Lionelson N.Y.'s Blog, page 3

Writer’s Block and How to Cure It!

So you’re writing maybe four to five very good chapters in the past couple of weeks and suddenly you find yourself to be lost for words. You force yourself to come up with ideas and refer to your notes, hoping your fingers would magically type out paragraphs but without avail. This is what we call as writer’s block and it’s a common part of every writing experience no matter what genre.

As you might know, I write fantasy books. So I’m not gonna lie, I often find myself grinding for fictional names, cultures and backstory. Not to mention the aching effort to fix plot holes kept me going around in circles. Just the other day, I spent the whole night figuring out the backstory of my main character’s father! And let me tell you, I was so disappointed when I couldn’t think of anything that I burst into anger!I tried actively looking for story ideas from the internet as well as finding inspiration from other famous fantasy books and authors but I only end up more confused. Perhaps you’ve also encountered a similar problem. Well let me tell you the obvious secret of how to cure this ailment…JUST STOP TRYING. Yes, you read that right. Sometimes the best thing to do when you’re having writer’s block is to do nothing at all. Go do something else. Mow the lawn, watch some TV, get a few drinks, or whatever it takes to get your mind off it.

Why am I telling you this? Easy. Sometimes, things are easier to look at with fresh eyes. When you get off your keyboard and go do something else, you’re resting your brain to prepare it for the next cycle of writing. After you’re well rested, you’ll be surprised how obvious that thing you’re looking for was!

HOWEVER, don’t be surprised if that rest time would take you days, perhaps even weeks. It’s okay. You cannot rush a good story. Just take things easy or else you won’t enjoy it, consequently making you not interested anymore.

Relax and let your mind have a break. It would be easier to be inspired when your brain isn’t tense. Just remember to take things easy and enjoy writing. You could always do some research on your story if your “author’s itch” is acting up. But the goal here is to take your mind off of what you’re writing for a while. God willing, you’ll write the best story you’ll ever tell!

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

How To Name Fantasy Characters

If you write or plan to write a fantasy story, you’ll know the bane that is naming your characters. You’ll find that although your creativity is limitless, choosing appropriate names for your character to be very difficult, if not thought blocking.

So here are three tips I have for naming fantasy characters!

Is the character coming from a warrior tribe? Was he raised in a feminine setting? What race of people did he came from?

Again, my favourite advice would always revolve around world building. Because just like you and me, we are product of the environment we were raised in. And that includes our name.

A western-raised child would probably have English names such as John or Jane. A China raised child would probably have Chinese names such as Tan or Wong.

So now it goes back to your character’s environment. If he was raised in a warrior tribe, usually in that culture, they would give you fierce sounding names such as Toruk or Gromar. If he was raised in an elegant culture, they would give names that roll nicely out the tongue such as Eleanor or Yera.

Another key aspect regarding this advice is to keep the other characters who were born in the same culture to have similar names. It’s only realistic.

For example, in Game of Thrones, the Targaryeans who were from Valyrian culture all have ‘ae‘ and ‘y’ in their names such as Daenarys, Viserys, Aegon and Rhaegar.

So if you could define a culture, it will be easier for you to determine your character’s name.

So I hope you find this article useful and I wish you all the best in your writing! Don’t forget to follow my blog and check out my own fantasy book, The Ocean Hearth. Cheers!

Why I Chose Fantasy As My Genre

I’ve experimented with many genres before. I’ve tried sci fi, mystery, espionage and even YA. Sometimes I do write some non-fiction too. Yet I found myself stuck reading and writing fantasy books, regardless of its subgenres.

I guess what makes it appealing to me is the magical aspect of it, whereby its a total escape from reality. I can write about anything I want and almost every time it makes sense in a fantasy world.

I can make a book about dragons that possess the most ancient of knowledge. I can make a book about elves and their conflict with the other treefolks. Magic, war, quests, adventure, action, drama and everything. It’s limitless!

I can even project myself into the story in creative ways, something that’s difficult to do in other genres. When I feel happy, I can write how a character is flying through the clouds. When I feel sad, my characters would be undergoing various trials in underground tunnels. You see? I enjoy the art of expression that comes with fantasy that just unleashes my whole imagination!

“But Lionel, what about sci-fi? That’s also limitless!”

Yes! Indeed that’s true and let me tell you that I am as much a sci fi geek as I am the next guy! However, I have to be honest and say I haven’t read enough sci fi books to let me familiarize with its style of writing. Sci fi had always been a more visual genre than it is a black and white one, in my personal experience that is.

But whatever genre I write, I hope whoever’s reading it will feel how I feel when I was writing it. And especially in my fantasy book series “Hymns of Evermorn”, I hope I could get my messages across to all of you.

With that said, I hope you all have a great day. Cheers!

P/S, Do check out my dark fantasy book, The Ocean Hearth. Available now for only $1.99! Check it out now!

Writer's Block and How to Cure It!

So you're writing maybe four to five very good chapters in the past couple of weeks and suddenly you find yourself to be lost for words. You force yourself to come up with ideas and refer to your notes, hoping your fingers would magically type out paragraphs but without avail. This is what we call as writer's block and it's a common part of every writing experience no matter what genre.As you might know, I write fantasy books. So I'm not gonna lie, I often find myself grinding for fictional names, cultures and backstory. Not to mention the aching effort to fix plot holes kept me going around in circles. Just the other day, I spent the whole night figuring out the backstory of my main character's father! And let me tell you, I was so disappointed when I couldn't think of a single thing. I tried actively looking for story ideas from the internet as well as finding inspiration from other famous fantasy books and authors but I only end up more confused. Perhaps you've also encountered a similar problem. Well let me tell you the obvious secret of how to cure this ailment...JUST STOP TRYING. Yes, you read that right. Sometimes the best thing to do when you're having writer's block is to do nothing at all. Go do something else. Mow the lawn, watch some TV, get a few drinks, or whatever it takes to get your mind off it.Why am I telling you this? Easy. Sometimes, things are easier to look at with fresh eyes. When you get off your keyboard and go do something else, you're resting your brain to prepare it for the next cycle of writing. After you're well rested, you'll be surprised how obvious that thing you're looking for was!HOWEVER, don't be surprised if that rest time would take you days, perhaps even weeks. It's okay. You cannot rush a good story. Just take things easy or else you won't enjoy it, consequently making you not interested anymore.Relax and let your mind have a break. It would be easier to be inspired when your brain isn't tense. Just remember to take things easy and enjoy writing. God willing, you'll write the best story you'll ever tell!Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Balancing My Studies and Writing

So here’s a fun fact about me: I am a medical student. Yes, this fantasy author who tells stories about action and adventure is going to be a licenced medical doctor in a couple more years. And any medical student have a hard time balancing their studies and their social life. So me putting an additional carreer there by writing a kindle fantasy book, I’m basically committing suicide. Or so they say.

I like to take it up as a challenge both academically and creatively. My fiction writing shouldn’t be a stumbling block for my studies while my studies shouldn’t stop me from doing what I love.

So how do I balance my studies and book writing? Simple. Strict time management.

For every 8 hours I spent studying, I will spend 1 hour doing all the book stuff. That includes writing, creating the fantasy world, history and lore, editing my novel, marketing on amazon, blogging and so on. Then whatever’s left of my day, I’d fill it up with my social and leisure needs. Yes, it is simple, but not at all easy to keep.

I had many days when I should be studying but I end up writing. Then there are days when I was free to write my novel but I was preoccupied to attend to social needs. It’s tough having more than one passion. But I try to keep things as balanced as possible so that I can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Thanks for reading, have a great day ahead!

Be sure to check out my epic fantasy book ‘ The Ocean Hearth ‘. Available in both kindle e-book and paperback for only $1.99!

Naming fantasy characters

If you write or plan to write a fantasy story, you'll know the bane that is naming your characters. You'll find that although your creativity is limitless, choosing appropriate names for your character to be very difficult, if not thought blocking.So here are three tips I have for naming fantasy characters! Is the character coming from a warrior tribe? Was he raised in a feminine setting? What race of people did he came from?Again, my favourite advice would always revolve around world building. Because just like you and me, we are product of the environment we were raised in. And that includes our name.A western-raised child would probably have English names such as John or Jane. A China raised child would probably have Chinese names such as Tan or Wong.So now it goes back to your character's environment. If he was raised in a warrior tribe, usually in that culture, they would give you fierce sounding names such as Toruk or Gromar. If he was raised in an elegant culture, they would give names that roll nicely out the tongue such as Eleanor or Yera. Another key aspect regarding this advice is to keep the other characters who were born in the same culture to have similar names. It's only realistic.For example, in Game of Thrones, the Targaryeans who were from Valyrian culture all have 'ae' and 'y' in their names such as Daenarys, Viserys, Aegon and Rhaegar.So if you could define a culture, it will be easier for you to determine your character's name. If you're planning on giving a name to your main character, be sure to choose something simple yet catchy. Why catchy? Well it's obvious isn't it? You want a name that sticks to your reader's mind and a name that will sell your book!But why must it be simple? For two practical reasons: One is that you'll be writing his name A LOT! So you better choose a name that won't make you tired to mention so many times. Secondly, simple names are easier for your readers to remember. The less strain you give your readers, the better their response! Read a few books or short stories, watch some TV or movies, etc. You'll pick up some beautiful names that you can use or modify for your own story.Want your name to have meaning? Translate that meaning to another real language that sounds good for you and modify it so it becomes like a small easter egg for your readers who speak that language! A famous example: The word 'Vader' in 'Darth Vader' is literally translated to 'Father' in Dutch (and we all know who's father he is!)Inspiration can be found anywhere if you look for it! You just have to modify it to suit the culture he raised in and keep it simple!***So there you have it! Three tips on how to name your fantasy characters! I hope this advice helped. If it did, comment below and tell us.Thanks for reading!P/S: Be sure to subscribe to our blog and check out my epic fantasy book 'The Ocean Hearth' which is available in Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Paperback!

The Reason I Write

I have always been fan of writing. I have been writing since I was 9 years old when I drew a comic about an alien fugitive becoming part of an intergalactic police. When I was 11, I wrote bionicle fan fiction. In my teen years, I always chose fiction writing for my essays. And now that I’m in my 20s, I moved on to writing full length novels.

I guess if I have to give a reason why I do what I do, the answer would be “to satisfy an itch”. Perhaps its an obsession of some sort, but I always felt eager to put my ideas and thoughts on paper (or screen). If I don’t, it’s like I can’t even focus. I need to write down my ideas and stories in order to satisfy that itch.

Especially now that I’m writing a fantasy book, the ideas just kept spilling in. I try my best not to let it interfere with my studies and social life. But it’s hard to go through a day without writing something down. It doesn’t matter if I’m just writing about making background stories for my characters or writing down the history and lore of my fantasy realm.

Perhaps it’s a strange fear that when one day I’ll be forgotten after I pass on to the next life and my writings are the only part of me that could be immortalized. I don’t know. Perhaps this concept of fear of oblivion can be used in a future book as well! (See? I just can’t help myself!)

But in all seriousness, writing has become a part of me and I enjoy it both as a past time and a job. The reason I write is because I want to see my ideas and thoughts materialize. And now that my epic fantasy novel, The Ocean Hearth, is finished, I can rest easy…that is until I start writing for its sequel!

Have a nice day guys!

P/S, be sure to check out my fantasy book ” The Ocean Hearth ” available on kindle now for only $1.99!

Why I Chose 'Fantasy' As My Genre

I've experimented with many genres before. I've tried sci fi, mystery, espionage and even YA. Sometimes I do write some non-fiction too. Yet I found myself stuck reading and writing fantasy books, regardless of its subgenres.I guess what makes it appealing to me is the magical aspect of it, whereby its a total escape from reality. I can write about anything I want and almost every time it makes sense in a fantasy world.I can make a book about dragons that possess the most ancient of knowledge. I can make a book about elves and their conflict with the other treefolks. Magic, war, quests, adventure, action, drama and everything. It's limitless!I can even project myself into the story in creative ways, something that's difficult to do in other genres. When I feel happy, I can write how a character is flying through the clouds. When I feel sad, my characters would be undergoing various trials in underground tunnels. You see? I enjoy the art of expression that comes with fantasy that just unleashes my whole imagination!But Lionel, what about sci-fi? That's also limitless!Yes! Indeed that's true and let me tell you that I am as much a sci fi geek as I am the next guy! However, I have to be honest and say I haven't read enough sci fi books to let me familiarize with its style of writing. Sci fi had always been a more visual genre than it is a black and white one, in my personal experience that is.But whatever genre I write, I hope whoever's reading it will feel how I feel when I was writing it. And especially in my fantasy book series "Hymns of Evermorn", I hope I could get my messages across to all of you.With that said, I hope you all have a great day. Cheers!

Balancing My Studies and Writing

So here's a fun fact about me: I am a medical student. Yes, this fantasy author who tells stories about action and adventure is going to be a licenced medical doctor in a couple more years. And any medical student have a hard time balancing their studies and their social life. So me putting an additional carreer there by writing a kindle fantasy book, I'm basically committing suicide. Or so they say.I like to take it up as a challenge both academically and creatively. My fiction writing shouldn't be a stumbling block for my studies while my studies shouldn't stop me from doing what I love. So how do I balance my studies and book writing? Simple. Strict time management.For every 8 hours I spent studying, I will spend 1 hour doing all the book stuff. That includes writing, creating the fantasy world, history and lore, editing my novel, marketing on amazon, blogging and so on. Then whatever's left of my day, I'd fill it up with my social and leisure needs. Yes, it is simple, but not at all easy to keep.I had many days when I should be studying but I end up writing. Then there are days when I was free to write my novel but I was preoccupied to attend to social needs. It's tough having more than one passion. But I try to keep things as balanced as possible so that I can enjoy the best of both worlds. Thanks for reading, have a great dat ahead!Be sure to check out my epic fantasy book ' The Ocean Hearth '. Available in both kindle e-book and paperback for only $0.99!

The Reason I Write

I have always been fan of writing. I have been writing since I was 9 years old when I drew a comic about an alien fugitive becoming part of an intergalactic police. When I was 11, I wrote bionicle fan fiction. In my teen years, I always chose fiction writing for my essays. And now that I'm in my 20s, I moved on to writing full length novels.I guess if I have to give a reason why I do what I do, the answer would be "to satisfy an itch". Perhaps its an obsession of some sort, but I always felt eager to put my ideas and thoughts on paper (or screen). If I don't, it's like I can't even focus. I need to write down my ideas and stories in order to satisfy that itch.Especially now that I'm writing a fantasy book, the ideas just kept spilling in. I try my best not to let it interfere with my studies and social life. But it's hard to go through a day without writing something down. It doesn't matter if I'm just writing about making background stories for my characters or writing down the history and lore of my fantasy realm.Perhaps it's a strange fear that when one day I'll be forgotten after I pass on to the next life and my writings are the only part of me that could be immortalized. I don't know. Perhaps this concept of fear of oblivion can be used in a future book as well! (See? I just can't help myself!)But in all seriousness, writing has become a part of me and I enjoy it both as a past time and a job. The reason I write is because I want to see my ideas and thoughts materialize. And now that my epic fantasy novel, The Ocean Hearth, is finished, I can rest easy...that is until I start writing for its sequel!Have a nice day guys!Btw, be sure to check out my fantasy book " The Ocean Hearth " available on kindle now for only $0.99!