L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 40

Designing A Magical System

So… you want to design a magical system? That’s great. Most fantasy stories feature magic of some kind or another, and getting the magical system right is a great way to help your story flourish. However, designing a magical system from scratch isn’t always easy. There are a lot of things to consider, and a lot of things that can go wrong. In this post, I’d like to talk about some of the things I consider when designing a magical system. Of course, everyone has their own way of doing things....

Which Dragon Is Best?

In the fantasy genre, there are certain creatures that possess powerful reputations. How these creatures are depicted in a story can go a long way toward influencing how that story is perceived and how readers respond to it. To illustrate this idea, let’s take a look at perhaps the single most iconic fantasy creature of all time: the dragon.

Although dragons vary from setting to setting, they tend to be large, majestic creatures of incredible power. Most of the time they can fly and breathe...

Drafting and Story Length

I just recently released Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City. It is the fourth part of The Unconventional Heroes Series. If you enjoy my sense of humour, as well as some action and adventure, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. You can get it from Amazon here.

What I wanted to talk about today is how the length of a story can change from one draft to the next. Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky Citywent through a total of four drafts, and the length of the story changed...

“Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City” Is Now Available On Amazon

The fourth part of The Unconventional Heroes Series is now available on Amazon! Join Timmy, Katie, and the gang as they get into even more trouble and wreak even more havoc in Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City. With war on the horizon and their pardons within reach, you can rest assured Timmy and the others aren’t going to back down even if it means fighting off crime lords, hordes of goblins, and swarms of eldritch abominations.

You can get Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City from Amazon here. And h...

The Five Ws

Although every writer has their own approach to writing scenes, there are definitely things that almost any writer will find helpful to consider. Whenever I write a scene, there are at least five things I like to think about. I might not end up focusing on all of them (or even mentioning all of them), but they do help guide my thinking.

Who is involved in the scene? What is everyone in the scene doing? Where is the scene taking place? Why is this scene being included? When does the scene occur in the story?

Depending on the kind of story you’re writing,...

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! I hope you all have a wonderful time. I also thought I’d give you guys a gift. After all, this is the night when the boundaries between worlds are supposed to be be a bit thin…

Timmy watched as his newly acquired apprentice did her best impression of a menacing and awe-inspiring necromancer. Sadly, given her age and her extremely short stature, her efforts were in vain. It did not help that she’d chosen to wear robes so pink Timmy was certain his eyes had begun to bleed. On the u...

A Personal Note

I’m not normally one to discuss my personal life here, but I have gotten a few questions about my seemingly reduced activity here over the past week or two. You can rest assured that I haven’t lost interest in writing or anything like that.

However, I recently received some unexpected medical news that resulted in my having to see a specialist. I was warned that it was possible I might need surgery. Thankfully, though, the specialist was able to deliver good news. The apparent problem was not what...

My Five Favourite H. P. Lovecraft Stories

The works of H. P. Lovecraft are amongst my favourites, and they have definitely influenced me. When it comes to cosmic horror, there are few who can claim to be his equal, and there are likely none who can claim to have had so pervasive an influence on the genre in general. Whether it was the themes he liked to dwell upon, the tropes he helped establish, or even the florid prose and style he liked to affect, he left an indelible mark on the field of horror.

Given the large number of stories...

Tempering Criticism

Writing can be intensely personal. Quite often, writers will put a lot of themselves into their writing, so it can be very difficult for them to view criticism objectively even when that criticism is delivered with good intentions and with the aim of helping them to improve. A big part of that has to do with how criticism can affect someone’s confidence.

Ask aspiring writers if they’ve shown their stories to their family, and I would hazard a guess that most of them have not. Even very good w...

Progress Report 19-09-2019

The third draft of the next part of The Unconventional Heroes Series has been completed. It weighs in at a hefty 184,000 words. I would have gotten it done faster, but I’ve been battling a persistent flu/plague of some kind. The next draft should be the final draft. After that, it’s down to proofreading. At present, it looks like this part will be the longest part yet, which means more fun, action, and awesomeness.

The third draft is the last draft in which any major plot points, character in...