L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 12

The Chosen One (Flash Fiction Fridays #47)

For countless years, the sword had waited. It had been forged long ago in an age of myth and legend. Alas, it had not been completed in time to save the kingdom. Instead, it had been hidden away by its maker before eventually being driven deep into a sacred stone and bound by powerful magic.

The Sword of Kings.

Only those worthy of becoming a true king would be able to pull the sword from the stone.

Few had ever managed to reach the hidden glade where the stone resided. It was in the middle of a...

Nothing This Friday

Sick. Joints ache. Can’t sleep.

Draco-Squirrels

In the Attempted Vampirism Series, the group encounters a Draco-hydra. This creature is basically a combination of a hydra and a dragon. Think of a hydra with wings that can fly and spew acid everywhere.

However, I was sorely tempted to add draco-squirrels to the story. What is a draco-squirrel? I’m glad you asked. Think of a squirrel with little dragon wings and some horns… and the ability to breathe fire. Instead of being enormous, draco-squirrels are deadly due to their numbers.In forests whe...

Everyday Activities and Characterisation

Properly characterising a character doesn’t have to occur only through dramatic, life-changing moments. You can give readers a very good idea about what sort of person a character is through how they go about everyday activities. I’ll give you a few examples.

Imagine that you have a character who is fastidious, precise, and exacting in how they conduct themselves. How could you show that? Well, you could show them making breakfast. Instead of just pouring cereal into their bowl, they pour it int...

Good Morning (Flash Fiction Fridays #46)

“It would be great if you could tell your griffin not to eat me.”

Vicky opened her eyes and sat up. Beaky was looming over Timmy, and the window was open. The griffin had puffed up in a truly menacing threat display, and he seemed to be debating whether he should bite off Timmy’s arms or tear off his legs first. As for Timmy, he was brandishing a shovel in one hand and palming a dagger with seals on it in the other.

A cursory examination of the various magical and mundane defences in and around ...

Warmth (Flash Fiction Fridays #45)

The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feels its warmth.

-African Proverb

The forest burned, and Avraniel laughed.

How long had it been since she’d left this place? She’d stopped keeping track a long time ago, but it had to have been centuries, right?

But she could still remember the stares, the scowls, and the sneers. All she’d ever wanted was to fit in, to have people smile  at her and talk to her the way they smiled and talked to everybody else. Was that so much to ...

Runes and Seals

Runes and seals are referenced frequently in The Unconventional Heroes Series. In this post, I’ll be talking more about them. This information has either been stated or can be inferred from what characters have said, but I thought I’d clarify a few points since I do get a lot of questions about them.

Most of the time, runes and seals are mentioned together. This is because runes and seals are closely related. To put it simply: magic is a way of altering reality and commanding Creation to produce...

Old Wolves (Flash Fiction Fridays #44)

For a long moment, the old man and the old wolf were still and silent as they took each other’s measure. The old man’s eyes were keen. He saw the tremor in the old wolf’s limbs and the cloudiness of the old wolf’s eyes. When the old wolf bared his teeth, the old man saw that they were cracked and broken.

“Why are you here?” the old man murmured.

The old wolf gave no reply, but the old man knew the answer all the same.

“You’re here because you want one last fight before age, injuries, and sicknes...

About Writing Advice

There is a lot of writing advice out there. I should know. I’ve offered up a decent amount of it myself over the years. If you’re new to writing, it can be very easy to get lost in all of the advice. After all, writing can be very difficult. It’s only natural for people to seek out as much advice as possible. However, more advice isn’t always better.

Why?

Advice paralysis.

People can become so obsessed with listening to writing advice that they never do any actual writing. I get it. I really do....

Lesson on Magic

Taken from the second draft.

Katie was watching the horned whales swimming nearby when Spot ambled over.

What are you doing? Spot nudged her with his head.

“I’m watching the horned whales.” Katie pointed. “They usually swim in pods of up to thirty whales. I’ve been told that the calves swim at the centre where its safest. The bulls tend to be on the edges of the pod, so they can fight if necessary.”

Spot peered over the edge of the railing. They look tasty.

“Of course, that’s what yo...