Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How To Create Out-of-This-World Novels And Short Stories Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
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.
Paperback: 406 pages
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; 2 edition (September 30, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599631407
ISBN-13: 978-1599631400
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #328,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #26 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Science Fiction & Fantasy #500 in Books > Textbooks > Reference > Writing Skills #1565 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Writing Skills
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction (2013) is the latest edition of this work. It contains four parts, a bio of the authors, and an index.Part 1: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card is a minor rewrite of the original edition. The primary difference is the elimination of the fifth section -- The Life and Business of Writing -- which is replaced by the next three parts.Part 2: The State of the Genre by Philip Athans discusses the major aspects of Speculative Fiction in this century. It mentions Harry Potter and other works for young adults, media tie-ins, DIY publishing of eBooks, blogs, and the new literati.Part 3: The World of Steampunk by Jay Lake covers the return of SF to the Victorian Era. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells were limited in their writing by the restricted understanding of the scientists of those days. With modern knowledge of history, sociology, psychology, and technology, much more becomes possible in retrospective.Part 4: The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference is a reprint of a separate edition by various authors. - Chapter 1: Traditional Fantasy Cultures by Michael J. Varhola covers elements of feudal society. - Chapter 2: World Cultures by Michael J. Varhola describes historical societies outside Europe. - Chapter 3: Magic by Allan Maurer & Renee Wright details various forms of magic throughout the world.
When I first saw this book appear in the list of books well searching for "writing fantasy," I became excited. However, after reading some of the reviews I became slightly disappointed to find out the book was nothing more than the combination of two separate books:1) One of which I used to own - Orson Scott Card's "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy"2) Second which I currently own - "The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference"Both books are good in their own right and I would give Orson's book a 3/5 (it lacks much on Fantasy and seems to focus on Science Fiction) and Fantasy Reference 4/5. Dumbly cramped in the middle seem to be to essays:1) The State of the Genre2) The World of SteampunkWhich I recall seeing these in other books, but sadly cannot place a name to the book or books. So in short nothing is new or fresh. However, I am not blind to the fact that this could be targeted to people who do not own either book or maybe even only one of them and in this case I would give this book a 2/5 instead of a 1/5. Why you ask?REPRINTED: The Writer's Complete Fantasy ReferenceThe original print of this book contains about 50 images that are NOT in this version of the book. Yes the book may describe the anatomy of a castle and a horse's armor, but it lacks an image to go with as found in the original book. This alone makes this book pretty much worthless simply because some people also learn by having a visual aid and that "aid" was not put in this poorly reprinting of a very good book.
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