Creating Fantasy Names

By Randy Ellefson Depending on your ability, creating names for people, places, and beings in fantasy books can either be fun or a pain.  I’ve been doing this for three decades and will provide some tricks and thoughts to help. KISS KISS doesn’t really stand for “keep it simple, stupid”, but it’s a good principle […]

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Show Don’t Tell

By Mandy Wallace So I’m working on this short story I started for some Glimmer Train contest or other. But it grew like a weed all unwieldy, and now it’s burst through its word count limit and its deadline. And I wish that was this story’s biggest problem. Its biggest problem is that I’m still struggling to balance ye old show versus […]

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My Publishing Year in Review

This year was my year for being stubborn.  Frustrated with my inability to find a home for my Weird Western novelette, in part I assume because of its unusual size, in part because of its unusual subject matter, I decided to publish it myself, and proceed with the Wyrd West Chronicles serial idea I had.  […]

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Single- and Double-Action Revolvers

I love Lindybeige’s channel; he’s got a lot of practical how-tos and whys for writers of adventure stories and historical fiction. Here’s a practical guide to revolvers, thoroughly dispelling a lot of spaghetti western myths. I’ll just put in that in the Wyrd West, a lot of legendary old firearms have been modified by gnomes […]

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