<span class="vcard">Written Well</span>
Written Well

Should I Write Dark Fantasy?

Dark fantasy is for those writers with a darker sensibility than other fantasy writers. Where other fantasists imagine the woods filled with fey creatures, we see them filled with monsters. Their castles are of white stone with banners flying; ours are tumbled down and haunted. There may be a happy ending (doubtful), but if there is, you can be damn sure the characters paid a price to reach it.

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Dark Fantasy Study Materials

If you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it. The books listed below will teach you about the genre and help you get a feel for all the different things you can do with it. 

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Dark Fantasy Guide

Dark fantasy covers a lot of ground. From fantasy intended mostly to frighten to fantasy with nihilistic or depressing themes, it is the subgenre where bad things happen to good people and the light is never guaranteed to drive off the dark by the end of the tale.

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Intrusion Fantasy Blueprint

Intrusion fantasies come in two different types, depending on the protagonist:

The Fish Out of Water —The protagonist begins with no knowledge of the fantasy element that is going to be introduced

The Skilled Practitioner —The protagonist is already fully immersed in the new (to the reader) culture the fantasy element has engendered.

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Fantasy Study Materials

If you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it. The books listed below will teach you about the genre and help you get a feel for all the different things you can do with it. 

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Intrusion/Urban Fantasy Study Materials

If you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it. The books listed below will teach you about the genre and help you get a feel for all the different things you can do with it. 

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Editing Tools

Editing tools? Like… what does that even mean? Is there something more than my keyboard and an old copy of The Elements Of Style?  Yes, dear reader, technology is amazing. While we hate content writing programs using A.I. (they’re taking our jobs!), there are a ton of intelligent software programs that can make your revision and error-checking process much faster. Some simply find typos or offer minor grammar suggestions, while others can do an in-depth read-through of your work. Try out a few, most of them have a free version. You might find something that saves you hundreds of hours...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Thriller Study Materials

Back to Thriller Guide Remember to read the articles in the Essentials section. These cover all the essential skills you’ll need as a self-published author. They are not just for beginners either. They go in depth on how to successfully write, publish, and market your own books. Online Resources Learn to write thrillers from David Baldacci or Dan Brown at Masterclass.com Read this Reedsy post on how to write a thriller. Go to this giant thriller writing conference. Books to Read If you want to write thrillers, you must read them. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Advertising Basics

There are a lot of different places to advertise, and we have articles about the specifics of many of them. However, platforms change, get updated, gain and lose pieces of functionality. If you understand the basic concepts in this Essential, then you will be able to adapt to whatever platform that suits your books the best. The important thing to remember is that everything works together. There are a lot of parts in an ad campaign, and if any one of them is subpar, the possibility of profit plummets. Profitability The main thing an ad has to be is profitable....

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Thriller Story Builder

Back to Thriller Guide Our Story Builders are fun and easy and can be a big help in getting your work off the ground.  Just fill in the boxes to get the elevator pitch for your story. Then copy and paste it into another document and expand on it. Use the information farther down the page for ideas on how to expand on your basic story outline. This will be the blueprint for your story, and you can add to it as you go. Some writers even use them as a starting point for a full outline, simply adding more and...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here