After I compiled the Big List of Fantasy Resources over on reddit I thought that I might as well pop it up here as well!
I’ll be amending this list as well as and when so if you check back later to find something else, don’t be surprised if there’s a few new things there too!
General Writing Books
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White
- Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
- The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
- Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
- How NOT To Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
Fantasy Specific Writing Books
- How To Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
- Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy by Isaac Asimov, John Barnes, Norman Spinrad, Sheila Williams, Ian Randal Strock, Stanley Schmidt, James Patrick Kelly, Gardner R. Dozois, Robert A. Heinlein, Jane Yolen, Connie Willis, Poul Anderson, Hal Clement
- The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction by Phillip Athans, with an introduction by R.A. Salvatore
- Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or Mutinous Crew by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Writing Fantasy Heroes by Jason M. Waltz (Editor), Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, Orson Scott Card, Glen Cook, Ian C. Esslemont, Steven Erikson (Foreword), Cecelia Holland , Howard Andrew Jones, Paul Kearney, Ari Marmell, Janet E. Morris, Chris Morris, Cat Rambo, Brandon Sanderson, and C.L. Werner
- Wonderbook by Jeremy Vandermeer and Jeremy Zerfoss, plus extra content on the website to accompany the book!
Online Fantasy Resources
Ursula K. Le Guin’s Essays On Writing:
- Some Assumptions About Fantasy – Presented at the Children’s Literature Breakfast BookExpo America
- A Few Words to A Young Writer
- A Rejection Letter
- Some Guidelines for Manuscript Preparation & Submission
- A Sketchy Introduction to Copyrights and Contracts
- What Makes A Story
- A Message About Messages
- Plausibility In Fantasy
- Plausibility Revised
- Being an Editor
- What Writers Get Paid and How
- On Rules of Writing, or, Riffing on Rechy
Ten Tips from George R R Martin
> Darren Shan’s Writing Advice
Table of Contents:
PART ONE – GETTING STARTED
- One – Age.
- Two – Education.
- Three – Ideas.
- Four – Risky Business.
- Five – Writing Habits.
- Six – Daily Page Count.
- Seven – Family And Friends.
- Eight – Seeking Feedback.
- Nine – Defining Success.
PART TWO – THE NUTS AND BOLTS
- Ten – Beginnings.
- Eleven – Plotting.
- Twelve – First Drafts.
- Thirteen – Seeing It Through.
- Fourteen – Editing.
- Fifteen – Editors.
- Sixteen – Hard Work.
- Seventeen – Unpublished Work.
- Eighteen – Writer’s Block.
- Nineteen – Rejection.
PART THREE – BITS AND PIECES
- Twenty – Attention To Detail.
- Twenty One – Surrendering Control.
- Twenty Two – Style.
- Twenty Three – Limiting The Shocks.
- Twenty Four – Audience Expectations.
- Twenty Five – Series Stuff.
- Twenty Six – Titles.
- Twenty Seven – Public Events.
- Twenty Eight – Other Business.
- Twenty Nine – Hollywood.
- Thirty – Think Big!
Neil Gaiman’s Advice to Authors
Shawn Speakman gives advice to his younger self
Jan Yolen’s Advice for Writers
Gareth Powell’s 8 Steps To Becoming A Published Writer
Fantasy Faction’s Writing Articles[42]
China Miéville’s advice on Novel Structure for Beginners (on /r/writing)
Dan Harmon’s Story Structure 101; Super Basic Shit (as on /r/writing)
Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories and 8 Basics of Creative Writing via /r/writing
Margaret Atwood’s Happy Endings and 10 Tips for Writing via /r/writing
Write About Dragons resources that pull together two years of Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures
Brandon Sanderson’s 2014 Lectures[48] with extra bonus links for older lectures!
Limyaael’s Rants – “a wealth of advice, warnings, and witty commentary on just about every aspect of constructing a story – from character design, to worldbuilding, to avoiding cliches.”
Medieval Style Fighting: A Quick and Dirty Guide from /r/Fantasywriters very own /u/Azincourt
A Guide To Travel in a Fantasy Setting: Travel by Foot & Horse
Writing Podcasts
- Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips (approximately 15 minutes runtime)
- Narrative Breakdown (approximately 45 minutes runtime)
- First Draft with Sarah Enni (approximately an hour runtime)
Fantasy and Sci Fi Writing Podcasts
- Writing Excuses with Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Taylor, and Mary Robinette Kowal (average of 15-20 minutes runtime)
- The Dead Robots Society (approximately an hour runtime, give or take 10-15 minutes)