R.M. Archer's Blog, page 21

The Liebster Award #9

I’ve been nominated for another Liebster Award! This one is from Grace over at Gabbing with Grace, and she’s pretty cool. She has a post about predestination, which will become relevant in a moment. XD Anyway, thanks to Grace for the tag!

RulesGive a thanks to the blogger who has nominated you (done!)Answer the eleven questions s/he has askedNominate eleven more bloggers for the awardMake sure that they know you have nominated themAsk your eleven nominated bloggers eleven questionsQuestions

When did you first start your blog?

First first? 2013. First as far as any decent content? XD 2017.

(And as a bonus answer, I started my second blog in 2018. ;) )

What’s something you want to blog about but haven’t yet? Why?

How to subvert annoying-but-popular tropes from a Christian worldview. That’s going to be really fun at some point.

What’s your dream job?

Author/youth leader/music minister/editor/worldbuilding coach. XD XD Also wife and mom. So. Yep. Lots of things. XD But they’re all sort of related, actually! They all tie in with the goal of ministering in ways that impact the culture.

Name a movie you want to watch but haven’t yet. Why?

Now You See Me. It looks like a very cool movie, but I can’t find it anywhere to watch it. :P

What’s your favorite topic to debate about? (Assuming you like to debate…better for you if you don’t.)

Hehe… Predestination. I can debate predestination allllll day. (There are people who no longer enjoy debating predestination with me. It’s kind of disappointing, but I guess it’s understandable. XD)

Who has been your biggest supporter in life?

I’m guessing God is assumed. XD So beyond that… probably my dad. My dad is awesome. He supports me in all sorts of areas. Pretty sure he was even behind me when I was nine and wanted to become a PI even though I would never have made a good PI. XD

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Tennessee. Somewhere between Nashville and Knoxville, probably.

What’s something you don’t like, even though most people do? (It could be a book, TV show, song, anything!)

Ummm… The Shape of You was really popular for a while. I don’t know if it still is, but I despise that song. *shudders*

What makes you stop and think? (Roses? Poems? Big words?)

People smarter than me. Whether I’m interacting with them directly or reading books they’ve written… people who know more than I do about topics that interest me.

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

Well… kinda answered this one, actually. XD But there was a slew of things. Ballerina, waitress, PI/spy (I wasn’t picky on that point XD)… and then author! I came to that one fairly early, between probably 10 and 12, and it’s stuck. ;)

If you could make up a question to ask yourself as the final one in this list, what would it be? (For example, “Why was Grace too lazy to create a legitimate question?” By the way, she has an answer to that. It’s not laziness; it’s ingenuity.)

Y’know, usually when doing these things I write up the list of questions for my nominees and I think “Mannnn, I would have liked to answer that question. D:” But it’s a lot harder when I haven’t done that list yet. XD So I’m gonna go do that and then jump back up once I have a cool question. ;)

Ooh, actually! I’ll steal one of the questions Grace answered. “Do you speak two or more languages?”

Sort of! I am in the process of learning French, which has been very fun. I’ve been learning for… a year? I think? Maybe a year and a half? Not sure. But anyway, it’s been a while. I’m making progress. I haven’t achieved fluency yet, but I’m working toward that.

And I’d also like to learn Hebrew! I mostly haven’t started that one yet because the whole learning-a-new-alphabet thing is intimidating, but I would love to know Hebrew and be able to use it in my Bible study and whatnot.

Nominees

1-11. You! If you want to do it. I think my friends might be tired of me tagging them, LOL. I’m gonna steal Grace’s explanation here and say it’s not lazy; it’s considerate. XD

QuestionsIf you were suddenly required to change your blog topic, what would you blog about?What is your favorite topic to debate?What is your least favorite book trope?Do you like to dance?If you could live in any fantasy world, which would you choose?Who inspires you the most?What book(s) are you currently reading?Do you like non-fiction books?What’s your favorite TV show?Do you have any languages to learn on your bucket list? If so, what’s holding you back from learning them?What are your thoughts on giants?

Why to Invest in Copy-Edits

This month I’m writing about why indie authors should invest in edits. I started out talking about developmental edits, then I discussed line edits, and this week I’m wrapping up with copy-edits.

Copy-edits focus on a story’s grammatical issues, and I believe every indie author should get a good copy-editor. I could give you a long list of indie books that were excellent in content, but didn’t go through a good round of copy-edits and were still riddled with grammatical issues and typos. This is an instant negative mark to the professionalism of the book, and it could be so easily avoided.

But it’s not all on the authors. Editors also need to be better about recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and not offer edits they can’t do with excellence. Many of those indie books I’d list have editors attached to them, and it’s discouraging to me as both an author and an editor to find so many remaining errors. But I digress.

Why should you invest in copy-edits? Copy-edits (assuming they’re well-done) will add the final level of professional polish to your book by ironing out grammatical mistakes and catching any typos that have slipped through the cracks. Even authors with a strong grasp of grammar on their own can benefit from having a second set of eyes to catch those typos they’ve seen ten million times and have overlooked because they know what the word is supposed to say. Finding a good copy-editor will mostly ensure that you don’t have any embarrassing errors or incorrect homophones or too many misplaced commas.

Can you get away without copy-edits? Technically yes, but I’d advise strongly against it. As I said before, even the most grammatically-aware authors can benefit from a second set of eyes on their work.

Where to find a copy-editor

Since copy-edits are founded in technical English rather than storytelling, you may be able to find a copy-editor among your personal acquaintances. Is your aunt a stickler for grammar? Enlist her help. Family friend is an English teacher? Also a potential copy-editor. Sometimes you don’t have to invest a whole lot of money in copy-edits, and the return value is well worth it.

But if you do want someone who copy-edits professionally, I have a short list. I’m a copy-editor myself, and I come from a family of editors in different fields. If you’re interested in checking out my services, you can do so here.

The editors I mentioned last week for line edits also do copy-edits. Rachelle Rea Cobb, who—as mentioned previously—I plan to work with on my own novels; and Brianna Storm Hilvety, who’s praised in the Story Embers community. (Brianna lists her copy-edits under “proofreading.”)

Writing Community Award

It’s tag day! I was tagged for the Writing Community Award by Kristianne over at Whimsical Wanderings. Definitely go check out her blog and give it a follow! And with that being said, let’s jump into the tag.

Rules

1. Display the award logo on your site. (See above)

2. Link back to the person who tagged you. (See above)

3. Answer five questions.

4. Tag three blogs (they have to be writing related blogs, not just any blogs) and ask them five new questions.

5. Follow as many blogs with this award as you can.

Questions

1. Who is the audience that you write for?

Blog-wise, I write for (mostly young) Christian spec fic authors, and often those intending to self-publish. Some of my content goes beyond that, but that’s who I mostly try to keep in mind as I write.

Books-wise, I write for Christian teen/young adult speculative fiction readers. So… there’s a lot of overlap, lol. I mostly write for readers who are tired of being unable to find clean, edifying YA fantasy on the shelf and want books that are going to encourage them and sometimes challenge them and books that are going to mostly line up with their own worldview.

2. Are you a pantser or a plotter?

Usually somewhere in between, but I’ve been plotting more and more in recent years.

3. Which comes first when you get a story idea: characters, plot, or setting/world?

Almost always the characters. Stories set in Deseran are often an exception to this rule (usually I’m most inspired by the world, in those cases), and occasionally I’ll get a plot idea first, but it’s usually characters.

4. What genre is your favorite to write and why?

Fantasy! Fantasy gives me free rein of my imagination, there are very few limits, and I’ve found it’s an excellent genre in which to explore different worldviews in a very focused and intentional way, which I find to be a lot of fun.

5. How do you handle criticism and rejection in your writing?

Usually I welcome it. Assuming it’s constructive feedback. I appreciate when people help me to identify areas where I could grow or improve a piece, and I see it as an opportunity to strengthen my writing. Sort of like working out tears down muscles to build them up stronger, constructive criticism tears down your writing so you can build it up stronger.

As far as criticism that doesn’t aim to be helpful, I try not to pay too much attention to it. If I can’t do anything about it, and someone was just tearing down my writing to tear down my writing, then it’s not worth listening to.

While I usually don’t have too much trouble with criticism, there have definitely been times I’ve taken it too much to heart. I once sent in a short story I really loved to get feedback on it, and when I got the feedback I threw it all out and thought the editor who had looked at it had been too harsh. When I finally came back to that feedback years later, though, I could see it was all really good input and I used it to strengthen the story. So I’ve definitely gotten too close to my work before, and criticism has hurt more.

NomineesMaple at Maple Quill Penning MagicFarren at The Starry-Eyed DreamerAllie at Of Rainy Days and Stardust VeinsNew QuestionsWhat do you most enjoy about writing?What’s something you want to work into a story one day? (A trope, a character, a situation, a worldbuilding element…)Do you listen to music while you write?Do you enjoy or dread the editing process?Who’s your favorite of your own characters?

Why to Invest in Line Edits

Welcome back to this three-part series on investing in novel edits! Last week we talked about what developmental editing is and why it’s important, and this week we get to talk about my favorite type of edits: line edits.

Line edits are edits that more-or-less focus on the sentence-level. These are edits that will tighten, fill out, and polish your prose, as well as catch continuity errors. Line edits don’t only improve your prose, though. A line editor will help you maximize the impact of your prose, thus strengthening your worldbuilding, character development, character voice, plot, and prose all at the same time. Or, if you want to read how I describe it on my editing page:

With line-edits, I’ll work at roughly sentence-level and tackle any issues that might make your story unwieldy or hard to read. Things like cleaning up info dumps, drawing out description, making sure word choice is effective, and fixing up sentence structure. I’ll also point out consistency issues and other small details that help make your novel as cohesive as it can be, like “could you work this detail in a few chapters later?” or “could you introduce this character’s quirk earlier?”

Basically, line edits help with a whole bunch of things.

Why should you invest in line edits? Well, as you can see, line edits tackle a lot. Line edits are the most broad variety of edits, and possibly the most important. Building a strong foundation with developmental edits is important, but if you’re on a tight budget and have to cut something out, line edits can usually do the bulk of the heavy lifting. They’ll make your book readable and help even a weak book pack a better punch. (Though, again… getting all the edits is ideal. Duct tape is great for keeping things together, but repairs are better.)

Can you get away without line edits? Some authors probably can. Some authors have really strong prose from the get-go and fully understand how to utilize it to its maximum potential and have no problem applying that understanding. But even good can be made better, and a line editor can at least be a second set of eyes to double-check that everything flows smoothly and you’ve highlighted every element of your story in the best way possible (or set aside the details that aren’t as important). So while you can get away without line edits, I personally highly recommend them. And, in my experience, they’re a lot of fun.

Where to find a line editor

In case you missed it from my mention of an editing page, I offer line edits. They’re my absolute favorite to do when it comes to other people’s work. I love picking out elements that the author could capitalize on and suggesting ways to make description work harder and writing flow smoother. This is the area in which I most feel like I’m working with the author to strengthen their work. You can find my services here. I’d love to work with you!

But there are also other options. Rachelle Rea Cobb offers line edits (under the title of “content edits”), and she’s the editor I plan to work with for my own books (though I haven’t had the opportunity yet). Brianna Storm Hilvety is also a line editor, and she’s well-known in the Story Embers community, which I trust to value excellence in the craft.

If you’ve worked with a great line editor in the past, drop a link down in the comments for other writers to find!

Have you worked with a line editor in the past? Do you enjoy line edits, or are developmental edits or copy-edits more your jam?

Why to Invest in Developmental Edits

It’s the new year, the time when many authors set goals for their writing projects and may look toward future steps for their books. So today, for any of you looking into editing and/or publishing in the coming year, I want to offer some insight into the three primary types of editing and why each one is important to not overlook.

We’re going to start with the edits that cover the most large-scale problems in a manuscript: Developmental Edits. These are also sometimes called Content Edits… although so are line-edits, which are a separate category, so it’s kind of confusing. (I don’t know why editors have such inconsistent terminology.)

Anyway, developmental edits (or content edits; whichever you prefer) focus on the structural integrity of your story. This is where you’ll get feedback on your plot structure, character arcs and development, theme, potentially your worldbuilding… anything that’s going to impact the order and overall shape of your story. A developmental editor will pick out extraneous or awkward scenes, suggest elements to add to strengthen your structure, make sure your overall pacing is right for the story you’re trying to tell, encourage you to flesh out mediocre characters, etc.

Why are developmental edits important? Well… just like a house needs a firm foundation, an animal needs a complete and well-ordered skeleton, and a computer needs solid wiring, a story needs a sturdy structure to build off of. A compelling plot, theme, and characters are what will really engage your reader and keep them engaged. They’re also what make your book work to fulfill the purpose you have in mind. They’ll ensure that your theme is strong (without being overbearing), that your characters connect with readers exactly the right way, and that your worldbuilding serves the story.

Can you get away without developmental edits? If you’re a decent writer, maybe. If you can make your story function even if it’s not as strong as it could be, you can probably get by without developmental edits. But it’ll be sort of like building a lean-to rather than a stand-alone house. It’s a functional shelter, but probably not ideal. A developmental editor will help you take your story from functional to strong, which will ultimately strengthen any themes within your story and heighten overall reader enjoyment.

Where to find a developmental editor

I have yet to work with a developmental editor personally, but I’ve heard good reports about Jane Maree. If you’ve worked with a great developmental editor, drop your recommendation down in the comments to help out other readers!

Are you looking to edit a book in the next year?

Next week we’ll discuss line edits, which are my personal favorite.

2020 Wrap-Up and Goals for 2021

Well. I’m sure you’ve heard this many times already, but… it’s been a year. A crazy whirlwind of a year. It’s a little hard to believe it’ll finally be over in a few days, lol. But as I attempt to maintain hope for 2021, let’s spend some time focusing on what went well in 2020 and some things that could go well in 2021!

2020: An Overview

…How do I even overview this year? It’s been such a roller coaster, lol. I re-published Short Story Collection vol. 1, I graduated from high school and choir, I struggled with socializing (lockdown, anyone?) and yet somehow still managed to make new friends? I spoke up… and then quieted down again. Um… yeah. Lots has happened and yet it feels like nothing has gotten done, so… That feels like kind of an apt description of the whole year. But anyway.

Last year I mentioned starting to learn French and falling in love with ballroom dance, and both of those things have stuck around! I’ve been continuing to practice French through Duolingo and starting in… October, I think, my sisters and I started taking ballroom dance classes! So I’m very, very happy about that.

I didn’t get to do a lot of the things I was hoping to do this year. Because lockdown started in March, I didn’t get to complete my final choir semester and I missed out on my final performance and an in-person “ceremony.” I didn’t get to hug my fellow seniors when we parted ways, which… was a really big bummer. We did a Zoom graduation thing that did manage to make me cry… a lot… and my dad bought me flowers, so it wasn’t a complete disappointment. I still really miss those people and I think I’ll be missing them for a long time to come. But I’ve ended up still getting to hang out with a handful of them in other contexts, so that’s been nice.

I finally got my driver’s license in September! Which has been so. nice. My best friend and I have started meeting up once a week to do schoolwork and hang out together, I’ve started taking my sisters to dance class (as previously mentioned), and I’ve been trying to go to church consistently. Unannounced cancellations have made that hard. :P But I’m making at least a little bit of headway!

I also settled on concrete plans for the next few years! Last year I was looking toward graduation and feeling like I had no idea what I was going to be doing afterward, but thanks to research for a random story idea I managed to stumble across a college that looks like it’s going to be a perfect fit for me, so that’s something I’m working toward, even though I’m planning to put it off another year and a half-ish so I can focus on traveling and writing and the like before I start college. (A little more on that later.)

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with how much I managed to hold up over the course of this year. There were definitely many stretches that I only managed to power through because God was pushing me, and I’m so thankful for that. This has not been an easy year by any stretch of the imagination, but He’s pulled me through.

2020: Goals in Review

Because 2020 was what it was, a lot of my plans got completely derailed, and not all of those were inherent negatives, so I’m mostly going to review the goals that either went well or okay and leave out those that got completely shot down.

Post (at least) once a month on Within the Static

I did this! I put up 19 posts on WTS over the course of this year, and the only month I’ve missed is December, which I plan to remedy. So hooray! I’m pretty happy with that progress. :)

Revise Calligraphy Guild

I don’t remember for sure what my specific end-goal was with this? If I was planning to have it completely revised by the end of the year, I’m not even close. But I have gotten a couple rounds of edits done! In particular, I’ve fixed some worldbuilding errors in the first chapter that were preventing me from posting it here on the blog. I posted that first chapter in August, and you can join my Discord server (or email me, if Discord isn’t an option) for access!

Prepare to pitch Calligraphy Guild

This was back when I was toying with the idea of going trad with Calligraphy Guild, but with RealmMakers falling through and some more thought I’ve decided to continue indie with this book. I’m super excited to go through the full indie publication process with Calligraphy Guild and make it wholly my own! :)

Re-publish Lost Girl

Due to the release of Kara Swanson’s Dust right around the time I’d been planning to do this, I decided it would be best to postpone this re-release until next year. But Lost Girl will be coming to paperback in June!

Re-publish Short Story Collection Vol. 1

This I did! And I’m so much happier with this version.

Revise Hands (a poem)

To be completely honest, I’d completely forgotten this was a goal. I think I did revise it? I also went through a semi-brief songwriting phase around the same time, so that was fun. I don’t remember what the end goal was for this, so I don’t know if I achieved the purpose? But I did revise Hands.

Get my license

I did this! *happy dance* The process took entirely too long! But I’m finally allowed to drive independently!

2021: Concrete Goals

I have lots. Possibly too many; we’ll find out. This isn’t quite all of them, since some are irrelevant and/or personal, but it’s most of the big ones.

Continue posting at least once a month on Within the Static

Write a guest post for The Rebelution

Write a guest post for Story Embers

Post a weekly conversation starter in Discord

(Yep, I know my engagement isn’t great. Working on it!)

Finish (all) Calligraphy Guild edits

(There’s some exciting stuff beyond that, but… that’ll come out later. ;) )

Start outlining The Dark War Trilogy

(That series I was super excited about for a while that then completely disappeared? I want to bring it back!)

Post every week on my author social media

Make progress on background project

(I don’t want to get anyone too excited since it’s barely moving yet, but if it works out it’s going to be very cool.)

Release two worldbuilding courses

(One on the basics of worldbuilding and how to approach it; one on how to develop the many facets of your world with worldview in mind!)

Read 52 books, including one indie book and one nonfiction book each month

(I’ve read 115 books this year, but I’m planning to be a lot more busy next year and don’t want to stretch myself too thin, so I’m returning to my more reasonable goal of one per week.)

Take CLEP tests

(I have seven of these I’m planning to take to get a lot of my general ed out of the way. I’m hopeful they’ll go well!)

Practice French daily

Start learning Hebrew

(Hoping to get a jump start on theology-based schooling, plus I’d just like to know it for my own personal Bible study.)

Cross-country road trip

(I’m very excited about this! My graduation present from my aunt and grandparents is a cross-country road trip that we didn’t get to take in September due to lockdowns, but we’re planning to go this coming year instead. I love traveling, and I know that The Grand Canyon is on the itinerary, so I’m very much looking forward to this!)

2021: General Hopes

I’m hoping to grow a lot through 2021. I feel like I ended up kind of stagnant this year due to everything shutting down, but I have a lot of cool stuff planned for 2021 and I’m hoping to buckle down on writing-related stuff and develop some more independence and discipline. After working on worldbuilding courses, independent study, and CLEP tests in the first quarter, I’m hoping to work in a different state over the summer and then travel in the fall, so there are going to be a lot of new experiences and new people.

I’m planning to carry over my Bible verse of the year from last year: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33

I’m not sure how well I held to this verse this year? It definitely kept showing up every time I needed to be reminded of it, but I’m not sure how deeply I took it to heart. I definitely tried, but it’s something I still need to work on (and could probably work on my whole life), so I’m planning to carry it over for this year and keep striving to follow Him better.

I would also just like normal life to go back to… well, normal, but my hope is battling with my knowledge of mankind on that one.

And I think that about covers it! Growth, normalcy, stronger faith…

How about you? What progress did you make in 2020? What are your hopes and plans for 2021?

Interview with the Phoenix Fiction Writers

If you’ve been around my blog or my social media for long, you know that I am a huge fan of a group of authors known as the Phoenix Fiction Writers. They’re a collection of indie speculative fiction authors, first started by E.B. Dawson, who help to support each other’s work throughout the writing process and beyond. They’re an absolutely amazing group of people, and I’m super privileged to have had the opportunity to interact with several of them personally, to varying degrees. I highly encourage you to check out both the PFW website and each of their individual websites and their books.

Anyway, PFW’s third anniversary is coming up on the 20th, and I figured an interview would be a great way to help introduce them to those of you who are unfamiliar, or just deepen your appreciation for them (and maybe encourage you to buy their books ;) ) if you’ve heard of them before. I wasn’t able to get answers from quite everybody, unfortunately, but I did get to hear from E.B. (Beth) Dawson, J.E. (Jill) Purrazzi, Kyle Robert Shultz, Hannah Heath, Beth(any) Wangler, and Nate Philbrick. So, without further ado, the interview!

What sparked the idea for the Phoenix Fiction Writers (no pun intended)?

BETH: I was in my first year as an indie author and already realizing the importance of networking when I read an article about a marketing collective of female authors who came together to pool their audiences. It made so much sense to me. But it took six months for me to go from a place of “I would love to be a part of something like that someday” to “I’m going to make this happen myself.”

But even after reading about the idea, I don’t think I would have ever moved forward if it weren’t for the amazing authors themselves. I respect and admire the authors I work with so much. I wanted them to be part of my team, and frankly, I wanted to get them on my team before they committed to anyone else’s team. ;)

That’s awesome! You’ve definitely managed to snatch up a great team. ^-^ How was the phoenix chosen as the PFW namesake and mascot?

BETH: When brainstorming a name for this collective, the options were surprisingly limited. I only had two options I really liked. One was a genre neutral name, which honestly would never have worked. The other was the Phoenix Fiction Writers. I figured a mythical creature would represent the speculative fiction genre well and spark people’s imagination. Plus it’s fun. But most importantly, I have always loved the symbolism of redemption and rebirth behind the phoenix mythos. I believe stories can be transformative.

Absolutely. Stories have such amazing power. What sorts of things does the collective collaborate on?

BETH: Every year we put out an anthology of short stories. Several of us are currently collaborating on a novel and we hope to have more projects like that in the future. But we often give input on each other’s projects including covers, blurbs, manuscripts, and almost anything else you could imagine.

Having a dedicated group of authors as a support system and built-in critique partners sounds amazing. And the PFW anthology is something I look forward to every year! Do any of you have a favorite PFW anthology?

KYLE: Probably Antiheroes, though Of Myth and Monster is a very close second.

JILL: My story in Of Myth and Monster is my personal favorite, but Strange Waters is probably my favorite to date.

BETHANY: I love each one more than the last. At the moment, that means Of Myth and Monster is my favorite.

HANNAH: That’s so hard to answer because they each hold a special place in my heart. However, I love any and all water-based stories so I’ll have to go with Strange Waters.

BETH DAWSON: Strange Waters is my favorite so far, but I have to say…without giving anything away, our 2021 anthology is shaping up to be my favorite.

Of Myth and Monster is my personal favorite (psst, readers, go check it out ;D), but now you have me even more excited for next year’s anthology!

How has being part of PFW strengthened your individual writing processes?

JILL: Writing sprints with fellow PFW authors have kept me writing when I probably would have hit a slump well before now and not recovered. And the tips and tricks, conversations about writing and marketing, and help with critiques and editing have been a life saver.

BETH DAWSON: Every single author is different and getting a front row seat to their creative processes, struggles, and victories has been a game changer. I have learned to take bold risks and to have grace on myself when things aren’t adding up. I have learned more discipline. I have been inspired beyond what I thought I was capable of.

KYLE: The support and encouragement of friends definitely helps my productivity.

HANNAH: Being able to bounce ideas around with fellow PFW authors has been incredibly helpful. I always learn some new way to improve my process. The writing sprints are also great! In the past I’ve found sprints stressful, but doing them with PFW authors is both helpful and fun.

NATE: Being challenged to be more concise with my style! Anthologies in particular have forced me to cut words mercilessly…and it’s opened my eyes to just how wordy I can be when left unattended.

BETHANY: Writing sprints help me find more motivation in the evenings than I otherwise would have. And I have learned so much about marketing and writing craft from these other authors. For instance, I have a much higher appreciation for and understanding of story structure thanks to Jill.

What is your favorite thing about being part of PFW?

NATE: Knowing that I have a locked-and-loaded support system that I can fall back on, both for issues related to writing and other things as well. People I admire as creative professionals and respect as individuals.

KYLE: The unique, hilarious, some-might-say-slightly-insane-but-who-cares-what-they-think dynamic we have is definitely my favorite part.

BETHANY: The people. I love each of these authors dearly. They’ve become friends as well as colleagues, and I can rely on them for laughter just as much as for advice. The community helps me persevere when I am full of doubts or feel like giving up.

JILL: The community is incredible. We support each other with prayers, calls, advice, and more. With PFW I never fail to be reminded that writing and publishing is a world-altering calling.

BETH DAWSON: The group dynamic. Sometimes I joke that I founded PFW for my own entertainment. But if I have to give a more serious answer, my favorite part is getting to brag about our authors’ amazing work. Or just getting to have my work next to theirs on our website, and in our anthologies. Honestly, there are so many things.

Even from the outside, I can see how great a community y’all must have… and I love when those unique and hilarious dynamics come to the surface. XD

What does your PFW role entail, and what is your favorite responsibility within that role?

KYLE: I help people sell things more cleverly and smack them upside the head when they don’t listen to me. Upside-head-smacking is my favorite, obviously.

HANNAH: As the multimedia manager, I organize, schedule, and host our podcasts, as well as the majority of our livestreams. My favorite part is hosting, because it’s a fun way to hang out with PFW members and other creatives while learning all sorts of new information from them. It’s a cool experience.

JILL: I am the “handy-man” of PFW. One of my favorite roles is interacting with other indie authors and keeping an eye out for potential new additions. I also love being able to offer some support to our fearless leader when she shoulders so much. Even if it’s something as little as making a graphic or answering an email.

BETHANY: I’m the Art Director, which means managing adding new merch, working with Grace Crandall and Nate Philbrick to create more PFW art, and creating the visual content for our Instagram. My favorite aspect is making new PFW art, because I get to nerd out about my friends’ stories and be artsy at the same time.

How are new authors assimilated into the collective?

BETH: We are not currently looking to expand right now. But in the past we have kept our eyes open for authors who share our values and writing philosophy, are business and career minded, write a brand of fiction that would expand our audience or fill a gap, and who have skills that would benefit our collective. We get to know them, read their work, and then decide as a group whether or not to reach out to them.

How do you hope to see PFW grow and evolve over the next year and beyond?

BETH: One of our priorities is longevity and sustainability. In a community of entrepreneurs it’s relatively easy to launch something new but much harder to keep it going long term. The fact that this is our third anniversary is a huge deal for us. Just keeping operating month after month is something I never want to take for granted.

That being said, we do have many, many dreams and goals! Most of them I will not voice here. But a couple of things we are looking at for the next few years are direct sales from our website, a traveling bookstore for festivals and comic cons, and more collaborative content like cowritten novels or multiple authors working within one expanded universe.

But one of our simplest goals is to expand our audience every year.

All of that sounds amazing! A traveling bookstore sounds like so much fun. I wish y’all the absolute best with your future endeavors! ^-^

If you’re interested in checking out the entire PFW catalogue, go check out their site. If you need any last-minute Christmas gifts for book-lovers, consider their work. ;) I’ve also reviewed a good number of their books, so if you’re interested in hearing what I’ve thought of some of their books you can check out the list in my previous PFW anniversary post.

Aaaand, if you’re interested in checking out their books for slightly less investment, they’re running an anniversary sale from the 26th to the 28th! This will not only include sale prices on books, but also on merch, so definitely keep an eye out for that. I’ll be posting more details that weekend and encouraging y’all again to give it a look. It’s going to be an awesome sale. :)

Just want to follow PFW for now? You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube! So wherever you hang out, check them out and get to know them a little better. :)

The Writerly Sibling Tag

I have a confession to make. This tag was not acquired by legitimate means. I stole it.

via GIPHY

I know. But if I did it as an excuse to tag my sister, do I get a pass? Before we get started, thanks to Rachel at R’s Loft for bringing this tag to my attention. (I may be a thief, but at least I can be a polite thief.)

And the… rules.

via GIPHY

Rules:

Rule One: Thank the blogger who tagged you and provide a link to their post (see above).

Rule Two: Answer the inquires, including any ones added by means of rule six.

Rule Three: Always use your own characters. No exception, unless you don’t actually have sibling characters (in which case you need to go write up some) or you don’t write (in which case you need to start ASAP).

Rule Four: Tag three other bloggers.

Rule Five: If you happen to have any siblings who blog, they are automatically tagged and cannot count towards your three.

Rule Six: Add one question or prompt to the list of questions the person before you answered relating to siblings and/or characters. Answer the question, and provide a list of all the questions of that you answered so far

(So, for example, someone I tag will have 11 questions to answer, one of which will be their own. The next will have 12, 10 of which are mine, 1 of which is the previous blogger’s, and 1 of which is there own. The next person will have 13, and so forth….)

Rule Seven: Close out the post making some statement or other glorifying the King of kings.

Questions:

Name the most annoying sibling character in any of your stories (Either annoying to you as the author or to any other characters)

Leafman Elfbourne. Both to me (although I love him dearly) and to his siblings. So much angstttttttt.

Name the most caring sibling character in any of your stories

Just one? Just one?

*sighs* It would be one of the Eckards… but that doesn’t lower it down much… Probably either Halder or Hayden. Since Halder often appears more caring, whereas Hayden tends to be very quiet about his care, we’ll go with Halder.

WAIT. THEN THERE’S ALSO MAKIO FROM CALLIGRAPHY GUILD AND NOW I DON’T KNOW.

Name the most entertaining sibling character in any of your stories

To me or to the characters? To the characters, Hunter Eckard probably wins this spot. To me… probably Saria Elfbourne? I’m not sure.

Name a sibling character who was inspired in some way by an actual sibling

Saria was based my oldest sister, Syb. At least in theory; I’m not sure how well 7-year-old me really captured the likeness. XD Duyên’s sister Sakura was also somewhat based on Syb, but less so; Sakura actually better resembles the next sister down. Oh! And while we’re discussing Duyên’s siblings, I drew inspiration from my own brother while writing her brother Sinh.

Name the largest character family (talking family, not family tree) in any of your stories

The Eckards. I don’t think they all get to talk in The Masked Captain, unfortunately, because… space… but there are eight siblings, plus the oldest has three kids and he and his family often spend time with his parents and siblings, so they’re kind of in the bunch, too. His kids are around the same age as his two youngest siblings. (I really like the Eckards. I need to write them more.)

Provide one to three excerpts from your sibling characters’ dialog from any of your stories

From Calligraphy Guild:

Finally, Tora murmured a question that had been on her mind all evening. “Do you think I’m strong?”

Makio wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Tora, you’re one of the strongest people I know.”

Tora looked up at him, even though he was barely visible in the dark. “Really?”

“Really. Your illness doesn’t define you, Tora. You’re strong in intellect, you’re strong in passion, you’re strong in determination…” He reached over and tapped her tattoo. “And you’re strong in character.”

Tora swallowed hard and nestled against Makio’s shoulder. “I hope so,” she murmured.

(I need to edit Tora’s POV and clean up some of this dialogue. :P)

From The Masked Captain:

“I didn’t get an invitation,” Rhylan said. “Usually we’re both invited.”

Rynn smirked at him. “They just like me better.”

Rhylan snorted. “Careful of that Halder fellow. You’re both nearing marrying age.” He winked.

Rynn gasped. “Rhylan!” She threw a grape at him.

Rhylan grinned and threw the grape back. That was all it took to begin a full-out food fight, though it only lasted a minute before Rayth stood.

“Enough! You’re acting like children.”

Rynn brushed eggs off her bodice. “Rhylan, you went and ruined my dress.” She put on her best mock pout.

“And you messed up my hair. I’ll have to go and wash it again.” Rhylan brushed his hair back with a twinkle in his eye.

Name three published books which have an amazing portrayal of siblings or family

THE WINGFEATHER SAGA. Hands-down.
Children of Blood and Bone. I didn’t like much about this book, but I liked the sibling dynamics.
100 Days of Sunlight. Weston is an older brother and he’s so sweeeeeettttttttt.
Honorable mention, because three is too few: A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes. Parvin and Reid are fantastic.
And another honorable mention, because I just finished The Fire Rain Chronicles by Miranda Marie and the siblings in that are also lovely and they need to get a shout-out.

(*cough* Remember that thing I said about guidelines? ;P)

Name another author’s character family that you wouldn’t mind jumping into

The Igibys. Actually, what’s one with an older brother… Y’know what, maybe the Blackwaters from A Time to Die. Except… spoilers… Hm… I don’t know. I can’t think of any that are quite the right fit.

Provide an excerpt of sibling drama or camaraderie from any title (though be sure to credit it)

Excerpt from 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

Name two characters from two unrelated books that you feel would make for great literary siblings (whether in terms of getting along, or being a constant head-to-head combat)

Ooooh boy… (Is this one supposed to be drawing from my books or published works?) Ummm… Is pairing Sherlock Holmes and R.F. Jackaby too much of a cop-out? XD I feel like they would connect so much over people never understanding them and their methods, but they’d also argue a ton over what is or isn’t reasonable detective work… XD

What sibling trope would you like to write in the future?

Protective big sister. I write this trope quite rarely, for being an oldest sibling and sister myself. Come to think of it, I do have a story in the wings that has an awesome big sister character, but I’ve barely written it. (Actually, looking over my notes, I have several unwritten books with awesome big sisters. I need to write some of those.)

I don’t plan on stopping with the protective big brother trope or the kind-of-annoying-but-you-love-him-anyway little brother trope anytime soon, either.

Which of your own sibling groups would you love to join?

THE ECKARDS. Or maybe the Lôis. But I think I’d fit in a lot better with the Eckards. I’ll just be part of the Eckard family and then be friends with the Lôis so I can adopt Tora and Makio as additional honorary older siblings. ;D

My question: If you could adopt only one of your fictional siblings as your own sibling, who would it be?

Oh… I have to answer this now, don’t I…

And now I have to decide if I want Makio or Hunter Eckard as my older brother… This is tough… But I think Hunter wins by a teeny tiny margin.

Tagging:

Syberyah at atTAGirl (by default, ’cause she’s my sister)

Edna at Bleeding Ink

Maple at Maple Quill Penning Magic

Allie at Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins

Question List:

Name the most annoying sibling character in any of your stories (Either annoying to you as the author or to any other characters)

Name the most caring sibling character in any of your stories

Name the most entertaining sibling character in any of your stories

Name a sibling character who was inspired in some way by an actual sibling

Name the largest character family (talking family, not family tree) in any of your stories

Provide one to three excerpts from your sibling characters’ dialog from any of your stories

Name three published books which have an amazing portrayal of siblings or family

Name another author’s character family that you wouldn’t mind jumping into

Provide an excerpt of sibling drama or camaraderie from any title (though be sure to credit it)

Name two characters from two unrelated books that you feel would make for great literary siblings (whether in terms of getting along, or being a constant head-to-head combat)

What sibling trope would you like to write in the future?

Which of your own sibling groups would you love to join?

If you could adopt only one of your fictional siblings as your own sibling, who would it be?

And to close out, I thank God for my real-life siblings and for placing me in the family He did and using them to shape me through the good and bad.

(And now I need to go hug my siblings and tell them I love them, ’cause I don’t do that enough.)

Who are your favorite fictional siblings? Do you have favorite sibling tropes?

Laying the Foundations of Your World

Something I’ve always found fascinating, as a Christian with an interest in story, is how so many mythologies have points in which they reflect the truth of how the world was made, how it flooded, and even sometimes how it was saved and how it will end. When something is true, it is impossible to completely obscure that truth. Which is why I think it’s important for authors to lay out the groundwork for their fictional worlds fairly early on; what is true of your world will shine through in many different areas.

Considering Your Worldview

The truth of your world will likely find its roots in your personal worldview. What you believe is true will likely shine through in what you decide is true in your fiction. There are also certain absolutes of our world that are almost impossible to avoid carrying over into fiction, if not because they’re absolutes then because you don’t want to promote something that is in opposition to real-world absolutes. For instance, the idea that murder is wrong is likely to be truth in your world, even if certain characters or even whole cultures may disagree; the fact that it’s truth will still inform even those dissenting views.

It’s best to determine the foundational truth of your world in a lot of different areas, and everything will spring out of overarching truths like religion and science, but you may choose to focus on some smaller issues that interest you for starters. Is war ever moral? What is marriage intended to look like? Is magic a good thing or a bad thing, and is there any variation? What is the natural state of education?

Foundations = What Will Be Promoted

The foundational truth of your world ought to show through in all areas of life in all different cultures and to all different characters, though to varying degrees. It is impossible to avoid truth. And what is portrayed as truth will be portrayed as right. Keep that in mind as you shape your world’s foundations. Is this foundational value one you want to promote? Is this way of seeing things going to successfully encourage and/or educate the reader in a positive direction?

The Foundations of Religion

Was your world created or found? Do you have one deity or many? Is creation complete or ongoing? What are your deity’s moral laws? What are their callings for men and women? For parents? For siblings? For neighbors, civil leaders, law enforcement? What are their followers called to as far as evangelism is concerned? How are unbelievers to be treated? What is marriage meant to look like? How do the gods view magic? Is magic from them or does it have its origins elsewhere? How do they view race?

Many of these answers will intertwine with others, so start wherever feels logical and go in whatever order you’d like.

The Foundations of Science

I hesitated to even make this a separate category, since–if your world has a god or gods–developing religion often leads to developing science, but for organizational purposes, here we are.

Do things evolve? Have there been massive earth-shaping events (e.g. world-wide floods)? If you have more than one humanoid species, what happens if they intermarry? What are your planetary cycles like? What are some primary constellations? Does your world even have stars within view? Moons? Have any species gone extinct? What evidence is left of their existence? Do physics work the same as in the real world? Is your magic more magic or more science?

The Foundations of History

“History is written by the victors,” but what actually happened in your world’s history? Who did what? What good and bad was found on both sides? What about natural disasters? What impact did those have on the landscape and/or culture? Have there been any world-wide events (world catastrophes, world wars, etc.)?

Building on the Foundations

Once you have the foundations laid out, you can expand more intentionally. How have cultures spun their history? What myths have been formed to explain natural laws? What points of truth have been integrated into false mythologies? How do moral absolutes show themselves even when they’re ignored? How much of the world’s workings have been consciously discovered and acknowledged, and how does that change over time?

This expansion, and sometimes contrast, is where you’ll have the freedom to explore different worldviews while still keeping in mind the truths you want your world to communicate. Setting your foundations doesn’t mean that nowhere in your world can choose to contradict them, just that you’ll be able to more intentionally use those contradictions as contrast rather than causing confusion.

 

How to Deepen a Fantasy Religion

Religions have a significant hand in shaping the cultures around them, and developing them can be a powerful tool both in developing those cultures and in exploring worldview. While I’ve talked before about the basics of creating a fictional religion, today I want to talk about some of the complexities and details that will deepen that religion (or really any organization or culture) and make it feel more organic and complete.

Give it factions

Very few groups are completely unified. What different ideas have caused the followers of your religion to create new denominations or sects? Does everyone consider these ideas significant enough to create a whole new group, or are there some who would prefer to have those differences within the main group? How do the different sub-groups interact with one another? Are they all still friendly, or are there certain groups that believe themselves superior?

As an example, one of my fictional religions was actually founded around a separation of groups. The religion follows three deities, and followers are split into groups based on which deity they follow most closely. Each group has its own way of worshiping, its own slight variations on the core tenets of the religion, etc. They all work together, as they believe each group has its distinct necessary strengths. In addition to these three core groups, there’s also a group that believes the groups should be integrated together.

In another religion, in which peace is the most important thing, there are two core groups: one which believes conflict should always be avoided and one that believes that conflict is sometimes necessary to achieve true peace. Those two groups don’t like each other very much.

For other organizations: Not much tweaking is necessary for this one. What are the sub-groups of your organization? How do they interact?

How do conversions work?

What does it take for someone to become a follower of the religion? Is there a rigorous training process, or do they simply have to believe and say a quick prayer? How seriously is conversion taken? Does one have to prove their belief somehow?

How about de-conversions? What happens if someone wants to leave the faith? Are they allowed? Will anyone attempt to talk them out of de-converting? Will they be treated as a pariah? Will they be executed for betraying their god(s)? Does it change in any way if they’re choosing to become atheist/agnostic versus choosing to join a different religion?

For other organizations: Replace “conversion” with “initiation.” How do people join this organization? Is there any ceremony involved? What about if they want to leave? This can also apply to entire nations, as you consider how characters gain citizenship or leave a nation behind.

How are the gods served?
Offerings

What, if anything, do the gods ask of their followers as far as sacrifice is concerned? Is it something physical, like a goat? Or something more abstract like lifelong service? Why is a certain offering significant to a god? Do they appreciate moonblossoms because they’re the goddess of the moon? Do they ask for goats because they like the taste? What is the lore there?

Are these offerings brought to an altar, or are they kept around a person’s house? Are there certain times or days that offerings are brought to the temple? Is there some combination?

For other organizations: Does the organization require a tax or a pledge of its members? Are members instructed to keep a token of their membership around their house to advertise their loyalty?

Prayers

Is prayer an option for the followers of this religion? Are they allowed to contact the gods? If so, is it a direct correspondence or does it occur through smaller deities or demi-gods? Are there certain times of day that people pray? Are there certain places that are appropriate or inappropriate for prayer? Why are these times or places significant?

Religious Meetings

What is the core purpose of religious meetings? Teaching? Fellowship? Offering? Are meetings limited to a certain group of followers, or are they open to anyone? Who is in charge of these meetings? What activities are involved in these meetings? Is there singing? Are there prophecies? Do religious leaders read from religious texts, or are those texts considered exclusive to the clergy and not shared?

For other organizations: Does this organization meet? Who is involved in these meetings? What is the purpose? What activities are performed?

Who may serve the gods in an official capacity?

Can just anyone join the priesthood/clergy/other leadership or are there certain prerequisites they have to meet? What are those requirements? A certain level of education? Certain standing in the community? Evidence of character?

What training is required to join the leadership? How long does it take? How intensive is it? Is it mostly bookish? Is it hands-on? Is a certain amount of religious service required?

For other organizations: Who achieves leadership in this organization and how?

Is there an afterlife?

Does your religion believe in an afterlife? Does it have a classic dichotomy between heaven and hell or are there in-between areas? Do they believe in a hell at all? Is hell a place for all unbelievers or is it reserved for the “worst sinners”? What sins are considered the “worst”?

Bonus: Nuggets of the truth

In the real world, all (or at least almost all) mythologies contain nuggets of truth. Is the same true in your world? Or are there some religions that are just completely wrong?