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Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy   vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series)
 
 
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Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series) (Paperback)

~ Darin Park (Editor), Tom Dullemond (Editor)
Key Phrases: semantic mapping, high fantasy, supernatural villain, Middle Ages, Science Fiction, The Lord of the Rings (more...)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

List Price: $24.95
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Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy   vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series) + The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 2: The Opus Magus + The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, The: Volume 3: The Author's Grimoire
Price For All Three: $49.41

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  • This item: Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series) by Darin Park

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  • The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 2: The Opus Magus by Tee Morris

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  • The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, The: Volume 3: The Author's Grimoire by Valerie Griswold-Ford

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Editorial Reviews

Review

The Complete Guide lives up to its name and goes beyond the ordinary. -- Jeanine Berry, FictionFactor.com, author of Dayspring Dawning and Daysprint Destiny


Review

"Comprehensive, with much advice on historical settings, weapons, combat, world building and such, and fantasy writers can profit by it."

- Piers Anthony, Author of the Xanth Series -


Product Details

  • Paperback: 360 pages
  • Publisher: Dragon Moon Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1896944094
  • ISBN-13: 978-1896944098
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #42 in  Books > Reference > Writing > Fiction

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Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy   vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series)
62% buy the item featured on this page:
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$16.47
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy (Writing Series)
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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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122 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Background Material, October 2, 2003
By Moira Allen (Chantilly, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I've picked up many "genre" writing books that have proved a huge disappointment -- maybe a chapter or two of genre info followed by the usual "how to type a manuscript" stuff. This book is a refreshing change! For anyone seeking to build a "realistic" fantasy world, it's a compendium of expert advice -- covering food, clothing, weapons, warfare, religion, even a fantastic (no pun intended) section on diseases. There have been criticisms of this book based on the fact that many of the contributors aren't "established" fantasy authors. What they ARE is experts in the fields upon which they are contributing, whether that field is medicine, weaponry, or what-have-you. In short, if you were going to look up "experts" to talk to about some aspect of the world you're building, these are the people you'd ask. This book will stay on my shelf! --...
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52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource, October 5, 2003
The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy is a great reference guide for the aspiring fantasy author who is bubbling over with all the "How do I" questions. It is also a wonderful resource for those who have been writing in the genre for some time, but maybe need to understand one aspect of the genre more than another.

I personally found the sections on medieval food, medieval clothing and the sections on armor and combat very helpful.

You can't go wrong with this on your bookshelf.

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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful, but..., January 9, 2007
This book is a great resource for fantasy writers. It draws attention to details that could easily be overlooked by a writer in this genre; details that would make a story richer for their inclusion. It stimulates the imagination as one considers how information from each chapter might work in the world/story he or she has created.

However, it has been poorly edited and is full of typos, spelling mistakes and poor grammar. One occasionally stumbles upon a sentence so poorly constructed that it requires a struggle to understand the author's meaning, and one chapter is so disjointed and full of errors that it is very difficult to follow. This inattention to detail would make me leery of accepting the information on medieval customs as fact, and I would be careful to check any of the information from this novel against another source before using it (though some would say that's a good idea with any research).

Aside from that caveat, I still highly recommend this book to beginning fantasy writers, as it may open your eyes to avenues of world and character creation you never considered before.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Intro
To those out there: I just fninished reading the intro, and I got to the part on the gods. I have to highly disagree that writing about fake gods are fun, better than... Read more
Published 3 months ago

1.0 out of 5 stars self-congratulatory and silly
How do you get published in Fantasy Fiction? One way is to start your own company and write books about writing. I can only think that is what must have happened here. Read more
Published 6 months ago by SML

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good, Some Wrong
Although much of the book is interesting and brings up useful ideas for a new writer to think about, using it as a reference could be dangerous. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bob Kristin

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven
Volume 1 seems to suffer from a split personality: is this book designed for fan readers or for writers wanting to break into the fantasy genre? Read more
Published 14 months ago by Deborah Chester

5.0 out of 5 stars A change from the norm....
Yes, there are the chapters on weapons, combat, and world building. But there are also chapters on food, clothing and religion. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Michael Valdivielso

4.0 out of 5 stars guided fantasy
this book is a must have, extremely informative, simple and easy to read, well organized .... a real asset to the novice fantasy writer
Published 17 months ago by bookman

3.0 out of 5 stars you don't quite get what you pay for
I have been carrying this book around with me for the past 3 days. I bought it because it had the highest rating when I compared it to other books about how to write fantasy... Read more
Published on October 4, 2007 by Megan Mann

2.0 out of 5 stars How can it be a Complete guide if it's only Volume 1?
I ignored the bad reviews of this book and bought it anyway because it sounded like it had some pertinent information. Read more
Published on February 13, 2007 by T. D. Newton

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all about the details!
This is a wonderful book for anyone who writes fantasy, as it addresses the special nuances specific to the genre. Read more
Published on July 7, 2006 by Dana Nourie

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have World Building Reference Book
My husband is a publisher with little time to read for pleasure, so when I saw that the book he had purchased had quickly gone from "brand new condition" to "over worn and dog... Read more
Published on March 1, 2006 by Theresa Terry Bane

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