We all play games. Board games, card games. Solving problems and competing against each other on a small scale is part of the human condition. It makes sense to reflect games and game-playing in fantasy fiction. Games – real and invented – are common in contemporary fantasy novels. For example, Tak in Rothfuss’s Temerant, and…
Author: jalexandercohen
“I Invented It!” – The Problem With Slipping Existing Ideas Into (Cozy) Fantasy
The Lavender Tavern was my attempt at a queer fairytale podcast. It worked, but it was very draining to come up with a bunch of different short story ideas. I have the feeling I burned through years of brainstorming in only a few months. Gallants in Distress is a typical story: Hamlyn sells take-away ale…
Sugar and Spice: Sex and Cozy Fantasy
(Content warning: There’s sex in them thar spoiler blocks below) Does sex belong in cozy fantasy? Yes. Next post. Seriously, though. We’re still at the start of the cozy fantasy boom (please, let there be a boom) and the definitions of what is and isn’t cozy fantasy are shaking out. You can take the pulse…
Cracking the Marty Stu
For those who are unfamiliar with him, the Marty Stu (or the female version, the Mary Sue) is an unwelcome character trope in fiction. He’s flawless, fearless, is beloved by all the other characters, and has the answer to every problem. Readers can’t stand him, for good reason. When you’re writing a main character who…
Cozy Fantasy Background Music
Writing, playing TTRPGs, or just sipping tea and reading cozy fantasy are all better with some background music. I’ll keep updating this page as I find new playlists I like. Spotify has a ton of fantasy and cozy fantasy playlists, but I find a lot of them jarring. I prefer very mellow smooth instrumentals. Spotify…
Fiction Technique: Foregrounding the Background
Talio’s Codex is a legal thriller and courtroom fantasy set in the secondary-world city of Nuciferia. When my publisher asked for a description of Nuciferia for cover art, I wrote: “Dreamy medieval Dutch/Venetian city of canals” is how I always pictured Nuciferia. Imagine my surprise when I got to the end of my first full…
Calibrating the Cozimeter
I got halfway through the first draft of The Library at Eventide last summer and gave up. It was too much of a downer. One of the main character’s parents passed away. The world was post-apocalyptic. The other main character was struggling with a chronic illness. There was a heavy, unpleasant feeling of sadness and…
Cozy Audio Generators
When I was a teenager I had a record (yes, a physical LP) called Environments (New Concepts In Stereo Sound – Disc 4 – Ultimate Thunderstorm / Gentle Rain In A Pine Forest). I have very happy memories of sitting in my parents’ basement, having my mind blown by a book by Philip K. Dick…
Research As a Source of Brainstorming
Going back through my notes for Talio’s Codex, I discovered some research I did at the very start of the project. I wanted to see what kind of cases, terminology and legal concepts were used in medieval England. Fortunately, the proceedings of the Old Bailey (the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales) are online….
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reusing material you’ve already written is a huge help during revisions. Don’t get rid of anything permanently! Whenever I delete a scene, or even a part of a scene, I tuck it away in a OneNote notebook in case I’ll need it later. In the case of Talio’s Codex, there was an entire pages-long scene…