Blog about books

Game designers spent decades engineering the return between sessions. Five of their techniques translate directly to serial fiction chapter craft.

Inventive magic systems and worlds worth studying, across fantasy and science fiction, grouped by how their rules actually work.

Ten science fiction serials and serialized novels worth reading, from space opera to time loops, grouped by SF flavor with a one-line hook for each.

A serialized novel lives or dies on pacing. Four craft levers for chapter rhythm: chapter length, scene vs summary, metering revelation, and varying tempo across a long run.

Serials are won in the long middle, not the opening. Four well-known TV series as craft lenses for keeping a chapter-by-chapter story compelling over the long haul.

Ten widely loved LitRPG and progression fantasy web serials worth reading, from Cradle to Dungeon Crawler Carl, and why the genre fits serial form.

From Worm and The Wandering Inn to Dickens and Sherlock Holmes, nine web serials and serialized novels worth reading, plus why the chapter-by-chapter format works.

A cross-genre reading list of the enemies-to-lovers trope, grouped by the flavor of the enmity: rivals, sworn enemies, and slow-thaw antagonists.

Loved A Court of Thorns and Roses or Fourth Wing? Here are 10 romantasy reads to pick up next, grouped by vibe: fae courts, dragon-riders, myth retellings, and cozy magic.

New to cozy fantasy or just need a comfort read? Eight low-stakes, big-hearted fantasy books, grouped by mood so you can pick by how you want to feel.