Category: theme

• July 6, 2024

  I am beyond excited about my prequel

  I am just so excited about my prequel. I love this story so much. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s recognizing how I’ve grown as a writer over the course of writing and getting feedback from editors on the original trilogy that came first. Maybe it’s the fun I’m having joining old characters…
• June 9, 2024

  Herezoth and the theological virtues

  I‘ve written before about how, though I do not write explicitly Christian fiction and people from all kinds of backgrounds and views have enjoyed Herezoth, my stories do come from my deep-rooted faith, and they build upon a natural law ethos. I realized recently how/why it is that book two, The Magic Council, is my…
• May 13, 2024

  Eucatastrophe: the literary device I picked up from Tolkien

  Tolkien is the GOAT of fantasy. His works are complex, deep, powerful in ways I can only dream of imitating. He was a genius in multiple areas, I’d say. Now that it’s clear that I don’t mean to compare myself to Tolkien here (lol), I’m super grateful for Tolkien, not only for how his works…
• January 3, 2024

  What is most important to you? Character, plot, style, theme?

  Every writer and every story is different. Honestly, I think every writer will hold the basic building blocks of written fiction in a different tension. A unique tension. These building blocks are character, plot, style, and theme. Personally, I think the best stories put character, and character development, first. We see the characters grow. We see…
• December 20, 2023

  Creative Writing: Don’t force a theme

  Theme is so important. Along with character, if you write an impactful story, theme is one of the two main things readers will remember long after they forget most of the intricacies of your plot. The thing about theme, though: you can’t force it. Some major themes of The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope…
• September 12, 2023

  Character development and internal tension

  

  Not all conflict in fiction needs to be, or should be, external. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the fundamental things. A video on YouTube on “The Closer Look” channel did this for me yesterday. A dynamic character IS dynamic precisely when the reader understands that there are various impulses, often conflicting, at work…
• August 26, 2023

  On roads, in life and fiction

  

  I’m preparing to go out of town as I write this, and will be out of time when it goes live (my posts are generally pre-written and scheduled for release), so travel is on my mind. Travel is such an important trope in life and in fiction. I’ve heard it said that the two greatest…
• August 25, 2023

  Why this new review brought tears to my eyes

  A new review of “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope” brought tears to my eyes today. It was posted on Amazon as 5 stars This book is remarkable. On the surface it’s a simple “chosen one” quest to overthrow the tyrant. Once you start reading it takes you on a more incredible journey. Gritty,…
• June 29, 2023

  The theme of providence in fiction

  

  A lot of my favorite novels feature providence as a theme. Inserting providence as a noticeable theme in your work can be dicey, because if it’s done poorly, or overdone, it’ll just look like a poorly written piece of slop where unrealistic coincidences abound. It could also come across as preachy and saccharine and unengaging.…