short story anthology,...
Crazy Fandom
There is something admirable in taking something to its fullest extent, then saying to yourself, "no, that's still not quite far enough." I was...
How to Write a Book Review
Are you a shy reviewer? Not sure how to write a book review? When someone tells me they've enjoyed one of my books, my general response is to first...
2014 Reading Update (May)
Back at the end of 2013 I laid out a selection of books I intended to read in 2014. Having just finished the first books (I still have the sequels...
Worldbuilding Philosophy
I talk a lot about elements of worldbuilding, but rarely about what it is. To me, it all boils down to this: Worldbuilding is the art of creating a...
Worldbuilding: Money in Your World
"Excuse me sir, I'd like to buy that sword, a shield, and I'll be needing salted meats and bread for a five-day journey." "That will be $343.49."...
Get the Earth Out of Your Fictional World
When you write secondary world fiction (anything set on a world you made up), people expect to it to be separated from Earth. To do this, you need...
Writing Update 4/4/14
Just a quick update on what I've been up to lately. Rebel Skyforce is still with my editor. I don't expect to have it back for revisions until...
Shut Up and Sell Me a Starship
Everyone has their hobbies, their vices, their ways to decompress. Mine is gaming. I don't devote anywhere near the time to it that I once did, but...
Outlining for Writers Who Don’t Outline
You're a pantser, a gardener, whatever you want to call it. You don't want to spend days/weeks/months spinning your wheels planning out your novel...
Writing Update, 3/21/14
Hi everyone! Just wanted to check in and let you all know what's been going on. I don't think I do that often enough. It's been a few weeks since...
The Author’s Self-Editing Checklist
Do you make stupid mistakes in your writing? I sure do! Like unfinished lumber, your manuscript is going to be full of knots and splinters, cracks,...
Xeno’s Finish Line
Have you ever been close to finished with something for so long that it feels like you'll never actually be finished with it? "Almost done," you...
Has it Been a Year Already?
It's actually been a year and a month since I published my first novel on Amazon. How time flies. I'd meant to do a first-year summary of my...
Worldbuilding: How Does Your World Tell Time?
Unless you write in a very strange setting, people are going to keep track of the passage of time. It's a fact of life that we take for granted, but...
2014 Reading Update (February)
Back at the end of 2013 I laid out a selection of books I intended to read in 2014. Having just finished the second of them, I thought it would be a...
How to Write a Character Who’s Wrong
One of the challenges of writing is that you have knowledge that your characters lack. When you write dialogue, you have to narrow your focus to...
Grey Characters: No Moral Absolutes
One of the comments I get about my books is that all the characters are grey. That means that you can't just plunk a black or white hat on them and...
7 Male Love Interests
(note: This is regarding male romantic interests for female characters. There are many potential relationship pairings, and to keep things simple,...
Steampunk: the Engineer in the Writer
As I wind my way through the final stages of getting The Mad Tinker's Daughter ready to publish, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on my...
7 Female Love Interests
Note: This is regarding female love interests for male characters. There are many potential relationship pairings, and to keep things simple,...
Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Cultures
When you create a world, you need to create its inhabitants. If you are writing in a historically accurate version of Earth, you have established...