The Monster Under the Bed Was Never the Problem

When I was a kid, I was convinced something horrible lived beneath my bed. Watching Poltergeist and A Nightmare on Elm Street at an entirely inappropriate age probably didn’t help, especially with adults who thought threatening to call Freddy Krueger was an acceptable parenting strategy. Looking back, the real problem wasn’t whatever might have been hiding in the dark.

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Where Do Writers Get Their Ideas?

People ask writers where they get their ideas as though there’s some mysterious process involved. Most of mine com from considerably less impressive circumstances: strange headlines, overheard conversations, questionable human behavior, and an imagination that apparently doesn’t know when to leave things alone. Finding ideas is easy enough. Turning them into finished stories is where thiungs get complicated.

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Why Does Every Fantasy World Have a Tavern?

Every fantasy village seems to have a tavern, even when the entire population could fit around one table. From Tolkien’s Prancing Pony to the familiar starting point to countless tabletop adventures, the fantasy tavern has become practically unavoidable. But why does every important conversation in a fantasy kingdom seem to require a pint?

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