R.M. Archer's Blog, page 18

Summer 2021 Wrap-Up

It’s been a long summer, and yet at the same time it’s crazy to think that the summer is nearly over. In some ways, the summer is over for me. My summer was defined by working at camp, and I’ve now been home for one week and done with camp for two. In other ways, I still have summer for a few more weeks, since I’m not going to school this fall and therefore am not starting classes at the moment. So basically it’s another case of “time is weird,” as it often is.

Anyway. I had a good summer. I learned a lot. I’m already writing about some of what I learned, as I do. I shared the gospel with kids. I made friends. I definitely learned some of my weaknesses, lol. But it went well.

And now I’m working on getting back into a rhythm at home! I didn’t have opportunities to work on writing much at camp, so it’s been nice to get back to my projects. Calligraphy Guild, especially, is going quite well; I’m very excited about some of the developments with that. I also have some blogging projects I’m working on. And meanwhile I’m also looking for a new job, which is a bit of an adventure at the moment.

Writing

I talked about this some in my blogiversary post, but I’ll use this opportunity to bring the info together and streamline it better, lol. I’m currently on my last set of self-edits with Calligraphy Guild! I’m taking in feedback from my beta-readers, and I’ve already taken care of all of the easy fixes they suggested. In September I’ll be diving into the more significant edits, adding a couple of scenes and deepening characters in places and strengthening character voice, and the aim is to have those finished within the month so that I can send CG off to a professional editor at the beginning of October. There’s some other stuff going on, too, but I’m keeping it close to the vest for now. (If you do want the inside scoop and you’d like to help me promote my work and share announcements and whatnot, you can join my street team mailing list.)

Reading

Despite my busy schedule, I was able to finish two books this summer: The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow and That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. The former was a thrift store find that proved to be an easy read for breaks at work and… not much else. I wouldn’t really recommend it; it was pretty mediocre. That Hideous Strength, on the other hand, was a good conclusion to the Space Trilogy. It was quite well-done (come on, it’s Lewis), and The Space Trilogy is definitely my favorite of his fiction works (of those I’ve read).

What’s Next?

I can’t really tell you for sure what to expect over the next month or so, since I’m still sorting out transitions and whatnot. But I’m back! I’m enjoying the opportunity to read and respond to comments again and reconnect with y’all. ^-^ And I’m making progress on the blogs and on writing, again, so I can tell you you’ll be seeing more of those moving forward. But there might end up being schedule adjustments or changes of that nature as I figure out a new normal and work to balance writing with my other endeavors. We’ll see.

Now I want to hear from you. How was your summer? What are your plans for the coming months? Have you found any good books lately? I’d love to chat in the comments!

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4-Year Blogiversary

This post is late, since I was gone when we actually passed my blog’s anniversary, but August 2nd marks the 4th year of this blog in its functional state. After being away from the internet all summer, I have a renewed appreciation for the fact that God has blessed me with this blog and with the passion for writing and with an audience that finds value in what He’s given me to say. In the past year, I feel like I’ve finally found the nook where I need to be writing. It’s been great to enjoy blogging again so much and to see it help and inspire y’all. Worldview has been such a big part of my life for my entire life, because it was important to my parents to teach me how to think and how to develop worldview, so it’s something deeply important to me to be able to tie that in with the writing skill that God has given me and use it to help other authors.

Anywho. To celebrate, I have a brief Q&A, a blog tag, and then a quick run-down of what I’ve been writing and reading in the past year.

Q&A

How is writing going/anything about your WIP you can share?

I’ll go more in-depth when I give my writing recap, but writing is going well! I didn’t do a whole lot of writing over the summer, but I did come up with a handful of worldbuilding ideas and I was inspired for The King’s Paladin by my work with horses. And in the past week I dove straight back into Calligraphy Guild—I was super excited to get back to editing and reacquaint myself with that project—and I’ve actually already gotten through seven chapters of my beta feedback! I’m almost halfway through, in pages, so I’m making pretty quick work of it, but I’ve only done shallow tweaks so far and I’m saving the bigger changes for after I’ve gone through the whole book once. But I’m excited!

What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

Worldbuilding. XD Worldbuilding is the one part of the writing process that is largely effortless for me. I just let my brain run wild and let myself have fun with it, and I love tying everything together and making it work.

Second choice would be editing, because I also love analyzing and fixing and making things work that way.

What book has had the most influence on your writing style?

This is a tough one. I’ve read soooo many books, and I don’t feel like any of them are super similar to what I write, stylistically speaking? The first one that comes to mind is Lord of the Rings, but I noticed the similarities between Calligraphy Guild and Lord of the Rings after I read Lord of the Rings again, and before that it had been ages since I’d read them. So I don’t feel like that was a particularly direct influence. Maybe Hannah Heath’s Terebinth Tree Chronicles. I think those had a big hand in pushing me toward the type of thing I write now, and I feel like our writing styles are fairly similar.

What do you hope people will get from reading your writing?

Encouragement. Enjoyment. Things to think about. I hope that I am able to write books that are fun to read, that have deep and immersive worlds that readers feel like they could explore, but that also have depth and hope. My big thing with worldbuilding, which extends to my stories within the worlds I build, is to create something that is rich and immersive and fun and that explores meaningful topics. I love to use worldbuilding, and stories within worlds, to present worldview topics in a way that’s fun and thoughtful and fits in. Storytelling and worldbuilding should be, I think, ways to present questions of worldview in a way that you don’t beat readers over the head with a “right answer.” Stories and fictional worlds ought to present those questions in a way that makes the reader think and allows them to come to their own conclusions, and that makes it enjoyable to do so. So. That’s basically what I want to do with my writing.

Which of your characters is your favorite?

That’s like asking me to pick a favorite friend. Or song. Or book. Or parent.

I love so many characters, I genuinely have no idea who would even make the top… 10. Like. There are so many. In Calligraphy Guild alone, it’s impossible to choose. (Makio is pretty cool, though.)

What’s your favorite music to write to?

It depends on what I’m working on. For Calligraphy Guild I have a collection of pretty mellow instrumental music (plus one Arcadian Wild song that has lyrics). For most of my stories I have a lot of pop music and Imagine Dragons and stuff in that vein. I guess largely pop and rock.

How old are most of your characters?

Most of them are in the 17-19 range, these days. There used to be more 16-year-olds, and then I got older and realized how young that is and nudged a couple ages up. XD But since I write largely YA, most of my characters are around 17-19.

How many characters have you killed?

Um… Not that many, considering all my started projects, but I guess the key word there is “started.” A lot more characters would die if I would actually finish some of those stories.

What would you give up to become a better writer?

Most of what I give up to grow as a writer is time and money. I’m not especially attached to either one, so…

I’d love to put in the time and money to go to Realm Makers some year, but those plans keep falling through. ;P

Which of your characters do you relate to the most?

Duyên from Calligraphy Guild. Hands-down. Which makes sense, since she was written based on me. It’s been wild, though, coming back from camp and realizing I actually relate to her even more since my job this summer. I didn’t know that was possible, but… here we are.

Why do you write your genre?

I write fantasy because it gives me free rein of my imagination and offers so many opportunities to explore concepts more freely than I’ve found other genres to allow. It allows me to take what I see and read about and experience in the real world and put it into a more flexible context where I can shape it and mold it and explore it from different angles so that I can understand it better and hopefully others can, too.

When I write sci-fi, it’s usually to explore realities of my current culture and its trajectory in a way that makes it feel more immediate. Essentially for the opposite reason I write fantasy, since I enjoy fantasy for the distance it lends to the issues I write about.

The contemporary I write on rare occasions is usually because I want to write wish fulfillment. XD

Who’s your favorite character that’s not yours?

And I thought picking one of my characters was hard. There are even more options now.

Sam Gamgee? He’s at least near the top, if not at the top.

Which characters are the hardest for you to write?

The ones that are smarter than me, because then I look stupid trying to write them; or the really angsty ones, because they make me want to slam my head into a wall. (*cough* Looking at you, Nissa.)

What are your non-writing hobbies?

Ballroom dance, singing, blogging about theology and worldview (well… I guess that’s also writing), reading (duh), drawing every now and then (largely fashion design)… I’d like to add gardening to the list, but I haven’t gotten there yet.

What’s your “writer fuel”?

In which sense?

As far as what snacks/drinks I consume while writing, I eat dark chocolate when I have it and I love Bigelow’s vanilla chai black tea. I drink that tea all the time.

As far as what keeps me mentally stimulated to write, I’m usually inspired by life experiences and conversations I have and things I read that I think would be cool to take pieces of and turn into a culture or a story.

Favorite race you’ve developed?

Either the vansae or the skinwalkers. Both of which are shapeshifters, actually. The vansae are harlequin-like, with the ability to shift into other humanoid forms, take on new faces, etc. The cool thing about them, though, is that they don’t have physical sight; they have a limited mental ability to “see” around them in very muted shades, which is why they like bright colors and high contrast. The skinwalkers shapeshift into animals by wearing the skins of said animals.

How has your writing impacted you?

Well… It fostered my imagination as a kid. I had a wild imagination, and writing was a good outlet for it and helped to keep it alive. As I got older, it became a way to vent emotions, too; I have certain stories that were wish fulfillment or that reflect struggles I was going through when I wrote them. Over the past few years, it’s been a way to explore worldview more actively, and to provide an outlet for information I take in and then transform. Most importantly, it’s drawn me closer to God. I’ve learned so much about Him as a storyteller and creator, I’ve come to understand His world better through creating my own, and writing is an area in which I very actively pursue the aim of glorifying God. There are some areas where I’m not so great at being intentional about glorifying God, but when I write, it’s often a very present goal to glorify God through my work and reflect His character in my worlds and stories.

Who’s your favorite hero/villain that you’ve made?

I think my favorite villain is probably The Scarlet Wraith. I created her as a character well-known across the world, a legend, someone who had certain consistent attributes but who was seen through many different cultural lenses, and so from that standpoint I think she’s super cool.

Favorite hero… Maybe Madison Thompson from The Shades and the Elect. Madi is a lot of fun, but she’s also very solid and principled and determined to learn how to be the best hero she can be.

How often do you write?

It depends a lot on the season, and also on what you count as writing. XD Worldbuilding ideas crop up quite often. I draft infrequently. Editing can be anywhere from every day to… eh… several times a month? Depending on how I feel about the project, how much time I have, how much brainpower I have… XD Blogging is hard to say, since sometimes I batch and other times I write posts the day before they’re due (like this one XD). So, yeah. It depends on a lot of factors.

What’s your favorite thing about blogging?

The fact that God uses it to bless people. My second favorite thing is just having a place to express my thoughts, because I have lots of them and it helps for them to go somewhere, lol, but it really wouldn’t matter that much for me to express my thoughts if there were no reason to do so. I continue to express my thoughts because apparently they’re helpful, and I’m really glad I’m able to help and inspire and provoke thought through my writing.

What’s the most valuable advice about writing that you’ve been given?

I don’t know. I don’t tend to receive a lot of advice directly, and what advice I gain indirectly I tend to just sort of… absorb rather than remember. So I’m not sure.

Blography Tag

Now for the tag! This is a brand-new tag from Miles Lawson, and the theme is biographies. Which might be a bit of a challenge for me, since I don’t read a lot of biographies. But we’ll see how it goes! XD

RulesLink back to the original site.Mention the one who tagged you.Write an autobiography in seven words.They do not need to form a complete sentence.To make it more interesting, answer seven seven-word questions.Tag seven other bloggers.Think of seven seven-word questions, or use the same ones as you answered.Questions

Autobiography in seven words: Author of worlds reflecting the world & Word (cheated a little with the ampersand, lol)

Starting simple, what’s your happiest childhood memory?

I have a lot of good childhood memories. None of them are particularly standing out as the happiest, at the moment. There are few specific moments that stand out very clearly in my memory; I don’t remember things particularly well. XP But I have many memories with family and friends, having fun, feeling loved, all that… I just can’t think of anything specific. XP

What age would you choose to revisit?

17 was a pretty good year. But it would have to be revisit, ’cause I’d lose a lot of growth if I went back.

How would you have your biography end?

“She passed with grace, having lived her life to the full and having blessed those around her as much as she could; she passed in peace, knowing that she would meet her Creator and see the fulfillment of His kingdom as she’d always tried to imagine.”

What would you name the current chapter?

In Which She Has No Idea What She’s Doing But Tries to Serve God Anyway

Who would you write a biography about?

Tolkien. I know that’s already been done, and mine probably wouldn’t be anything new, but Tolkien was awesome.

What are seven of your favorite (auto)biographies?

I genuinely don’t know if I’ve even read that many.

Adorning the Dark by Andrew PetersonFrom Scratch by Tembi LockeSometimes the Magic Works by Terry BrooksThe Hiding Place by Corrie Ten BoomAs You Wish by Cary Elwes (also stretching it)Eric Liddell by Catherine Swift (I don’t remember liking this one that well? I thought I remembered it feeling dumbed-down. But I rated it 4 stars and I need more on my list, so…)The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Jerry Root and Mark E. Neil (also a stretch, but it’s a great book)

How have those biographies affected your life?

Adorning the Dark was a great encouragement toward making art to glorify Christ, and the ways that can be done, and how we keep our focus on God rather than ourselves or the art. And The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis, somewhat similarly, was a fascinating look at the many ways imagination can be used to either exalt God or exalt man, and how we can use it in so many different ways to glorify God.

Nominees

Allie @ Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins

Farren @ Paper and Quill

Bleu @ Always Write the Good Write

JHD Paul @ Maple Quill Penning Magic

Syberyah @ AtTAGirl

Mattie @ The Blossoming Writer

You, if you’d like to do it! :)

Reading/Writing Recap

And now, to wrap things up (I know; this has been a mammoth of a post), the highlights of my reading and writing in the past year.

My reading in the past year has been a lot of nonfiction and classics, primarily. I got really picky for a bit and really needed meatier reading than the YA fantasy I’d been reading before, to the point that I could not bring myself to pick up a lot of the books that I would have read before that phase hit. And it was really good! The classics were enjoyable, the nonfiction was fascinating, I was on a Tolkien and Lewis kick for a bit and read a lot by and about both of them, I read Mistborn and some other fiction by authors I know I like… It was pretty cool. I seem to be coming out of that phase, however, which is good for my ever-growing physical TBR with its remnants of YA fantasy. XD

Writing-wise, I’ve been working almost exclusively on Calligraphy Guild and Deseran’s worldbuilding. I started CG in August two years ago, and I’ve barely worked on anything else since. It’s so much my passion project, and I can see such clear direction with it, so it’s taken up all of my attention. This past year it’s gone through several drafts, as well as reached alpha-readers, sensitivity readers, and beta-readers! Whoo! Next up: Professional editor. And the way things are going, I hope to get it off to the editor at the beginning of October! *happy dance* I’m getting so close with this book, y’all, and I still love it so much. I’m so excited to finish polishing it, prepare it, and publish it so that all of you can read it. I so hope that y’all love it as much as I do. (But if you don’t, don’t feel bad. We all have different tastes, and I don’t expect everyone to love it.) Anywho. It’s going quite smoothly—supernaturally smoothly, just like the entirety of this process has gone—and I’m pretty pumped.

I’ve also been poking at The Dark War Trilogy again. I think I have a bit of a framework for restarting The Shadow Raven, which would be a big step in the right direction, but I don’t know if I’m ready to fully dive back into that project yet. We’ll see how things go after Calligraphy Guild. I might work on TDWT, or I might go back to The Half-Elves or The Masked Captain, or something else entirely. I do still have Deseran short stories I’ve been meaning to write, which might come the most smoothly after Calligraphy Guild since they take place in the same world and have similar flavor.

Anywho…

A big thank-you to all of you for reading, commenting, and just being here, whether it’s been four years or a few days. I’m so glad I get to interact with and get to know all of you!

Thank God for four years, and may He continue to use this blog for many more years to come.

‘Til next week!

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Coming of Age Themes in a Fantasy World

Welcome to another worldview and worldbuilding post! This one is on coming of age themes specifically in fantasy. Namely, what ought coming of age themes look like in a fantasy world? What overlaps should they have with real-world coming of age themes, and how should they differ? So let’s get into it!

What does “coming of age” mean?

What “coming of age” means will differ from culture to culture (which I’ll get into more in a minute), but there are a handful of categories that coming of age themes can fall into:

Physical maturitySpiritual maturitySocietal maturityMental/educational maturity

Many cultures will emphasize multiple points off this list. Some will emphasize one or two publicly, but have another that’s most commonly supported in practice. Some might have just one that they focus on. Or these elements might become relevant at different points along the maturity process in certain culture, staggered to one another. There are several ways to spin these categories. But for now, let’s explore some of the possibilities in each one and what sort of worldviews they might uphold.

Physical Coming of Age

In some cultures, this might be when someone passes puberty and they’re capable of producing children and it might mean they’re now marriageable. In a modern context, coming of age physically shows up way too often in YA and NA as the pursuit of sexual relationships outside of marriage. In YA, especially, it’s portrayed as a mark of growing up to have sex for the first time. I personally think this portrayal makes it an ineffective tool in coming of age themes, since there’s zero responsibility or commitment attached. If you have a culture where marriage is a mark of adulthood, on the other hand, the character has to adjust to a new way of life and new responsibilities and there’s much more opportunity for maturity.

Sex and marriage aren’t the only options in this category, though. What if your culture doesn’t consider people physically mature until they’ve entirely stopped growing? What impact might that have on the culture’s concepts of childhood, or on what else is involved in “coming of age”? Is physical maturity not emphasized for the purposes of childbearing, but because physical strength is necessary for the culture’s many physically-demanding jobs?

If you’re writing about a fantasy race, how does the process of physical maturity work and how does that alter their cultural expectations?

Coming of Age Spiritually

What about a culture that values religion? How might spiritual maturity work? Does someone have to memorize religious principles of increasing difficulty as they get older, and they become an adult once they can recite the entire set? Or maybe you just have to prove yourself a true convert to the faith, and adulthood can occur quite young? Would such a system treat older atheists like children? What would “treating them like children” mean to this culture? How does one prove themselves a true convert?

Cementing worldview could also fit in this category. What questions do young adults explore their beliefs on as they’re transitioning into adulthood? What concepts are considered imperative to understand before you can be considered grown? On a more specific level, how might these differ from family to family? As you’re writing about a young adult in your world, think about what concepts they might wrestle with, on their own or due to prompting from their parents or the society around them. Developing a solid worldview is an important piece of growing up.

Societal Maturity

This one can have a lot more diversity. What does this culture consider necessary to function in society? Do you have to work in a craft or other job? Do you have to be pursuing a certain type of higher education? Do you have to start a family? Do you have to support the family you already have? Are these necessary to become an adult, or only to be considered mature? How does this culture treat adults who haven’t hit these milestones yet?

How do societal expectations overlap with the other categories? Do they expect adults to be well-versed in their religious texts? To be physically mature so they can engage in strenuous work or start a family? To have gone through a certain type/amount of schooling by the time they reach adulthood? Societal maturity might be especially important to a culture in which community is a key value.

Mental/Educational Maturity

What does this culture expect someone to know by the time they become an adult? Are there certain subjects they have to master? Or skills they need to know? What level of knowledge is required? Are these prerequisites for adulthood, or simply expectations? What might a character be hurrying to finish learning as they near adulthood, or if they want to achieve adulthood?

To look at it from another angle, what skills are adults expected to know for continued learning? Are logic, essay-writing, or library skills things that children are taught before adulthood? What other skills might your characters need in order to continue learning beyond childhood?

These categories are all concepts that your reader will be able to relate to, but by thinking through what coming of age means to your specific fantasy culture (based on what they value) you’ll be able to approach these coming of age themes in a unique way that avoids many of the clichés and makes for stronger impact.

Have you explored coming of age themes through the lens of fantasy? What does (or did, or will) “coming of age” mean for the MC in your current project? I’d love to chat in the comments!

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More than a Trope: Examples of Subverted Tropes from a Christian Perspective

Tropes can be a powerful storytelling tool, but so often they’re overused and misused. Today I want to look at some trope examples that irk me personally (and/or that I’ve heard friends complain about) and provide some suggestions for how they could be subverted and given more thematic impact, especially according to a judeo-Christian worldview.

Strong Female Character

We all know this one. The girl who’s as strong as any guy, hides her emotions, and just generally could be swapped out for a guy except we need to empower women. By… telling them they can be just like guys. Right. How about we flip this around and tell girls that they don’t need to be just like men to be strong? How can we use this trope to empower actual femininity?

Subverted Trope Examples

Strength as a crutch

What if the SFC is focused on fighting as a means to ignore her weaknesses in other areas (diplomacy, getting along with her family, etc.), but realizes and addresses this as her arc?

Example: My WIP, The Masked Captain

What if she’s insecure and tries to be just like the brother or dad that she idolizes because she doesn’t feel strong enough on her own, but comes to learn that who she is naturally has just as much worth and she is needed?

Strength as an accent

There’s nothing wrong with women being able to fight, but why does it have to be the focus? What about women who can fight in certain contexts when needed (e.g. to defend her family when she’s alone), but are largely content to let others more qualified do the fighting? What about women who know how to kick butt with a sword, but also know when to put up the sword and be diplomatic or gentle?

Love Triangle

This is another super common trope, I guess because it causes so much conflict. But… why? Why does it cause so much conflict? There are so many ways a love triangle could be handled without the overwhelming angst.

Subverted Trope Examples

Obvious Choice

What if one suitor is just clearly a better fit, and the MC is mature enough to acknowledge that and work things out with both candidates? It doesn’t have to go perfectly smoothly—maybe the MC struggles with their decision because they’re still attracted to the second suitor even though they know the first is a better fit, or maybe the rejected suitor doesn’t take it well—but this is still more believable and easier to read than the MC going back and forth for an entire book or, worse, an entire series.

Neither

Maybe the main character isn’t ready for a relationship yet. Or maybe they just want to wait until things are less complicated. Or maybe both options are a poor fit for the main character. There are many options for this one.

Respect

There is one type of love triangle that I can actually enjoy. One. And that’s where the suitors respect each other and respect the main character and want what’s best for the MC even if what’s best for the MC is the other suitor. That level of respect, I can get behind. I actually enjoy those, because I know that either option would take care of the main character and respect them, and no relationships are going to be ruined when the main character makes a decision. Strong friendships are my jam, so if we can keep those after a love triangle, I’m happy.

Examples: The Truth series by Dawn Cook; Dwight in Shining Armor; Not Cinderella’s Type

Romance Solves Everything

I’m not sure if this quite qualifies as a trope, but it’s definitely a trend in fiction. The main character is lonely (or insecure, or depressed, or anxious, or…) until one day the Love Interest shows up and True Love conquers all.

I have nothing against romance. I’m actually quite a hopeless romantic, especially when the romance is done well. But I’m also tired of romantic relationships being the sole focal point, often at the expense of friendships, family relationships, etc. So here are some things we could do instead.

Subverted Trope Examples

Lonely character sets aside the pursuit of romance

Let’s write about characters who have been seeking a romantic relationship to cure their loneliness, but realize it’s taking up too much of their time or damaging their existing relationships or distracting from their walk with God or…

Lonely character has friends

Maybe the MC is taking their friends for granted and learns to appreciate the people they already have around them. Or maybe they just… have friends. And aren’t looking for a romantic relationship. Maybe their friends are the ones to support them through depression and help them find confidence in the right places. Let’s have more strong friendships.

Characters who are (or come to be) content with their singleness

Maybe the MC isn’t mature enough for a relationship, and they know it. Or maybe they just don’t want one. Or maybe they do want one, but they realize that their person will come along when the time is right, and there are other things they can focus on in the meantime.

Lonely characters who have community

Family. Friends. The old lady down the street. What about the characters who have communities around them and find their support there? Maybe they’ve been taking that community for granted in pursuit of the perfect friend or the perfect romantic interest, and they come to appreciate who they have instead.

Lonely character finds the wrong person

Most of the above examples have been less subversion and more just… throwing out the trope altogether. But you can also twist the romance trope and show characters who settle because they’re lonely, but later realize they need someone who’s a better fit.

Lonely character still has struggles after entering a romantic relationship

Guess what: Romance is not a cure-all. What about the characters who do find the right person, but still struggle with insecurity? Who do find the right person, but still struggle with mental illness? Who do find the right person and realize their problem wasn’t loneliness, but discontent, and that’s still an issue they have to work through? These are all options ripe with internal conflict.

BONUS: Acknowledgment of toxic relationships

How about the characters whose “magic” person comes along and turns out to be abusive and it’s not romanticized? How about the characters who get out of abusive relationships and are more careful the next time? The worst occurrences of the “romance cure-all” trope are those in which the love interest is abusive in some way and it’s totally excused and/or romanticized. Can we stop doing that, please?

Dying mentor

I get that this trope is meant to push the hero along on their journey and remove a potential crutch… but come on. Mentors are important, and a good mentor will encourage you to be independent even as they share their wisdom.

Subverted Trope Examples

(Okay, I’m mostly just throwing out the trope, again.)

Long-term mentors

Let’s have characters whose mentors last a suspiciously long time and are able to share their wisdom with the MC for as long as it’s needed. Let’s have mentors who commit to training the main character for extended lengths of time. Or, you know, parents? Who do that for a lifetime? Please?

Example: Merlin (I keep expecting Gaius to die and then I’m pleasantly surprised when he keeps on kicking)

Multiple mentors

Just like we often find different mentors for different areas of our lives, why don’t we create characters who have multiple mentors? Maybe they have one mentor they turn to for spiritual guidance and another they turn to for guidance in their work and another they go to for advice in their relationships?

Or what about characters who outgrow their first mentor and have to find a new one? Or whose mentor moves away (or dies) and leaves them needing a new mentor?

Developing independence

What about characters who learn to lean less on their mentors, but still go to them now and then? Characters who value both independence and the importance of wise counsel and seek to balance the two.

Teenager Leads a Rebellion Because They’re SPECIAL

Mare from Red Queen immediately comes to mind as an example of this trope. She’s thrust into a leadership role with a rebellion just because she’s an oddity: a red-blood with the powers of a silver-blood. That might be reason to recruit someone to a rebellion, but it’s a silly reason to give them a leadership position. Here are some different (and more believable) ways to handle teenagers and rebellions.

Existing rebellion

What if the teenager joins an existing rebellion and is perfectly comfortable letting someone older and wiser lead? What if they join because it’s important and not because they’re special or because they want to be in charge? What if they appreciate the value of experience in a leader?

Example: The Fire Rain Chronicles by Miranda Marie

Fledgling rebel

What if the teenager wants to rebel because it’s important, but they’re not quite sure how to do so and they’re just trying their best? Maybe they end up leading by accident; maybe they find someone wiser who can help them figure out how to pursue justice effectively, or maybe they fail and give up because they feel like they can’t make a difference by themselves.

Example: The Fire Rain Chronicles by Miranda Marie

Reluctant rebel

Maybe the teenager doesn’t even want to join the rebellion at first. Maybe they don’t want to rock the boat, or maybe they’re even firmly on the opposite side, but they’re later convinced that the rebellion is right.

Lone leader

What if the teenager does end up leading the rebellion, but only because there’s no one else to do so? What if they show the qualities of a leader almost by accident, influencing people to follow them because they were willing to rock the boat when no one else was? What if they grow into their leadership role consciously, aware of the responsibility they have to those behind them, and own up to their mistakes when they inevitably make them?

Example: The Hunger Games

Lone leader with a twist

What if the teenager leads the rebellion because no one else is willing at first, but they seek out someone older and wiser to take over once the rebellion gets off the ground? What if they understand the value of wisdom and experience and are content to just be the spark and let someone else lead once the fire is ablaze?

What do you think of these tropes? How about the subverted trope examples? Did I miss any tropes on this list? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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50 Worldbuilding Prompts

Welcome to another worldbuilding post! Today, I wanted to share with you a list of worldbuilding prompts (in no particular order) that I’ve used when developing Deseran, specifically, that have helped me delve into some of the beliefs and the details of various cultures I’ve built, beyond the basics. Many of these I came up with myself; others I got from other lists and found helpful.

Who does this culture believe shapes time? (A sovereign god, a specific god from their pantheon, mankind, magic?)What are this culture’s rainy day activities?Snowy day activities?Do any of your cultures believe in reincarnation?What do various cultures believe about intermarriage between species?When and how does this culture celebrate the new year? Or do they?Are birthdays observed? If so, how?Are streets kept lit?Are there curfews?Is there street crime?How do citizens influence their culture/government?Who has the most cultural influence?What are the bedtime stories told to children?How is knowledge maintained in this culture? (Books, scrolls, oral tradition, people with magical memories?)Does this culture have libraries? How is knowledge shared?Are there museums in this culture? What items are preserved?What are this culture’s taboos?Where would visitors to this culture find lodging?Where would someone in this culture go if they were seeking guidance on a tough issue?How are mental illnesses handled in this culture?How are disabilities and handicaps handled? What is or isn’t accessible to those with disabilities or handicaps?What groups or individuals in this culture are considered “weird”?What does this culture’s wedding attire look like?What groups or individuals in this culture are considered dangerous? Are they really?What is entertainment like for different sub-cultures/social classes in this culture?How are the arts viewed in this culture?How is insanity handled in this culture?Does this culture have any public gardens or greenhouses?How does this culture keep time?Does this culture have tattoos or anything similar?What methods of transportation are common in this culture?What sports are common in this culture? Are they for recreation, competitive, or both?Is there any slavery in this culture? If so, where do the slaves come from? How are they treated?What is the highest place of education in this culture?What are some common desserts in this culture?How are homes decorated in this culture? How does it differ by class or sub-culture?What are the most common weapons in this culture?What are this culture’s naming conventions? How many names does each individual have by the time they’re an adult? How are they structured? Do different people use different names for the same person?What are this culture’s beauty ideals?What are this culture’s standards for modesty?What would someone in this culture wear to a formal event?Is this culture’s history recorded? How so?How does this culture treat the poor?How does the general population feel about the government?How does this culture handle foreign relations?What are common communication methods in this culture?Is jewelry common in this culture? Is it purely decorative, or does it have meaning?What are the most important words in this culture’s vocabulary?What are some common idioms or phrases in this culture?Who is or is not literate in this culture?

There you go! 50 worldbuilding prompts to help you go beyond the basics and delve into the details of your fictional cultures. For more worldbuilding prompts, I recommend the list linked at the beginning of this post. If you want some ideas of different ways you might answer some of these (e.g. different ways cultures have communicated throughout history, how common phrases come to be, etc.), I recommend Marie Brennan’s New Worlds: Year One (this link includes multiple links to add/order the book, depending on your preference).

Which of these prompts are most interesting to you? Do you have any other prompts you’d add? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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World Anvil Review – My 5 Favorite Features

I mention World Anvil a lot. World Anvil is one of my favorite worldbuilding tools, and I think there’s a lot to love about it, but today I want to specifically review five of my favorite World Anvil features. (I wasn’t compensated in any way to write this article. I just really love this tool.)

World Meta

This is a relatively new addition, and it’s so helpful. The world meta section gives you a place to lay out the tone, themes, scope, and rules of your world, as well as the inspiration for it and what your long-term plans are for this world. It’s a great tool for getting you clear on your goals with a world and giving you some focusing details to base everything else off of. Plus, it gives your readers an idea of what to expect from this world and your connected future projects.

The Linking System

World Anvil’s linking system works so smoothly. You can link to any article from any other article as you’re writing, keeping everything connected and easy to navigate, and it’s as simple as tagging the article you want to link to! You can even link to articles you haven’t created yet by typing in a name and then specifying what template you want to build from (e.g. “@The Scarlet Wraith(Character)”). It’s super simple and makes it super easy to keep things together and keep an eye on what you haven’t developed yet.

The To-Do List

Speaking of things you haven’t developed yet, World Anvil’s to-do list feature is great. Any unwritten articles you link to from another article will automatically pop up here; plus you can add items on your own by putting in a title, what template you want to use, and notes of any details you don’t want to forget when you write the article; and you can also add existing articles to the to-do list from within the editing dashboard, along with any notes you want to remember for later. So if you’ve written most of an article but you’re missing a couple of fields and don’t want to forget? Add it to the to-do list with a note of which fields you wanted to come back to! Plus, it has a prioritization system so you can see your most important ideas (or the ideas you’re most excited about!) right at the top.

The Public Interface

This one is less about functionality than about style, but I love the look of World Anvil articles. All of their themes look great, there’s a good variety for different genres and tones, and it’s really easy to make great-looking articles. Quotes look great, you can add images wherever you’d like, there are sidebars, headers, etc… I haven’t used WA’s design capabilities to their full potential, but I’ve seen them used in some really creative ways, and you don’t have to know all the tips and tricks to still have good-looking articles that readers will enjoy looking at.

Linked Map Pins

World Anvil’s map tools are super cool. Apparently you can layer maps (which I haven’t had a chance to test out yet, or else it would probably be on this list), but the simplest and yet coolest thing is the way WA’s map “pins” work. Not only can you attach pop-up descriptions to marked points on your map, but you can also set them up to link to full WA articles! So if you want to give a brief description of a given city or nation that you can see just by scrolling over it, but also give readers access to a fuller look at that location, you can set up a pop-up description and also tell the pin to link to an article about the city or nation! (Or oasis, or mountain, or fortress, or ruin, or sea, or…) This is just another way that World Anvil facilitates easy navigation around your worlds.

There you have it! My personal favorite features in World Anvil. If you use WA, what are your favorite features? If not, which of these features sounds the coolest to you? I’d love to chat with you in the comments!

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My Top 5 Worldbuilding Tools

I talk a lot about worldbuilding, and today I want to share with you five tools that I’ve found helpful for organizing and inspiring my worldbuilding and that hopefully will be a help to you, too!

*Links with asterisks are affiliate links, which means I get a portion of the earnings at no extra cost to youWorldAnvil

Yes, I’m talking about WorldAnvil again, because it’s an amazing tool and the developers are awesome and super responsive and just everything about it is amazing. For those of you who haven’t heard me pitch WorldAnvil before, WorldAnvil is an online worldbuilding tool with worldbuilding templates for everything from species to objects to locations to languages to spells to… Well, you get the idea. They have a lot of options, and each template has a bunch of helpful fields that you can fill in or ignore as you see fit, plus prompts and insights under each field to get the juices flowing if you need a little extra help. Here’s a little piece of a “settlement” template to give you an example.

You can also start with a blank template, which you can then shape into whatever will best suit your needs.

WorldAnvil’s map tools are also super cool, allowing you to layer pre-existing maps and add markers that can link to articles. Check it out.

https://rmarcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iUzwfHk.mp4

Cool, right? WorldAnvil articles also just look great, with a number of themes to choose from for each of your worlds. Here’s the homepage of my Deseran world, to give you an idea of just one of the themes.

I’ll be gushing specifically about WorldAnvil next week, so let’s move on to some of these other worldbuilding tools.

New Worlds, Year One by Marie Brennan

I read this book earlier this year and it’s fantastic. I’m sure you’re not really supposed to read it cover-to-cover, but I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself while doing so. The worldview is secular, so that’s rather evident in a few places; and there are a few chapters where, by necessity of the subject matter, she uses some language or covers uncomfortable topics, but I thought it was handled well. Brennan has an engaging writing style, and since she studied anthropology she has a lot of interesting insights and brought up some things I never would have thought of. For instance, do the members of your fictional culture trace family paternally or maternally, and is that in or out of line with whether your culture is patriarchal or matriarchal? Because it can be either.

This book really got my thoughts spinning, and I look forward both to rereading it and to reading Year Two.

Add on Goodreads | Add on StoryGraph | Buy on Amazon* |

Buy through BookShop* and support an independent U.S. bookstore

A Word Processor

This one is super simple, but honestly Microsoft Word is one of the worldbuilding tools I use the most. With Deseran, it helps me a lot to have a central location where I can dump all of my worldbuilding ideas as I think of them and come back to organize them later. Ideas start as a jumbled mess in that document (which is now over 60 pages long) and gradually get copied into WorldAnvil articles where they’re much more organized and nice to look at.

I’ve also used Google Docs to create more structured worldbuilding templates (see above), which I’ve found isn’t the best format for most of my worlds, but which was definitely a helpful middle point for me and might work well for other worldbuilders.

Pinterest

Pinterest is great if you’re visual (like me) or if you struggle to construct visuals of certain elements from nothing (also like me). I’ve talked before about my Pinterest country boards (and I have similar boards for civilizations that aren’t strictly “countries”), so I won’t go into too much detail on that specific use here. But I’ve also found Pinterest to be great for sparking cuisine ideas, putting together a cohesive mood for a country/civilization/group/setting, collecting fashion inspiration to build into something new (fashion design is a side hobby of mine, so I find that one fun), etc. I’ve also created a couple of boards for fantasy races and legendary characters. All of these help me get a feel for the world and the elements in it, and they often spark new concepts to work in, as well.

Storyworld First by Jill Williamson

I’ve mentioned this book multiple times before, and I’m going to mention it again. This book has some great info on the basics of worldbuilding, and Jill does a great job of making the worldbuilding process practical. I still have sticky notes in this book, and I probably ought to reread it and underline things now that I do that with my nonfiction books. XD

Add on Goodreads | Add on StoryGraph | Buy on Amazon* |

Buy through BookShop* and support an independent U.S. bookstore

Have you used any of these worldbuilding tools? Which stand out to you most? Do you have any worldbuilding tools to recommend that I didn’t mention? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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Alpha-Readers vs. Beta-Readers

A question that comes up a lot in the writing groups I’m part of is the question of what alpha-readers and beta-readers do. What’s the difference? What is the purpose of each? Today, I wanted to tackle those questions and help you understand how best to work with each group.

The Purpose of Alpha-Readers

Alpha-readers are one or two people who read your first or second draft (depending on what’s going to work best for you and your current book) and provide encouragement, as well as some feedback on the big-picture of your book. They might point out structural issues, for instance, or inconsistencies, or elements that are unclear to the reader.

Who Should You Choose as Alpha-Readers?

You’ll want your alpha-readers to be authors you trust and authors who will be able to encourage you as you write (or rewrite). Alpha-readers are going to see one of the roughest drafts of your book, so be sure they’re people you’re comfortable with. You’ll also want readers who can balance helpful feedback with grace and encouragement.

The Purpose of Beta-Readers

Beta-readers are a larger group of readers who give feedback on a much more polished draft of your book. Often, you’ll be looking for readers who will give you a reader’s perspective on your book, and possibly point out structural issues. Beta-readers will tell you if your characters are likable, if they’re relatable, if your setting is immersive, if your scenarios are believable, etc.

When Should You Look for Beta-Readers?

You’ll want to look for beta-readers when you’re running out of edits you can make on your own. Are your edits starting to feel like spinning your wheels? It might be time to get some new eyes on your manuscript. Beta-readers will usually fall between your self-edits and the work of a professional editor.

Who Should You Choose as Beta-Readers?

Beta-reader requirements are more flexible than the requirements for alpha-readers. Beta-readers usually ought to be authors, and they ought to give balanced feedback; but while you’ll want a close relationship with your alpha-readers, you can get acquaintances to beta-read. You might want a mix of authors you know well and authors you don’t know as well when assembling beta-readers, so there’s a group that will be more familiar with your intentions and a group that can read with the perspective of a new reader. If you want, you can “test drive” your beta-readers by sending the first chapter of your book and seeing what sort of feedback they give and on what timeline. This will give you a better idea of whose feedback is going to be timely and helpful, but it’s not strictly necessary.

Often, writing groups are a great place to post and ask for beta-readers. Include a summary of your book, as well as its genre and any content a reader might want to be aware of, so that a potential reader knows if they’re going to be a good fit for your story.

Bonus: Sensitivity Readers

Another group of readers you might get to read a draft of your book would be sensitivity readers. If you’ve included situations or characters that would benefit from the feedback of people who have firsthand experience (e.g. chronic illness, mental illness, PTSD, military service, etc.), sensitivity readers are a good idea. Especially if that situation or character might offend readers if it’s not done well.

It helps for sensitivity readers to be people you know well, but it’s not a requirement. Sensitivity readers should have firsthand experience with the topic you’re writing about, and they should be gracious but honest so that you can best know what to fix and how to fix it.

For more on sensitivity reading and how to do it well (as an author), check out this post by Hannah Heath.

Have you worked with alpha-readers or beta-readers before? What was your experience like? Do you enjoy these sections of the process, or is editing not your favorite?

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Myth and Legend in Fantasy Worlds

Cultures are shaped by their stories. These stories might reinforce cultural ideals, religious ideals, general morals… or, on the flip side, they might subvert or reject these ideals. Myths and legends are a prime example of this, as they often reflect the mindset and values of the cultures that created them. So today I want to talk about how to build and use myth and legend in your fantasy world.

The Purpose of Myth

myth

/miTH/

1. a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

Myths are stories created not only to entertain and inspire, but to explain. They might explain natural phenomena (creation, the origin of fire, a worldwide flood); historical facts, though they may be fictionalized (the naming of Athens, the ancient peoples of Ireland, the existence of giants); or societal practices (the installation of a monarchy, legal marriages), to name a few.

A good starting point for developing your culture’s set of myths and legends might be to ask, “What would they seek to explain?” Is there a magic system that needs an origin story? Are there social practices that the people would seek to justify or explain? Why do they think that the sky is blue? Having a list of these sorts of questions will give you a starting point for every culture you work with in the future.

Determine the Tone of Your Culture’s Myth and Legend

Once you have a list of questions to answer, choosing a tone and focal point for the culture’s mythology can be a good idea. Do they have a lot of stories about the gods themselves, like Norse mythology? Do they focus more on supernatural—but still relatable—heroes, like in Greek and Roman mythology? Are there stories of mythological beasts? Are the interactions between gods and men a big focal point, like in some Native American mythology?

As for tone, is it comedic like Norse mythology, romantic like Greek mythology, dramatic like Egyptian mythology, down-to-earth like Native American mythology, epic like Japanese mythology, dark like Mesoamerican mythology? Some combination?

Merging Myth and Legend from Different Cultures

Many cultures over the ages have synthesized their beliefs, shaping their native beliefs to fit some newly introduced worldview (or vice versa). The same might be true of your world, depending on its age and the culture you’re building. A very isolationist culture isn’t likely to synthesize beliefs, nor is a young civilization that hasn’t met any of its distant neighbors yet. But if your world is old and there’s been a lot of cultural mixing, you might ask what these cultures’ myths and legends looked like to begin with, which cultures have the most prevalent myths and legends, and how various cultures might have shaped those ideals to fit their own concepts of myth and legend. There are a few ways this synthesis might manifest.

Cultures might assimilate the events of the myths, shaping them to fit with the timelines and morals of their own myth and legend (e.g. declaring that their legendary ancestors were placed there by their god rather than chased there by mythological beasts).Cultures might adopt the morals of the myths, but use them as the basis of stories that better fit their own mythos (e.g. taking a story of gods and making it about heroes, or turning a story about gods and men into a drama among the gods).Cultures might adopt the events and morals of the myths, but rewrite them to better fit the tone of their own mythos (e.g. taking a dark myth and making it comedic).Cultures might alter their own mythology to fit the new (e.g. shaping the moral of a certain legend to reflect the character of a newfound god)

Building synthesized myths, though challenging, will bring additional depth to your world.

What Impact Do Myth and Legend Have on Everyday Life?

This question can be deep (“Because of the story of Fer-Aven, the Piradi believe that true peace is unattainable without supernatural aid”) or it can be surface-level (“The myth of the unicorn is used as a bedtime story for children”). But myth and legend, like religion (and any other worldview element of your culture), will have bearing on your characters’ everyday lives. Even if they don’t ascribe to this mythos themselves, if it colors the culture around them then it will impact them to some degree. (Unless they’re monks or hermits or otherwise intentionally cut off from society, which could actually be a fun angle to play off of. But in that case, how would they react to be introduced to this mythos for the first time, and is there a situation in which this would happen? *cough* But I digress.)

Surface-level answers might also include good luck tokens or elements of décor that are derived from myth and legend. What if people hang black curtains in the spring to make the spring goddess feel more welcome in the overworld after half a year spent in the underworld? Or blue, because they believe she lives above the clouds when she’s not present? Myth and legend can impact setting as well as character.

Does your world have any myths or legends? What is their impact on the culture? What questions do they answer? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

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Worldbuilding Checklist – The Basics

Last week, I talked about the core elements a fictional culture needs, and over time I’ve written posts on many different worldbuilding concepts and how to build them well. Today, I want to share with you a worldbuilding checklist that includes all of the elements (both general to a world and specific to various cultures) that I see as integral to a functioning world. And I’ll include a printable version, too, so stick around to the end for that.

Part 1: General World QuestionsWhat is the origin of the world?Does this world have a god/gods? If so, what are the most important elements of their character?What is the inherent moral law in this world?What are the scientific laws of this world?Are there magic systems? If so, how do they work and what are their limitations?

Related Post:  Deciding the Foundation Truth of Your World

What species grow/live in your world?What is the climate of your world?What is the general landscape of your world? (Having a map could help here.)Part 2: Cultural QuestionsWhat are your culture’s 1-3 core values?What is the basis of your culture’s religion?What are 2-3 of their core myths/legends? (Creation myths can be especially important. I’ll talk about myths and legends more next week.)What does education look like in this culture?What are some common traditions in this culture?Do they have any big festivals or holidays?What does their government look like?What is this culture’s approach to work? (Inside vs. outside the home, in community vs. individual, family-centered vs. not, etc.)What do family roles look like?How are romantic relationships and marriage approached in this culture?What historical events have shaped this culture?Who are this culture’s heroes?

All of these questions will help you to develop a world that shapes your characters and feels real to the reader. Some are a bit more important than others, or might be more or less relevant upfront depending on what kind of story you want to tell (e.g. romance/marriage customs will be less crucial if your book is completely free of romance), but they’ll all contribute to the overall shape of your world and culture and give you a foundation for stories moving forward.

To get a printable version of this worldbuilding checklist, join my Discord server or sign up to my newsletter for access to the resource library!

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