Leigh Bardugo's Blog, page 646

Taiwan edition of #shadowandbone includes a full color fold-out...

Taiwan edition of #shadowandbone includes a full color fold-out map. Smitten.

Will you come to Florida? You never seem to tour down here?

But… but… I was in Destin on the first Fierce Reads tour and in Miami this last summer! (We were at Books and Books and it was AWESOME. Definitely one of my favorite stops. Cupcakes galore, gorgeous store with lovely staff, and I got to meet some of my favorite tumblr peeps—Tirza was this the stop you came out to??) Anyway, would love to come back next year

Hi Leigh! I am road tripping from Michigan to Charleston for YALLFest to see you and other authors! I have a lot of the books already, but I'm planning to spend $100 at Blue Bicycle Books to get the rest of the books I need. My question for you is (and fo

Viva la road trip! Looking forward to meeting you :)

I can’t speak for other authors, but I’m thrilled to sign all of the books all of the time. You may occasionally have to get back in line for multiples if there are a lot of people waiting, but I’m very flattered to see a stack of books in a reader’s hands. Seriously, it makes me feel fancy. And I love to feel fancy.

What advice can you give to me (an unexpeirinced teenager who wants to become a writer) on building fantasy worlds? I can see in shadow and bone how carefully you've created this world of Ravka, with its enemies and neighboring countries. It's so clear and

Thanks for the kind words!

I always feel a bit shady giving writing advice, but here are my three best world building tips:

1. Read great world builders outside of fantasy and science fiction. George R.R. Martin, and Frank Herbert, and Holly Black are masters and you should study them closely. But also look at the way Savannah is brought to life in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (non fiction), or the way sense of place infuses The Shipping News (literary fiction) or The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (mystery).

2. It’s not just the details in the world, it’s how you present them to the reader. Listen to the way real enthusiasts and experts talk about the things they love (whether it’s wine or food or architecture). Think about how you relate stories from your own past—holidays, family meals, the first day of school. That’s the level of tangibility and personal connection you want to bring to your description.

3. Research: You may have invented the world, but it can only be improved by research into real-world analogs. If you’re writing about a dictator, research dictatorships. A farming community?  You need to know how real farming communities work. You’ll gather detail and knowledge that will help your reader feel grounded in the world you’ve created. And you never know where you’ll find inspiration. Be open to the way research can impact your plot.

4. Don’t psyche yourself out. Some authors have everything in place before they write: language, geography, etc. But some don’t. You’ll find your way into your own process.

5.  As much as I appreciate your praise, there’s no such thing as perfect and striving for perfection is a great way to destroy your own creativity. I put a lot of work into developing my world and my story, but I’ve been criticized plenty. That’s going to happen and it’s okay. Tell the story you want to tell. Let go of perfection and get your ideas on the page. You’ll learn more from a messy, crazy first draft than from a thousand perfectly polished beginnings.

 

Good luck!!

Game of Thrones | Mean Girls EditionOn Wednesdays, we wear...

Game of Thrones | Mean Girls Edition

On Wednesdays, we wear pink.

Absolutely cannot wait to meet you at YALL fest. I bought both of your books from my local independent bookstore! (Can you tell I just read your tumblr post?) Anyway, I know it's not the bookstore that's hosting you in Charleston, but I wanted to read the

Woohoo! Yay for local indies and yay for YALLfest!

I think lots people will be bringing books from home and you should be totally fine. Etiquette score: Excellent.

In general, authors and bookstores understand that you won’t always be buying the book at an event, especially if it isn’t an event organized around the release of a new book.

(Of course, the hope is that maybe you’ll see a new author on a panel, or a pretty cover on a shelf, or maybe you’ll just decide you need an extra copy of a book you already own for your dear friend Harold, and then BAM! WHAT DARK MAGIC IS THIS?? YOU HAVE BOUGHT ANOTHER BOOK!)

Looking forward to meeting you! And make sure to tell me your blog name when we meet so I know it’s you :)

Absolutely cannot wait to meet you at YALL fest. I bought both of your books from my local independent bookstore! (Can you tell I just read your tumblr post?) Anyway, I know it's not the bookstore that's hosting you in Charleston, but I wanted to read the

Woohoo! Yay for local indies and yay for YALLfest!

I think lots people will be bringing books from home and you should be totally fine. Etiquette score: Excellent.

In general, authors and bookstores understand that you won’t always be buying the book at an event, especially if it isn’t an event organized around the release of a new book.

(Of course, the hope is that maybe you’ll see a new author on a panel, or a pretty cover on a shelf, or maybe you’ll just decide you need an extra copy of a book you already own for your dear friend Harold, and then BAM! WHAT DARK MAGIC IS THIS?? YOU HAVE BOUGHT ANOTHER BOOK!)

Looking forward to meeting you! And make sure to tell me your blog name when we meet so I know it’s you :)

Absolutely cannot wait to meet you at YALL fest. I bought both of your books from my local independent bookstore! (Can you tell I just read your tumblr post?) Anyway, I know it's not the bookstore that's hosting you in Charleston, but I wanted to read the

Woohoo! Yay for local indies and yay for YALLfest!

I think lots people will be bringing books from home and you should be totally fine. Etiquette score: Excellent.

In general, authors and bookstores understand that you won’t always be buying the book at an event, especially if it isn’t an event organized around the release of a new book.

(Of course, the hope is that maybe you’ll see a new author on a panel, or a pretty cover on a shelf, or maybe you’ll just decide you need an extra copy of a book you already own for your dear friend Harold, and then BAM! WHAT DARK MAGIC IS THIS?? YOU HAVE BOUGHT ANOTHER BOOK!)

Looking forward to meeting you! And make sure to tell me your blog name when we meet so I know it’s you :)

Absolutely cannot wait to meet you at YALL fest. I bought both of your books from my local independent bookstore! (Can you tell I just read your tumblr post?) Anyway, I know it's not the bookstore that's hosting you in Charleston, but I wanted to read the

Woohoo! Yay for local indies and yay for YALLfest!

I think lots people will be bringing books from home and you should be totally fine. Etiquette score: Excellent.

In general, authors and bookstores understand that you won’t always be buying the book at an event, especially if it isn’t an event organized around the release of a new book.

(Of course, the hope is that maybe you’ll see a new author on a panel, or a pretty cover on a shelf, or maybe you’ll just decide you need an extra copy of a book you already own for your dear friend Harold, and then BAM! WHAT DARK MAGIC IS THIS?? YOU HAVE BOUGHT ANOTHER BOOK!)

Looking forward to meeting you! And make sure to tell me your blog name when we meet so I know it’s you :)

Hi Leigh, really big fan of your work and I am looking forward to ruin and rising. You seem to tour around a lot with different authors and I was wondering if you would ever come to some cities in Canada other than Vancouver and Toronto. I live in the cent

Thanks for the kind words, Canadian anon. I get some of the nicest fanmail from all over Canada and would love to tour there. That said, I’m not sure what the logistics of a Canadian tour would be. BIG COUNTRY, yes? When we tour the US, we hit a new city pretty much every day and we still don’t get to all of the places we’d like to.

But let us not give up hope! Let the people on the Shadow and Bone FB page know where you want me in Canada. I do plan to tour for Ruin and Rising, and this way your town will at least be on their radar.

Hope to see you soon

xo