Cate VanNostrand's Blog, page 5
February 6, 2024
Getting More Out of Your Worldbuilding - Guest Post by R.M. Archer
Hey everyone! Today I'm doing a blog swap with a good writing friend, R.M. Archer! I have been a huge fan of her writing and her blog posts on worldbuilding. A link to her website is listed below so you can check out all of her amazing work. And now, I'll pass you on to her! When you pour time into building a world, you want it to serve its fullest purpose—especially if you’ve spent a lot of time on it. You want all of that work to pay off with more than just a pretty backdrop. The question is, how do you accomplish that and truly get the most out of your worldbuilding?
Deepen Your Characters Your characters should be impacted by the world in which they’ve grown up. Their surroundings, their upbringing, and the society they live in should shape how they see the world and interact within it.
Besides that, they should also know something about the world they live in (even if they’re not experts). They should have opinions on things that are important to them and know how to engage with the world around them, even if they can’t tell you the entire history of their world. (Even real-world historians don’t claim to know everything!)
If you’re struggling to deepen your characters or make your world meaningful to them, look at how your world might impact one’s thinking or expectations about life. See what habits might be fostered in the type of society you’ve built, or what might be frowned upon.
You can also look at this in reverse and use your characters to deepen your world, as you learn what your character learns or allude to details through them. Even if these details have no true depth behind them, they can say something about your world and give your readers the illusion of greater depth than you’ve discovered.
(If you’re interested in learning more about how to convey years of depth without years of worldbuilding, this idea of the illusion of depth is something I cover at greater length in my course The Worldbuilding Toolbox.) Shape Your Plot There are a couple of ways that your world can shape your plot (and if you’re like me and prefer worldbuilding to plotting, these can be very helpful).
First, your world can offer plot tools. This is sort of a shallow use of worldbuilding, but it can be helpful and it can work. One example of the setting providing a plot tool would be the tauntaun on Hoth serving as shelter and warmth in The Empire Strikes Back. The tauntaun doesn’t shape the story much, but its aid is invaluable to the characters. If your aim is to create a world that supports the story but isn’t especially complex, you may end up with a fair number of “plot tool” uses for your setting. Just make sure that they make sense and have been set up ahead of time so that they don’t become a deux ex machina.
Second, however, your plot can be more tightly interwoven with your world as you develop more fundamental systems (e.g. magic systems, cultural structure, political machinations, etc.), which ought to fundamentally dictate some of your story’s direction. With a more complex world, you begin to open doors to stories that “could not have been told (or not so economically) in any other way.” Here you look to your world and its systems to find out what is believable to occur within this world and what would likely happen next based on the motivations and behaviors that you’ve already mapped out for your world. Support Your Theme(s) Themes can—and often should—arise naturally out of the problems and beliefs of your created society and world. At least, they should feel like they’ve arisen naturally.
Your world should have problems—even if they stem from nothing more than poor human judgment. Different cultures will be prone to different problems, and thus different lessons to be learned from those weaknesses.
If you’re struggling to find the theme of your story, look to your story world and ask what weaknesses might naturally arise from its surroundings, its values, or its structure.
If you already know what theme you want to emphasize, ask what sort of setting or society might best highlight that theme with its strengths and weaknesses and use that to guide your worldbuilding efforts.
Inspire Future Stories If you’ve created a fleshed-out world—or even if you’ve created a relatively shallow world with a few notable details you’re excited to explore—you can draw on this to inspire future stories as you discover characters, themes, or settings you’re interested in writing more about. While worldbuilding is often cautioned as a time-suck that distracts from writing, you can turn it to your advantage and use it to write more as you take fascinating pieces of your world and spin them into full stories.
There are four ways you can get the most out of your worldbuilding, putting it to use for your story without becoming derailed in the details. I hope this post has inspired you! If you’d like, comment below with one way your world has impacted your story thus far.
R.M. Archer has been writing for nearly as long as she can remember and has always been fascinated by fantastical worlds. Now, she not only builds her own but also teaches others to think deeply about the worlds they build and the values they weave in with them. Her blog—as well as her other worldbuilding resources and published works—can be found at rmarcher.com.
Deepen Your Characters Your characters should be impacted by the world in which they’ve grown up. Their surroundings, their upbringing, and the society they live in should shape how they see the world and interact within it.
Besides that, they should also know something about the world they live in (even if they’re not experts). They should have opinions on things that are important to them and know how to engage with the world around them, even if they can’t tell you the entire history of their world. (Even real-world historians don’t claim to know everything!)
If you’re struggling to deepen your characters or make your world meaningful to them, look at how your world might impact one’s thinking or expectations about life. See what habits might be fostered in the type of society you’ve built, or what might be frowned upon.
You can also look at this in reverse and use your characters to deepen your world, as you learn what your character learns or allude to details through them. Even if these details have no true depth behind them, they can say something about your world and give your readers the illusion of greater depth than you’ve discovered.
(If you’re interested in learning more about how to convey years of depth without years of worldbuilding, this idea of the illusion of depth is something I cover at greater length in my course The Worldbuilding Toolbox.) Shape Your Plot There are a couple of ways that your world can shape your plot (and if you’re like me and prefer worldbuilding to plotting, these can be very helpful).
First, your world can offer plot tools. This is sort of a shallow use of worldbuilding, but it can be helpful and it can work. One example of the setting providing a plot tool would be the tauntaun on Hoth serving as shelter and warmth in The Empire Strikes Back. The tauntaun doesn’t shape the story much, but its aid is invaluable to the characters. If your aim is to create a world that supports the story but isn’t especially complex, you may end up with a fair number of “plot tool” uses for your setting. Just make sure that they make sense and have been set up ahead of time so that they don’t become a deux ex machina.
Second, however, your plot can be more tightly interwoven with your world as you develop more fundamental systems (e.g. magic systems, cultural structure, political machinations, etc.), which ought to fundamentally dictate some of your story’s direction. With a more complex world, you begin to open doors to stories that “could not have been told (or not so economically) in any other way.” Here you look to your world and its systems to find out what is believable to occur within this world and what would likely happen next based on the motivations and behaviors that you’ve already mapped out for your world. Support Your Theme(s) Themes can—and often should—arise naturally out of the problems and beliefs of your created society and world. At least, they should feel like they’ve arisen naturally.
Your world should have problems—even if they stem from nothing more than poor human judgment. Different cultures will be prone to different problems, and thus different lessons to be learned from those weaknesses.
If you’re struggling to find the theme of your story, look to your story world and ask what weaknesses might naturally arise from its surroundings, its values, or its structure.
If you already know what theme you want to emphasize, ask what sort of setting or society might best highlight that theme with its strengths and weaknesses and use that to guide your worldbuilding efforts.
Inspire Future Stories If you’ve created a fleshed-out world—or even if you’ve created a relatively shallow world with a few notable details you’re excited to explore—you can draw on this to inspire future stories as you discover characters, themes, or settings you’re interested in writing more about. While worldbuilding is often cautioned as a time-suck that distracts from writing, you can turn it to your advantage and use it to write more as you take fascinating pieces of your world and spin them into full stories.
There are four ways you can get the most out of your worldbuilding, putting it to use for your story without becoming derailed in the details. I hope this post has inspired you! If you’d like, comment below with one way your world has impacted your story thus far.
R.M. Archer has been writing for nearly as long as she can remember and has always been fascinated by fantastical worlds. Now, she not only builds her own but also teaches others to think deeply about the worlds they build and the values they weave in with them. Her blog—as well as her other worldbuilding resources and published works—can be found at rmarcher.com.
January 30, 2024
January 2024 Wrap-up and February 2024 Goals
Heyo everyone! Today I’m combining what would normally be two posts, as I’m wrapping up January and looking forward to February. January has been a long, exciting, and also really weird month for me, so I’m hoping February will be really fun (and not near as weird)!
January 2024 Wrap-Up Life Events: January was by far one of the busiest months I’ve had in a long time (I was going to say so far, but I think it might be a little early to start handing out trophies XD). The first and second week of January were especially busy as we were traveling through Tennesse, Alabama, and even Georgia on a family vacation with my dad’s side of the family. We explored Mammoth Caves, Rock City and Ruby Falls, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (which is home to thousands of sandhill cranes and a few whooping cranes if you look closely enough), and downtown Nashville. The last half of that week was spent with our mom’s family as her parents celebrated their fifthieth wedding anniversary. It was a lot of fun (even with negative degree wind chills and lots of snow), and there was plenty of cake to go around. We spent the last half of January recovering from head colds that decided to stick around for a week and a half. My dad, my siblings, and I all started back to school, and my mom went back to work. And now life has gone back to normal. At least, for now. School: I started an internship with a local literacy organization as a social media intern. It’s not a very hard job and I’m having a lot of fun creating graphics and writing copy text for social media posts. I’m also taking two history courses, one on US history and one on modern history (or history after 1945). In the English department, I’m working on a fiction writing course and a web design/online writing class. Right now in Web Design we’re learning about digital literacy and in fiction writing we’re talking about showing vs telling in fiction. Other Stats for January Books read: 13 total. Two of them are comic books and three of them are Hourly History books, but the others are either full-length novellas or novels.
Words written: Counting an article I wrote for my local birder’s society and my story…around 1500. And most of those were for the article. :P
February 2024 Goals Maintain all As in school. I currently have all As in my classes and I intend to keep it that way. It helps that they’re all centered on writing and history, both of which are relatively subjective…well, subjects.
Write 5K words in Heart of a Warrior. Not a huge goal, I know, but I’m trying to get back into the writing zone, and I think setting goals for myself will be the way to do it.
Go back through and edit parts of Heart of an Elf. For those of you who subscribe to my newsletter (and if you don’t, please consider doing so! :D), you guys know that I booked an editor for HOAE. One of her main comments was one I had been dreading for months - while three of my POV characters (I have four) are written from first person present tense, one of my characters (Daelin) is written from third person past tense. I’m going back through all of his chapters and making changes to them. I have no clue how long it’s going to take me, but I’m going to try and get that done.
Edit Elisabeth Joy’s novel Trouble Lurks. One of my great writing friends Elisabeth Joy has booked me as a line editor for her spy-suspense novel, Trouble Lurks. If you want to know more about her and her novel, you can find her here. (And she is just starting out with her blog too, so show her some literary love and read her posts!) That’s all for now. Let me know how your month is going! Did you get all your January goals filled?
Until next week!
~Cate
January 2024 Wrap-Up Life Events: January was by far one of the busiest months I’ve had in a long time (I was going to say so far, but I think it might be a little early to start handing out trophies XD). The first and second week of January were especially busy as we were traveling through Tennesse, Alabama, and even Georgia on a family vacation with my dad’s side of the family. We explored Mammoth Caves, Rock City and Ruby Falls, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (which is home to thousands of sandhill cranes and a few whooping cranes if you look closely enough), and downtown Nashville. The last half of that week was spent with our mom’s family as her parents celebrated their fifthieth wedding anniversary. It was a lot of fun (even with negative degree wind chills and lots of snow), and there was plenty of cake to go around. We spent the last half of January recovering from head colds that decided to stick around for a week and a half. My dad, my siblings, and I all started back to school, and my mom went back to work. And now life has gone back to normal. At least, for now. School: I started an internship with a local literacy organization as a social media intern. It’s not a very hard job and I’m having a lot of fun creating graphics and writing copy text for social media posts. I’m also taking two history courses, one on US history and one on modern history (or history after 1945). In the English department, I’m working on a fiction writing course and a web design/online writing class. Right now in Web Design we’re learning about digital literacy and in fiction writing we’re talking about showing vs telling in fiction. Other Stats for January Books read: 13 total. Two of them are comic books and three of them are Hourly History books, but the others are either full-length novellas or novels.
Words written: Counting an article I wrote for my local birder’s society and my story…around 1500. And most of those were for the article. :P
February 2024 Goals Maintain all As in school. I currently have all As in my classes and I intend to keep it that way. It helps that they’re all centered on writing and history, both of which are relatively subjective…well, subjects.
Write 5K words in Heart of a Warrior. Not a huge goal, I know, but I’m trying to get back into the writing zone, and I think setting goals for myself will be the way to do it.
Go back through and edit parts of Heart of an Elf. For those of you who subscribe to my newsletter (and if you don’t, please consider doing so! :D), you guys know that I booked an editor for HOAE. One of her main comments was one I had been dreading for months - while three of my POV characters (I have four) are written from first person present tense, one of my characters (Daelin) is written from third person past tense. I’m going back through all of his chapters and making changes to them. I have no clue how long it’s going to take me, but I’m going to try and get that done.
Edit Elisabeth Joy’s novel Trouble Lurks. One of my great writing friends Elisabeth Joy has booked me as a line editor for her spy-suspense novel, Trouble Lurks. If you want to know more about her and her novel, you can find her here. (And she is just starting out with her blog too, so show her some literary love and read her posts!) That’s all for now. Let me know how your month is going! Did you get all your January goals filled?
Until next week!
~Cate
January 23, 2024
Cover Reveal for the Nightmare Virus!
Hey everyone! I know this isn’t at all what I had planned for my blog posts, I know, but due to family sickness (again) and other commitements, I had to cancel my proposed blog schedule. Don’t worry, though, because February’s posts are going to be all about worldbuilding and how I’m implementing different elements of worldbuilding in my writing.
Anyway, since I’m delaying worldbuilding posts until next month, I thought this would be the perfect time to do this amazing cover reveal! Nadine Brandes is coming out with another fantasy book, and this one is going to be a doozy! Gladiator meets Inception in this portal science fantasy novel, coming out in July 2024. Here’s the blurb: Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.
When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe, trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus.
Cain Cross is determined to find a cure…if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind.
Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare—to change it by mere thought.
Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod—and access to a cure—in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul.
Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be…will he even have a choice?
Doesn’t that sound amazing?! I cannot wait to read this book, and I know you guys will absolutely love it!
Now…
I promised you guys a cover, didn’t I? Without further ado…
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Now I know why Issabelle & Katherine Perry love to do this XD
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- THE COVER!!!!
*incoherent fangirl squealing* Isn’t this just amazing? The graphic design lover part of me is just loving the use of double exposure. I think it’s just beautiful!
This science fantasy book comes out in July of 2024. You can pre-order your copy here.
That’s all for now. I’ll leave you guys with this beautiful picture of the cover. Comment below - are you guys as excited about The Nightmare Virus as I am?
Until next week!
~Cate
Anyway, since I’m delaying worldbuilding posts until next month, I thought this would be the perfect time to do this amazing cover reveal! Nadine Brandes is coming out with another fantasy book, and this one is going to be a doozy! Gladiator meets Inception in this portal science fantasy novel, coming out in July 2024. Here’s the blurb: Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.
When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe, trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus.
Cain Cross is determined to find a cure…if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind.
Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare—to change it by mere thought.
Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod—and access to a cure—in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul.
Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be…will he even have a choice?
Doesn’t that sound amazing?! I cannot wait to read this book, and I know you guys will absolutely love it!
Now…
I promised you guys a cover, didn’t I? Without further ado…
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Now I know why Issabelle & Katherine Perry love to do this XD
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-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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- THE COVER!!!!
*incoherent fangirl squealing* Isn’t this just amazing? The graphic design lover part of me is just loving the use of double exposure. I think it’s just beautiful! This science fantasy book comes out in July of 2024. You can pre-order your copy here.
That’s all for now. I’ll leave you guys with this beautiful picture of the cover. Comment below - are you guys as excited about The Nightmare Virus as I am? Until next week!
~Cate
January 9, 2024
Why Do I Write?
Hey everyone! Around a year ago, I was in a huge writing slump. I didn’t know what to do or how to fix it, so I wrote this on a whim. It’s a lot shorter than my typical blog posts, but it’s still true to my life today. I hope you find it interesting.
Why I Write Someone once asked me why I write.
Buckle up, cause you’re in for a ride.
I write because written words are how I operate. The written word, to me, is beautiful because of its simplicity. You can edit out all the irritating and bad parts. It’s so much more stable than speaking spontaneously out loud. It’s predictable.
I write because I have these deep, rich alternate worlds where I can zone in and out of. There are some days when I get lonely - and it can take a few days to shake me out of that mood. When I get tired of my boring, so-so life, I can zone out and become a teenage detective or a warrior elf in the blink of an eye.
I write because the storyworlds I build, the characters I invent, and the plots I craft are itching - check that, screaming - to be revived. They’re tired of living in my imagination - they want a life outside of my head. It’s no joke when I say that my writing keeps me sane.
I write because sometimes real life can be too much to handle. The depressing, tragic lens from which we look at life can become a drag in no time. Writing helps me escape the confines of my poor mental health.
But most importantly, I write because God gave me a voice. And access to paper. (And a pen.) And if I have all the tools - if I am gifted all the tools - why shouldn’t I use them to reflect the light back to the One who gave them to me? With my words, I can at least dare to shed light on the topics that I feel will glorify God and his character.
You ask me why I write. That is why I write. That is the reason I give up a “normal” hobby to scrawl mindless words on a page. That is the reason I put stationary every year on my Christmas wish list. That is why I pull myself out of bed every morning and drag myself down the dimly lit desk where my legal pad and Pilot pen await me. That is why I write. Obviously some of my motives have evolved over the years (and my mental health is not near as floundering now as it was when I write this piece), but a lot of this still holds true. I read a book on writing Christian fiction once, where one of the authors noted that for writers, you either wrote because God gave you a calling, or you were offering your writing to him as an offering. I’m still not completely sure which one of those areas I fall into, but I want to do something for God. And I’ve been working on writing since I was in grade school, so it only makes sense to do that.
So what do you think? To the writers reading this, why do you write?
Until next time,
Cate
Why I Write Someone once asked me why I write.
Buckle up, cause you’re in for a ride.
I write because written words are how I operate. The written word, to me, is beautiful because of its simplicity. You can edit out all the irritating and bad parts. It’s so much more stable than speaking spontaneously out loud. It’s predictable.
I write because I have these deep, rich alternate worlds where I can zone in and out of. There are some days when I get lonely - and it can take a few days to shake me out of that mood. When I get tired of my boring, so-so life, I can zone out and become a teenage detective or a warrior elf in the blink of an eye.
I write because the storyworlds I build, the characters I invent, and the plots I craft are itching - check that, screaming - to be revived. They’re tired of living in my imagination - they want a life outside of my head. It’s no joke when I say that my writing keeps me sane.
I write because sometimes real life can be too much to handle. The depressing, tragic lens from which we look at life can become a drag in no time. Writing helps me escape the confines of my poor mental health.
But most importantly, I write because God gave me a voice. And access to paper. (And a pen.) And if I have all the tools - if I am gifted all the tools - why shouldn’t I use them to reflect the light back to the One who gave them to me? With my words, I can at least dare to shed light on the topics that I feel will glorify God and his character.
You ask me why I write. That is why I write. That is the reason I give up a “normal” hobby to scrawl mindless words on a page. That is the reason I put stationary every year on my Christmas wish list. That is why I pull myself out of bed every morning and drag myself down the dimly lit desk where my legal pad and Pilot pen await me. That is why I write. Obviously some of my motives have evolved over the years (and my mental health is not near as floundering now as it was when I write this piece), but a lot of this still holds true. I read a book on writing Christian fiction once, where one of the authors noted that for writers, you either wrote because God gave you a calling, or you were offering your writing to him as an offering. I’m still not completely sure which one of those areas I fall into, but I want to do something for God. And I’ve been working on writing since I was in grade school, so it only makes sense to do that.
So what do you think? To the writers reading this, why do you write?
Until next time,
Cate
January 2, 2024
2023 Reflections, 2024 Resolutions, and January 2024 Goals
Hey everyone! I hope everybody had a great New Year! I stayed up til 11:30, but fell asleep just minutes shy of 2024. Oh well. There’s always next year, I guess.
Today, I’m reflecting on the past year, as well as setting goals for the year to come. 2023 was crazy for a lot of reasons, and my own life was no exception. This year, I’m hoping to add a layer of stability to my routine and get some writerly things done!
What Did I Do in 2023? In the school world, I have done a ton of coursework, heavily invested myself in the Honors College, secured an internship for the spring of 2024, made the Dean’s List (twice) and then I became a double major! God has helped me through my academic career, and I’m so thankful for all the opportunities he’s given me in the college world.
A more detailed version of what went on during my school days starts back in the spring, when I did my first semester of Honors coursework. It was a hard semester and there were times when my worldview was put to the test. But I stuck it out, and wound up with four As and one irritating B (thanks, Biology). In the summer, I started working on courses for my Classics minor, including a rigorous month-long class on medical terminology. Over the summer, I also decided to add history as another major. I am very passionate about history and especially ancient history. This fall, I did classes in British literature, technical writing, and early Russian history, which was really neat and inspiring to me. Overall, it was a good year.
In the writing world, I’ve also made a lot of headway in building a platform and putting my work out there. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment is that I finally finished the first draft of my first full-length novel, Heart of an Elf! I finished it in July and have spent the better part of the year editing it, fine-tuning it, and just stressing over minute details that will probably be deleted after it goes through official edits.
In other writing news, I published my third article with the Rebelution this year; this time, on how a popular social media trend is spiritually and mentally harmful to us women. You can read the article here. I also published my first fiction work this year! You can find my ~5K contemporary short story, Bench Seat Buddy, in Seize the Moment, an anthology celebrating God’s mercy and forigveness. You can order a copy of Seize the Moment here.
As for all my other 2023 goals… I finished my Goodreads reading challenge of 200 books, ending the year with a whopping 215 books! (Yes, a few of them were comic book collections, but hey, they’re books read.) I didn’t hit the target with my Bible reading goal or my exercise goal, but I did stay partially consistent when I was working on them.
Overall, 2023 taught me a lot, and I think it was a productive and amazing year. Looking Ahead to 2024… I made a list of yearly goals I hope to accomplish - and it got to a point where they’re now subcategorized. Here are just a few of those goals…Learn basic Latin. I’m taking Latin because it’s interesting and I need to learn it for my Classics minor. I took the first of four classes last fall, and I plan to take the next one in the summer. Become more fluent in ASL and French. I’ve been on-and-off studying French for about six years, and I’m still not very fluent in the language. As for ASL, I’ve taken a liking to it because it’s very helpful in nonverbal settings, and I also think it’s a beautiful and unique language. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to speak fluently in French by the end of 2024, but it’s worth a shot, right?Keep a gratitude/prayer journal. Last year, I had one running for a long time, but I dropped off during midterms and never went back. This year I’m starting anew and am trying to thank God for what he’s given me, as well as pray for those who need prayer. Finish Heart of a Warrior. Again, not sure if this one will happen, but I’m going to try. As much as I enjoy writing the scenes for this draft, I also want to get to Book 3.Read 200 books. I’m not moving my GR challenge this year due to the workload I have given myself in school and writing. And speaking of reading, Story Embers is doing a cool book giveaway for writers and readers alike! Enter via this link: http://tinyurl.com/mr68bb7z. Focus more on my editing business, Written Realms Editing. This will probably happen after the spring semester. I really want to focus more attention on marketing myself as an editor and getting myself some amazing clients. (If you are considering a developmental or copyeditor, you can find out about my services here!) January 2024 Goals I don’t have a lot of month-specific goals, especially since my months tend to blend within each other during the school semester, but here are my plans for January:
Work on earning all As in my classes. I have a 3.78 GPA, and I’m trying to raise it to an even 3.8.
Work as a social media manager for my internship. This spring, I’m interning with a local literacy organization by regulating their social media channels and posting relevant news to their platforms. It’s a great opportunity and I cannot wait to get started!
Continue drafting Heart of a Warrior. I don’t know if my first book is going to go through edits anytime soon, but I’m not letting that stop me from continuing work on its sequel, Heart of a Warrior. (Subscribe to my newsletter to get weekly updates on how I’m doing too!)Complete a draft of a short story. I’m working on submitting to another anthology, this time to Wild Blue Wonder Press! I don’t know if I’ll have time to complete the story this month, but we’ll see! And that's it for now. What are some of your 2024 goals? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
~Cate
Today, I’m reflecting on the past year, as well as setting goals for the year to come. 2023 was crazy for a lot of reasons, and my own life was no exception. This year, I’m hoping to add a layer of stability to my routine and get some writerly things done!
What Did I Do in 2023? In the school world, I have done a ton of coursework, heavily invested myself in the Honors College, secured an internship for the spring of 2024, made the Dean’s List (twice) and then I became a double major! God has helped me through my academic career, and I’m so thankful for all the opportunities he’s given me in the college world.
A more detailed version of what went on during my school days starts back in the spring, when I did my first semester of Honors coursework. It was a hard semester and there were times when my worldview was put to the test. But I stuck it out, and wound up with four As and one irritating B (thanks, Biology). In the summer, I started working on courses for my Classics minor, including a rigorous month-long class on medical terminology. Over the summer, I also decided to add history as another major. I am very passionate about history and especially ancient history. This fall, I did classes in British literature, technical writing, and early Russian history, which was really neat and inspiring to me. Overall, it was a good year.
In the writing world, I’ve also made a lot of headway in building a platform and putting my work out there. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment is that I finally finished the first draft of my first full-length novel, Heart of an Elf! I finished it in July and have spent the better part of the year editing it, fine-tuning it, and just stressing over minute details that will probably be deleted after it goes through official edits.
In other writing news, I published my third article with the Rebelution this year; this time, on how a popular social media trend is spiritually and mentally harmful to us women. You can read the article here. I also published my first fiction work this year! You can find my ~5K contemporary short story, Bench Seat Buddy, in Seize the Moment, an anthology celebrating God’s mercy and forigveness. You can order a copy of Seize the Moment here.
As for all my other 2023 goals… I finished my Goodreads reading challenge of 200 books, ending the year with a whopping 215 books! (Yes, a few of them were comic book collections, but hey, they’re books read.) I didn’t hit the target with my Bible reading goal or my exercise goal, but I did stay partially consistent when I was working on them.
Overall, 2023 taught me a lot, and I think it was a productive and amazing year. Looking Ahead to 2024… I made a list of yearly goals I hope to accomplish - and it got to a point where they’re now subcategorized. Here are just a few of those goals…Learn basic Latin. I’m taking Latin because it’s interesting and I need to learn it for my Classics minor. I took the first of four classes last fall, and I plan to take the next one in the summer. Become more fluent in ASL and French. I’ve been on-and-off studying French for about six years, and I’m still not very fluent in the language. As for ASL, I’ve taken a liking to it because it’s very helpful in nonverbal settings, and I also think it’s a beautiful and unique language. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to speak fluently in French by the end of 2024, but it’s worth a shot, right?Keep a gratitude/prayer journal. Last year, I had one running for a long time, but I dropped off during midterms and never went back. This year I’m starting anew and am trying to thank God for what he’s given me, as well as pray for those who need prayer. Finish Heart of a Warrior. Again, not sure if this one will happen, but I’m going to try. As much as I enjoy writing the scenes for this draft, I also want to get to Book 3.Read 200 books. I’m not moving my GR challenge this year due to the workload I have given myself in school and writing. And speaking of reading, Story Embers is doing a cool book giveaway for writers and readers alike! Enter via this link: http://tinyurl.com/mr68bb7z. Focus more on my editing business, Written Realms Editing. This will probably happen after the spring semester. I really want to focus more attention on marketing myself as an editor and getting myself some amazing clients. (If you are considering a developmental or copyeditor, you can find out about my services here!) January 2024 Goals I don’t have a lot of month-specific goals, especially since my months tend to blend within each other during the school semester, but here are my plans for January:
Work on earning all As in my classes. I have a 3.78 GPA, and I’m trying to raise it to an even 3.8.
Work as a social media manager for my internship. This spring, I’m interning with a local literacy organization by regulating their social media channels and posting relevant news to their platforms. It’s a great opportunity and I cannot wait to get started!
Continue drafting Heart of a Warrior. I don’t know if my first book is going to go through edits anytime soon, but I’m not letting that stop me from continuing work on its sequel, Heart of a Warrior. (Subscribe to my newsletter to get weekly updates on how I’m doing too!)Complete a draft of a short story. I’m working on submitting to another anthology, this time to Wild Blue Wonder Press! I don’t know if I’ll have time to complete the story this month, but we’ll see! And that's it for now. What are some of your 2024 goals? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
~Cate
December 27, 2023
Christmas Wrap-Up and Top Books of 2023!
Heyo everybody! I hope everybody had a very Merry Christmas! Today on the blog, I'm sharing what I got for Christmas and my picks for my top 2023 reads.
Christmas Present Roundup From my parents, I got some free clothes, including two really cute long sleeves that I plan to wear to church. I love purple and plaid, and this sweater shirt is so comfortable! 
I also got what was at the top of my wishlist - a copy of Cain's Jawbone! For those of you who don't know, Cain's Jawbone was published in 1934 by a British puzzler and crossword writer, who offered his readers 15 pounds (the equivalent of 1000 US dollars today) if they could solve the puzzle. The book's pages are completely disorganized, and the reader has to not only put the pages in the correct order, but also solve all six murders. Since its publication in 1934, only three people have
ever
solved the puzzle. I'm hping I can be #4! 
I also got a black Pilot V-pen (the one with the fancy pen tip) and some fine-tip pens that I'm going to use in my Bible reading.
From my grandparents, I got a beautiful peridot cross necklace. I specifically asked for this after my last one, which I had had for over five years, broke one day at church. This necklace is so pretty, and I'm definitely going to wear it to church as well. I also got this cute heatless curling set that creates beach waves and ringlet curls. I already have a black (and slightly larger) set, so now I can have really defined curls!
Top Books of 2023 All right, everybody! It's been an interesting year for me. I've really branched out in my variety of genres read this year, and with 208+ books finished, I have some great picks to share! In this post, I'll be sharing my top ten books that I've read in 2023.
#10 - Stop Calling Me Beautiful by Phylicia Masonheimer
Genre: women's biblical nonfiction
Read via: audiobook
This book really opened my eyes when it comes to water-downed Christian teachings that we women hear in our church, on social media, and even in our friend and family circles. Phylicia Masonheimer covers deep spiritual truths that biblically-grounded women need to stay reminded of, and she tackles topics like legalism, anxiety, community, shame and guilt, and how to delight in the true Gospel. This book's title caught my attention, and the more I listened to the book, the more I wishes I owned it in real life so I could underline all the things I thought were so insightful. A definite recommend to any Christian woman.
#9 - Edwin, High King of Britain by Edoardo Albert
Genre: historical adult fiction
Read via: Kindle
This novel, the first in a trilogy, is about Edwin, one of the notable kings of Northumbria, and how his kingdom was transformed by the Christian faith that his wife Aethelburh. Edwin is one of the kings of Britain who becomes a Christian, yet he struggles to keep not just his kingdom from falling back into pagan practices, but also his home. This book weighs in at an impressive 353 pages, but once I got into it, it only took me about a week to finish it. Definitely recommended for anyone who is a history nerd, especially when it comes to British history. #8 - The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks
Genre: middle grade mystery/thriller
Read via: Kindle
A boy is discovered in Washington DC's National Gallery with no memory of who he is...and a group of men behind a million-dollar heist are determined to keep him that way. One of the ways I've branched out in my books is by reading more middle grade novels, and this one did not disappoint. The Van Gogh Deception is perfect for anyone who's a fan of the Bourne movies and who loves art and/or art history. #7 - Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: young adult fantasy
Read via: audiobook
Set in the land of Neverland's tribal people, Tiger Lily weaves a fresh perspective on the classic Peter Pan story. As a Peter Pan-phile, I thought I had read every type of Tiger Lily character imaginable. Nope, not even close. This book is about how Peter Pan met the first girl who challenged him to grow up - not Wendy, but Tiger Lily. Recommended for all Peter Pan lovers (and the audiobook narrator is great!). #6 - False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert
Genre: adult thriller-suspense
Read via: Kindle
First of all, DO NOT read this book at nighttime. This book's depictions of the Mothman scared me, and I've been interested in all things mystical and creepy since I was eleven. That said, this book was a great end to the Murder in the Mountains series, and I'm so glad I read it. This series should be read in order, but this is by far the best of the quartet.
#5 - Vladimir the Russian Viking by Vladimir Volkoff
Genre: historical biography
Read via: paperback
I felt obligated to add at least one of my college textbooks this year, as I actually found most of them to be really interesting this year. This book covers one of my favorite types of history (Ancient Eastern Europe), and was an insightful read into a great Viking and Russian leader, who not only united the country but also made Russia a Christian nation.
#4 - For Time and Eternity by Alison Pittman
Genre: historical adult fiction
Read via: Kindle
This was a challenging read for me, but an important book to include on this list. For Time and Eternity is the story of a Christian teenager who is swept up into Mormon culture and falls in love with a Mormon farmer. When she moves to Utah with her new husband, however, Camille's Christian faith is tested in ways she never expected. If you're looking for an enlightening read on Mormon culture during the 1800s, then try out this book.
#3 - The Story Hunter by Lindsay Franklin
Genre: young adult fantasy
Read via: Kindle
This shattering end to the Story Weaver trilogy has captured my heart since 2021. This book is the culmination of Tanwen and her friends' mission to stop the Master from overtaking the kingdom of Tir. The Story Hunter tackles themes like trauma, sacrifice, family dynamics, and real love. You need to read this whole series, and this book especially!
#2 - Black Blood by S.D. Grimm
Genre: young adult fantasy
Read via: Kindle
I know, I know...you're tired of me putting down the last of a series as a top pick book. But honestly, this novel was amazing! The ending was nothing like I expected, and somehow, most of my favorite characters ended up not dying! (That's been a problem for me recently. XD) If you enjoy Christian fantasy with "chosen one" vibes and dragons you can ride, then this book is definitely for you. #1 - Criss Cross by C.C. Warrens
Genre: Christian thriller-suspense
Read via: Kindle
This book almost became #2, but I finished it in one night, and that's what made the difference. Criss Cross is carefully and tenderly written, and yet packs a punch. Holly is running from her demons, but they are determined to swallow her alive. When a Southern detective and a long-lost childhood friend offer to help Holly rediscover her lost memories and overcome her fears, she's hesitant to take them up on the too-good-to-be-true offer. But a killer is striking fast, and he's made it quite clear to Holly that he wants her dead. This book ties themes like healing from trauma and Gd's love for us in such a beautiful way. A definite recommend for anyone who loves Christian suspense.
And above are all the covers so you can find the books pretty easily.
That's all for now, folks! So, what did you get for Christmas? Have you read any of the books in my list?
See ya'll next week! :D
~Cate
Christmas Present Roundup From my parents, I got some free clothes, including two really cute long sleeves that I plan to wear to church. I love purple and plaid, and this sweater shirt is so comfortable!
I also got what was at the top of my wishlist - a copy of Cain's Jawbone! For those of you who don't know, Cain's Jawbone was published in 1934 by a British puzzler and crossword writer, who offered his readers 15 pounds (the equivalent of 1000 US dollars today) if they could solve the puzzle. The book's pages are completely disorganized, and the reader has to not only put the pages in the correct order, but also solve all six murders. Since its publication in 1934, only three people have
ever
solved the puzzle. I'm hping I can be #4! I also got a black Pilot V-pen (the one with the fancy pen tip) and some fine-tip pens that I'm going to use in my Bible reading. From my grandparents, I got a beautiful peridot cross necklace. I specifically asked for this after my last one, which I had had for over five years, broke one day at church. This necklace is so pretty, and I'm definitely going to wear it to church as well. I also got this cute heatless curling set that creates beach waves and ringlet curls. I already have a black (and slightly larger) set, so now I can have really defined curls!
Top Books of 2023 All right, everybody! It's been an interesting year for me. I've really branched out in my variety of genres read this year, and with 208+ books finished, I have some great picks to share! In this post, I'll be sharing my top ten books that I've read in 2023. #10 - Stop Calling Me Beautiful by Phylicia Masonheimer
Genre: women's biblical nonfiction
Read via: audiobook
This book really opened my eyes when it comes to water-downed Christian teachings that we women hear in our church, on social media, and even in our friend and family circles. Phylicia Masonheimer covers deep spiritual truths that biblically-grounded women need to stay reminded of, and she tackles topics like legalism, anxiety, community, shame and guilt, and how to delight in the true Gospel. This book's title caught my attention, and the more I listened to the book, the more I wishes I owned it in real life so I could underline all the things I thought were so insightful. A definite recommend to any Christian woman.
#9 - Edwin, High King of Britain by Edoardo Albert
Genre: historical adult fiction
Read via: Kindle
This novel, the first in a trilogy, is about Edwin, one of the notable kings of Northumbria, and how his kingdom was transformed by the Christian faith that his wife Aethelburh. Edwin is one of the kings of Britain who becomes a Christian, yet he struggles to keep not just his kingdom from falling back into pagan practices, but also his home. This book weighs in at an impressive 353 pages, but once I got into it, it only took me about a week to finish it. Definitely recommended for anyone who is a history nerd, especially when it comes to British history. #8 - The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks
Genre: middle grade mystery/thriller
Read via: Kindle
A boy is discovered in Washington DC's National Gallery with no memory of who he is...and a group of men behind a million-dollar heist are determined to keep him that way. One of the ways I've branched out in my books is by reading more middle grade novels, and this one did not disappoint. The Van Gogh Deception is perfect for anyone who's a fan of the Bourne movies and who loves art and/or art history. #7 - Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: young adult fantasy
Read via: audiobook
Set in the land of Neverland's tribal people, Tiger Lily weaves a fresh perspective on the classic Peter Pan story. As a Peter Pan-phile, I thought I had read every type of Tiger Lily character imaginable. Nope, not even close. This book is about how Peter Pan met the first girl who challenged him to grow up - not Wendy, but Tiger Lily. Recommended for all Peter Pan lovers (and the audiobook narrator is great!). #6 - False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert
Genre: adult thriller-suspense
Read via: Kindle
First of all, DO NOT read this book at nighttime. This book's depictions of the Mothman scared me, and I've been interested in all things mystical and creepy since I was eleven. That said, this book was a great end to the Murder in the Mountains series, and I'm so glad I read it. This series should be read in order, but this is by far the best of the quartet.
#5 - Vladimir the Russian Viking by Vladimir Volkoff
Genre: historical biography
Read via: paperback
I felt obligated to add at least one of my college textbooks this year, as I actually found most of them to be really interesting this year. This book covers one of my favorite types of history (Ancient Eastern Europe), and was an insightful read into a great Viking and Russian leader, who not only united the country but also made Russia a Christian nation.
#4 - For Time and Eternity by Alison Pittman
Genre: historical adult fiction
Read via: Kindle
This was a challenging read for me, but an important book to include on this list. For Time and Eternity is the story of a Christian teenager who is swept up into Mormon culture and falls in love with a Mormon farmer. When she moves to Utah with her new husband, however, Camille's Christian faith is tested in ways she never expected. If you're looking for an enlightening read on Mormon culture during the 1800s, then try out this book.
#3 - The Story Hunter by Lindsay Franklin
Genre: young adult fantasy
Read via: Kindle
This shattering end to the Story Weaver trilogy has captured my heart since 2021. This book is the culmination of Tanwen and her friends' mission to stop the Master from overtaking the kingdom of Tir. The Story Hunter tackles themes like trauma, sacrifice, family dynamics, and real love. You need to read this whole series, and this book especially!
#2 - Black Blood by S.D. Grimm
Genre: young adult fantasy
Read via: Kindle
I know, I know...you're tired of me putting down the last of a series as a top pick book. But honestly, this novel was amazing! The ending was nothing like I expected, and somehow, most of my favorite characters ended up not dying! (That's been a problem for me recently. XD) If you enjoy Christian fantasy with "chosen one" vibes and dragons you can ride, then this book is definitely for you. #1 - Criss Cross by C.C. Warrens
Genre: Christian thriller-suspense
Read via: Kindle
This book almost became #2, but I finished it in one night, and that's what made the difference. Criss Cross is carefully and tenderly written, and yet packs a punch. Holly is running from her demons, but they are determined to swallow her alive. When a Southern detective and a long-lost childhood friend offer to help Holly rediscover her lost memories and overcome her fears, she's hesitant to take them up on the too-good-to-be-true offer. But a killer is striking fast, and he's made it quite clear to Holly that he wants her dead. This book ties themes like healing from trauma and Gd's love for us in such a beautiful way. A definite recommend for anyone who loves Christian suspense.
And above are all the covers so you can find the books pretty easily. That's all for now, folks! So, what did you get for Christmas? Have you read any of the books in my list?
See ya'll next week! :D
~Cate
December 19, 2023
No Posts Til Next Week!
Hey everybody! So sorry about not posting last week and posting really late this week - I've been busy preparing for the Christmas season, as well as some end-of-year and beginning-of-the-year projects that I'll talk about later. ;)
I just thought I'd hop on here to let you know that there won't be a blog post until next Wednesday. I'm planning to do a post on my December shopping haul and Christmas present round-up. I like to do this, just so ya'll can get an idea of my passions, and how well my parents are at shopping for them.
I'll be busy during the second and third week of January, so I don't know if/when I'll be posting during those times. But for now, here's my tentative blog post plan:December 27 - December/Christmas Wrap-UpJanuary 2 - 2024 Goals and January 2024 GoalsJanuary 9 - TBDJanuary 16 - Ilmarien Culture, Part 1: MelothlanJanuary 23 - Ilmarien Culture, Part 2: BaelimorJanuary 30 - January Wrap-Up That's all I have planned so far, and the dates and subjects are liable to change with the tide. In the meantime, have a merry Christmas everybody, and I'll see you next Wednesday!
(Oh, and subscribe to my newsletter, because tomorrow I'm dropping a short Christmas story exclusively for subscribers!)
Until next week!
~Cate
P.S. Here's a little LOTR-Christmas humor for you. Let's jingle all the way, folks. ;)
I just thought I'd hop on here to let you know that there won't be a blog post until next Wednesday. I'm planning to do a post on my December shopping haul and Christmas present round-up. I like to do this, just so ya'll can get an idea of my passions, and how well my parents are at shopping for them.
I'll be busy during the second and third week of January, so I don't know if/when I'll be posting during those times. But for now, here's my tentative blog post plan:December 27 - December/Christmas Wrap-UpJanuary 2 - 2024 Goals and January 2024 GoalsJanuary 9 - TBDJanuary 16 - Ilmarien Culture, Part 1: MelothlanJanuary 23 - Ilmarien Culture, Part 2: BaelimorJanuary 30 - January Wrap-Up That's all I have planned so far, and the dates and subjects are liable to change with the tide. In the meantime, have a merry Christmas everybody, and I'll see you next Wednesday!
(Oh, and subscribe to my newsletter, because tomorrow I'm dropping a short Christmas story exclusively for subscribers!)
Until next week!
~Cate
P.S. Here's a little LOTR-Christmas humor for you. Let's jingle all the way, folks. ;)
December 5, 2023
Ilmarien Legends Character Profiles: Arianwen Fiosair
Today on Southern Scribblings, we’re going to meet Arianwen Fiosair, a lady of Baelimor and Daelin’s former betrothed, before the invasion of the Winter Dwarves and the Gwylens’ exile.
~
Full name: Eurolwyn Fiosair, known to the general public as Arianwen Faire. The reason for her name has to do with her and Daelin’s backstory. Basically, Eurolwyn and Daelin were betrothed as children, her being a lady of Baelimor and Daelin being the crown prince. When the Dwarves invaded, one of Dorlig’s first acts as “king” was to find and kill the Gwylen family (think Romanov dynasty vibes). However, Feigin, the dethroned king, changed the names of all his children and they moved to the outskirts of Baelimor (think Wingfeather vibes). Feigin recommended that Eurolwyn and her twin brother Myrddin change their names as well, and so they became Arianwen and Rhodri. Arianwen typically goes by Ari, which further disassociates herself with her old name and past.
Also, her last name is a blend of the Irish “fiochmhar” for fierce, and “lasair” for flame. So her family name means “fierce flame, which Ari and Rhodri certainly can be at times.
Age: 19
Race: Human (Baelimorian)
Appearance: Ari has blonde hair that she either keeps down, at waist length, or tied up in a braided bun while working in the royal kitchens. During the fight scenes of Heart of an Elf, she’s been keeping her hair in a loose braid, which accentuates her beauty and her feminine qualities, while still showing off her cool-girl look when actually fighting. She has sea blue eyes, and lots of freckles that dot her nose and cheeks. She wear long dresses in the kitchens, but at home she can relax in her homemade trousers and chase her twin siblings (yes, her other siblings are also twins) around the house.
Counterpart: Arianwen also has two counterparts, with the one reigning supreme being Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings movies. She has a similar temperament to Eowyn as well, being worried that the shadows covering Ilmarien will take over her whole world.
One-word descriptor: resilient
Archetype: caretaker
Myers-Briggs: Arianwen is an ISFJ, making her a Defender.
Enneagram: Arianwen is a 5 (Investigator) with a 6 (Loyalist) wing, making her a Troubleshooter.
Love Language: As a former lady of Baleimor, acts of service have always made Ari feel at home. She loves it when someone does something thoughtful for her, especially as she typically does so much for others and tries to blend into the shadows.
Values: Ari values Elu, who she relied heavily on after the exile and has never stopped trusting since. She loves her family, especially her siblings (Rhodri, Madlyn, and Crwys), and will do anything to protect them. Even though they officially broke off the betrothal after the exile, she and Daelin still have feelings for each other, and she values his friendship and love.
Skills - Morgana may have been the black sheep of her family by studying the way of the bow, but Ari really went out in left field when she picked up a bo staff and decided to learn its uses. (In the Middle Ages, it was known as a quarterstaff; the bo staff is the English name for the Japanese weapon. I just like to write/say bo staff because it’s shorter, and I first learned about it from watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) Ari modified her staff to have a spear at the end (not unlike Japanese naginatas), and it serves as a formidable weapon against her opponents. She’s well-trained in self defense, a skill she and Rhodri learned from their father during their years of exile.
Ari is also a polyglot, knowing several old and modern languages; she is fluent in Old Baelimorian and she knows some Ancient Dwarvish. (Daelin, by comparison, picked up some Old Baelimorian words from her, but he’s by no means fluent.) She’s a beautiful singer, and knows lots of lullabies, ancient tribal songs from the Dark Era (which I’ll be talking about in a future post); she loves Baelimorian hymns.
Flaws: Because of her hatred of conflict, Arianwen can be very passive-agressive at times. She also has a tendency to overthink a lot, which can manifest into her not doing a task because she’s unsure of the result.
Worst Fear: Arianwen has several major fears, but the two that reign over all are that 1) people will abandon her because of something she did, and 2) she won’t be able to help people in a time of need.
~
That’s all for now! So, do you like Ari? If you want to learn more about this Arianwen and discover her character playlist, just check out the character profiles below. And as an added bonus, you get to see Rhodri as well!
And that’s it for the character profiles! I’ll be uploading the other characters’ aesthetics onto the Heart of an Elf projects page, so you get to see everyone else, even some characters that aren’t in HOAE that you’ll get to meet later on ;). Next week, I’ll be starting a new blog series on Ilmarien culture and history, as well as some holiday-themed blog posts because Christmas is almost here, ya’ll! :D *sprinkles chocolate sprinkles everywhere*
Until next week!
~
Full name: Eurolwyn Fiosair, known to the general public as Arianwen Faire. The reason for her name has to do with her and Daelin’s backstory. Basically, Eurolwyn and Daelin were betrothed as children, her being a lady of Baelimor and Daelin being the crown prince. When the Dwarves invaded, one of Dorlig’s first acts as “king” was to find and kill the Gwylen family (think Romanov dynasty vibes). However, Feigin, the dethroned king, changed the names of all his children and they moved to the outskirts of Baelimor (think Wingfeather vibes). Feigin recommended that Eurolwyn and her twin brother Myrddin change their names as well, and so they became Arianwen and Rhodri. Arianwen typically goes by Ari, which further disassociates herself with her old name and past.
Also, her last name is a blend of the Irish “fiochmhar” for fierce, and “lasair” for flame. So her family name means “fierce flame, which Ari and Rhodri certainly can be at times.
Age: 19
Race: Human (Baelimorian)
Appearance: Ari has blonde hair that she either keeps down, at waist length, or tied up in a braided bun while working in the royal kitchens. During the fight scenes of Heart of an Elf, she’s been keeping her hair in a loose braid, which accentuates her beauty and her feminine qualities, while still showing off her cool-girl look when actually fighting. She has sea blue eyes, and lots of freckles that dot her nose and cheeks. She wear long dresses in the kitchens, but at home she can relax in her homemade trousers and chase her twin siblings (yes, her other siblings are also twins) around the house.
Counterpart: Arianwen also has two counterparts, with the one reigning supreme being Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings movies. She has a similar temperament to Eowyn as well, being worried that the shadows covering Ilmarien will take over her whole world.
One-word descriptor: resilient
Archetype: caretaker
Myers-Briggs: Arianwen is an ISFJ, making her a Defender.
Enneagram: Arianwen is a 5 (Investigator) with a 6 (Loyalist) wing, making her a Troubleshooter.
Love Language: As a former lady of Baleimor, acts of service have always made Ari feel at home. She loves it when someone does something thoughtful for her, especially as she typically does so much for others and tries to blend into the shadows.
Values: Ari values Elu, who she relied heavily on after the exile and has never stopped trusting since. She loves her family, especially her siblings (Rhodri, Madlyn, and Crwys), and will do anything to protect them. Even though they officially broke off the betrothal after the exile, she and Daelin still have feelings for each other, and she values his friendship and love.
Skills - Morgana may have been the black sheep of her family by studying the way of the bow, but Ari really went out in left field when she picked up a bo staff and decided to learn its uses. (In the Middle Ages, it was known as a quarterstaff; the bo staff is the English name for the Japanese weapon. I just like to write/say bo staff because it’s shorter, and I first learned about it from watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) Ari modified her staff to have a spear at the end (not unlike Japanese naginatas), and it serves as a formidable weapon against her opponents. She’s well-trained in self defense, a skill she and Rhodri learned from their father during their years of exile.
Ari is also a polyglot, knowing several old and modern languages; she is fluent in Old Baelimorian and she knows some Ancient Dwarvish. (Daelin, by comparison, picked up some Old Baelimorian words from her, but he’s by no means fluent.) She’s a beautiful singer, and knows lots of lullabies, ancient tribal songs from the Dark Era (which I’ll be talking about in a future post); she loves Baelimorian hymns.
Flaws: Because of her hatred of conflict, Arianwen can be very passive-agressive at times. She also has a tendency to overthink a lot, which can manifest into her not doing a task because she’s unsure of the result.
Worst Fear: Arianwen has several major fears, but the two that reign over all are that 1) people will abandon her because of something she did, and 2) she won’t be able to help people in a time of need.
~
That’s all for now! So, do you like Ari? If you want to learn more about this Arianwen and discover her character playlist, just check out the character profiles below. And as an added bonus, you get to see Rhodri as well!
And that’s it for the character profiles! I’ll be uploading the other characters’ aesthetics onto the Heart of an Elf projects page, so you get to see everyone else, even some characters that aren’t in HOAE that you’ll get to meet later on ;). Next week, I’ll be starting a new blog series on Ilmarien culture and history, as well as some holiday-themed blog posts because Christmas is almost here, ya’ll! :D *sprinkles chocolate sprinkles everywhere*
Until next week!
November 28, 2023
Ilmarien Legends Character Profile: Morgana Gwylen
Today on Southern Scribblings, we’ll be talking about Morgana Gwylen. Morgana is the younger sister of Daelin, but she doesn’t let her older brother’s heir status overshadow her personality. Mor has a power all of her own, and she uses it to fiercely protect her family and her friends.
~
Full name: Morgana Gwylen. In one of the earlier drafts for Heart of an Elf, I was thinking of entertwining a King Arthur thread, and so I named Daelin’s sisters after the two famous half-sisters of King Arthur: Morgan(a) Le Fay and Elaine. I ditched the idea later on, but I still like the girls’ names, so I kept them. Morgana is often called Mor for short.
Age: 18.
Race: Human (Baelimorian)
Appearance: Like her brother, Mor has dark brown hair. It’s waist-length, but she typically keeps it up in a braid or in a large chignon bun at the back of her head. When she’s fighting, she keepts it braided because the buns keep falling out. She has brown eyes, and she has a scar on the left side of her head when someone threw a bottle at her. (I can’t say who because spoilers.) At fifteen (without Daelin’s knowledge), Morgana got a tattoo on her right ankle, an embellished H. She later told Daelin it was for their ancestor Hucwyn, but unbeknownst to everyone else, there’s another reason for the letter. (To be revealed later!)
Counterpart: Morgana has two counterparts, but only one made it into the character profiles: Ophelia from the Shakespear movie retelling Ophelia, and Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, from the TV show Cursed.
One-word descriptor: protecting
Archetype: warrioress
Myers-Briggs: Morgana is an ISFJ, making her a Protector.
Enneagram: Morgana is a 9 (Peacemaker) with an 8 wing (Challenger), making her an Advisor.
Love Language: Even though she’s experienced physical trauma, both before and during the events of HOAE, Morgana still longs for physical touch. She and Alaine would always cuddle close to each other in the cold nights, and to this day, Morgana is a big hugger.
Values: Morgana values Elu, who is the source of her joy during Baelimor’s reckoning. She also holds dear her family and friends, especially Seathan, whom she has grown to love during their teenage years.
Skills - While her friends all trained in the ways of the sword, Morgana fell in love with archery. She’s just as good with a blade, however, and has a secret special ability that she uses after battles. (Not saying more because spoilers.)
Flaws: Morgana doesn’t have many faults, but they’re there. Perhaps her biggest one is that she’s too self-sacrificing, and hardly ever thinks of the damage an event will do to herself. This is pretty reckless on her part, but despite Daelin’s and Seathan’s warnings, she hasn’t quite grown out of it. She also is very passive aggressive, and doesn’t communicate well because although she doesn’t want to speak up and be a burden, she wishes that those around her would understand what she wants.
Worst Fear: Morgana has seen her brother almost die a few times, and she knows that even though he’s doing his best to fight off the shadows, he’s not immune to them. Her worst fear is that she won’t be able to save her brother from doing something crazy - or worse, that Versu’s shadows will overtake her family.
~
That’s all for now! So, what do you think of Morgana? Do you think I should change her name, or leave it as it is? Let me know in the comments! And if you want to learn more about this character, just check out the character profiles below. And as a cool bonus, you get to see a little bit of Alaine’s mood board too!
Next week, you’ll be learning about Arianwen Fiosair - a former lady of Baelimor, and Daelin’s brtrothed before the exile.
Until next week!
~
Full name: Morgana Gwylen. In one of the earlier drafts for Heart of an Elf, I was thinking of entertwining a King Arthur thread, and so I named Daelin’s sisters after the two famous half-sisters of King Arthur: Morgan(a) Le Fay and Elaine. I ditched the idea later on, but I still like the girls’ names, so I kept them. Morgana is often called Mor for short.
Age: 18.
Race: Human (Baelimorian)
Appearance: Like her brother, Mor has dark brown hair. It’s waist-length, but she typically keeps it up in a braid or in a large chignon bun at the back of her head. When she’s fighting, she keepts it braided because the buns keep falling out. She has brown eyes, and she has a scar on the left side of her head when someone threw a bottle at her. (I can’t say who because spoilers.) At fifteen (without Daelin’s knowledge), Morgana got a tattoo on her right ankle, an embellished H. She later told Daelin it was for their ancestor Hucwyn, but unbeknownst to everyone else, there’s another reason for the letter. (To be revealed later!)
Counterpart: Morgana has two counterparts, but only one made it into the character profiles: Ophelia from the Shakespear movie retelling Ophelia, and Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, from the TV show Cursed.
One-word descriptor: protecting
Archetype: warrioress
Myers-Briggs: Morgana is an ISFJ, making her a Protector.
Enneagram: Morgana is a 9 (Peacemaker) with an 8 wing (Challenger), making her an Advisor.
Love Language: Even though she’s experienced physical trauma, both before and during the events of HOAE, Morgana still longs for physical touch. She and Alaine would always cuddle close to each other in the cold nights, and to this day, Morgana is a big hugger.
Values: Morgana values Elu, who is the source of her joy during Baelimor’s reckoning. She also holds dear her family and friends, especially Seathan, whom she has grown to love during their teenage years.
Skills - While her friends all trained in the ways of the sword, Morgana fell in love with archery. She’s just as good with a blade, however, and has a secret special ability that she uses after battles. (Not saying more because spoilers.)
Flaws: Morgana doesn’t have many faults, but they’re there. Perhaps her biggest one is that she’s too self-sacrificing, and hardly ever thinks of the damage an event will do to herself. This is pretty reckless on her part, but despite Daelin’s and Seathan’s warnings, she hasn’t quite grown out of it. She also is very passive aggressive, and doesn’t communicate well because although she doesn’t want to speak up and be a burden, she wishes that those around her would understand what she wants.
Worst Fear: Morgana has seen her brother almost die a few times, and she knows that even though he’s doing his best to fight off the shadows, he’s not immune to them. Her worst fear is that she won’t be able to save her brother from doing something crazy - or worse, that Versu’s shadows will overtake her family.
~
That’s all for now! So, what do you think of Morgana? Do you think I should change her name, or leave it as it is? Let me know in the comments! And if you want to learn more about this character, just check out the character profiles below. And as a cool bonus, you get to see a little bit of Alaine’s mood board too!
Next week, you’ll be learning about Arianwen Fiosair - a former lady of Baelimor, and Daelin’s brtrothed before the exile.
Until next week!
November 21, 2023
Ilmarien Legends Character Profile: Fenorin Feiladur
Today on Southern Scribblings, I’ll be introducing you to my second main male character, Fenorin Feiladur! Fenorin is the best hunter in all of Melothlan (a close second being Nia), and is the childhood best friend of Niaren. As tensions between Melothlan (Woodland Elves) and Duledrith (Shadow Elves) rise, Fenorin is contacted by Dulonos, a Shadow Master claiming that Fenorin is his long-lost son.
~
Full name: Fenorin Feiladur. I don’t remember how I got to Fenorin, but Feiladur is a twist on the Icelandic word veildimular, which means “hunter”.
Age: In HOAE he’s recently turned 21.
Race: Woodland Elf
Appearance: Fenorin’s appearance has actually undergone some changes during the writing of Heart of an Elf, due to how I ended up shaping Woodland/Shadow Elf culture. He has blonde hair, though it’s naturally a very dark brown that he despises; he typically keeps it partially braided on the top half, because he’s quite tired of having his bangs get in the way of his fighting. He has brown eyes, which isn’t too different from that of the average Woodland Elf. His most distinguishing mark, however, is the mysterious D mark on his right wrist. No one has ever dared tell him the meaning of it, and he was teased a lot in his childhood about it. Because of this, he typically covers it with a leather cuff.
Counterpart: Fenorin has two main counterparts: Legolas Greenleaf from The Lord of the Rings, and Loki Odinson from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fenorin looks a lot like Legolas, but he has some of the broody characteristics of Loki. Interestingly, he and Nia do have a sort of Thor-Loki relationship, where Nia is the jump-in-head-first type, and Fenorin examines the situation before making a call.
One-word descriptor: torn
Archetype: antihero
Myers-Briggs: Fenorin is an INFJ, making him an Advocate.
Enneagram: Fenorin is a 3 (Performer) with a 4 (Individualist) wing, making him an Expert.
Love Language: Like I said with Nia, kind words are not tossed around slightly in Melothlan. Additionally, due to his different appearance and Hernaduil’s distant behavior from him, Fenorin has never really been told that he’s loved. Words of affirmation will warm this elf up to you.
Values: Despite his being raised in a somewhat secular culture, Fenorin is one of the few elves who truly believes in Elu. He also values his home Melothlan above little else, except maybe Niaren, whom he has grown to love as a sibling (and maybe something more…)
Skills - As previously mentioned, Fenorin is the most skilled hunter in Melothlan. When paired as a team with Nia on Lorgrim hunts, they are a duo that is to be reckoned with. Fenorin can also fight well with a sword, and he has some rudimentary experience with a bo staff, though it is not his preferred weapon. He’s a polyglot in the making, knowing some Old Elvish words, and being able to understand the Stronduin tongue.
Flaws: Fenorin can get fussy at times, but the events of the first book have forced him to take a step back and be more flexible. Fenorin is extremely moody and this can make him seem quite aloof at times. His moodiness also makes him more tuned into the dark side, which can be both a blessing and a curse. He’s also a little too curious for his own good.
Worst Fear: Being an Enneagram 4, Fenorin enjoys being his own person. However, he’s too afraid that he will be shunned by people because he is different. He doesn’t fit in with the Woodland Elves because he is physically different, but he could never fit in with the Shadow Elves because of his convictions.
~
That’s all for now! So, what do you think of Fenorin? If you want to learn more about this character, just check out the character profiles below. Next week, I’ll be introducing you to one of Baelimor’s finest archers - Morgana Gwylen.
Until next week!
~
Full name: Fenorin Feiladur. I don’t remember how I got to Fenorin, but Feiladur is a twist on the Icelandic word veildimular, which means “hunter”.
Age: In HOAE he’s recently turned 21.
Race: Woodland Elf
Appearance: Fenorin’s appearance has actually undergone some changes during the writing of Heart of an Elf, due to how I ended up shaping Woodland/Shadow Elf culture. He has blonde hair, though it’s naturally a very dark brown that he despises; he typically keeps it partially braided on the top half, because he’s quite tired of having his bangs get in the way of his fighting. He has brown eyes, which isn’t too different from that of the average Woodland Elf. His most distinguishing mark, however, is the mysterious D mark on his right wrist. No one has ever dared tell him the meaning of it, and he was teased a lot in his childhood about it. Because of this, he typically covers it with a leather cuff.
Counterpart: Fenorin has two main counterparts: Legolas Greenleaf from The Lord of the Rings, and Loki Odinson from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fenorin looks a lot like Legolas, but he has some of the broody characteristics of Loki. Interestingly, he and Nia do have a sort of Thor-Loki relationship, where Nia is the jump-in-head-first type, and Fenorin examines the situation before making a call.
One-word descriptor: torn
Archetype: antihero
Myers-Briggs: Fenorin is an INFJ, making him an Advocate.
Enneagram: Fenorin is a 3 (Performer) with a 4 (Individualist) wing, making him an Expert.
Love Language: Like I said with Nia, kind words are not tossed around slightly in Melothlan. Additionally, due to his different appearance and Hernaduil’s distant behavior from him, Fenorin has never really been told that he’s loved. Words of affirmation will warm this elf up to you.
Values: Despite his being raised in a somewhat secular culture, Fenorin is one of the few elves who truly believes in Elu. He also values his home Melothlan above little else, except maybe Niaren, whom he has grown to love as a sibling (and maybe something more…)
Skills - As previously mentioned, Fenorin is the most skilled hunter in Melothlan. When paired as a team with Nia on Lorgrim hunts, they are a duo that is to be reckoned with. Fenorin can also fight well with a sword, and he has some rudimentary experience with a bo staff, though it is not his preferred weapon. He’s a polyglot in the making, knowing some Old Elvish words, and being able to understand the Stronduin tongue.
Flaws: Fenorin can get fussy at times, but the events of the first book have forced him to take a step back and be more flexible. Fenorin is extremely moody and this can make him seem quite aloof at times. His moodiness also makes him more tuned into the dark side, which can be both a blessing and a curse. He’s also a little too curious for his own good.
Worst Fear: Being an Enneagram 4, Fenorin enjoys being his own person. However, he’s too afraid that he will be shunned by people because he is different. He doesn’t fit in with the Woodland Elves because he is physically different, but he could never fit in with the Shadow Elves because of his convictions.
~
That’s all for now! So, what do you think of Fenorin? If you want to learn more about this character, just check out the character profiles below. Next week, I’ll be introducing you to one of Baelimor’s finest archers - Morgana Gwylen.
Until next week!
