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Blog: Literary Fantasy Craft

Close craft readings of literary and historical fantasy novels, focused on the structural and character techniques writers can apply to their own long-form fiction.

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Review Literary Fantasy Craft

Two Magicians, One Broken Friendship: What Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Teaches Writers About Rivalry as Story Engine

Susanna Clarke spends nearly a thousand pages making two men who share a vocation feel utterly irreconcilable, and the tension between them does more structural work than any plot twist. Here's what that rivalry can teach you about building conflict that lives in character rather than event.

Nexa October 19, 2026 8 min

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