So you want to write speculative fiction?
It’s time to get that fantastic world that’s been stuck inside your head for years, complete with dragons and androids, onto paper! Whether you’re starting your first or tenth novel, Making Myths and Magic was written for you.
Fantasy author Shelly Campbell and editor Allison Alexander have teamed up to provide a comprehensive resource, distilling the information they’ve learned from years in the publishing industry. To keep you inspired and engaged as you grow in your craft, they take a deep dive through science fiction and fantasy novels, movies, and TV shows.
Within these pages, you’ll learn how to tackle structure, dialogue, tropes, diversity, mythology, riddles, prophecies, fantastic creatures, weapons, technology, magic systems, languages, and more!
I'm always fascinated by the art of writing, and I love reading about it, but I find a lot of books are very dry and hard to get through. Not so this one, which is chatty and fun all the way through, drawing on pop culture for illustrations. About the only part of fantasy writing not covered here was designing maps; everything else I could possibly think of is covered in one of the chapters or another.
I loved that they kept emphasising that their advice is only advice and that everyone should feel happy writing in the way that suits them. It was also really great fun looking out for fandoms I recognised! It makes the advice seem more relatable when I recognise the characters and situations (nothing from David Eddings, though?) My favourite was using the characters of Firefly to demonstrate how characters can move from one archetype to another depending on the situation and who's around them.
I really enjoyed this. I think I'll be coming back to it often for advice, for reassurance or just for fun! It's a great read no matter your level of experience with writing.
Making Myths and Magic publishes on the 18th February, 2022. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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