Lionelson N.Y.'s Blog, page 2

FREE BOOK to celebrate New Book Cover!

I recently revamped the cover of my fantasy book, The Ocean Hearth! Personally, I feel very happy with this one as it fits the aesthetics and tone that I was looking for.

Free Copy

To celebrate, I have made this book FREE on Google Play and Google Books from 6th March 2018 to 13th March 2018. After all, a story is meant to be shared

The Hero’s Journey

What I’m gonna talk about today is nothing new. You’ve probably heard it before too. It is a cyclical progression of the hero/heroin of the story and it comprises of the eight following things.

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Let’s talk about them one by one.

1. Call to adventure

Your hero lives in an ordinary world, living an ordinary life. Suddenly, he found himself being part of something bigger. Did he found himself a powerful magic ring like Frodo in Lord of the Rings? Or perhaps he found out that he is wizard like Harry Potter? This is where your journey starts. Thus begins the first act of your story.

2. Supernatural aid

This is where your hero, who was just a newbie at the game, receives help from a mentor or a friend who takes you along. These helpers will help the hero understand their powers, situation and conditions better.

3. Threshold

Now that your hero has been training and learning, he finally reached the stage where he is a stronger person than he was before. But because of him reaching that new level, he has brought himself to face a higher level of challenges, beyond those he faced during his ordinary life. This is him stepping away from his known world to an unknown, unfamiliar and bizarre, new reality. We now enter the second act.

4. Challenges and Temptations

The first of his trials in this unknown world took place. Maybe he faced his adversary for the first time. Maybe its his first time using his powers in the real world. This is where things get real for the hero, which will bring him to the next stage.

5. Revelation

Contrary to this section title, this is the stage where the hero failed.    He’ll find himself depressed or crippled, unable to do anything. He would feel hopeless and perhaps even petrified. This usually happens in the middle of the second act. Go watch any movie and skip to the very center of the timeline. Most of the time, you’ll find the hero in this terrible state. Be careful with this section. This is where the audience or readers is supposed to feel most relatable to your character. So keep it real and interesting.

6. Transformation

For some reason, your hero, who was in the lowest point in his life, received an higher enlightenment, gift, motivation or whatever it is that leaves him empowered to a new, more improved self than before! He is now equipped with the needs to fight off his enemy in one final battle!

7. Atonement

This is it. The third act. The climax. Your hero will use his newly transformed and inspired self to fight against the enemy. And, you guessed it, he’ll be triumphant in this fight! His loss during the revelation stage has been atoned for.

8. Return

With the adventure or quest done and finish, he could now return back to his ordinary life. Doing what he was doing before. Yup. Nothing is more satisfying than returning home after a horrendous journey! But this time, the ordinary is a level higher, ready for the next call to adventure to begin again. And this time, our hero is more ready than before.

Conclusion

This “Hero’s journey” is a wonderful template for writers to use. It is statistically proven to be most appealing to the audience. Of course, you can diverge from the flow to add more creativity to it. I certainly in did in my book. But if you are just starting to write, try this out. Almost all the time, you’ll be able to create an amazing character arc.

If you want to learn more, here’s a Ted-Ed video talking about it. It’s very nicely laid out, although it has few extra steps here and there. You should watch it if you have the time.

So here’s an exercise for you. Try to see if you recognize this cycle in your favourite book or movie. Arrange that character’s arc according to these steps.

Let me show you an example based on the latest Marvel movie, Black Panther. SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED IT YET (which you should have already! lol). BTW, I’m using this as an example (even though it’s not purely a fantasy movie) because it’s very recent and I’m just huge fan of superhero stories! But it also has the perfect example of the Hero’s journey in it. So here it goes!

Example of the character arc in Black Panther: SPOILER ALERT

1. Call to adventure: T’challa was the Prince of Wakanda in his ordinary life. That was until his father passed away and he was to be crowned the new King.

2. Supernatural aid: Winning the ritual battle of coronation, he was aided with the Heart Shaped Herb that gave him superhuman strength as well as to commune with the spirit of his late father (and mentor!) King T’chaka.

3. Threshold: Having achieved the title of king and protector, he is now in charge of the political situations and needs of his people. He had stepped away from his known world to a new reality.

4. Challenges: He met a new rival, Erik Killmonger, who challenged him for the throne.

5. Revelation: T’challa was defeated (and even entered a coma!) from a terrible beating by Killmonger. He was thrown down a waterfall and was assumed to be dead.

6. Transformation: He was revived with the Heart-shaped herb and woke up with a stronger will and drive to protect his nation. He made amends with former rivals to aid him in his battle to save Wakanda.

7. Atonement: With his newly empowered self, he fought against Killmonger and his army, ultimately winning the fight! His loss has been atoned for.

8. Return: Having won the fight, he returned to his throne as he used to be. But now, the ordinary is a level higher as he chose to share the advanced technology of his country to the whole world.

 

 

Laia’s First Battle! (A Role Play Experience)

This week, I have went through a new territory in my writing life and that is role playing. If you’ve played Dungeons and Dragons before, you would know that this is a very fun game to play with.

I joined a facebook group recently. A very small but communing flock of fantasy enthusiasts. We have writers, game designers, artists and so on from all around the world. It was pretty “exclusive” too (there only 200 slots allowed in the group. I was lucky to get in before it was full!)

Anyways, so this group held an event. A write-off. A game where we pin our original characters against each other in an arena-like scenario. I sent my starborne huntress, Laia (from my book, The Ocean Hearth) as my champion that day. We had her fight against an elf with equally powerful stealth abilities. It was an even match but alas, my champion lost at the last minute.

But it’s okay. I had fun! It was my first role playing experience and I enjoyed it very much! I hope all you fellow writers also take time to play games such as these. They definitely sharpen your writing skills as well as keeping you thinking on your feet.

I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share the fight, but here’s a little excerpt from my part of the duel to give you an idea:-

“‘A little too predictable there, N’tan’ Laia grinned as she feels her strength growing the more the sun descends.

With a hard tug, she took hold of the tail of the whip and tried to drag her out. But alarmed by the falling branch next to her, she quickly let go. Lucky enough to let her dagger free from the elve’s entanglement, she leaped into the bushes and sprinted away silently.

Her steps were as quiet as a cat on the prowl but her eyes as keen as an eagle despite the darkening light. She held her grip on her dagger, being ready for an ambush. So she found herself a nice, lush flora to hide in, waiting for another sound from the elf and his companion.”

Maybe I’ll share the full duel here if I get the permission. No promises though.

I hope this post inspires you to be creative and self-challenging in your writing. All the best to you and I’ll see you in the next post!

We reached 50!

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Another milestone reached! Thank you so much for helping me grow this blog. It’s still a small flock, but it’s a small flock of wonderful people! You guys are the best and I love that you guys make amazing content as well.

Iope you guys keep enjoying my blog and find it helpful for your writing.

Keep being awesome and always enjoy the creative process of writing.

Thank you again and I’ll see you guys on the next post! Cheers!

p/s: Happy Chinese New Year!

Similarity between polar opposites (mirroring between protagonist and antagonist)

I’ve come across this topic recently and it really caught my attention as well. Did you realize that in most stories, the hero and the villain often have very intimate similarities. Whether it’s their history, abilities, or personality, they often exist. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that many of us enjoy such relationship.

We see them all the time in popular books and movies. Both Harry Potter and Voldermort were exceptionally brilliant students in Hogwarts. Both Frodo and Sauron have a deep connection with the Ring. How about in almost every Marvel movie ever? Did you realize all the heroes and villains almost always have similar powers?

Just read any book or watch any movie and you’re bound to find that the protagonist and antagonist have some similarities. Even in my own fantasy book, The Ocean Hearth, both my hero and his adversary are fueled by guilt and a need for redemption. I didn’t even realized that when I was writing it!

As to why this has an appeal to the audience, I believe it is because the conflict between our heroes and their enemies represent our own inner conflict. There is nothing more relatable than realizing that our greatest enemies are always our own selves. You want to write a best selling novel but you’re too lazy to take the time to write. You want to be the best student in class but you love to procrastinate your studies. You want to make a brand for business but you’re too afraid to take risks.

Whatever it is, it is a conflict within ourselves. So seeing our heroes fighting against someone who is just a different side of him (and eventually conquering them) is definitely a projection of our subconscious ideal of ourselves.

So what I’m trying to say here is that we should apply this concept of “similarity between polar opposites” in our stories as well. Perhaps you’re already doing it but you don’t realize it yet (just like I did).

I hope you’ll find this article helpful. Thank you for reading and all the best in your writing!

p/s: if you’re interested, do have a look at my book “The Ocean Hearth” which is the first installment of my “Hymns of Evermorn” fantasy book series! Thanks and have a good day!

Magic in Fantasy Books

There are many ways to spells in fantasy fiction. And luckily, they can be grouped simply into a few categories so that we have a place to start when we brainstorm for ideas. So here are four ways ways of how magic was used in literature

Pure Spells

Pure spells is a very popular way of performing magic. Just say a few jargons and suddenly something magical happens. It’s like a cheat code in real life! Don’t know what words to say? Just blurt something out! As long as it makes sense in the world you’re creating, it’s okay!

Magical Relics

This is where all the wands, orbs, ancient books, staff and swords come into play. Many stories in fantasy rely on relics to perform their magic. This gives a magic wielder some kind of limitations or perhaps even an amplification of what they can already do on their own!

Elemental

It is debatable whether this is magic or science (who says it can’t be both?) But this is where all the potions, alchemy and elixir are grouped. You mix a bunch of chemicals and BAM!!! You got yourself the cure to immortality that becomes the major plot device in your story.

Intercessional

This is quite a religious one. This kind of magic is not actually conjured by the spell caster herself but rather by the deity she is praying to. Perhaps the spellcaster was enlightened or honoured by the gods (or demons) that they were granted amazing powers? Maybe the deities gave her foresight? The point is that you have higher beings granting them power over natural things.

Magitech!

This is one I’m trying to wrap my head around because I really want to make a story revolving around it. Magitech implies that you combine both magical and technological aspects of a story and merge them into one. One way I was thinking of how to use it was to use magic as a fuel for machines. Or perhaps even creating machines that amplify the power of magic. It might even be interesting to see who would win in a fight: a caster using a machine to channel his magic or a caster with a relic? That’s a good plot to play with.

So there you have it!

A quick browse through some ways you can conjure magic in your story! I hope you find this helpful. Thanks for reading and all the best in your writing!

p/s: this is a post in response to the daily post’s prompt of the day, which is “ Conjure “. Do check them out!

World Building Template

If you have been following on my posts, you may know that World Building is a very essential part of story writing for me. And I believe my theory spans throughout all genre of writing and not merely in Fantasy. But for the sake of simplicity, let’s talk about it in terms of fantasy writing as it requires the most intricate world building ever.

So in world building, I’d like to divide it into two main parts: geography (The landscape of the place) and civilization (the people living there and their culture).

From my observation in the real world, the two are very much interlinked. Not only that, their relation is so strong that it affects the personality and traits of many of its inhabitants.

I have with me a template which can help you have a better idea of what your world is like and along the way, I’m sure you will find a way to correlate your world with your story. So here it is!

Geography

Draw a picture of the place.
What is the realm like before civilization existed? Was it a dessert? A forest? An ocean?
Based on the above question, what is the most likely resource that the people living there can utilize?
Is there anything special/supernatural about this place? What is it?
Does this realm have any neighbouring lands? If so, repeat these questions for those lands as well.

Civilization

What are the people living in this area? In fantasy, we usually have many races living in one continent. For each one, answer the next few questions.
How long have they been on this land?
How did they end up in this land?
Any significant history that they’ve went through that have influenced their culture?
Based on their geography and history, what jobs are they famous for?
Any logical culture that can come from this?
Based on their culture, what is their governing system? A monarchy, democracy, tyranny, etc?
What are the people there like? Are they liberal, conservative, religious, war-oriented, etc.?
Anything special about these people?

Simple, isn’t it?

Example

This is my world building from my own fantasy book. This is about the City of Dalhar.

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Geography:

What is the realm like before civilization existed? Was it a dessert? A forest? An ocean? ‘

It is a dense jungle filled with tropical trees and exotic beasts. It sits between the sea and a hilly area.


Based on the above question, what is the most likely resource that the people living there can utilize?

Dalhar is rich in Terazine ores, which is a mineral that can be used to store magical energy called Galaviere.


Is there anything special/supernatural about this place? What is it?

It is one of the few places in the world where Terazine ores could be mined. It’s jungle also provides a good shelter and hiding from invaders.


Does this realm have any neighbouring lands? If so, repeat these questions for those lands as well.

There is the human city of Eleazar at its south.




Civilization

What are the people living in this area?

Starbornes: blue skinned humanoids, capable of moon magic, that were descendants of an ancient race from another planet.


How long have they been on this land?

About three thousand years.


How did they end up in this land?

Rescued from a dying world by the moon goddess and placed there.


Any significant history that they’ve went through that have influenced their culture?

The rescue from that dying world signified a new beginning for their species. Starting from scratch, they began to develop artifacts which they could use to utilize magic. This allowed them to faster advancements compared to other races.


Based on their geography and history, what jobs are they famous for?

Hunters and priestesses.


Culture?

Every 12 years, they celebrate the blue moon. It is a day of harvesting a source of moon magic called the Galaviere and storing them inside the Terazine ores.


Based on their culture, what is their governing system? A monarchy, democracy, tyranny, etc?

A dual monarchy, led by the Ashosh (king) and the Tarsya (queen) who are equal in power.


What are the people there like? Are they liberal, conservative, religious, war-oriented, etc.?

They are conservative and very traditional. Influenced by the dual monarchy, both males and females have equal opportunity to have positions of power as well.


Anything special about these people?

They utilize the Galaviere stored within the Terazine ores to create tools and weapons which helped them achieve great advancement.

I know that the example is lengthy, but trust me, my original draft is far longer than this. That’s because I want my characters to have a consistent background and logical traits that correspond to their culture. Not that I am encouraging people to stay in their stereotype, but I am merely acknowledging the influence, whether big or small, that geography has on culture and culture has on character.

With that said, I hope this template is helpful for your writing. And as always, have a nice day!

p/s, i have a few mini-books available for free about the cultures that are portrayed in my fantasy book, The Ocean Hearth. Click here to get them!

Non-eurocentric fantasy

I’d like my site to be more than just a blog. I want it to be a discussion. So I would like to hear some opinions and suggestions from you guys.

Every time in books or TV, we associate fantasy with european-esque cultures with all the castles, knights, kings and what not. Even I’m guilty of writing my book in a medieval-like setting.

So I want to know, do you have any suggestions for a good fantasy book set in other cultures such as Asian, Polynesian, African or so on? Do comment below and share so that many will see this rich and diverse genre of fantasy!

Build An Amazing Plot!

“I watch it for the plot” was a pretty famous meme a few months back but it’s true that it is the most essential part of a story. Especially in fantasy novels, where the plot is often twisted because of the abundance of characters and places, there are many ways where writing becomes a total mess!

So here, I’m gonna help you create a plot that will hopefully solve this problem. Hold on tight! It’s gonna be quite a long read.

By the way, This is tailored more towards fantasy, but it’s actually applicable to any form of story telling.

First of all, you must know the template of a good plot. Yes, I know story making is supposed to be a free art form but there are certain “rules” that make a story appealing to a human reader.

Components of a plot

The typical plot consists of four components: Introduction, Rise, Conflict, and Resolution.

Introduction

This is where your main character and most of your supporting characters as well as your geographical locations are first shown. Your story begins here. Show the readers what your main character is doing, how he ends up being called to adventure and so on. Don’t put a lot of backstory here yet. In this part, you only need to introduce the characters and the places that will play a role in your story

Rise

Now here is where you can add a few backstory. This is where your character development becomes exponential. Show off the backstory and history that brings your character to life.

But don’t overdo it! Because the Rise’s primary function is not character development (though it is and essential part of it) but it is the bridge between the introduction and the Conflict.

That means this is where your characters will start develop tension, growth, drama, romance, mistakes and so on that will lead to the climax later on. So make sure that you plan things right here so that it’s a smooth ride for readers from A-Z. Remember, every part of the story is meant to keep the reader engaged!

Conflict

Conflict is the gist of your story. This is the part where things get the most exciting! It’s further divided into 3 subparts: the Drop, the Re-empowerment and the Climax.

Let’s start with the Drop. This is usually placed at the center of the story. Here, you will give the main character or situation the most devastating outcome. This will render your characters powerless. Hence it is the turning point of your story.

Then comes Re-empowerment! For some reason, your main character discovered a new found strength or support that will overcome his dread during the drop.

With this renewal, the main character can finally rise up and battle against his enemies! He can finally conquer the trials that was placed upon him. This is the climax: the main fight that will determine the ending of your story! Make it exciting and different. Make it exhilarating and intense because remember, this is the most important part of your story. So make sure you get this right!

The best example of a perfect “Conflict” I’ve ever seen and read (in my personal opinion) was “The Battle of The Bastards” scene in Game of Thrones. Now I don’t want to spoil it here because it’s just that good! But go and check it out. It has all the components of a good conflict.

Resolution

Now that the fight is over, you have three options: your character won, lost or you make plot twist (plot twists are hard. It’s not necessary for you to have one for it to be a good story. But if carried out nicely, it’s amazing! But I’ll talk about it on a different day)

So whatever the outcome will be, the resolution part shows the reader what the consequence of the conflict is. Maybe they won the war and the kingdom was finally renewed with life and light. Or maybe they lost and the soldiers were imprisoned as slaves. Whatever it is, give your story a good ending that reflects the consequence of your conflict just now.

How do I make the plot more interesting?

Let’s go a level higher. Now that you know how to create a plot, build 3-4 plots within the same parameters of your story. Each plot would circle around different characters and/or locations. This will be called your sub-plots.

Now here’s the fun part. Intertwine them all into a single timeline that will lead to a single climax! Make sure despite them being intertwined, make sure the flow of “intro, rise, conflict and resolution” is still the there.

Remember those movie scenes where we have a quick look at what’s going on in another place or what the other character is doing? This is where it happens. Be careful though. It’s a very delicate process. Make sure the flow is nice and it makes sense for the plots to lead up to that one single climax.

Done? Good. Now get to writing your book! It’s not easy, but with the help of a plot design, you’ll be able to write with ease and have less writer’s block to get in your way.

I hope this article helps you! It sure did for me when writing my own epic fantasy. I’m also improving my plot building skills together with you. Life’s just one big journey of learning, right?

So I wish you all the best in your writing and have a nice day!

First Milestone! (Thanks, guys!”

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Thank you to all of you, my small group of readers, for helping me reach my first milestone of 20 followers! It might not look like a lot, but having just this much people interested to read my writing means the world to me.

I intend to better my content and help more people as I go on. I appreciate all of you for following me. Thank you once again and have a great day!

P/s: For those of you who have just found this blog, hello there! I’m Lionel and I’m here to share some skills and knowledge in writing fantasy stories which I have learned first hand from creating my own epic fantasy, The Ocean Hearth . Do follow me if you’re interested in the content!