Lights of Fantasy: A Collection of Short Stories by L. M. Montes
Tag: fantasy
Out Now
For those of you who have seen and read my short stories I posted on this blog in the past, as you know, I deleted them off of here so I could put them all together into a collection and publish them. Well…..I published my collection of short stories. They came available on Amazon today February 9, 2024. The link is below.
However, I slightly changed some of the stories that had been on this blog. Plus, I added new short stories never published on this sight. I hope you check them out. Have fun reading.
This collection of short stories holds a mixture of fantasy, mystery, and intrigue, so dive into some mind-gripping strangeness that will leave you scratching your head and wondering. Find out what happens when you are never happy with what you have in The Moving Room. Be careful, you just might find out you’re someone else in Time’s Illusion. Have you ever seen eyes in a pool, and they’re following you? You will in Lights of Fantasy. Sometimes treasures are meant to stay hidden in Time’s Wind. Jump into these and other fantastical stories. Your fate awaits you.
So…You Want to Write a Book
You want to write a book, but you don’t know where to start. First of all, the whole process from beginning to end will take a while. I’m not saying that to scare you away. I’m just being realistic. The upside to this is you will finish if you stick to it. Do not back down. Take a break, yes, but don’t get discouraged. The ideas and creativity will come and go. Jesus is my inspiration. Without Him my efforts are meh.
All that being said, what do you do first? Well, there are some things one must think about and decide on before sitting down at the computer to write. Those things come in the form of questions to answer first and/or things to think about. You will find them below.
- Do you want to write fiction or nonfiction?
- In what genre do you want to write? If you want to write fantasy, what type of fantasy? High/epic fantasy? Low fantasy? Magical realism? Sword and sorcery? Dark fantasy? Fables? Fairy tales? Superhero fiction? Be specific. If you want to write a romance, there are quite a few of those, too. I just decided to pick on fantasy at the moment.
- Who is your reader? Young adult? Children? Older adults? Adults?
- Why are you writing the book?
- Learn the three act structure of a book (fiction).
- Get to know your characters.
- Ask yourself ‘what if’ questions. This will help you with creating your story and give you something to build it around.
- Decide on the best time of day to write and write everyday.
- Explore ideas.
- Loosen up your writing and relax.
As you can see from this list, there is much to think about. Relax, take your time with it, and about all…have fun.
Listening
What do you listen to while you work?
Most of the time, nothing. But, when the need calls for it, I listen to fantasy music to get the creative ideas swirling.
The Time Series
Tented Worlds by L. M. Montes
In tented worlds away from those who see
hazards of life yet choose to live it,
eyes drift alone and gaze skyward
with thoughts surfing waves of fantasy,
they are here but never here
forever moving from there to there,
fraught with distance a foot away
from those who choose to live.
Choosing a Genre
Whether you are writing a book or reading one, you’re choosing a genre.
- Genre: The dictionary definition of genre is as follows “A class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like:” It involves, “a kind, category, or sort, esp. of literary or artistic work.”
Nonfiction, fiction, and poetry are the three main literary genres, but there are many subgenres within each of these three. I’m going to pick on fiction and list some of these subgenres below.
- horror
- mystery
- fantasy
- legend
- thriller
- science fiction
- crime
- romance
Let’s say you want to write a short story, but you don’t know which kind you want to write. Well, what interests you the most? If you are an avid reader of fantasy fiction, then chances are you’re familiar with that subgenre. In that case choosing fantasy would be best. But what if you wanted to challenge yourself and write in a subgenre you are not familiar with? Then choose one outside your comfort zone. If you do that, make sure you do your homework and read a few books or short stories in that unfamiliar subgenre and do some reading up on it. Trust me, they all have their particular rules one must adhere to when writing in them.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to choosing a genre. It really is up to you and what your goals are.
My Author Card
The Cross’s Key
The Kindle/eBook version and all formats of my new novel are now live on Amazon.
July is going to be hot in more ways than one — Mark Piggott | Fantasy and Steampunk Author
Sorry to be AWOL for a while, but its been a busy start to my summer, and its not over yet. I traveled from Virginia to Manchester, Connecticut, for the Book Fiends Readers Festival, June 25. It was a long weekend but I met so many wonderful steampunk writers, artists, crafters and performers. It was […]
July is going to be hot in more ways than one — Mark Piggott | Fantasy and Steampunk Author
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 