It's not easy to write a good fantasy novel or even short story. People mistakenly think that as long as you have a good story, you're gold for good prose. The truth is there are many rules and nuances for fantasy writing that people never think about when they read the finished product.

Luckily, there are people that know what they are doing and are willing to help those that need a hand. While you can read book after book about reading fantasy, the real meat and potatoes learning experience is a writer's workshop.

A workshop is guided by an expert. This is often either a teacher or writer that has experience in the genre. There are many of these workshops throughout the United States, but for those that live in the more rural areas, you can find online workshops as well.

What these workshops provide more than a book is structure, advice and deadlines. You only have a certain amount of time to do the assignments and everything is put forward to better your writing. How many times have you started a book only to put it down for a month of two. By the time you pick it back up, you've forgotten about everything before.

You also have the ability to ask specific questions to the instructor. If you are stuck in a certain area, then you can ask about it. With a book, you have no way of finding more information.