Eric Kent Edstrom

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About Eric Kent Edstrom
Eric Kent Edstrom is a fantasy and SF writer.
Starside Saga: Fantasy
1. Thief of Sparks
2. A Raven's Dream
3. Mind of Mercusine
4. The Raven Throne
5. The Force of Destiny
6. The Shadline Rises
7. Fortress of Shadow
8. Dagger of Deception
The Scion Chronicles: YA Dystopian
1. Daughter of Nothing
2. Child of Lies
3. Sister of Shadows
4. Scions of Sacrifice
Complete Boxed Set
Find Eric's short stories in Fiction River: Visions of the Apocalypse, Tavern Tales, Haunted, Last Stand, Not Only Humans, Superpowers, Justice, Wishes, and Chronicle Worlds: Feyland, and more.
Edstrom lives in Wisconsin with his wife, daughter, and two crazy Brittany dogs named Lucky and Arrow. To learn about upcoming releases, join his mailing list at www.ericedstrom.com/newsletter
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Author Updates
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Blog postLike us novelists, readers want validation.
We want others to confirm our genius.
Readers just want you to confirm that the story is over.
Photo: dima_sidelnikov The validation readers need comes at the end of your story. It’s the scene or scenes following the climax, after the main plot closes.
You must provide a clear signal that the story is over. For good or ill, the adventure is done.
In Star Wars its the awards ceremony, where Luke, Han, and Chewb1 year ago Read more -
Blog postReaders say they hate cliffhangers.
But readers reward cliffhangers . . . at the end of chapters.
photo: everett225 There are all sorts of cliffhangers, and you can use them throughout your book to create suspense, intriguing confusion, and surprise.
At the end of every scene and/or chapter, end with a Tease, Twist, or or Unresolved moment.
The Unresolved Moment is the typical cliffhanger.
Your hero is chased by rabid wolves to a cli1 year ago Read more -
Blog postI can’t watch gross-out tv shows or movies.
I don’t like close-ups of extreme emotional anguish either and most readers don’t either. But sometimes we have to write scenes of extreme events.
Photo: Wavebreakmedia When we subject our reader to discomfort, we’re making a choice that might cause them to put the book down. This doesn’t mean we eschew difficult situations or topics in our novels. Quite the opposite.
If you’re writing horror, that’s what the audience wants.1 year ago Read more -
Blog postI’m surprised by how many writers I meet who misunderstand the 10,000 hour rule.
Photo: Khakimullin Popularized by Maclom Gladwell in his quadrillion selling “Outliers,” the idea is that a person needs 10,000 hours of intentional practice to master a complex skill like playing an instrument.
My respose: who cares?
Gladwell’s premise seems to have been inspired by a paper by Anders Ericcson in the Harvard Business Review.
The upshot of the paper:”Consistent1 year ago Read more -
Blog postThe best advice I ever heard about writing endings was this:
“If you can’t write your ending, read your beginning.”
photo: deagreez1 Do yourself a favor and refresh your memory on the first couple chapters, especially the opening pages of your novel, and ask:
Where is this taking place? Does your character need to return here for the story to feel complete?
What was your main character thinking? Are those thoughts different now? Revelant, irrelevant?1 year ago Read more -
Blog postI used to be too nice to my main characters.
I’d put them in danger, I’d subject them to fights they couldn’t win, I’d imprison them, and once I had aliens install a brain implant through my character’s nose.
photo acobchuk1 But these sorts of discomforts and pains are first level pains. Readers can be intrigued by these problems, but they’re so used to reading them, they don’t feel especially moved by them.
You could write more graphic detail, the kind of thing people1 year ago Read more -
Blog postYour hero has helpers. These characters make up his team.
photo ufabizphoto I didn’t realize this when I wrote my first novel. I just threw names out and characters started having conversations and then plot happened.
But ten chapters in, I had these hangers-on, these useless louts who took up my brain power but didn’t do anything except run in fear when bigfoot burst from the forest.
It was too much to keep track of, and each had little mini plots going that1 year ago Read more -
Blog postWe somes make promises to readers without realizing it. This happens all the time when we introduce an intriguing mystery or enigmatic character. Some won’t remember them, and won’t notice if you never show the resolution or purpose of these elements.
photo Slphotography But others will, especially if you have re-readers.
If you’re writing a series, you can carry these over from book to book, answering some, introducing new ones. But the trick is to keep track of them and brin1 year ago Read more -
Blog postAs a visual artist, I’m at a disadvantage. I have zero natural talent.
But that’s not stopping me from learning to draw. My ultimate goal is to be able to draw concept art of my characters. So I’ve been drawing heads (from every angle) for days. They are invariably bad, but they are improving.
So what does this have to do with writing?
The smaller the sketch, the less detail I can put in without it turning into a muddy mess.
This is true in writing. If you are1 year ago Read more -
Blog postI am often impressed by my own accidental genius.
Wait. What?
photo: Milkos Accidental genius is one of the great joys of writing fiction. And you have already encountered it.
When something I “just made up” during the flow of writing back in chapter 3 suddenly becomes pivotal to the story in chapter 15, I grin like a maniac and type like a fiend.
“It’s happening!” I cry. “It’s really happening!”
The best part about these things is that they appear to b1 year ago Read more
Titles By Eric Kent Edstrom
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