Firefly Island, my fantasy novel, is now raising money for cancer research. You can help.

From now until New Years, for every copy of Firefly Island sold, I'll donate a dollar to cancer research.

Firefly Island is published as a beautiful, library-edition hardcover. It makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves good, old-fashioned fantasy adventures. If you love the fantasy novels of the 80s, like Dragonlance or the David Eddings books, I think you'll love Firefly Island, too. Firefly Island is NOT one of the long, bleak fantasy epics that fill the shelves these days. It's a fast-paced, action-filled fantasy adventure in the old style -- perfect for teenage readers, or adults who miss those fantasy books they loved as teenagers.

FantasyBookSpot.com, possibly the world's biggest website for fantasy novels, summed it up nicely:

"I thought Firefly Island was a very promising debut for Arenson. As a self-contained story of only 347 pages, it is an especially good choice if you like fantasy but don't want to become committed to reading a long series or one of the 900-page tomes that are so common in fantasy nowadays.... I would highly recommend this book for fantasy fans."

And of course... you won't just be getting a cool book, you'll also be helping cancer research!

If you're interested, here's what you should do:

1) Between today and New Years, go to: www.DanielArenson.com/order.aspx

2) Click on a link to Amazon (any version of Amazon works).

3) Buy a copy of Firefly Island.

4) I'll track the sales and donate, per sale, a dollar to cancer research.

Amazon emails me info on sales that originated from my website, so I'll be able to track them. (If you prefer to buy the book elsewhere, email me about where/when you bought your copy.)

You can find reviews for Firefly Island, and a free sample chapter, at www.DanielArenson.com/fireflyisland.aspx.

Here's the foundation the money will go to: www.cancer.ca

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me at Daniel@DanielArenson.com. And please -- tell your family/friends about this promotion. Together we can raise some money for a worthy cause.

Thanks, everyone.

Daniel Arenson

I occasionally hear young writers say, "I'm great at starting novels
and stories, but after I write a few pages, I run out of steam and out
of ideas. How can I learn to finish my stories?"

Here are some tips for how to stay inspired, even when writing a lengthy novel.


Write Anything

Before musicians begin to play, they tune their instruments. Before
painters begin to paint, they scribble quick sketches. We writers also
sometimes need to get into gear. It's tough to sit down and
immediately produce brilliant prose. Often it helps to just start
writing--anything. Don't worry if your first few pages are mediocre,
even nonsensical. Force yourself to write, jotting down anything that
fills your mind, even if it's unrelated to the story. Writing these
first few pages can get you brainstorming and kick-start your muse.
You can always discard these pages later, and keep the good stuff you
produce once you're warmed up.


Move Backwards

When you first envision the concept for your story, write the ending
early. You can even write it first. That way, as you write your way
through the middle, you'll know where you're heading. You can even
write the story backwards, if you have trouble moving forward.


Use Diagrams

You've written the beginning, maybe even the end. Time for the middle,
and you're stuck. What should happen next? To brainstorm, draw
diagrams. Don't use the computer; use a pen and paper and scribble
freely. Try to imagine what the next few plot "high points" will be.
High points can be major events in your story, such as murders,
revelations, deaths, etc. On your paper, draw a square for every high
point. Draw a circle for each character. Then use arrows to connect
the shapes. Each arrow will represent an action the characters take,
connecting all the components. As you scribble, ideas will appear and
flesh themselves out. Soon you'll find yourself ready to start writing
again.


Let the Characters Decide

You've tried all the above, and you still don't know what should
happen next in your story. Try asking your characters. If you've
created in-depth, three-dimensional characters, they'll have
motivations and passions, loves and hates. In good fiction, characters
are rarely laid back, aimless souls with no troubles; they are driven
by intense needs or wants. So ask yourself: what would these
characters do at this point of the story? If you've created the
characters properly, they'll know where to go. So let them go there.
You just write what happens.


If after all this, you're still stuck, maybe your work-in-progress is
the wrong story for you. Sometimes stories sound great in concept, but
don't work in practice. You can always come up with a better idea and
start over.

Good luck!

Daniel

You can find many more writing tips at:
http://www.DanielArenson.com/writingtips.aspx

Enjoyed these writing tips? Check out my own writing. Read the first
chapter of Firefly Island, an epic fantasy novel, here:
http://www.DanielArenson.com/chap.aspx

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, I let you guys know the cool news: This month is the first year anniversary of FIREFLY ISLAND, my fantasy novel.

Author Joan Reeves has posted a little anniversary interview with me on her blog. It’s a short interview, but worth checking out. You can find it at:

http://www.joanreeves.com/works.htm

If you like fantasy novels, and haven’t read FIREFLY ISLAND yet, you can read the first chapter for free on my website. Check it out here:

http://www.DanielArenson.com

FIREFLY ISLAND is still for sale at Amazon.com and a bunch of other bookshops -- or just ask your library to buy a copy. ;) If you do want your library to order that copy for you, you can find all the details (publisher, ISBN, etc.) here: http://www.DanielArenson.com/order.aspx

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Daniel

Hi all,

This month is the first-year anniversary of FIREFLY ISLAND, my epic fantasy novel. On August 15th, it'll be a year since FIREFLY ISLAND was published.

For this event, I'd like to publish stories from FIREFLY ISLAND readers. Send me a message or email (Daniel@DanielArenson.com) with your "Firefly Island story". Tell me how you found the book, how you felt about it, or any interesting anecdote. On August 15th, I'll publish the three best stories on my website.

The people who sent these best stories will win a prize -- an exclusive look at a new, unpublished FIREFLY ISLAND "prequel" story.

If you haven't read FIREFLY ISLAND yet, you can read the first chapter for FREE here: http://www.DanielArenson.com. FantasyBookSpot.com, possibly the most popular website for fantasy novels, highly recommended FIREFLY ISLAND and called it "a very promising debut". You can read more reviews at http://www.DanielArenson.com/reviews.aspx.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Daniel Arenson

In a previous post, I wrote that unnecessary words--pleonasms--should be omitted from sentences. Today I’d like to describe specific type of words to avoid.



Adjectives

While adjectives are often necessary, they are best avoided when possible. When you use the right verbs and nouns, adjectives becomes pleonasms -- words that can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Consider, for example: “Trog polished his sword to a sparkling, bright gleam.” We could remove the adjectives “sparkling” and “bright”, and simply write, “Trog polished his sword to a gleam.”

Often, adjectives can be removed by using the proper verb or noun. Consider the sentence, “Trog moved at a quick pace down the narrow street.” We could remove the adjectives “quick” and “narrow”, and write, “Trog hurried down the alley.”

Often, adjectives are necessary. Whenever possible, they are best to avoid.



Adverbs

As with adjectives, adverbs are also best avoided when possible. Adverbs can be avoided by choosing a stronger verb. Instead of “said quietly”, write “whispered”. Instead of “ate ravenously”, write “devoured”.



Replacements for Said

I often find myself replacing “said” with verbs such as “growled”, “opined”, “shouted”, etc. I try to avoid this as much as possible. When used too much, these verbs not only become annoying, they interfere with our interpretation of the dialogue.

Consider, for example, the following bit of dialogue:

“I’m tired,” Alice complained.

“So go to bed,” Fred suggested.

“But I’m hungry!” Alice whined.

“So eat something,” Fred grumbled.

“But I don’t have any food,” Alice lamented.

I’ve seen some writers avoid “said” as if trying to impress us with their array of synonyms. These days, “said” is the preferred verb to use in dialogue; most editors will reject a manuscript which uses too many “said” alternatives. It’s almost always better to use “said”, a neutral verb, and let the dialogue itself convey the tone.


Find more writing tips at: www.DanielArenson.com

Hi everyone,

Travis Heermann has interviewed me for his website. We talked about novels, creative writing, publishing, and many other interesting things.

Check out the interview here:

http://travisheermann.com/blog/?p=36

Daniel
http://www.DanielArenson.com

Hi everyone,

Looking for a good fantasy novel?

I added a list of some recommended ones to my website. Check it out:

http://www.DanielArenson.com

Daniel

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since my last post. This might be a good time to
reveal that I've been busy writing a new book. When, where, and even
if it will be published remains to be seen. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, I've considered making my fantasy novel FIREFLY ISLAND
available on Amazon Kindle (an ebook reader from Amazon). Currently,
this service is closed to non-Americans authors, so Amazon still sells
FIREFLY ISLAND only in print. Is anyone here interested in an e-book
version? If you are, drop me a line at Daniel@DanielArenson.com. If
I see there's an interest, I'll look more carefully into it.

Finally, I'd like to share some encouraging comments from a reader who
recently emailed me. Alycia from Washington writes about FIREFLY
ISLAND: "I really wanted to let you know that your book is the best
book that I have ever read.... I was overwhelmed with all the action
and your ideas of Aeolia. You had awesome word choice and your book
never bored me. I can not wait to read more of your work."

Thanks, Alycia!

You can read the first chapter of FIREFLY ISLAND on my website,
www.DanielArenson.com.

See you soon,

Daniel
www.DanielArenson.com

John Markley at FantasyBookSpot.com has reviewed my fantasy novel Firefly Island. From his review:

"I thought Firefly Island was a very promising debut for Arenson. As a self-contained story of only 347 pages, it is an especially good choice if you like fantasy but don’t want to become committed to reading a long series or one of the 900-page tomes that are so common in fantasy nowadays. It is also, despite some fairly grim aspects, generally more upbeat in tone than many other modern writers of medieval fantasy, which is nice if you enjoy the genre but want a break from the darker, more downbeat worlds of fantasy authors like Glen Cook, George Martin, or Steven Erikson. I would highly recommend this book for fantasy fans, and look forward to seeing how Daniel Arenson develops."

To learn more about my novel, visit www.DanielArenson.com.

Daniel

New from my "writing tips" page on DanielArenson.com:

How to write (and sell) your novel? Here’s an “eight easy steps” guide.

Step 1) Realize that publishing is a harsh business, maybe the harshest in the world. Over 99% of novels written will never be published legitimately. By “legitimately”, I mean by an authentic publisher who pays you an advance (unlike vanity publishers or self-publishers) and probably prints an actual print run (unlike print-on-demand or electronic publishers). Of those few novels that are published legitimately, the vast majority will sell a few copies and then quickly go out of print. Only a tiny fraction of a percent of novels will end up proudly displayed on the shelves of your local bookshop; far fewer will become bestsellers. The odds of your novel becoming a smash hit--or, to be honest, published period--aren’t much better than winning the lottery.

Step 2) Accept step 1 and decide that you’re crazy enough to go for it anyway. After all, some people have done it, so why not you? Odds are, if you’re still here, you will write your novel because you have to; to most writers, writing is as essential as eating or breathing.

Step 3) Find your inner voice. Find the story that inspires you. Find the characters you believe in. Find the book you have to share with the world.

Step 4) Read more writing tips and study the craft.

Step 5) Find a good place to write. I like to take a notebook and pen to a local coffee shop. I sometimes like to stay home, sit in an armchair, turn on music, and write on a laptop.

Step 6) When your novel is written, revise it. Polish the writing, reorder scenes, rethink characters, cut out boring scenes, write new ones, rewrite where necessary. I repeat this step several times. For me, step 6 is ten times more work than step 5. For an hour I spend writing, I can spend a day revising.

Step 7) Submit your novel. Some people start by submitting to literary agents. Others go directly to publishers. Some people will recommend the former approach, others will swear by the latter. Whatever route you choose, your first submissions will be rejected. Trust me on this one. See step 1. Selling a novel on the first try is like writing a major piece of software, with thousands of lines of code, and compiling it successfully on the first try. Technically it’s possible, but it doesn’t happen. Even bestselling authors like Stephen King or John Grisham received many rejections when peddling their first novels. For most people, step 7 will take years.

Step 8) While working through step 7, start writing your second book!


Good luck!

Daniel
www.DanielArenson.com

Pacing and Flow

Today I'd like to discuss two ways of improving the flow and pacing of your fantasy fiction: controlling "infodump" and varying sentence length/structure.


Infodump

When writing fantasy fiction, it can be challenging to describe the setting (your "fantasy world") without slowing down the story. World-building is always fun in fantasy: we create imaginary kingdoms, heroes, legends, culture, and a host of other details about the setting. When writing, it's tempting to occasionally halt the story and launch into little "essays" about the world. Whenever this temptation arises, it's best to resist. As important as some info might be, the pacing of the current scene always has the higher priority.

Instead of pausing the story to reveal necessary information, it's best to dispense the info in bits and pieces, unobtrusively, in a way that seems like part of the story.

For example, this is wrong:

"Torak chased the troll into the palace, brandishing his sword. His grandfather had built this palace fifty years ago, long before Torak was born. It had faced countless troll invasions, and stood under siege during the great Goblin War, during which Torak's grandfather died. The old warrior's tomb still stood inside the palace, and even to this day, the guards swore they could see his ghost wandering the halls at night. Inside the shadowy palace, Torak cornered the troll by a fireplace, and launched into an attack."

This is right:

"Torak chased the troll into the palace, brandishing his sword. As his footfalls echoed in the towering hall, Torak tightened his lips. _If your spirit truly still fills these halls, grandfather, help me now,_ he prayed silently. The troll ran down a narrow hall, and Torak followed, and rage pulsing through him. _This palace has stood against countless troll invasions. My grandfather died defending it from trolls during the Goblin Wars. I will not let a troll desecrate my grandfather's honor!_ He cornered the troll by the fireplace and attacked."

In the first version, we paused from the chase to explain about the palace and its history. In the second version, we wove the information into the story, so that it becomes part of the chase scene.

The scene and characters are what we should focus on. When it becomes necessary to provide information, we should place it naturally into the scene without slowing down the action.


Sentences

When considering pacing and flow, it's also good to vary the length and structure of your sentences. Otherwise, the tone can become awkward.

Consider the following paragraph:

"Sheathing his sword, Torak left the library. Grumbling under his breath, he marched down the hallway. Hunger aching in his belly, he entered the kitchen. Mouth watering, he took some bread and began to eat."

All of these sentences are of the same structure, providing repetitive, dull writing. It's best to vary the structure of your sentences to create a more dynamic, flowing read.

We should also vary sentence length. Consider the following:

"Torak lifted the spellbook. Dust flew into his eyes. Torak sneezed and slammed the book down. More dust flew. Clutching his sword, Torak left the library. No book would help him, he knew. He headed toward the kitchen. What he needed was a good meal."

While using such an abundance of short sentences might have worked for Hemmingway, we writers of commercial fantasy best avoid such style. If you have several long sentences in a paragraph, provide a few short ones alongside them, and vice versa.

Of course, you should match the style of writing to the scene. Action scenes benefit from shorter, simpler sentences. Reflective scenes might warrant longer, more complex ones. In most cases, however, you'll want to vary the sentence length and structure to at least some degree. Your writing will flow much better.

Find more writing tips at http://www.DanielArenson.com/writingtips.aspx

The Winnipeg Jewish Post printed a nice little story about me, and my fantasy novel FIREFLY ISLAND, this week. If any of you happen to visit Manitoba, check it out. :P

Daniel
http://www.DanielArenson.com

In previous writing tips, I've discussed creating great characters, character motivation, and character development. Today, I'd like to discuss characters within the greater context of a story.

When placing characters into a novel, I try to do three things: tighten character relationships, merge characters, and provide an array of different character types.

Tightening Character Relationships

How are your characters related? Good drama benefits from tight character relationships. Can any of your characters be members of the same nuclear family? If so, that could create more powerful drama. When we think back to great stories, the characters are often siblings, sons, parents. If your characters can't belong to the same nuclear family, can they be more distant relatives? If your characters cannot belong to the same family, can they be roommates, colleagues, neighbors? In great stories, even the hero and villain are often strongly related.

Merge Characters

When writing a novel, I try to keep the number of characters under control. Does your villain have five henchman, each who thwarts the hero in a separate scene? Why not combine them into one henchman and give the character extra depth? If you find that your story contains many characters with small parts, consider merging some into single characters and expanding their rolls.

Different Character Types

Sometimes, I find that it's a good idea to include different types of characters: some male, some female, some old, some young, some serious, some comic. If a reader has trouble identifying with one type of character, he/she might emphasize with another.

For more thoughts on characters, please read some of my other writing tips at http://www.DanielArenson.com/writingtips.aspx.

Daniel

Hi everyone,

It's that time of year again; the Preditors and Editors poll is here. This year, you can vote for me in three categories:

* Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels
* Book / e-Book Cover Artwork
* Authors

You can find the poll here:

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/

(Note that my novel FIREFLY ISLAND appears twice in the "Fantasy Novels" category; you can vote for either one.)

Thanks, everyone,

Daniel
http://www.DanielArenson.com

2007 has been a big year for the fantasy genre.

The seventh and supposedly last Harry Potter was published. Along with Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter helped bring fantasy into the mainstream. The books have sold so well, it will be interesting to see who fills the void left behind (or if there might be new Harry Potter books after all).

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, this year also saw the posthumous publication of Tolkien's CHILDREN OF HURIN, another fantasy bestseller. Thus, the two biggest fantasy franchises sang their swan songs this year.

Robert Jordan passed away this year, leaving THE WHEEL OF TIME unfinished, to be completed by another author.

Fantasy movies were popular this year, as well. Bridge to Terabithia, Beowulf, and the Golden Compass were released, and several fantasy movies are in the making for next year. Fantasy movies are becoming more and more popular since Peter Jackson proved they can do so well.

Finally, 2007 saw the release of my first fantasy novel, FIREFLY ISLAND (published by Thomson Gale). That, of course, was the biggest news in the genre--for me at least. ;)

What do you think? What were your big events for the fantasy genre this year?

Daniel
Dec 31, 2007
www.DanielArenson.com

Chapters/Indigo, Canada's largest chain of bookshops, is now selling my fantasy novel Firefly Island.

You can order the book directly off their website, or get it at any Chapters/Indigo branch. Most locations aren't stocking the book yet, but they'd order it for you.

Until now, Chapters/Indigo only sold Firefly Island in one location (where it's sold a dozen hardcovers so far). Now the book will be available all over Canada.

In other Canadian news, several Canadian libraries have ordered copies of Firefly Island; they're on their way. If you're in the Toronto area, most branches of the Toronto Public Library should have their copies soon. In the States, Firefly Island is already available in hundreds of libraries; if you're south of the border, I hope you check it out.

You can read reviews for Firefly Island at http://www.DanielArenson.com.

Daniel

Happy Holidays everyone,

I want to let you know about a special Christmas offer: You can now buy your loved ones a SIGNED and PERSONALIZED hardcover of my fantasy novel FIREFLY ISLAND.

FIREFLY ISLAND is published by Gale, one of the world's top publishers of library-edition hardcovers. This is a high quality book printed for libraries, with the best quality paper and binding and great artwork adorning the cover. It looks impressive enough to make a perfect Christmas gift, especially since I'll sign and personalize any copy you order.

If you know somebody who loves fantasy books such as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, they will love this gift.

Booklist and Library Journal both reviewed the novel; the former called me "an author to watch" and the latter wrote that "the author... brings a crispness and directness to his storytelling." You can read a bunch of other reviews HERE:

http://www.DanielArenson.com/reviews.aspx

I'm only selling a very limited number of these. If you want one, email me NOW at Daniel@DanielArenson.com. The book costs $25.95, and I'll charge you $3 for delivery to North American addresses. You can pay with a check or paypal, but please HURRY; Christmas is just around the corner, so please email me TODAY if you are interested.

(Of course, if you prefer, you can just order FIREFLY ISLAND from Amazon, but then I can't sign it unless you mail it to me with return postage.)

Daniel

Daniel@DanielArenson.com

http://www.DanielArenson.com

Huge news today.

Publishers Weekly has reviewed my fantasy novel FIREFLY ISLAND. The novel has now been reviewed by all of the "big three" review publications: Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

Publishers Weekly said that "those who enjoy such traditional fantasy devices as love at first sight and princes raised as commoners will be rewarded."

When FIREFLY ISLAND was released in August, I thought I'd be very lucky if just one of the "big three" reviewed the novel. All three--nice.

You can read all the reviews (plus a free chapter, stories, writing tips, and more) at http://www.DanielArenson.com.

Daniel

Hi everyone,

I want to thank Michael A. Heald, who read my fantasy novel FIREFLY ISLAND and posted a review of the book on his website.

From his review:

"Mr. Arenson has a sparkling gift for words that make his scenes come alive. His characters shine with unique voices, no small achievement in a book that balances the lives of four main characters from four nations (as well as several minor characters) – all acting out their stories amidst battles, betrayal, redemption, and sacrifice... I liked the characters, and I wanted to know what happened to them – the proof of a good story."

You can find Michael's website at www.MichaelAHeald.com.

You can read other reviews for FIREFLY ISLAND (plus a free chapter, free stories and poems, writing tips, and more cool stuff) at www.DanielArenson.com

Daniel

DanielArenson.com is a Top Ten website!

My website participated in a contest at FictionAddiction.NET to find the best author website. We were voted one of the top ten from the finalists.

DanielArenson.com won free advertising on FictionAddiction.NET. Thanks to everyone who voted! (A special thanks to Mary, who voted every day.)

It's great to know that people have enjoyed the free stories, poems, writing tips, and other stuff on my website. The site has been online since February, and I plan to keep adding new stories and writing tips.

Daniel
http://www.DanielArenson.com