SF&F Critters References

SF&F Critters

Critiquing the Fantastic

limyaael's Fantasy Rants

This is meant to be a comprehensive list limyaael's fantasy rants--currently 405 of them! Not just angry screeds, they contain much about the mechanics of writing good fantasy and a community of fantasy writers has sprung up around them.

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New! You can now view the rants through tags, too, to see rants in specific categories. Here's the list!

The Rants

2007-05-20: On possession, mind control, and hypnosis
2007-05-15: On nonhumans living with their nonhuman attributes
2007-05-06: Rant on whores.
2007-05-02: Class/caste systems
2007-04-27: Attitudes towards killing and violence.
2007-04-20: On using non-Western influence in fantasy
2007-04-16: Characterizing animals
2007-04-11: Writing fantasy about oppression
2007-04-07: Moments When the Protagonist Awes Other Characters, Curing the Addiction To
2007-04-01: Mentor rant
2007-03-24: Non-villain rant
2007-03-20: Six ways of using the insider
2007-02-18: Casual worldbuilding
2007-02-14: Gender-equal societies
2007-02-10: Rant on domestic fantasy
2007-02-07: Ten ways of managing angst
2007-01-28: All the small things
2007-01-22: Competency and work
2007-01-07: Avoiding gimmick-worlds
2007-01-02: Ways of extending sympathy
2006-12-26: Ten things you can do in the middles of novels
2006-12-21: Rules to read by
2006-12-19: This might be a fun game to play
2006-12-17: Cohering a hero
2006-10-22: Group dynamics rant
2006-09-23: More on body-centered writing
2006-09-18: Ways to make a reader hate your hero
2006-09-13: Loose ends rant
2006-09-10: Variations on a theme of ecological fantasy
2006-09-06: Non-complex fantasy
2006-09-03: On alien species and worlds and keeping them alien
2006-08-31: Subplot rant
2006-08-26: Varying a story's emotional tone
2006-08-23: Having "different" sexual practices in one's world
2006-08-16: On making non-utopian fantasy worlds
2006-08-11: Writing believable romance (part 2)
2006-08-07: Writing believable romance (part 1)
2006-08-03: Writing sex scenes
2006-08-01: How to write complex, real royals true-to-character
2006-07-29: Writing ordinary, limited heroes
2006-07-26: Good explication/exposition
2006-07-20: Creating high-magic worlds
2006-07-18: Including worldbuilding/background
2006-07-12: Raining shit on the story and not letting it stink.
2006-07-02: Creating a history of ideas for your world (part 2)
2006-06-28: Creating a historical background of ideas for your world (part one)
2006-06-25: Writing a visionary (part 2)
2006-06-22: Writing a visionary (part 1)
2006-06-19: Writing non-evil collective and traditionalist societies
2006-06-15: Complicating a plot rant
2006-03-26: Why complex fantasy is just so great
2006-03-22: Characters with sympathy
2006-03-18: Ways of portraying character subjectivity that entertain Limyaael
2006-02-17: Creating convincing religious characters
2006-02-14: Creating convincing crises of faith
2006-01-23: Rant on killing your villain without a *deus ex machina*
2006-01-02: Writing a psychotic viewpoint character
2005-12-28: Creating a court
2005-12-22: Ten things to do when you have an image and nothing else
2005-12-20: Subtle foreshadowing rant
2005-12-17: What it takes to make Limyaael love a love triangle
2005-12-15: Rant on immigration/emigration
2005-11-25: Rant on creating subgenres
2005-11-21: Fantasies about recovery/healing
2005-11-19: Rant on writing extroverted protagonists
2005-11-15: Getting nature more involved in your fantasy novel
2005-11-09: Moments of great social change
2005-11-05: Rant on exiles/expatriates
2005-11-01: Ten great things about non-tragic fantasy
2005-10-29: Espionage rant
2005-10-25: And yet more things that Limyaael thinks are really cool
2005-10-22: Twins rant
2005-10-17: Rant on older protagonists (25 and up)
2005-10-14: Rant on things that really irritate Limyaael
2005-10-12: Making good reluctant heroes
2005-10-10: Rant on creating likeable bastard characters
2005-10-09: Keeping static worlds plausible
2005-10-06: Conlang rant- worldbuilding
2005-10-03: Nouns, pronouns, and stuff, with a garnish of Finnish
2005-09-28: Making conlangs: More basic considerations and the grammar of verbs
2005-09-24: Making a language: Basics/phonology
2005-09-19: Rant on other worlds/alternate worlds
2005-09-14: Neutral character rant
2005-09-12: Rant on juxtaposed worlds
2005-09-09: Rant on mute and non-speaking characters
2005-09-07: Rant on non-angsty werewolves
2005-09-05: Rant on handling a large cast of view
2005-09-04: Rant on elemental magic
2005-09-03: Putting non-obvious bits of yourself in the story/characters
2005-09-01: Magical families and making them non-irritating
2005-08-30: Making a protagonist into a hero
2005-08-26: International relationships rant
2005-08-26: Propaganda rant
2005-08-24: Beings of extreme power rant
2005-08-22: Showing your viewpoint character as not 100% correct
2005-08-18: Idiot plots, and how to avoid them
2005-08-10: Serious optimism rant
2005-08-07: On escaping the arranged marriage trap
2005-08-03: Taking inspiration from literature
2005-08-01: Silence and its uses
2005-07-30: Creating a sense of the forbidden
2005-07-28: Having a sense of mystery in your magic
2005-07-26: Writing the duty-bound protagonist
2005-07-24: Writing nobility of spirit without being sappy
2005-07-22: Character change by gradual process
2005-07-20: Making convincing loner characters
2005-07-18: Rant on sociopathic characters
2005-07-15: Ten things to do when you've gotten bored with your novel
2005-07-13: Creating a sense of inevitability
2005-07-11: Rant on revolutions and civil wars
2005-07-09: Balancing showing and telling
2005-07-07: Limitations on magic rant
2005-07-05: Political fantasy rant
2005-07-03: Rant on deathbed scenes/last moments
2005-07-01: Yet more things that Limyaael thinks would be really cool
2005-06-29: Rant on friendships
2005-06-27: Rant on genius characters
2005-06-25: Non-annoying stubborn characters
2005-06-23: Writing fantasy without villains
2005-06-21: Ten alternatives to genetic magic
2005-06-19: Writing fantasy without magic
2005-06-15: Adult bildungsroman rant
2005-06-13: City rant (second part)
2005-06-10: City rant (part the first)
2005-06-08: Deciding on your viewpoint character
2005-06-06: Worldbuilding through layering
2005-06-04: Brutal fantasy rant
2005-06-03: Rant on surprise endings/in-story revelations
2005-06-01: Other fantasy education ideas
2005-05-29: Magic education rant
2005-05-24: Fighter training rant
2005-05-22: Fantasy education rant: Some general ideas
2005-05-19: Ten alternatives to writing a 'character learns a lesson'
2005-05-17: Smooth endings rant
2005-05-15: Seasonal variation rant
2005-05-13: Writing empires rant, part two
2005-05-09: Writing empire (first part)
2005-05-05: Some suggestions for revision
2005-04-28: More things Limyaael thinks would be really cool
2005-04-26: Rant on creating distinct minor characters
2005-04-22: Being in-character during the difficult moments
2005-04-18: Giving your plot a good kick in the ass
2005-04-16: Interesting heroines rant
2005-04-13: Unequal relationships rant
2005-04-11: Designated Love Interest rant
2005-04-08: Money/currency rant
2005-04-04: The navy rant
2005-04-02: Army rant
2005-03-29: Rant on creating a sense of place
2005-03-26: Likeable character rant
2005-03-24: Single combat scenes
2005-03-22: Some ideas on fascinating characters
2005-03-20: Sensible character motivations rant
2005-03-18: Rant on authorial nitpicking, part two
2005-03-17: Rant on authorial nitpicking
2004-10-29: Rant on necromancy
2004-10-04: Difference rant part two
2004-10-24: Vampire rant
2005-03-16: Rant on interesting villains
2005-03-14: Fortune-telling rant
2005-03-13: Transformative fantasy rant
2005-03-12: Earning hell
2005-03-09: 'Balancing cynicism' rant
2005-03-06: Interpersonal speaking styles rant
2005-03-05: Handling Byzantine plots
2005-03-03: Psychic powers rant
2005-03-02: Rant on non-journey stories
2005-03-01: Making a story a true stand-alone
2005-02-28: Gaining reader empathy rant
2005-02-27: Rant on putting your characters through absolute hell
2005-02-26: Non-linear narrative rant
2005-02-24: Rant on adult characters
2005-02-21: Ways of maintaining a really, really long novel
2005-02-17: Rant on fleshing out secondary and tertiary characters
2005-02-15: Transition rant
2005-02-14: World-building through writing
2005-02-11: Telling drama from melodrama rant
2005-01-31: Making your protagonists active instead of reactive
2005-02-01: Bookish protagonists rant, a.k.a 'Limyaael wants more of them'
2005-02-03: In praise of selfish characters
2005-02-05: Rant on borderlands
2005-02-07: Rant on non-protagonist children
2005-01-29: Things Limyaael thinks would be really cool
2005-01-14: Rant on madness
2005-01-16: Clothing rant
2005-01-19: Holidays and festivals rant
2005-01-21: Quiet moments rant
2005-01-26: Rant on fantasy narrative poetry
2005-01-29: Non-bickering, non-love at first sight relationships
2005-01-24: Rant on music
2005-01-15: Rant on gypsies and nomadic peoples
2005-01-13: Noble sufferer rant
2005-01-08: Rant on non-standard fantasy societies
2005-01-03: Rant on explanation vs. overexplanation
2005-01-06: Inheritance rant
2005-01-11: Rant on self-editing
2004-12-29: Weaving in messages without being obnoxious
2005-01-01: Marriage rant
2005-01-02: Rant on creating good rulers
2004-12-23: Rant on antagonistic families
2004-12-26: Rant on good families
2004-12-28: Rant on island life
2004-12-27: Rant on fantasy travel
2004-12-20: Rant on technology in fantasy
2004-11-13: Comic relief rant
2004-11-10: Demon rant
2004-12-19: Rant on amnesia/amnesiac characters
2004-12-17: 'How to avoid making spunkiness obnoxious' rant
2004-11-30: Plotting in peacetime
2004-11-25: Rant on creating non-Dark Lord villains.
2004-11-20: Advice on writing short stories
2004-11-18: Introduction rant
2004-11-06: Fantasy of excess: Rant on Jordan and Goodkind
2004-11-04: Rant on slavery
2004-10-31: Ghost rant
2004-10-26: Servant rant
2004-10-21: On the handling of disabled characters
2004-10-23: On good descriptive prose
2004-10-19: Rant on shapeshifter societies
2004-10-17: Shapeshifter rant
2004-10-08: Rant on daily flavors of life, part two
2004-10-15: Second part of the plotting rant
2004-10-12: Some considerations when plotting a fantasy novel
2004-10-10: Council scene rant
2004-10-06: Rant on flavors of daily life (part one)
2004-10-01: Writing different characters (part one)
2004-09-29: On doing good fantasy romances
2004-09-27: Avoiding medieval fantasy part two
2004-09-25: On stepping out of medieval fantasy (part one)
2004-09-22: Peasant rant
2004-09-18: Rant on royalty
2004-09-15: Invisible barriers rant
2004-09-08: Rant on D&D stereotypes
2004-09-05: Handling frustrating characters
2004-09-02: On assassin characters
2004-08-31: Thief hero rant
2004-08-28: Fighter hero rant
2004-08-26: On mage heroes
2004-08-24: Flaw-scrubbing rant
2004-08-21: Special ability rant
2004-08-18: The suspense in fantasy books would like to stop dying, please and thank you
2004-08-17: Religious questionnaire, part two
2004-08-15: Religion questionnaire
2004-08-13: Jumping into oblivion, a.k.a writing without an outline
2004-08-11: Healers and cures rant
2004-08-09: When the plague comes to town
2004-08-06: Rebel rant part two
2004-08-03: Rant on rebel groups, part one
2004-08-01: Throwing out the kitchen sink
2004-07-30: Backstory rant
2004-07-27: Bildungsroman rant
2004-07-24: Avoiding deus ex machina
2004-07-21: If you must have beautiful characters...
2004-07-19: Killing your protagonists, for empress_dots
2004-07-17: Redemption rant, part two.
2004-07-16: Redemption rant, part one
2004-07-12: Breathing life into bullies
2004-07-10: Creating dynamic protagonists
2004-07-08: Angst vs. tragedy
2004-07-06: Another post on stories
2004-07-03: To put, or not to put
2004-07-02: Culture-building, and stories
2004-07-01: Notes on non-monarchical societies, part three
2004-06-29: Notes on non-monarchical societies, part two. (And tabloid mages yay!)
2004-06-28: Notes on non-monarchical societies, part one
2004-06-26: Some things about writing
2004-06-24: The fantasy in the mystery
2004-06-22: The mystery in the fantasy
2004-06-21: Inconsistency rant
2004-06-18: The linguistic dimension of history is tired of being ignored.
2004-06-16: Keeping those dragons alive
2004-06-14: Rant on gay and lesbian characters in fantasy, for kannaophelia
2004-06-12: And are your characters sane today? (for avrelia)
2004-06-10: My problem isn't (necessarily) Marion Zimmer Bradley (for worldserpent)
2004-06-07: Stupid plots rant, for dawnkiller- Last Herald
2004-06-03: Viewpoint rant
2004-06-01: Instilling perceptiveness in a character.
2004-05-25: Genealogy rant.
2004-05-23: The speed of the story
2004-05-21: Author's Darlings, and murdering them in their cradles.
2004-05-20: The 'proper' uses of language.
2004-05-17: Rant on abuse of abused characters.
2004-05-07: How can you tell the characters from the world?
2004-04-29: Heroines
2004-04-25: Spicing up conversational scenes.
2004-04-21: I can't think of a good title for this rant.
2004-04-17: Limitations rant
2004-04-14: Change in societies
2004-04-11: Emotional scenery, part two.
2004-04-08: Emotional scenery rant
2004-04-05: Avoiding infodumps
2004-04-03: Standing on ceremony
2004-04-02: In service of change
2004-04-01: Body-centered writing
2004-03-30: Dark fantasy rant
2004-03-28: Problems and Promises of First-Person Fantasy
2004-03-26: Secret groups
2004-03-25: On escaping Tolkien clichés.
2004-03-24: Making an ordinary person your hero.
2004-03-23: Inspired by klgaffney's comment in the telcom
2004-03-22: Telcom rant
2004-03-20: Death rant
2004-03-19: Sex in fantasy novels.
2004-03-16: Feminist fantasy rant.
2004-03-15: On urban fantasy.
2004-03-14: Crossover fantasy
2004-03-12: They're innocent little words. Why are you hurting them?
2004-03-11: Spelling/grammar three.
2004-03-09: Yet another list of grammar/spelling mistakes the world would be better off without.
2004-03-07: Grammar/spelling/punctuation part 1
2004-03-04: Dream rant.
2004-03-02: Name rant
2004-02-29: Other Species Equal-Time Day.
2004-02-27: Grasslands fantasy
2004-02-25: Yo ho ho and a bottle of...something.
2004-02-24: Sounds of the jungle.
2004-02-23: Out of the frying pan and into the desert.
2004-02-19: Life in a northern town
2004-02-18: More misused words.
2004-02-17: On animals and hunting.
2004-02-16: Beginning middle books.
2004-02-15: On endings in series books.
2004-02-14: Rant on endings.
2004-02-13: Character introduction and interaction.
2004-02-09: Let's try something a little different today...
2004-02-08: Politics and diplomacy.
2004-02-07: Dialogue rant
2004-02-06: Most commonly misused words in fantasy.
2004-02-05: Art and relating it to various things.
2004-02-04: Fantasy teenage runaways.
2004-02-03: Castles.
2004-02-02: On history.
2004-02-01: On consequences.
2004-01-31: On speaking styles.
2004-01-30: Parody fantasy.
2004-01-29: Rant on gods.
2004-01-28: Literature and culture.
2004-01-27: On making non-human languages.
2004-01-26: The hero's occupation.
2004-01-25: Characterization of protagonists, part three.
2004-01-24: Half-breed heroes.
2004-01-23: On non-humans, part two.
2004-01-22: On non-humans in general.
2004-01-21: On clarity.
2004-01-20: There are other ways to end a fantasy book than battle.
2004-01-19: The final battle.
2004-01-18: On various kinds of war that are not the final battle.
2004-01-17: On getting information to your character.
2004-01-16: On viewpoint structures (or maybe pacing, part two)
2004-01-15: Pacing in fantasy.
2004-01-14: On training the heroes.
2004-01-13: On prologues and their relevance to the story.
2004-01-12: On beliefs and prejudices
2004-01-11: Title rant.
2004-01-10: Descriptive language rant.
2004-01-09: Modern language rant.
2004-01-08: Quests, again.
2004-01-07: Quests and their conventions.
2004-01-06: On characterization of the protagonists, part two.
2004-01-05: Character motivation I
2004-01-04: Intrigues indeed.
2004-01-03: Protagonist rant I
2004-01-02: Romance rant
2004-01-01: Villain rant
2003-12-31: The dwarves' turn.
2003-12-30: Why are elves always this way?
2003-12-29: Medieval societies in fantasy.
2003-12-28: Rant on geography, and its importance to a fantasy story.
2003-12-27: Weather rant
2003-12-26: Astronomy (Friends only)
2003-12-24: Rant on dragons.
2003-12-23: Rant on justice and the legal system in fantasy.
2003-12-22: Animal rant.
2003-12-21: Rant on magic, part two.
2003-12-20: Magic rant I
2003-12-19: Battle rant
2003-12-18: Destiny and prophecies rant
2003-12-16: Religion rant I
2003-12-15: Secondary character rant
2003-12-14: Language rant I
2003-12-14: Rant on fantasy teenagers.
2003-12-11: Rant on the hero's childhood.
2003-12-10: Beginnings rant
2003-12-10: 'Nother rant because I can. (Ways not to start a story)
2003-12-10: Rant on character flaws in profiles.
2003-12-07: What I think makes a good fantasy.
2003-11-13: Felt like being declamatory again (Ten pieces of writing advice)
2003-10-03: List of do's and dont's for original characters in fanfic.
2003-08-08: The three little letters that cause so much pain... (On WIPs)
2003-07-10: Limyaael's rules on fantasy in general.
2003-07-03: Finally.... (About trauma and angst)
2003-06-25: Well, haven't done one of these in a while.. (About character flaws)
2003-06-15: Weird little rant on shapeshifting.
2003-06-11: Character gender.
2003-06-11: On letting reviews stop you from writing.
2003-06-10: Message fantasy...
2003-06-06: Limyaael's Rules for Writing Non-Humans.
2003-05-30: Rant because I've been reading too many whiny message board threads lately.
2003-05-29: Limyaael's Rules for Building a Fantasy World.
2003-05-28: Limyaael's Rules for Creating Breathing Characters
2003-05-27: Limyaael's Rules for Making a Female Protagonist Who Does Not Suck.
2003-05-26: Limyaael's Rules for Not Writing Crap
2003-05-24: Why I get impatient with cliched fantasy.

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