Quain Holtey's Blog, page 2

Roll 4 Fiction Ep. 11: Through a Queen's Eyes

Introduction

Roll 4 Fiction are stories written by me based on prompts rolled on random dice tables, something common in tabletop role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. I make 6 dice rolls to randomly determine Character, Conflict Type, Setting, Genres, Theme, and a Wild Magic Twist.

Here's what I rolled for this particular story:

Character — Mentor

Conflict — Character Vs. Society

Setting — Abandoned

Genres — Action, Romance

Theme — Redemption

Wild Magic — Christopher Nolan Premise

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Pre-Orders Now Available!

It’s finally here! King Maker is off to the printers, and the release date is set for August 19th!

If you like the dwarven kingdoms of Tolkien’s Middle Earth and the fantasy technology of Arcane, then this book is for you.

King Maker is the story of Riddin Khad, the last dwarven prince of his kingdom inside the hollowed-out mountain city of Mordkin. While tensions rise between the two other named families, a new threat emerges to stoke the flames and incite violence. Riddin must rely on his intell...

What being stranded in the Mojave with a newborn taught me about writing

Allow me to set the stage:

We’re traveling back to California from Utah after a funeral. A wonderful service for a wonderful person, but a challenge to attend with a 1-week-old baby. Still, we defied the odds, drove the 13 hours there (split up over 2 days), and were driving the 13 hours back (once again, split over 2 days).

Our RAV4’s air conditioner knows no surrender, but faced with a 105 degree desert, it had a fight on its hands. Mixed with the fact we don’t have back seat air vents, and we d...

The Q's Letter

There’s a lot that’s happened this month. For one thing, I’M A DAD NOW!!

A lot of other things happened since we last spoke, too. Let’s start with our book percentages, then dive into what else is new this month, and what you can expect in the month to come!

Spoilers, there’s a certain pre-order available…

If you’d like to stay up to date with me and you haven’t already, consider subscribing!

Writing UpdatesKing Maker → Final Draft: 100%Planned Release: August 19th

Novella

A dwarven prince must bring ...

How I Write a Novel

I’ve been writing novels since I was about ten.

Oh, I never finished those ones. I’m not that prolific. Usually, I would have a general idea of a beginning, maybe a climactic moment, and I would start writing “Chapter 1” with no other planning put into place.

Honestly, that’s how I wrote every one of my stories, short or long form, until 2021, when I wrote my very first novella, Forgiveness: Anthology of Elijah Jefferson.

Forgiveness was and is a unique writing experience for me. Perhaps I’ll delve...

Roll 4 Fiction Ep. 10: Stormbreaker

Introduction

Roll 4 Fiction are stories written by me based on prompts rolled on random dice tables, something common in tabletop role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. I make 6 dice rolls to randomly determine Character, Conflict Type, Setting, Genres, Theme, and a Wild Magic Twist.

Here's what I rolled for this particular story:

Character — Anti-hero

Conflict — Character Vs. Nature

Setting — Abandoned

Genres — Fantasy, Western

Theme — Redemption

Wild Magic — Sequel/Prequel

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Story Fractals - The Recursion Loop of Narrative Payoff

Fractal Wire Art Background from publicdomainpictures.net

Okay, boring stuff first: a fractal is a complex geometric pattern that repeats without end. This means that, no matter what magnification you view the shape—be it super zoomed in or super zoomed out—the shape remains the same.

Okay, interesting stuff now: the idea of a fractal can be applied to writing and story structure to give stories a sense of direction and scope, and to give readers a blueprint of understanding without spoiling what’...

What's New(sletter)?

Woah, another newsletter already?!

Yep! And maybe too soon? I’m not sure how often to do these things yet, but I’ll figure it out. Eventually…

In the meantime, there’s plenty to talk about in today’s newsletter, so let’s get right into the updates!

If you’d like to stay up to date with me and you haven’t already, consider subscribing!

Story Updates King Maker → Line and Proof Editing: 83%Planned Release: August 19th (pre-orders available soon!)

My fantasy novella about a Dwarven prince set on peace in...

Hero Moments - North Stars for Your Outline

Over the years, I’ve tried outlining in a variety of different ways: from highly detailed, might-as-well-be-a-rough-draft outlines, to bare bones, this-doesn’t-help-me-at-all outlines. I’ve tried drafting without an outline at all, and I’ve tried to follow someone else’s outlining process to varied results.

I’ve read dozens of books, watched and attended hundreds of hours of lectures, taken way too many classes, and all of which have taught me many valuable insights, but nothing that helps me cre...

Roll 4 Fiction Ep. 9: Necessarium ad Exodum

Introduction

Roll 4 Fiction are stories written by me based on prompts rolled on random dice tables, something common in tabletop role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. I make 6 dice rolls to randomly determine Character, Conflict Type, Setting, Genres, Theme, and a Wild Magic Twist.

Here's what I rolled for this particular story:

Character — Villain

Conflict — Character Vs. Technology

Setting — Impossible

Genres — Gangster, Sci-Fi

Theme — Good vs. Evil

Wild Magic — Write in Reverse

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