Greetings Imaginarians, Soul Journeyers and Fellow Misfit Toys! Please join me in welcoming award winning fantasy and science fiction author Janny Wurts. If you don't know who Janny Wurts is, she is a very prolific writer who wrote To Ride Hell's Chasm , which I reviewed recently on my YT and TikTok channel, but she is SO much more than that. Janny is not only a professional author, she is a professional painter as well, and she has had an incredibly rich journey throughout h

Back in 2020, I and Dr. Jessica Reis published a paper on the importance of teaching psychiatric residents dream interpretation, and you can email me if you want a copy of that paper, but turns out there is a lot of literature on how important dream work really is–and yet despite that, most institutions don’t have a dedicated course in it. Why is that? And what is the problem here? Let’s get into it! Why Don't We Teach More About Dreams? So, with only a few exceptions, why do

Today’s post is for all you writers out there, or fantasy lovers who just love to talk story and storytelling. I’m going to share a scene-structure technique that I’ve developed over the years of my own writing journey. No, I’m not a best-selling author or anything (yet), but I hope you’ll at least find it interesting. Dreams and Carl Jung's 'analytical psychology' So in this book, the Chidren’s Dreams seminar, the famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung, in his prime at the time duri

So, I finished Philip Chase’s Edan Trilogy and I have thoughts - quite a few of them!  So, if you don’t know, the Edan trilogy was written by Philip Chase, a professor of English Studies. So, he is an expert on Old English literature as well as other works such as the Icelandic Sagas, Irish and Welsh myths. Given that I've read a LOT of that material, although I am not an expert in it like he is, we nevertheless have a lot in common since we're also both major fantasy nerds.

What if you slept And what if In your sleep You dreamed And what if In your dream You went to heaven And there plucked a strange and beautiful flower And what if When you awoke You had that flower in you hand Ah, what then? So this poem by Coleridge, written in 1834, expresses a common theme in fantasy (and sci-fi and horror) stories - the distinction between imagination and reality. What is the boundary, and is it as hard and rigid as we commonly think it is? The Boundary So

Hey Imaginarians! Especially to all my subscribers interested in creative writing and fantasy fiction, I have a special treat for you today: an interview with Filipa Roque of Fantasy Wordsmith! Filipa is a professional developmental editor and beta reader, and she has graciously agreed to share her insights with us today! Meet Filipa Roque: The Fantasy Wordsmith Hi Imaginarians and all subscribers of this talented author. I am a Portuguese fantasy fanatic with a degree in the

Greetings Imaginarians! Some news for you--I have another book signing coming up on November 15th at the Elizabethtown, KY Barnes & Noble. I will be there signing copies of King of the Forgotten Darkness from 1pm - 5pm, come one come all! If you get a chance, I'd love to meet and greet. Next up, I just posted a new podcast discussion on my Youtube channel, the Imaginarium. This one is with fantasy author and professor of English literature, Philip Chase. Be sure to hop over t

No doubt you’ve heard about the standard choices, first person present or past tense, third person limited, third person omniscient, and all that. So, if you’re a writer, which one do you choose? Do you just go with “well, I’ll just pick this one because it just feels right”. What are we a bunch of hippies? No, if you’re going to pick a POV, you should know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what the tradeoffs are. If you're new here, welcome to the Imaginarium! I’m

I have a couple of special treats for you all today, on this glorious day of days--not only the best day of the year, but also my birthday, so HUZZAH to that haha! Anyway, it's been a busy week here, and I have two new podcasts for you all, one on the process of writing for all you creative writers out there. Aster Jewell and I do a workshop on how to put together a great query letter for your novel--it's actually a very important part of the process, not only to get attentio

I just recently re-watched one of my favorite Guillermo del Toro films, Pan’s Labyrinth. And of course, the big question in that movie is: are the fantasy creatures real, or is it all just in Ofelia’s head? A lot has been said about this award-winning movie, which I won’t rehash. What really caught my attention was the interesting question of whether or not the fantasy elements of the story are real or whether or not they are merely in the imagination of the main character Of

Hey Imaginarians, quick note, philosopher James Cussen has just now posted a great conversation about dreams, meaning-making, and fantasy writing on his channel @TheLivingPhilosophy on Youtube. You can check out our conversation right here: James is an engaging thinker and explorer of all sorts of fascinating subjects, so don't miss out on this one. See you next time! EG

Hey gang, so the latest on The Treacherous Fire , book 2 of the Raven’s Tale: I’m finished with all 5 drafts and now it is in the alpha and beta reading phase. So far I’m getting very positive feedback for it, so that’s very exciting. The Treacherous Fire The story is, of course, a sequel to King of the Forgotten Darkness, set twenty years later, where an investigator in Midworld is trying to track down Liam and his Dream Stone, but Liam turns the tables on him and drags him

Cinderella is classified as ATU 510A and has variations all over the world. It’s not just a Disney movie based on Brother’s Grimm, it’s found in Finland to Sardinia, from Slovakia to Japan, from India to North American First Nations, from Chile to Egypt, from Namibia to South Africa.  So what is the Cinderella folktale type? In this story, a young woman is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, and forced to live in the ash as a servant. When they all go to a ball or t

You aspiring writers have heard this advice. You fantasy readers have heard it, and you’re on the lookout for it. I’ve encountered this...

There has been a trend in the last few years in fantasy where the authors are including depictions of mental illness in their fantasy...

Hey gang got LOTs of fun stuff to share with you today. First up is I am FINALLY done with draft 3 of the sequel to King of the Forgotten...

What qualifies me to answer this question? I have been writing for most of my career on such topics as analytical psychology, mythology,...

How to Write a Fantasy Novel The question came up the other day on my Youtube channel, The Imaginarium, of exactly what system do I use...

Check out this new conversation with Ruth at her growing young channel Booksandbusiness! Be sure to support her channel and show your...

The Dodo Bird Effect There are a LOT of therapies out there--over 500 to be exact. Which one of them is the "best"? Well, turns out...