Ethan Risso's Blog

In the ever-evolving landscape of publishing, writers find themselves faced both with new struggles and new opportunities. One of the opportunities now available actually seeks to help with some of the struggles: Patreon.

What used to be solely in the hands of the publishing house is now in the hands of the author: paying editors, a proofreader, cover art, advertising, etc. Everyone knows quality comes at a cost, and to bring my readers the content and quality I strive for (and you expect) I...

I just wanted to make a quick update post to let everyone know how the third book is going. A frequently-true occurrence for many people, I’m sure, life does tend to get in the way of writing at times, but I’m pleased to say I’ve made quite a bit of progress nonetheless.

Unlike the previous two books, I’ve found a new struggle in the form of the order in which to put the chapters. Without giving anything away, I need to be particularly careful about the timeline of events and what is happenin...

The last year has certainly been both interesting and distracting, as you can probably tell from that year-long gap between the post at the end of 2015 and the post about updating the website a few weeks ago. With 2016 out of the way, I’m making a proper effort to keep the blog updated, so look forward to posts with more regularity.

When I started writing the outline for Gambit of the Glass Crowns, an idea popped into my head: if I reached fourteen chapters, I had accomplished something. I do...

Unless you’re incredibly fortunate, learning how to write fiction—whether you want to learn how to write fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, comedy, etc.—isn’t a topic covered in your primary or secondary education. It isn’t until you go to college you find yourself able to take formal courses in creative writing. If you’re lucky, you are given the building blocks used to construct your future writing career. If you’re unlucky, you’re taught how to write like your professor—who, coincidence...

Some of us use them every day—or every other sentence—while some of us would never think to utter one. Profanity, obscenities, cursing, swearing, or expletives in fiction, whatever you choose to call them, it’s undeniable they affect everyone differently. With that in mind, many writers worry whether they should include them in their work. The answer is, like with most things, it depends on what you’re writing.

The first thing you need to consider sounds obvious, but it actually tr...

We all encounter it. It’s the monster every writer, new and old, dreads: writer’s block. Learning how to overcome writer’s block is one of the more frustrating things you have to tackle during your writing career. It’s all too easy to get discouraged as the challenge presents itself, but hopefully, with these tips, you’ll find yourself back to writing in no time.

You already know you need to immediately draw a reader in with a kick-ass opening to your story, bu...

Over the course of the next few days, the site will be undergoing a long-overdue makeover. Please bear with me while the changes take effect.

The post Website Updates appeared first on Ethan Risso.

The wait is finally over. The second book in The Sundered Kingdoms Trilogy is available for pre-order.

Be sure to order before its release date (Jan 5, 2016) to take advantage of the loyalty discount price of $1.99 for returning readers!

The post Second Novel Available for Pre-ordering appeared first on Ethan Risso.

A friend of mine recently told meif she were to write anything, it would be fantasy, and asked me for world building tips to better her writing. She thought world building was something you could throw together, reasoning: “You can just make up anything you want to have it fit your plot.” While a nice thought, it is a littlefurther from the truth than you might think.

The fantasy genre is, by its...

Assigned by the United States Library of Congress, an LCCN is a reference number used to locate the bibliographic data of a book published in the United States. Unlike an ISBN, your LCCN does not refer to a specific edition or format, and can be used for hardcover, paperback, and subsequent editions of the same book.

In a word: yes. One of the most important reasons to obtain an LCCN for your book is for discoverability. Not only does the number help the...