Auden Johnson's Blog, page 9

5 Fantasy World building Lessons Learned from Spiritfarer

Spiritfarer on the Nintendo Switch has become one of my new favorite obsessions. The game is beautiful. It looks like something out of a Studio Ghibli movie. The boat, especially, is giving me Howl’s Moving Castle flashbacks. 

It’s got a lot to teach you about building an engaging world. 

Well-Rouded People

You play Stella as she takes care of the spirits on her boat until they’re ready to go to the afterlife. I will admit, I sometimes get a little choked up when a spirit says they’re ready to move on. The characters aren’t cannon fodder. They have their own stories, even foods they like and dislike, their own demons. 

Don’t get so carried away building the place that you make the people so flat no one connects with them. No one is going to care about your world if they don’t care about its people. 

Unique Landscapes

I don’t mind the medieval Europe setting but it’s always nice when a story is set in any other location. Spiritfarer’s setting still has that European feel but it’s during more modern times. It seems to be a cross of Europe and Japanese influence, lots of Cherry Blossom trees. It’s giving me some anime vibes, especially with the giant turtles. The entire story takes place in a kind of spirit realm. Spiritfarer uses the landscape to show us the character’s past traumas and inner demons.   

Unique Animals and Races

Similarly, I tend to skip books that use default fantasy races and animals, unless they’re doing something unique with them. In Spirtfarer, you harvest items off a sea dragon, which is interesting enough, but it also has a complicated relationship with one of the characters. I think this dragon has a deeper, more symbolic, meaning to the character.  I found a decision on Reddit about it. The dragon seems to be a physical manifestation of an internal struggle. Fascinating. 

 In addition, Stella is the only human-like character in the game. The “people” populating the islands she visits are all spirits.  

Mythology as Inspration

According to Polygon, “Spiritfarer is based on classical Greek mythology: the story of the river Styx, a waterway that’s said to be a pathway between Earth and the afterlife.” Video games revel in death, Spiritfarer focuses on what happens next. 

I’ve been wanting to do something like this with a story this but I haven’t yet come across a myth that speaks to me. Researching myths and legends could be a good cure for writer’s block.

Diversity

I was, honestly, trying to avoid bringing this up. I talk about diversity, or lack thereof, in fantasy a lot. But, you don’t know how happy I was when I saw we were playing as a brown-skinned character. The creators didn’t use the excuse, the story is based off a Greek myth, it wouldn’t be realistic to have (insert character type) in it.

Books help when you want to learn about writing. But, you don’t have to rely on them only. You can learn a lot from video games. Generally, Studio Ghibli movies are a master class in world building. I’ll go into that later. 

Design Idea: Make A Unique Animated Book Cover

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Mythical Creature from South Africa: Grootslang, the Great Snake

When looking for fantasy creature inspiration, I try to stay away from western mythology. They’ve been done to death. There are other places in the world besides Europe and the United State. For some reason, people tend to default to that. I just want to see something else. 

Grootslang, great snake, lives in a cave in the Richtersveld area of South Africa. One source says, the snake has a red stone at the front of its head, also refereed to as an amulet or talisman. The illustrations I found of this creature don’t depict a red stone. But, this source came from a scholarly article. 

I tried to find some more “official” stories about the Grootslang but that proved to be difficult. So, I searched the weeds of the internet and looked for any common elements to the story. If you have more information, comment below.

Pictures vary but it’s mostly depicted as a large snake with an elephant’s head. The story goes, gods who were new to creation made a mistake when they made the Grootslang. They made it too cunning, too strong and too smart. Gods split the Grootslang into two creatures to fix their mistake. This is how the snake and the elephant came into existence.  

There seemed to be more than one Grootslang at the time. Story goes, the original escaped and went on to sire more creatures. I’m assuming more than one ran away as the story doesn’t mention it cross-breeding with another animal species. Maybe the Grootslang doesn’t need to mate to reproduce. 

The monster settled into its home known as the Bottomless Pit. It’s cave is supposedly filled with diamonds. Apparently, the Grootslang is part cannibal. Despite being half-elephant, this monster likes to lure elephants into its cave to feast on them. The Grootslang is said to be cruel but you can use gems as bargaining tools if you’re unfortunate enough to cross it’s path. 

Sources

–Lombard, Jean. “Waterslangverhale in Afrikaans: die relevansie van mitisiteit.” Literator: Journal of Literary Criticism, Comparative Linguistics and Literary Studies, vol. 25, no. 1, 2004, p. 113+. Gale Academic OneFile

—Cryptid Wiki- Grootslang

—Mental Floss: 11 Legendary Monsters of Africa

–The Confessional Podcast: Creature Feature Friday: Grootslang

Horror Photography: It’s Like Walking Into a Scary Story

 I don’t know when I started enjoying scary stories. It’s something that’s always been there, like writing. I wish I remembered what started my dark obsession. I wasn’t allowed to watch scary things as a kid. My parents made my brother and I close our eyes whenever Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video played. 

I’ve been able to combine my love for fantasy and horror with photography. In this post, I talked about fantasy. Now, it’s time for horror. 

So what is horror photography? Google says it’s images edited to look scary. Life fantasy photography, the models are often Photoshoped onto horror background. Or, they’re dressed in a creepy way at a location that looks haunted. The end results are something special and I may have to try making my own. Not with models but with stock images. I collected some examples on my Pinterest board. 

I did make this awhile ago.

But, these are harder to create than my fantasy images. 

What makes a photo scary? Does the scene gave you bad vibes? 

Or, screams horror movie?

Between you and me, I was on a group tour of Green-Wood Cemetery when I took this photo. It wasn’t that scary. If I was here on my own, I still would’ve taken a million pictures. And when done, I would’ve run like the devil was chasing me. 

That’s the thing. If you nope a scene, you can call it horror. I’m that insane person that’ll see something freaky and try to get close to photograph it. 

I just realized I’d be that person in everyone hates in horror movies. The one who pushes everyone to explore the creepy asylum for no other reason that it would be interesting. No, I’d go by myself, which is why I have to be careful. 

I came across this while alone on the trail on a foggy day. 

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Follow The Dark Fantasy Book Tour and Win an e-copy of The Unburned Island

My dark fantasy book The Unburned Island is on tour this week. I’ll also be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and a e-copy of the book. Follow me on Twitter to keep updated on each tour stop.

Each day, I’ll be updating this post with the latest tour stops. Check below for today’s stops. 

Bewitching Book Tours has done an amazing job setting up a number of tour stops. The tour runs from August 24 –  August 28. I’ve prepared some guest posts which I think you’ll enjoy. There’s also a couple of interviews in store. Don’t miss out. 

Blog Tour Stops

The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: Arts and Crafts with Auden Johnson

Fang-tastic Books: The Unburned Island by Auden Johnson 

Lisa’s World of Books: The Unburned Island by Auden Johnson

About the Book

The entire island was on fire. Everyone disappeared. The schoolhouse remained unscathed. People believe it’s now haunted. The school and the island remained abandoned for years.

One day, Kiran, En and a team of magical investigators travel to the island to banish whatever haunts the schoolhouse. It takes them no time to realize the building isn’t the problem. The island is.

World Photo Day: Beautiful Shots from the Mountain Top

I could walk for miles without getting tired. Urban walking and hiking through the woods are different stories, though. In the city or park, I have the comfort of knowing help is close by. In the middle of the woods, I may have to rescue myself. Walking several miles on paved road is simple. Walking just 2 miles up a steep, rocky path is tiring. 

I had mistakenly thought, since I can walk 5+ miles with no problem, I could tackle the same distance in on the trail. Last year, when I started hiking, I tried to tackle Mount Beacon. Pictures of the overlook drew me to the spot.  It was a fairly short trail, no one mentioned that it was difficult. I assumed I could handle it. I reached the overlook but it was a chore. 

I wish the sky was more interesting. I’ve seen photographers replace boring skies but I don’t know if I want to do that and still call it a photo. 

The road to Mount Beacon overlook was a steep climb over rocky terrain. It never leveled off.  It made me feel out of shape. I was getting annoyed with myself. Apparently, I didn’t learn my lesson. I tackled the Bull Hill Full Loop in Hudson Highlands State Park with a similar mindset. I made it pretty far but not to the summit. Nowhere near. Didn’t complete the loop. I had reached a point on the trail where no matter how long I sat and rested, it didn’t help. My body had reached its limit. 

I started taking hiking seriously. I watched hiking channels on YouTube, read books and articles, purchased the proper materials. I started doing the proper research before each hike so I’d know what to expect. And, since I hiked before, I knew now how many miles I could handle over certain terrain. Two weeks ago, I completed the Bull Hill Short Loop. Last week, I finished the full loop. It’s not that long, only 5.5 miles but I was so happy. I couldn’t complete the trail at the beginning and now, I’ve finished it. And, I got some dream photos. Since quarantine, I’ve also been watching photography YouTube videos to improve my photos. I’ve added ND Filers and a telephoto lens to my gear. ND Filters, sunglasses for your camera, are kind of a pain to set up but they help so much. 

On the way down, I somehow kicked a fist-sized rock into my left ankle, don’t know how I managed that. It hurt far more than I expected. Had to stop for a bit and rest my leg. My ankle was little tinder the rest of the hike. From now on, I’m going to be more careful of loose rocks. 

I thought I’d do Breakneck Ridge next but I don’t know if I want to. It seems to be a popular and packed trail. I read that Wilkinson Memorial Trail, in the same park, has a lake. It’s also supposed to have a waterfall but I can’t confirm that through photos. Maybe it’s a hidden waterfall. Unfortunately, the summit was closed when I went. I can’t confirm if it’s reopened. This will be a bit of a challenge. It’ll be about a 3 mile hike just to reach the trail head, unless I drive which I doubt I’ll do. The terrain is pretty varied. A lot of up hills and some steep, rocky area. I didn’t make it to the summit last time I went

There’s also Anthony’s Nose which is on the Application Trail and near a Metro-North stop. Unfortunately, it’s also popular which means it may be crowded. This may be a weekday hike if I can manage it. Bear Mountain is also on the list but that’s harder to reach. 

Here are the YouTube Channels helping me level up my hiking and photography skills. 

AdventureArchives 

Amanda Outside

Elsa Rhae & Barron

Homemade Wanderlust Abbie Barnes / Spend More Time In The WILD Mark Denney Peter McKinnon

Visit my Behance page to see more photos from the mountain top.

Some of these photos are available for download and print. Visit my DeviantArt page to order one. 

8 Worst Tropes in Horror Books and Movies

I’ve been in a horror mood lately. Probably because I’ve been preparing materials for The Unburned Island’s blog tour while finishing up Island of the Forbidden. Last post, I talked about my favorite trope. Now, we’re talking about the ones I wish would just die

Minority dies in the end

This trope has been around so long it’s now being made fun of in other movies. Some horror stories will have a token, usually the comic relief or sassy black friend, who’s dead by the end. Ages ago, I saw a trailer for some horror movie. The one black person died in the trailer. I didn’t see that movie. People make fun of Alien vs. Predator, for good reasons, but at least the black women was the last one standing. That doesn’t happen often.

Let's split up gang

I never understood this. You’re in the middle of a dangerous situation and your best idea is to break up into smaller groups. Then, we have to spend several minutes watching them get lost and try to find each other.  

Too many jump scares

I don’t mind jump scares. When done right, they’re effective, like the lawnmower scene in Sinister. But movies now lean too heavily on jump scares. They just become annoying

Cut them open

On that note, I don’t mind gore but when you go the Saw 3 route, you’ve gone too far. After 3, they just dumped the story and focused on the gore. That’s not scary. 

Everyone needs to die

Years ago, I read a book about a group of campers being hunted in the woods by a psycho. I generally don’t read stories like that but this one was pretty good, until the end. The characters survived most of the book but were all killed in the last chapter. It seemed out of nowhere to me. Like the author got to the end and realized they were all still alive and needed to fix that.  I don’t mind killing off majors characters in horror stories. It happens. At least do it in a way that lines up with the story. 

Let's have sex

Like jump scares, this happens mostly in movies. A group of people are either walking through an old house or hospital. They’ve split up and two people decided this is the best time to have sex. Ewww. Who looks at a bed that hasn’t been cleaned for years and think, I want to get in that naked? 

Ghosts don't exist

I get why this trope exists. It’s realistic but sometimes, those hardcore skeptics can be seriously annoying. Like a ghost drops in on them and they’ll say it’s just the wind.  And, they’ll get angry when someone says otherwise. Even worse are the skeptics who put people’s lives in danger. I love Richard Matheson’s Hell House but I haven’t reread it because Dr. Lionel Barrett got on my last nerves. 

We have to document this

I like found footage movies when they’re done right, like Grave Encounters. Most are not done right. You usually get to a point when you’re wondering why these people are still filming instead of focusing on surviving. Some say, they need the light. Other times, we’re watching footage from mounted cameras. I’ll take that. In one movie, a person was recording everything because they enjoyed filming. Annoying but okay. When things went down, they wanted someone else to film while they investigated. The person didn’t want to film. They wanted to turn off the camera. But, the other person got angry, saying she was wasting time by arguing. They forced her to keep filming for no reason then his own interest. None of her friends said anything. I turned off the movie after that. 

Are you a horror fan? What are your least favorite tropes?

Best Horror Tropes in Books and Movies (Infographic)

Book Lover’s Day is almost here. Last year, I talked about my favorite fantasy tropes. This year, we’re doing horror.

I prefer supernatural/paranormal stories. Give me a haunted location or a demon possession. It’s hard to find Hunter Shea’s books but I loved Forest of Shadows and Sinister Entity.  I’m currently reading Island of the Forbidden. The only copy I found online was a paperback for $50 so, I borrowed the ebook from the library. Then, we have ghostly short stories like The Dead Smile by F. Marion Crawford and The Tale of the German Student by Washington Irving. For those, I’d suggest checking out Book of the Supernatural edited by Stephen Jones and Great Ghost Stories edited by Chetwynd-Hayes and Stephen Jones. 

Book of the Supernatural is a collection of stories supposedly chosen by H.P. Lovecraft. I read this collection before I learned he was racist. I loved Lovecraft. He influenced my writing but I doubt I’ll reread any of his stories. I’d reread Book of the Supernatural, though, because of the stories. They don’t read like Lovecraftian tales. 

I also love alien horror but it’s so hard to find good ones like the movies Dark Skies and Altered. The Kaos Brief and Zone of Silence were pretty watchable. Man. VS was surprisingly good though you didn’t learn it was alien horror until the end. 

We can’t talk about horror without mentioning Junji Ito. His graphic novels don’t seem to fall into any horror category. I guess Uzumaki could be supernatural since the town’s haunted by spirals.  His stories are so trippy but so creepy.

And there’s this gem. I had to read it for class and was a bit annoyed it cost me about $50 but it was worth it. 

Next, I’ll be talking about horror tropes that should retire. Stay tuned.

Haunted Places: Mont Saint-Michel

Yeas ago, I was doing a Pinterest search for building inspiration for my fantasy world. Mont Saint-Michel came into my feed and I just fell in love. It’s such a beautiful structure. It inspired Isla in The Lost Sciell.  A few months later, I learned it was a real place. That’s when I added it to my photography bucket list. I didn’t know until recently that the abbey was haunted. 

Photo from Unsplash

Mont Saint-Michel is located in France off the Normandy coast. It’s only connection the mainland is a road that gets submerged during high tide. I’m getting some Women in Black vibes. The first one not the second one. Let’s just pretend Women in Black 2 doesn’t exist. But, we aren’t here to talk about bad horror sequels.

An isolated abbey that could trap you if you’re no careful. That’s like Horror 101. Places don’t need to look creepy to have a scary story.

Photo from Shutterstock

Mont Saint-Michel was built in the 8th century.  A structure that old usually has a skeleton or two. According to stories, the Archangel Michael sent St. Aubert a dream to begin building on that location. The bishop ignored the vision until the Archangel burned a hole in his head. The abbey didn’t start out looking so grand. Over the years, new structures kept being added. 

This island was originally called Mont-Tombe until this bishop built a small chapel there.  An abbey was erected shortly after. Given its isolated location and the treacherous trek just to reach the abbey, it became a major place of pilgrimage, a test of faith. According to research, it was also nicknamed “The City of Books”  because a significant amount of manuscripts and books were created and stored on-site. 

The island, probably because of the location, seemed to have made an impressive stronghold over its history.  King Phillip tried and failed to capture it. Mont Saint-Michel withstood the Hundred Years’ War between France and England and the France Wars Of Religion. During that time, its residents added new structures to defend against attacks. Parts of it were damaged during battle but the overall structure remained intact. 

Photo from Unsplash

Monks had been Mont Saint-Michel’s primary residents until about the seventeenth century when they had to share space with prisoners. Eventually, the monks were kicked out and replaced by priests imprisoned for refusing to take an oath because it went against their beliefs. It remained a prison, nicknamed Bastille of the sea, until around 1863.

People have spotted the ghostly form of Louis d’Estouville, a commander at the abbey during the Hundred Years War. He slaughtered thousands of English solders. The ground had been  soaked in their blood. Even in death, he’s still protecting the abbey. People have also seen monks from the past roaming the halls. Today, Mont Saint-Michael is a major tourist spot and a small village of about 50 people. 

Photo from Unsplash






Sources

Encyclopedia Britannica: Mont-Saint-Michel

Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel: History of the Monument  

UNESCO: Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay

Livingly: These Haunted Travel Destinations Are Not for the Faint of Heart

5 Minute History: 10 Fascinating Facts About Mont Saint-Michel — the Medieval City on a Rock

Guest Post: Author Photos: 6 Tips for Taking Flattering Bio Pics You’ll Actually Like

Your bio picture holds a lot of power. It will become one of your most-prized assets in a book cover, website, or marketing materials. In this article, we’re sharing tips for taking flattering bio pics you’ll actually like, and that can best represent your writing style and genre.

Bio pics should be realistic yet memorable. With some research, preparation, and proper equipment, you can have several professional-looking bio pics that can speak to your target audience and gain new readers.

1. Identify Your Message

An author brand consists of a book cover, book description, author biography, and bio picture that showcase your personality, tone, and genre. Since this picture can communicate with the reader quickly, ask yourself:

What do I want my audience to think about me?Do I want them to see that I’m approachable, artistic, goofy?How can my readers easily identify me?

For example, if you’re a business expert writing a non-fiction book, you can dress in a suit and pose in a way that signals stability and trustworthiness. If you’re a comedy writer, you can go for more relaxed poses and show your quirky side. Be yourself, so that you can get the right message through.

2. Ensure High-Quality Image File

Your bio pic will likely be a photo you use on social media, print outs, your website, and more. Pixelated pictures or low-resolution files with color issues may send the wrong message to your readers.

Make sure to choose the correct camera settings, so that the camera will get the necessary light. The settings can also determine how soft and blurred the background can be, letting the face stand out while limiting shadows. 

It would be best to hire a professional photographer. Remember, an author bio pic is an investment, and you may not take new ones right away. A professional photographer can guide you with poses, retouch the images, and send the files in high resolution.

3. Find the Best Light

Image quality and lighting go hand in hand. Since bio pics aim to focus on your face, you’ll need evenly dispersed, soft light that can isolate you from the background.  

Whether you’re shooting in a studio, outdoor location, or at home, it’s essential that the place is well lit. Professional photographers can help ensure this, as they can work with both natural and artificial lighting.

Likewise, steer away from noisy backgrounds that can steal attention away from your face. Choose neutral backdrops or walls instead. 

4. Polish Your Look

If time permits, prepare multiple outfits for more options. Flattering clothes, natural makeup, and neat hairstyle can boost your confidence, enabling you to be more relaxed and attractive as you face the camera.

While you can dress for the role, make sure to stay true to your style as a writer. Prepare solid-color clothes without distracting patterns. Additionally, photographers can edit out glare, so if you want to keep your trademark glasses, you can also have bio pics with or without them.

5. Practice Posing

Memorize the poses or expressions that work for you. Do you need to raise your eyebrows a bit or lower your chin? Can you smile on command or do you need a prompt to smile?

If you feel a bit nervous facing posing, do a dress rehearsal and practice posing in front of a mirror to help you see how you should smile or tilt the head.

6. Explore Various Angles

Take multiple images for each pose, and vary your expression and angle. Aside from close-up pictures, you can also try full body shots.

Look directly at the camera, then off to the sides.Loosely cross the arms and keep an upright posture.Lean to soften your pose.Sit with your hands over the knees.Walk a bit to create a sense of movement.

Finally, since photographers can see how you project in front of the camera, be open to suggestions as they will most likely find your most appealing angle.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to pull-off flattering author bio photos, you’ll have more choices for your portfolio, social media accounts, website, and publishing milestones.