imaginary worlds | Andrew Ferguson

Sci-Fi Clichés and How to Avoid Them

Posted on May 6, 2021 Leave a Comment

For those of you who haven’t read the previous post, get over there and read it for even more sci-fi cliché goodness. But first, and without further ado, I give you today’s top three sci-fi clichés…

Fantasy Clichés and How to Avoid Them

Posted on May 4, 2021 Leave a Comment

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve done a series of posts on any subject so I decided it was about time for another one: this time focusing on all your favourite genre clichés and how to avoid them.

Daydreaming: An Essential Exercise for Writers

Posted on March 27, 2021 1 Comment

Daydreaming is a habit you should definitely get back into, especially if you plan on being a story-writer.

Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (vol. 2)

Posted on February 19, 2021 Leave a Comment

It’s that time again! We’ve already had super snappy speed reviews for books, TV shows and films now it’s time to return for a second helping of super snappy book reviews. As before, the books I have reviewed here have been selected entirely at random from my ever-growing book collection and do not necessarily have anything in common apart from the fact that they are all books. They are not necessarily films that I particularly liked or disliked, nor are they sorted into any particular order.

As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, squished, sliced and diced into a few short sentences. So without further ado…

Hey Author, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

Posted on February 14, 2021 1 Comment

Okay, so for reasons best known to yourself, you want to know where to find the House of the Magical Idea Wizard and think that perhaps I, or one of my author colleagues (you know, the ones that have actually got a few novels published), might have the answers you seek. I know I’m not alone in having people ask me about this. Writers’ blogs seem to be replete with authors whining and complaining about how often their family, friends and fans (those of you who have fans) ask them this same question.

Well… today, O seeker of insight, I am going to attempt to answer this singularly annoying and misguided question in the only way I can: from my own narrow experience.

A Few Words About Magic in Fiction

Posted on January 30, 2021 Leave a Comment

Magic (as I’m loosely defining it here) features heavily in fantasy. The forms magic can take from one fantasy story to another, however, greatly vary. If you think I’m going to give you an exhaustive break-down of all the kinds of magic that appear in fantasy fiction, you’re sadly mistaken because I have neither the time nor the inclination do so, but I do want to try and break down what it takes to construct a good one as Sanderson has.

The Overwhelming Art of World-Building

Posted on December 31, 2020 Leave a Comment

Research is, undeniably, one of the most important stages of writing a story. Understanding the time and place your story is set in will enable you to make that story more true to life, and therefore, more compelling. But what if you are writing a fantasy, set in an imaginary world? Make no mistake: research is just as important in fantasy as it is in non-fantasy, perhaps even more so since you are creating a world from scratch. If you’re writing a historical fiction set during the Spanish Civil War, you probably won’t need to research whether or not gravity existed in Spain or what colour the grass was. We can take these things for granted in non-fantasy, but in fantasy you need to become an expert on your entire world… and still make time to actually write the story!

Throwback Thursday: The Overwhelming Art of World-Building

Posted on September 17, 2020 Leave a Comment

Research is, undeniably, one of the most important stages of writing a story. Understanding the time and place your story is set in will enable you to make that story more true to life, and therefore, more compelling. But what if you are writing a fantasy, set in an imaginary world? Make no mistake: research is just as important in fantasy as it is in non-fantasy, perhaps even more so since you are creating a world from scratch. If you’re writing a historical fiction set during the Spanish Civil War, you probably won’t need to research whether or not gravity existed in Spain or what colour the grass was. We can take these things for granted in non-fantasy, but in fantasy you need to become an expert on your entire world… and still make time to actually write the story!

Throwback Thursday: Using Magic in Fiction

Posted on August 27, 2020 Leave a Comment

Magic (as I’m loosely defining it here) features heavily in fantasy. The forms magic can take from one fantasy story to another, however, greatly vary. If you think I’m going to give you an exhaustive break-down of all the kinds of magic that appear in fantasy fiction, you’re sadly mistaken because I have neither the time nor the inclination do so, but I do want to try and break down what it takes to construct a good one as Sanderson has.