Galleis, a Wonderdraft Map I created The other day I stumbled upon the map you see above. It had me thinking how maps play into stories, and how vital they are to the worldbuilding process. Not only do they offer a reference for author and reader, maps add depth, immersion to that universe. I've written …
Tag: fiction
My Brush with Death
This isn't a post on my usual topics, mainly a rant about something that happened to me recently. I've included reflections and some change of plans for the future. December was heating up for me as an aspiring writer. I had promotions planned for my cover reveal and several ideas to help me publish my …
Hard Magic, Soft Magic: How to Use Them in Creative Fiction
Magic—a word tossed around by authors and wordsmiths for decades. Magic is an abstract phenomenon with incredible potential, and such power usually comes with a cost. As a widespread tool in worldbuilding, when misused, it can wreck havoc on a story, figuratively and literally. Magic in Creative Fiction Your ability to solve problems with magic …
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Cover Art and History of Ethereal Seals
That's right! My cover art for the upcoming novel, Blade of Dragons, is almost finished! Months in the making, it was a pleasure working with the cover artist. She had a keen sense for design, excellent communication, and patience with the numerous requirements I had for the project. I'll certainly consider her again for future …
On Naming Fictional Characters
Good names help both writers and readers move through a story smoothly.” — Dan Schmidt Naming characters in a fictional universe may seem like a simple task, but it can stump some authors. How do we approach this issue? Is there a method to naming characters? In this post, I'll describe how I go about it, …
The Hero’s Journey in Fiction
Years ago, I read a fantastic book named The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. In it, the author details the Hero's Journey. This is a powerful story element that every writer, artist, or spiritual seeker should understand. It illustrates a protagonist's adventures, from a safe haven to the darkest dungeon—be they literal or figurative. The …
Book Review: Divine Summons
During my break from non-fiction research, I stumbled upon this jewel on Goodreads. I was impressed by the strength of the prose and the story. Rebecca P. Minor did a pleasant job at it. Let's delve into the details, shall we? Premise & Worldbuilding Divine Summons has a classic fantasy atmosphere with elves, dragons, monsters, …
Poems in Fiction—Worldbuilding—Ethereal Seals Poetry: Eulogies of Deliverance
Poetry triggers interesting reactions from readers. Not only is it a jump from storytelling long-form, but it invites rhythm, a detail of creativity not seen elsewhere in the story. I always found poetry bits to be fascinating—or tedious if they were too long and poorly done—in a story. My theory is the poetry activates different …
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Writing Log 7/7/21
Short post today. It's been another busy month for me. Between balancing my meditations, workouts, day job, reading and writing, the days speed by. Ethereal Seals takes another step towards series completion. Cover Artist Get! In the interest of book presentation, I've secured a cover artist for book one of the series. The price should …
Life and Death in a Fantasy Universe
Within fiction, some characters don't share the typical life spans that Earth humans experience. Unusual lifespans in fantasy and science fiction can influence culture and plot considerably. We all enjoy our fantasy stories about long-lived elves, immortal dragons, or extraterrestrials who supercede death. When writing or reading about these characters, it can be hard to …
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