Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How to Create Out-of-This-World Novels and Short Stories

by Orson Scott Card, Philip Athans, and Jay Lake

Do you envision celestial cities in distant, fantastic worlds? Do you dream of mythical beasts and gallant quests in exotic kingdoms? If you have ever wanted to write the next great fantasy or science fiction story, this all-in-one comprehensive book will show you how. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction is full of advice from master authors offering definitive instructions on world building, character creation, and storytelling in the many styles and possibilities available to writers of speculative fiction.

Combining two Writer's Digest classics, Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy and The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference, along with two new selections from award-winning science fiction and fantasy authors Philip Athans and Jay Lake, this new book provides the best of all worlds. You'll discover:

   • How to build, populate, and dramatize fantastic new worlds.
   • How to develop dynamic and meaningful themes that will expand the cannon of sci-fi and fantasy storytelling.
   • Exciting subgenres such as steampunk, as well as new developments in the sci-fi and fantasy genres.
   • How to imbue your tales with historically accurate information about world cultures, legends, folklore, and religions.
   • Detailed descriptions of magic rituals, fantastic weapons of war, clothing and armor, and otherworldly beasts such as orcs, giants, elves, and more.
   • How societies, villages, and castles were constructed and operate on a day-to-day basis.
   • Astounding methods of interstellar travel, the rules of starflight, and the realities and myths of scientific exploration.
   • How to generate new ideas and graft them to the most popular themes and plot devices in sci-fi and fantasy writing.
The boundaries of your imagination are infinite, but to create credible and thrilling fiction, you must ground your stories in rules, facts, and accurate ideas. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction will guide you through the complex and compelling universe of fantasy and science fiction writing and help you unleash your stories on the next generation of readers and fans.

• ISBN10: 1599631407
• ISBN13: 9781599631400
• Publish Date: 30 September 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: F&W Publications Inc
• Imprint: Writer's Digest Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781599631400

Reviews

[writehollydavis]

A comprehensive guide to fantasy (and some sci-fi), involving magic systems, world building, political systems, parts of a castle, mythological creatures, etc. I found parts that are very useful to me and that I will refer to in the future and even some terms and rules of space that I can use in my current manuscript! Woo hoo! Overall, it is a helpful guide to have, but I know I won't need to refer to it for every fantasy book I write.