L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 61

Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord is now Available on Amazon!

The second part of the Unconventional Heroes Series is now available on Amazon! Join Timmy, Katie, Gerald, and AvranielinTwo Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord for some more fun, craziness, and magical adventure. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And where there are tricky necromancers, unlucky bureaucrats, and pyromaniacal elves there’s bound to be trouble.

You can getTwo Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord from Amazon here. And here is the blurb:

Two necroman...

Is Your Dragon Awesome Enough?

Dragons have a long history of being completely awesome, so it’s tempting to include one whenever you write a fantasy story. But is your dragon awesome enough? If you’re not sure, here are a few hints to help you along:

Is your dragon ridiculously huge? A small dragon is a lame dragon. Go big or go home. Sure, it’s kind of cool if your dragon can swallow a cow whole, but it’s even better when it’s big enough to stomp cities and blot out the sun. Does your dragon have an obvious weak spot? If...

Sometimes Less Is More – Adjectives

Adjectives are wonderful words. A few well-used adjectives can add spice to a passage of writing. However, a few poorly used adjectives can lead to disaster, and two of the easiest ways to misuse adjectives are to either use too many or to use adjectives that are just over the top.

Let’s start off with an obvious example of using too many adjectives.

The big, blue, shaggy, happy, fast, playful, excited dog ran toward its owner.

Clearly, that’s too many adjectives. But how many is too many? A...

The Illusion Of Choice In Writing

One of the most commonly discussed concepts in writing is that of fate, the idea that an individual’s destiny is pre-ordained, that their actions are bound to lead to a particular outcome or set of outcomes.

Naturally, this suggestion produces a strong, often visceral, response in readers. The idea that we lack free will, that our choices are merely illusory, is extremely disconcerting. There are at least two reasons for this. The first is that phenomenologically speaking, we feel as though w...

My Face Hurts…

I wouldn’t say that I’m accident prone although I have had my fair share of them over the years. That said, I have suffered through some fairly humorous incidents.

Yesterday was another one.

I was opening my bedroom door and walking out of it in a hurry when something went wrong. The plan was to swing the door open, step out of it, and then rush out into the corridor. What actually happened was I stepped first, swung open the door (which rebounded off my foot), and then ran straight into the...

When To Step Back

One of the toughest things to do in writing is to honestly evaluate your own work. Writing can be such an intensely personal endeavour that it can be difficult to adopt a relatively objective and balanced perspective of your own work. But the ability to accurately assess your own work is critical. It is what allows you to take on advice from others, and it is what allows you to know when to go with the suggestions of others and when to hold firm.

One of the best ways to get a more objective v...

Ninja Rats and Necromancers

This is an excerpt from a scene that didn’t make it into the final version ofTwo Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf(one of my original stories on Amazon). It features one of the titular necromancers, Katie, and one of the ninja rats that occupies her castle (and cuts her cake). The story itself is full of the kind of craziness you’ve come to expect from me. Check it outhereif you’re interested. The sequel should be out toward the end of this month or the beginning of April!

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Katie...

Don’t Be Afraid To Use A Thesaurus Or A Dictionary

When I was young, I was told by certain people that relying on a dictionary or a thesaurus was a sign of weakness. Particular contempt was heaped upon the thesaurus. It was, I was told, a crutch, something that an intelligent person should not have to consult.

Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that such views are, to put it bluntly, mostly crap.

In my opinion, the best way to improve your vocabulary is to read widely and often. It doesn’t matter if it’s fantasy novels or economics mag...

Dialogue Versus Actual Speech

Dialogue is one of the most important parts of writing good fiction. Good dialogue not only fleshes out the characters but also the world they live in. Consider something like a period romance novel. Exactly how people speak creates a lot of the atmosphere and allows the reader to identify what period the story is set in.

But dialogue is not always the same as actual speech. The next time you talk to someone, listen very closely to what they say. Apart from the words that actually convey what...

A Comment On How I Review Things

When I review a piece of media (e.g., a book or a film), I tend to approach it from two different angles:

From an audience-oriented view
From an author-oriented view

The audience-oriented part of the review should focus on whether or not the media under review provides the audience with a worthwhile experience. Depending on what the audience is looking for, this might mean that the media makes them laugh, think, or even cry.

When looking at media from the point of view of the audience, I think it...