This week: Life Is Just a Fantasy Edited by: Shannon  
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3. Letter from the Editor
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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
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"The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge." ~ Albert Einstein
Some say the difference between science fiction and fantasy is that science fiction deals with the possible while fantasy deals with the impossible. So what are common elements often found in fantasy fiction?
Magic
Witches and warlocks, supernatural abilities, necromancy, and mythical creatures are but a few of the magical elements you'll find in fantasy fiction. And if you're interested in seeing a list of mythical creatures and their meanings, check this out.
World Building
Anyone who's read The Lord of the Rings or watched Game of Thrones knows exactly what this means. It's important to engage all five senses. What does it look and sound like? What languages do they speak? What kind of food do they eat? How's the climate? Is there a caste system? What do their homes look like? Do they live in caves, ice castles, hovels, treehouses? If you need some help building your world, this may help.
Fantastical Characters
Every writer knows interesting, sympathetic characters are a must, regardless of genre. No one wants to read a story with nothing but loathsome individuals doing loathsome things, a story without redemption and at least one beacon of light--a character to whom the reader feels an emotional attachment. If you're struggling with fleshing out your protagonist, this article may help.
Conflict, CoNfLiCt, CONFLICT!
Do you like stories in which everyone is happy and everything is butterflies and rainbows? Gag me with a spoon! Nuh-uh. Maybe that "perfect" husband is being blackmailed for a crime he committed when he was younger. Perhaps the "happy" schoolteacher has a shopping addiction and has maxed out her credit cards to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. What if the revered neighborhood fireman is actually an arsonist? These aren't fantasy plot devices, but you get the picture. Need help sprinkling conflict around like fairy dust? How to Create Conflict in Your Novel offers a few ideas.
Bonus Content
 I found this list of elemental abilities quite interesting with numerous opportunities for character development.
Every year Brandon Sanderson, best-selling author of fantasy and science fiction, teaches a 14-week science fiction and fantasy writing class at BYU in Utah, and he puts the entire series of lectures on his YouTube channel. Here is the 2020 lecture series.
Have you written a fantasy fiction story you'd like to share with the WDC community? Do you have a favorite fantasy film or book that every fantasy fiction reader should know about? Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive "Fantasy Fiction" trinket. The image used to make this month's trinket was created by yours truly. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket in October when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
"There is art and beauty and power in the primal images of fantasy." ~ Guillermo del Toro
Thank you for reading.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
|  | Rockabee (E)
A tale of Rockabee, a town in the drop of Alder sap by the Giant's Grave in Cong, Ireland
#1227521 by Basilides  |
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The following is in response to "The Power of Language" :
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Princess Megan Snow Rose  writes: Titles can be deceiving. The Twilight Series titles were great and fit in with the stories. I hate when a book title doesn't work into the story. A title of a book draws the reader in. This newsletter is informative and helpful. I enjoyed reading this.
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Jeff  writes: I'm a huge fan of studying book/story titles and I use a number of these devices in my own. And while I'm not sure there's a term for it per se, I also love detailed titles that pique the reader's interest, such as The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and All the Light We Cannot See.
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BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  writes: There are plenty of places to think up.
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Annette  writes: I have not knowingly used any of the techniques that you suggest. It seems it would be a great contest to get authors to come up with a phrase, sentence, or short paragraph that matches each of these.
Years ago, I stood in line at the library to get my books checked out. The cover of a book caught my eye and I grabbed it just for fun. After reading that book and returning it, I ended up buying it and all the consecutive books by that author. More than a title, I think a book cover can also help with the impulse choice at the library or buy at a bookstore.
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Solace.Bring  writes: After reading your Short Story Newsletter, “The Power of Language”, a well-known example came to mind. Winston Churchill used anaphora in his 1940 speech to the British House of Commons to rally the people behind a sense of unity.
“We shall not flag nor fail.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans;
We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air.
We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be;
We shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets, and on the hills.
We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old.”
I have not intentionally incorporated anaphora into my stories, but I’ve used it in some of my poetry. Here’s one: "The Daily Poem " [ASR].
I enjoyed your newsletter.
Thank you!
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Schnujo's NOT Doing NaNoWriMo  writes: While I've used alliteration and anaphora before (as well as onomatopoeia, but that's not where I'm going with this lol), I had no idea there were so many other types of repetition (though I can see that's mostly because I never thought about it  ) or that they had actual names. Crazy! This was a really interesting newsletter and I hope I can put more of these other things into my writing.  Thanks for sharing!
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LinnAnn -Book writer  writes: I read, and appreciate what you tried to teach me. I've already forgotten, brain damage is a nuisance. Can't figure out how to get the trinket.
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Merry QPdoll writes: I don't think I've used any of these techniques in my writing on purpose unless I've been given an assignment or challenge. It's great information.
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Lilith 🎄 Christmas Cheer  writes: This newsletter is a keeper! Thank you for the valuable info and I especially enjoyed the video!
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Leger~  writes: Hi Shannon! What attracts me depends on what I'm looking for. Obviously if it's an informational textbook, it's the topic. If I'm looking for my secret splurge, romance, it's an intriguing title and a cover image that looks polished. If I'm sifting through a bargain bin (hey, I'm a voracious reader) it's a bit of everything. Something catches my eye, it's in my cart. And then, of course, the free kindle listing...always a gamble, but no $ lost.
Great newsletter, thanks!
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sindbad  writes: Hi, Shannon. Power of language is a simple and rather lucid read on a subject that can have lot of ambiguous take. I loved the way you approached the whole thing with simple and methodical insight. Great job indeed....sindbad
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Short Stories: August 30, 2023 Issue [#12146]
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