Writing Fantasy Heroes in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Apr 10, 2013 S.E. Lindberg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-by-se, sword-sorcery-group-authors, writing

Writing Fantasy Heroes
Envision this as a transcript of 14 enthusiastic panelists at a Convention as they tackle the topic "Fantasy Heroes." Would it be worth the price of a book (~$10) to get the transcript of this panel of authors (Orson Scott Card, Brian Sanderson, Steve Erikson, Glen Cook, Janet & Chris Morris, Ian Esslemont, Paul Kearney, Howard Andrew Jones...etc.) ? Heck, yes!

This is Rogue Blade Entertainment's first nonfiction, extending its well-respected, thematic library of heroic fan ...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jason Waltz rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Shelves: heroic, fantastical, awesome-characters, nf-advice, keeper, nf-heroes, rbe

Entertaining and enlightening prose on how to create fantasy heroes by 15 of today's best-selling fantasy pros. ...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Vincent Darlage rated it liked it

Shelves: reference

It's hard to rate a collection of essays that vary in quality from really poor to outstanding, so I gave it a middling rating... however, some of the essays have some real gems of inspiration and this makes the book good for aspiring authors (such as myself). The first three essays were particularly poor, and read like vanity pieces showcasing how much the author likes their own work. Those essays had more excepts from their novels than substance. A quote should be used to illustrate hard to und ...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Janet E. marked it as to-read · (Review from the author)

Having read this entire book now, Chris Morris and I feel that we can comment on the other authors' contributions. We found this volume of essays to be at times insightful and always useful. Whether you are a professional curious about other viewpoints, or a hopeful looking for guidance, you will find value in this anthology of short essays. We were particularly struck by the degree of consensus in similar topics tackled be several writers independently. -- Janet E. Morris and Christopher Crosby ...more

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Mar 15, 2014 Charles rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfic-writing

A very nice collection of essays on how to write fantasy heroes. There are some really big name writers, such as Glen Cook, Orson Scott Card, Janet Morris, and Brandon Sanderson, and some others that folks outside the genre might not recognize. I got something out of all the articles, though, and also discovered a couple of new writers whose work I want to try out now. Perhaps my favorite piece in the book was "Tropes of the Trade," by Ari Marmell. Good stuff overall, though.
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Oct 29, 2018 Alex rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction-reviews

There was informative and practical advice in Writing Fantasy Heroes, from masters of the craft. Each chapter is written by a different author, and many of the authors use past heroes as examples or relate heroic deeds to how we feel as heroes and how society perceives heroes.

I found the cinematic action scenes chapter by Brandon Sanderson particularly practical and useful, by taking it in stages and making the scenes more meaningful. The examples here were superb.

Of interest to my writing was ...more

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Dec 06, 2020 Jeff rated it really liked it

An enjoyable series of essays on writing fantasy, although the quality of the essays varies. overall a good introduction with some thought provoking ideas. Even if you are not a writer but only a fan of fantasy stories/novels, it will make you reconsider the choices your favorite authors have made in terms of characterization. Fairly short and easily read, this collection is worth your time.

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Apr 02, 2014 Joseph rated it liked it

Very uneven. Some pieces are excellent, and some I found tedious. Glen Cook's piece was fabulous, and one or two others were pretty fine, but overall I wasn't very taken with this book. Some of the essays are promo pieces overall, with the authors quoting long swaths of their own work, which can be fine in some instances, but in others, not so much. Also referring to secondary characters as NPCs I found particularly grating, as they aren't. You're not writing a gaming book. Even if it is a novel ...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Keith West rated it it was amazing

If you're looking for a technical manual on the nuts and bolts of writing, things like basic story structure, you won't find it here. Well, not much, anyway. This book is designed more for the aspiring writer who is looking to hone his or her craft and take it to the next level, which preferably would involve publication, rather than the novice writer just learning to put a story together. I read Writing Fantasy Heroes from cover to cover, albeit in pieces between other books, but I think the bo
If you're looking for a technical manual on the nuts and bolts of writing, things like basic story structure, you won't find it here. Well, not much, anyway. This book is designed more for the aspiring writer who is looking to hone his or her craft and take it to the next level, which preferably would involve publication, rather than the novice writer just learning to put a story together. I read Writing Fantasy Heroes from cover to cover, albeit in pieces between other books, but I think the book's values rests in its use as a reference that one picks up and consults as needed more than as volume to read straight through.

The reason I say that is that each chapter addresses a different aspect of heroic fantasy, and not all aspects will appear in all stories or novels.

For example, Howard Andrew Jones discusses the dynamics between partners/friends/comrades and how to use the interaction between two heroes to best effect. Paul Kearney explains what it really takes to move a large army and to fight a major battle. not so much the combat itself (although he does address that issue), but the logistics involved in military life. Alex Bledsoe contrasts the older, wiser hero with the young pup and delves into how to write maturity in a way that's consistent with the reality of that stage in life..

Ari Marmell talks about using tropes effectively and how to avoid cliche in doing so. Glen Cook deals with adding a dash of the unexpected. C. L. Werner discusses things from the monster's perspective. Brandon Sanderson blocks out several fight scenes, taking them from boring to engrossing. Ian C. Esslemont demonstrates the difference between showing and telling.

There's much more. One of the added bonuses is that Jason Waltz required each contributor to use examples from his or her own work. I found several authors whose work I want to hunt down and read through this process, so thanks, Jason.

I learned a lot from this book. More than that, some of the chapters helped me to bring together concepts or techniques I'd been more or less aware of and helped me either to see them in a new light or to see new connections or applications of them. It was the same kind of A-Ha moment I get when I gain new insight into a physical system after studying a scientific problem. One of those Oh-of-course!-Why-didn't-I-see-that? kind of thing.

There's a lot of good advice here, and while I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, I like to think I've acquired enough wisdom to realize that there things in this book I'm not ready for yet. What that means is that I haven't yet tried to write the story where I need that piece of counsel. But if/when I try to write that story, I know where to go to find out how it's done.

The list of contributors is impressive, with some of the major names in the field weighing in on various aspects of the craft. The glimpse into their minds is fascinating at times. And invaluable.

As I stated at the beginning of this review, this isn't an introductory writing manual. It's delves into the deeper, more accomplished aspects of the craft. If you write heroic fantasy, or aspire to, then this book needs to be on your shelf. It will be more valuable to you than any number of the writing guides out there. ...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Joe Bonadonna rated it really liked it

Writing Fantasy Heroes is a splendid book, filled with some excellent advice and tips on how to make your characters leap off the page. Every chapter is a gem, and well-worth studying. My favorites are "The Hero in Your Blood," by the excellent duo of Janet and Chris Morris. Cecelia Holland, Ari Marmell, Orson Scott Card, and Howard Andrew Jones are also on hand to share their skills, their experience, and their writing process. This is a valuable book for anyone who wants to write, and even if ...more

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