Pens and Swords

Stop kicking against the goads

Kameron — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:23 +0000

The apostle Paul was once known as the Pharisee Saul, with a reputation for persecuting followers of the Way, “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” He caused the deaths of many Christians and forced others to blaspheme against their faith. All the while, he fervently believed he was doing the will [...]

Raid

Kameron — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:46 +0000

Pelban grabbed me by the arm and dragged me toward the nearest exit. We shouldered our way through the throng and found ourselves emptying out of the tunnel into a warehouse. And the waiting arms of the dragons’ enforcers. Squads of lyzar slithered through the makeshift aisles between stacked crates and piled sacks. They tossed weighted nets [...]

Building a fantasy fiction character

Kameron — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:00:17 +0000

It’s not unheard of for fantasy fiction writers to spend a lot of time and effort on world-building. Character-building, on the other hand, often takes a back seat, resulting in one-dimensional archetypes instead of a cast with personality and motivations. Imagine the depth and complexity fantasy fiction characters might have if writers spent as much [...]

Induction

Kameron — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:00:13 +0000

“We’re here.” Pelban halted before the unlit porch of the old house and turned to face me. The play of shadows cast his weathered features in ominous planes. I frowned, my brow furrowing for just a moment before I smoothed my features. Pelban’s smile told me he saw anyway. “Trust me, Keldon,” he said. I [...]

Feeling like a writer

Kameron — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:00:20 +0000

I write for a living. I spend eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, sitting at a desk writing. I write business requirements, use cases, test cases, and technical documentation. It is a rare occasion that I finish my day feeling like a writer, however. No sense of euphoria or completeness, as though I’d found [...]

Where the path ends

Kameron — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:00:31 +0000

I’m aborting my foray into RPG blogging. I am often overcome with a variety of creative impulses, and tend to follow too many of them, until I find my resources stretched thin and in danger of snapping. The last couple months have been a time of assessment and pruning, until my course realigned with the [...]

Get your ham-sized fist here

Kameron — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:25 +0000

Awards serve two primary purposes: to stroke the ego of the award-winner and attempt to raise awareness. There are three major awards for fantasy fiction: the World Fantasy award, the Hugo, and the Nebula. Both the Hugo and the Nebula do not differentiate between science fiction and fantasy in their categories. Nominations and voting are restricted [...]

Choosing a fantasy fiction title

Kameron — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:00:56 +0000

My stance on beta readers and critique groups isn’t as contrary as my last post made it seem. I use beta readers. Sometimes, it’s just my wife. Sometimes I’ll seek out subject matter experts or other genre writers. I’m very particular about who I solicit input from, and what input I’m interested in. I used beta [...]

Beta reading before submitting

Kameron — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:00:59 +0000

I finished the rewrite of “Relvan’s Rescue” on Friday. The manuscript sits just shy of 11,400 words. That’s almost 4,000 words more than the original version I submitted to several markets a year ago. The story is in the hands of some beta readers, one of whom has been tasked with trying to find ways [...]

Superhero stories without pictures seem less super

Kameron — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:00:24 +0000

I’ve been reading comic books about as long as I have fantasy fiction novels. My dad bought me my first comic book, a Superman and Plastic Man team-up, when we moved from New Jersey to Iowa the summer after second grade. I spent many summer days after third grade with my face buried in a [...]