Author secrets—from world-building to a writers’ residence exchange—ALWAYS

Our November 2014 tips from established writers attending the

Alliance of Literary Writers, Authors and Yabbering Scribes (ALWAYS) gathering.

Read ‘em and reap.

I was asked by one of the ALWAYS authors to share some world-building tips with our tribe, on the heels of publishing my new fantasy adventure Song of the Ocarina.

For a copy of my handout, visit the Files link on the ALWAYS Facebook page. Here are the high-level points from my wee presentation*:

1. Pick a unique idea or set of ideas to frame the world.

Mine centered around:

Noel Stone, newly Noble Fae, musician, and sometime sheep shearer. Image by John Taylor. ©2013 VUPublishing

Noel, a 6-1/2′ tall character who came to me in a dream
A New Zealand-type realm influenced by the Maori culture
Fae names:

Noble Fae all natural (Lark, Glenn, B’rook)
Dark Fae based on burned-out rock stars (Mikk, Kert, Axyl)

2. Rules - establish logical rules for your world (especially putting limitations around magic, or developing cultural activities)

3. Rituals - structure a set of set activities in the world’s culture (greetings, birthdays, weddings/funerals, art/music, sports)

4. Power - develop a series of hierarchies (government, education, communities)

5. Place - more than setting, describe the place from a character’s perspective

* Malinda Lo’s blog provided world-building inspiration for my comments.

Additional tips from our authors:

Support indie authors by buying their books rather than sharing or free downloads. Your support means they can continue creating the stories you love.
Looking for a place to write? Check out Poets & Writers‘ writer’s residency exchange. I am SO excited about learning more about this!

The 3-Day Novel Contest. This writing challenge  has happened every Labor Day weekend since 1977. “Entrants pre-register, grit their teeth, lock their doors and try to produce a literary masterwork in 72 short hours. A panel of experienced judges reads the results and the winning novel is published.

To see what readers like about a genre, look at Amazon reviews about similar books.
Write a series rather than a one-off. Consider making the first book in the series Perma-free (permanently free ) on Amazon to allow readers to sample your writing and get hooked on the series.
Read Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them, by Francine Prose
Write more than you read about writing. Ah, the temptation!

…………………..

Write on!

Ann Narcisian Videan

Write • Edit • Self-publish • Word-of-mouth

avidean@videanunlimited.com