Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

Tag: fantasy novel

  • When You’re Bored…Write!

    Are you looking for more time to write your novel during your crazy, hectic schedule? Here’s a suggestion: Use those times when you are forced to sit and wait for an appointment. Even during the pandemic, we still occasionally find ourselves in a waiting room (or waiting in the car…

  • Back to the Drawing Board

    In a recent blog post, I discussed the brainstorming process that John and I use to develop plot ideas for novels. Last night, John pointed out to me that I forgot to mention my favorite tool to assist in that process. No, it’s not a fancy software program designed to…

  • Writing Sequels Responsibly

    Ever since John and I published 60th Hour a year ago, I have been learning about the marketing and writing strategies employed by successful Indy authors. (Yes, I should have learned about those strategies before we published, but back then I didn’t even know what I needed to know. And…

  • Brainstorming Plot Ideas

    So you’ve finished your fantasy book. Now what about a sequel? If you’re an Indy author, people expect you to write sequels. If you’ve done your world building well, your readers are already invested in the characters and the universe. They want to go back and play in your world…

  • Second Draft Writing Critiques?

    Imagine this scenario: You invite a small group of friends over for dinner. You prepare an elaborate meal for them, and you all have a great time eating, laughing, and talking together. Your friends are also cooks, so they give you tips and suggestions for how the food might be…

  • Lessons Learned from Writing 500 Words of Fiction Per Day

    On January 1, 2021, I took a chance and publicly posted a set of New Year’s resolutions. Among other things, I resolved to continue writing 500 words of original fiction per day until I finished the first draft of our current novel: Prophecy’s Malignant Son. It is now March and…

  • A Few Thoughts About the Word “Wizard”

    Merlin, Gandalf, Harry Potter…wizards are staple characters in fantasy novels. Wizards are also common in fantasy-based rpgs, in video games, in anime, in movies, and pretty much everywhere you look these days. As a fantasy author, I’ve always worried about using the word “wizard” in a novel for fear of…

  • Book Titles by Committee

    With normality finally on the horizon and a small possibility that there might actually be a live Comicon in San Diego this coming summer, the authors of Emerald Cove are once again turning attention to our shared universe anthology. As I mentioned in a much earlier blog post, the stories…

  • Yay!! Cover Art

    Writing a book is fun and enjoyable, despite the work, but seeing the cover really makes it exciting! The first draft of Prophecy’s Malignant Son is now about 90% complete, and is still on schedule to be finished next month. In the meantime, John and I have begun thinking about…

  • Which Swycaffer Book Should You Read First?

    The most prolific writer of the Emerald Cove authors is also one of my oldest friends. Jefferson Swycaffer and I first met while I was visiting his sister back in the late 1970’s. The next day after our first meeting (or a couple of days later), we happened to run…