Paranormal Study Materials
If you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it.
Historical Fiction Study Materials
Online Resources The first question for historical fiction writers is “What era and area will I write in?” Along with the books in the Informational section below, here are some online options for helping you pick: Khan Academy’s World History Course — Khan Academy is a non-profit organization aiming to provide free, quality education to everyone. A lot of the material is aimed toward children, but there’s plenty of stuff for adults as well. Check out their world history courses and see what jumps out at you. If you’re getting enough online learning from this site and want some other...
Nonfiction Guide
For those who don’t want to make stuff up, nonfiction beckons. It’s obviously a research-heavy genre, so only the studious need apply. However, most people who write nonfiction choose a subject they already know well, which cuts down on the time needed for study. It’s one of the few genres where you can make money on stand-alone books. This is because one of the most common types of non-fiction book is the problem-solving book. You identify a problem readers have and you tell them how to solve it. If you hit on a problem a lot of readers have and...
Should I Write Paranormal Fantasy?
If you like your urban fantasy with a side of romance; if you like Twilight or True Blood; if you think werewolves are underrepresented in modern fantasy; then paranormal might be a good fit for you.
The real thing to figure out is do you like romance? Because most of what is referred to as paranormal is actually paranormal romance.
Paranormal Fantasy Guide
Paranormal is a subset of intrusion fantasy that gets its own page here as it is unique in both its popularity and the fact that it's almost never written except in genre combinations.
There is some confusion/discussion about what paranormal fiction actually is.
Epic Fantasy Study Materials
If you want to write epic fantasy, you must read epic fantasy. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it. The books listed below will teach you about the genre and help you get a feel for all the different things you can do with it.
Portal Fantasy Study Materials
There are only a few books noted here, because most likely your portal fantasy will owe more to its genre combination than this genre. It is especially important to look at what is hitting the top of the list when you type in portal fantasy. If your book doesn't fit with these (currently mostly romance, erotica, and LitRPG), then I wouldn't bother using portal fantasy in your advertising/search term strategies
Portal Fantasy Story Builder
For this exercise, you should have a document open where you can write. Now copy the text in the box and paste it into that document. This will be the blueprint for your story.
Should I Write Portal Fantasy
Portal fantasies are a great way to take your reader away from their world for a while. If that's what you read for, then it might be a good fit for you. And it works as a mechanism for nearly every other genre, as well.
Portal Fantasy Blueprint
For the portal fantasy blueprint, I'm going to use the Three Act Story Structure with a few touches of Campbell's The Adventure of the Hero thrown in for fun.