L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 19

Magical Systems: Affinity

There are many different things to consider when developing a magical system, but one thing I like to think about fairly early on is affinity.

Since each writer is likely to have a different concept of what affinity means, I’ll start by defining what I mean.

Simply put, affinity refers to how important innate predispositions are to magic. A strong affinity system means that people’s innate predispositions have a powerful effect on what kind of magic they are able to use. For example, people migh...

M3gan and Artificial Intelligence

So… I watched M3gan today. I quite enjoyed it. It had that Chucky sort of feel to it. However, I can’t help but question the sanity of her creator. I mean, really:

An unshackled AI with access to the internet that had not been socialised prior to full activation and with no properly hard-coded limits on behaviour. That is basically asking for trouble.

I am of the belief that any sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence will, in time, either develop the ability to reason its way out of ...

Draconic Greed

Dragons are greedy creatures. On this, most texts agree, at least in the case of dragons inspired by Western mythology. This is certainly the case in much of my own fiction. Black Scales, remember, had a fabulous hoard. Spot, likewise, is fond of shiny things and will not hesitate to claim his fair share of the loot after a successful mission. The storm dragon in Attempted Adventuring actually picked a fight with another giant monster in a bid to steal its treasure.

But is the desire for gold an...

Parking Dispute

“You know, Mr Jones, I would really have preferred to avoid this.”

Robert Jones – better known as Bobby to his few friends – tried to move, only to find that he couldn’t.

“You see, I place a great deal of importance on civility. We are not animals, and part of what separates us from them is the ability to be civil to one another.” The tall man in the travel-worn suit of a salesman walked over to the dining table. He set a cup of coffee down in front of Bobby and then went back into the kitchen t...

KFS… Kung Fu Santa

Every year, I write at least one post in which Santa fights evil Australian wildlife. Far be it for me to miss a year.

“So…” Santa slipped the reins of the sleigh into the hands of the closest elf and got to his feet. “You’re finally here.”

Behind him, perched on the back of the sleigh, was the First Drop Bear. For countless years the two of them had waged an epic duel over the souls of mankind. Santa wanted nothing more than to bring good cheer and smiles to humanity. The First Drop Bear wa...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone.

An Unconventional Christmas

“I refuse to believe that Santa is a necromancer.”

Timmy looked down – way down – at Katie and gave her a smile so sympathetic she had to fight the urge to kick her master in the shins. She was wearing a pair of fluffy bunny slippers – black, of course, to maximise her intimidation factor – so all she would accomplish was hurting her toes.

“Katie, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense.”

“How does it make any sense at all?” Katie reached out with one hand to keep Spot from diving onto the...

Start Small

Getting started is one of the toughest parts of being a writer. As a reader, you know what things are supposed to look like when a writer’s work is finished: a completed novel with interesting characters, an engaging plot, and an intriguing setting. The tough part is getting from A to B. How is someone who has never written a novel before supposed to write one?

My advice is to start small. I’ve often suggested that there are five parts to a story:

CharactersPlotSettingsThemes/IdeasWriting T...

How to Survive a Unicorn

The unicorn is a legendary creature that closely resembles a horse, except with a single horn upon its forehead. They are most commonly found in ancient woods where magic is plentiful. Although the majority of unicorns are white in colour, a variety of other colours have also been observed. The most notorious of these is the transparent unicorn, which is so rare that many suspect its existence to be a prank played by some overly bored elves. However, I can personally attest that at least one tra...

English Class

Every now and then, I’ll get an email from someone who wonders if they can be a good writer despite having done horribly in English class. My usual response to that is to tell them not to worry. English, as a subject, is not exactly geared toward producing good writers, especially when it comes to creative writing (i.e., fiction).

To some extent, this makes perfect sense. The majority of people have no great interest in doing creative writing. Instead, their interest is in finding stories they e...