milleralexanderauthor

[milleralexanderauthor]

Prologue

So I’m a naturally very shy person, but I thought I’d post the prologue to my book. 

I’m incredibly anxious about it, but any form of constructive comments would be appreciated.

Thanks 

Keep reading

[milleralexanderauthor]

YEAH

[milleralexanderauthor]

Oh look it’s me 😂 https://www.instagram.com/p/CD3PmdNASm6/?igshid=zlk34k81kgz5

[milleralexanderauthor]

Prologue

So I’m a naturally very shy person, but I thought I’d post the prologue to my book. 

I’m incredibly anxious about it, but any form of constructive comments would be appreciated.

Thanks 

Anthea sat at the window of the Tower of Zian, looking out over an expansive city. Zian was the highest point in Newlin, a marvel of architecture yet to be rivaled. It reminded her of the mountains she only knew in her mind, the feeling of bracing wind in her face. In her heart, she was there, among a people so long before her time eradicated and displaced. Below, the denizens of the city looked like ants, working away at their individual unhappy lives. The colony was diseased. They worked not in the interest of the whole but of the self, never truly looking at the people beside them. This infection had spread to her own life. 

Her son was away, as he typically was. She had been assured that his work was important. He was a representative of the people, working for peace and equality. Perhaps, years ago when he was a young man, she might have believed him. She recalls the fire that once burned in his eyes, a man that demanded change. Now, she knew he merely played the game to get ahead. He was a eunuch of the machine that used him to maintain a status quo. Her once sensitive and critical son was now hardened to light, going so far as to openly deny his bloodline. His Driag blood, something that was once a sense of pride for him, was now a secret embarrassment. 

His wife, a young woman named Karliah, now sat in a rocking chair across the room from Anthea, a newborn in her lap. Karliah looked down at her third-born child, face totally expressionless. In was only a few months ago that Phillip had sent for Anthea. He had told her that his wife had come down with a case of melancholy following the birth of their daughter and that he needed her to assist with the children. He assured her it would only be a few weeks until Karliah ‘got over it’. She had been in Newlin city for four months at this point, baby Alvera still somehow full of colic and Karliah full of a quiet apathy.

Anthea did not mind helping, as she feared that this would be her only opportunity to see her grandchildren. In her philosophy, children were the light in which we all lived after death. They were wiser and older than she, a fountain of possibly spilling over. Yet, they were so unburdened by the world. She wondered how her son saw them, as he rarely saw them at all. 

At her knee, the middle child sat, quietly. Felia was always a subdued child, though only five years old. Her sister Telia was an untamed spirit, never one to be reserved in voicing her opinion, truly of her father’s blood. Felia always watched, observing the world with questioning analytical eyes. Anthea could feel something in her spirit, a displacement slowly coming into alignment. She feared for the hardships she sensed in this child’s future, but for now, she merely reveled in Felia’s presence, as it was one of immense calm. 

“Aba, can you tell me a story?” she peeps, soft as a newborn chick. 

“Anthea,” Karliah warned from her seat, voice never really expressing her emotion fully. She felt for Karliah, having to deal with her opinionated son on top of everything. Philip disliked it when Anthea told the children stories of the old country. The more they knew about their heritage in his eyes, the worse off they were. Anthea also knew that she held the power, as she could simply leave him to deal with his depressed wife and attention-hungry children alone. She wouldn’t, of course, but she could. Honestly, she should. He needed to learn to care for the family he formed in a way that mattered. Still, she stayed, but she did as she pleased and dared him to say anything about it.

“Of course, hneleh,” This was the Driag word for a species of flower, sweet in smell and vibrant in color. Karliah groaned, knowing she had lost. “What story would you like to hear?”

“Tell me about the ocean,” she requests, looking back at her mother. Karliah looks tired, more so than usual. 

“Ah yes. A good choice, darling,” Anthea clears her throat. “Millions of epochs ago, the world was full of nothing but darkness and cold. Within this expanse of nothing was a being, who was as old as the world itself named Mela. They lived for many years alone in the void and grew sad. For all Mela wanted was someone else to be with, a friend to share their time with. They wept great tears of melancholy in their loneliness.”

“That’s sad,” Telia says from beside the fireplace where she had been scribbling on a piece of paper. “I can’t imagine not having anyone at all, even Alvy even though all she does is scream and cry.”

“You mean you don’t want to sell her to the traveling circus in Filar Square anymore, Telia?” Karliah says, chuckling softly. It was a rare thing to see any light in the woman’s eyes.

Telia thinks about this, scrunching up her nose in deep contemplation. “I’m still debating. I’ll get back to you.”

Karliah rolls her eyes, and Felia sits silently, waiting for Anthea to continue. 

“It is sad, Telia. Don’t worry about Mela, though, children. For something amazing was about to happen. Their tears filled up the space in the abyss, creating a great sea of clear blue. The sea became to sway and froth, sending sea spray up into the dark sky, creating the stars. From the depths of the sea below rose four figures in the four corners of the world. They vowed their eternal love to Mela, and asked how they might assist them. Mela asks for them to help fill the void with something beautiful, so they would be lonely no longer. Sympha rose into the sky and created the moon, giving light to their work. They breathed a heavy breath, creating the breeze. Dianah rose mud and sand from the depths of the endless ocean, creating the land and the mountains. Conah carved lines and valleys into the earth, creating the expansive rivers and lakes of the land. 

Mela, in the flurry of creation, gathered up the stars of the sky and scattered them throughout the world, creating the beasts of the land. Within them was the primal flame of creation. Nehan presented the beasts with fire, for them to use and keep warm in the cold winter. He rose into the sky, becoming the life-giving sun. Among the beasts of the land where those who Mela favored above all else, although they loved all of the creations of the new world. To them, they gave their eye, presented to them as an azure stone. In the eye of Mela was a power---”

“That’s enough, mother,” Phillip says, having entered into the living room. 

“Daddy!” Telia shrieked, running to attach herself to Phillip’s leg. He places a hand on her raven curls but says nothing. He has his gaze fixed on Anthea, a steady rage behind his eyes. She meets it head-on, backing down to no one. 

“Son, you’re home early,” she says, evenly. 

“Dismemberment seems a bit harsh before bed, mother. Off to bed, children,” he says, not taking his eyes off of Anthea.

“I want to listen to Grandma’s---” Felia pipes in, timidly.

“Enough,” Philip replies, sternly. “It’s late. Go to bed. Now.”

Grumbling, the sisters dragged their feet off towards the stairs. Felia ran back, grabbing her grandmother into a fierce hug before running off. Karliah followed suit, shooting her husband an apologetic look as she took Alvera away to the Nursery. Philip crosses the room, looking out the same window as Anthea had, but up into the stars and moon that hung overhead. 

“I work hard to provide for my family, mother,” he says, his voice far away. 

“I understand that---” 

“You do not,” he cuts in, sharply. ‘If you did you would not fill my children’s heads with tales of gods that are long dead.”

It stufng Anthea to hear her son speak that way of their religion, of their culture. He was a man of no faith, a man of no morals. 

“The people of this nation look upon our people as if they are vermin. They see our blood as sullied. I don’t want that shame on my children.”

“Most people in the city are our kin, Philip,” she retorts, and it was true. The people of Newlin are almost entire descendants of Driag nomads fleeing their homelands. Philip shakes his head, sadly. 

“We have no kin or kind. Our people died out long ago. It would be in your benefit to accept that and to respect the way I choose to raise my children. We are Newlin, we and Mesari, nothing else.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, and it broke Anthea’s heart. 

“You have no convictions. The god you believe in is one of your own making. Do not expect your family to bow before you forever,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes. 

Philip says nothing as Anthea rises and takes her leave and merely continues to look out over the sea of pin-point light up above him. 

[milleralexanderauthor]

[milleralexanderauthor]

[milleralexanderauthor]

pssst i wanna follow some writeblrs pls like this or rb to ur writeblr if:

you’re LGBTQA+ and/or have LGBTQA+ characters

you write contemporary fiction, new adult, urban fantasy, romance, introspection, or poetry (just some of my fav things)

both of the above (for bonus points)

[milleralexanderauthor]

On Writing Trans* People in Relationships

*Trans meaning anyone transitioning from one part of the gender spectrum to another, in particular relation (but not exclusive) to people whose gender is different than that assigned at birth.

This “On Writing” installment is going to be different from my usual, because I am but one queer person out of millions. I cannot speak for everyone. I can only give my personal opinion, and some basic advice.

Full disclosure: I’m AFAB non-binary, and starting HRT soon (testosterone). I’m also asexual and probably polyam. Most of the time I just use “queer” as an identifier for speed. Also fair warning before-hand: this post is going to cover some NSFW topics like sex and masturbation, as well as body hate/ negative body image, dysphoria and mental illness. Please be careful if any of this could trigger you!

“But Art, don’t you always say write queer relationships as you would any other relationship?”

Yes, I do. However, when it comes to writing all the people who fall under the Trans and gennoncom umbrella, I’ve started to pick up on this trend of desexualisation. When I find people like myself in books and other media, and their being trans isn’t the main focus (which is rare enough in itself), then these characters tend to be seen as alone, body-hating people who can’t have a relationship because they don’t want sex/nobody wants to have sex with them. By dint of this trend, they are no longer characters like myself. They’re becoming carbon copies and I’m constantly dissatisfied.

I don’t think that authors and writers are doing this out of intentional transphobia, but instead either because they’re scared of writing the unknown, or want to try their best to stick to the gender binary where it’s comfortable. There is also the worry about fetishization, which is understandable, as fetishization is an absolute no-no. It’s one of the many things that, as a community, we’re vocal about being toxic representation. However, I don’t see very much talk about good rep, so here it is:

Let’s Talk About Tony

Tony is a character in the BBC series on Netflix, Orphan Black. For those who don’t know, Orphan Black is a show about corporate science and political war surrounding a group of young women who discover that they’re clones. They’re all diversely different from one another, some straight and some gay, and then you have Tony, who is trans. He showed up for one episode and for the entire fourty minutes, I did not stop grinning. I’d never before seen a representation of a trans person on a popular show like him. Here are a few of the reasons it was so great:

Tony was completely confident in his body, but the dysphoria was clear and he was calmly vocal about it

Walked around in his binder and boxers, clearly packing, completely comfortable 

Just… the confidence. 

He was there, on screen, giving positive representation but it wasn’t a Big Deal in the show

Flirtatious as heck

Talked about sexual fluidity and how biological sex doesn’t mean he is automatically unattractive to gay guys

One of the gay characters (Felix) and Tony got a playful rapport going. It was completely chill, and exactly how Felix would have behaved with a cis gay guy.

Also long hair and eyeliner, but a beard too. Totally rocked a half-bun.

That one episode he was in was a whirlwind of delight for me, and I was gutted when he never made another appearance. It would have been better if he was portrayed by an actual trans actor and made a more regular appearance, but considering the usual fare, Tony was great. As far as I know, there’s a character who is similarly great is a show called Shameless, but I basically know nothing about that series other than some screencaps and positive feedback.

Dysphoria, Body Hate and Sex

This is one of the most common misconceptions and it really gets under my skin. Not everyone under the trans and nongencom umbrella experiences dysporia, and not everyone who experiences dysphoria automatically hates their body. In the same vein, being Trans doesn’t mean that everyone who is is A) a desexualised, naive being, or B) unattractive to all cis people.

Dysphoria is simply defined as the feeling of your gender identity not matching up with your biological body/gender assigned at birth. It isn’t a part of a mental illness, but can cause them if not resolved.

Body hate is when you either hate your whole body or only part of it. It’s an underlying factor in a lot of mental health conditions and can either cause or be caused by them.

Dysphoria can cause body hate, but doesn’t always.

Body hate doesn’t cause someone to become Trans/experience dysphoria, period. It might lead someone to think for a while that they want to be someone else (eg, a boy rather than a girl or vise versa) but it and dysphoria are two different conditions.

I’m comfortable enough now with my own dysphoria to say that, y’know, I like my body. It’s got bits I don’t like, it’s creaky and rickety, and some parts make me plain uncomfortable - but overall, it’s pretty good. I still want to crawl out of my own skin sometimes, or rip it off, but I don’t get the overwhelming hatred in my mouth that I used to whenever I look down. Even when I used to experience that, masturbation wasn’t a huge dysphoria-triggering issue. There has always been a clear divide in my head between my own sex, sexuality and gender.

This isn’t the case for everyone: I know a couple of mtf people who can’t even think about it, and another non-binary person who gets overwhelmed with dysphoria just by touching a more biomasculine area. However, there is no set norm. As a community, we’re nuanced, just like any other group of people. Plenty of trans people in relationships that I know experience dysphoria, but still enjoy sex, because sex is more than penetration; there are many ways to enjoy your significant other’s body intimately without it. 

I also think that it’s fine to mention genitalia and to write sex scenes with your Tans/gennoncom characters in. In fact, I want to see that. I want to read things like “his clitoris” or “his breasts”, but what I don’t want to see is fetishization or the use of bioligcal sex hallmarks to invalidate an identity.

But is it possible to write Trans characters in NSFW situations without fetishizing or invalidating?

With care and research, I believe it is. Here’s a quick question-checklist to make sure that you’re keeping your representation positive (anyone else Trans/nongencom can add to this as well)

Am I putting too much emphasis on the biological sex? Mention hallmarks in passing, just as you would a cis male penis or cis female vagina.

Am I depicting this character’s body as extra attractive because of the Trans element? If you are, you’re entering fetish territory. Don’t go out of your way to make someone sound hyper-masculine/hyper-feminine and then add in a description of the genitalia as if that is what makes the person attractive.

Have I chosen to have this character’s body medically altered because it makes the sex more “interesting”? If yes, same as above. Stop.  Not good.

Have I hypersexualised this character? In other words, have you made this character trans in order to make them sexually unique or an object of particular sexual desire? Are you depicting this character as sex-driven as if it’s a bad or shameful thing? If yes to any of these, you need to re-consider.

Am I allowing my characters to be open and communicate about what sex, sexuality and gender mean to them? If you’re not, then you should be. Conversations about these things are an important part of a healthy relationship with one or more people who are trans/gendernoncom.

Am I making sure that none of the description invalidates my characters identity? The answer needs to be yes, and if it isn’t then you’ll want to watch out for making your characters seem too much like their assigned gender instead of the one they identify with.

This list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s some of the biggest red-alerts to transphobic representation. I think it’s important that trans and gender non-conforming people realise that they’re allowed to love their bodies, allowed to be comfortable in their skin, and that they’re not wrong or fakers for enjoying any kind of sexual activity that cis people can.

Over to You

I’ve given my opinion, and now I need yours. My word isn’t the same for everyone, and others might have different views on the matter. Therefore, all Trans and gender-nonconforming people: I would really like your input on this. Reblog and tell writers how you would like to see yourselves represented!

(If you’re not comfortable doing that, then please signal boost)

This has been another installment of “On Writing”, a long-term advice series covering everything from craft from representation. Updated several times a month. Follow the tag “art on writing” if you want to stay tuned.

Happy writing, owlies! xx

[milleralexanderauthor]

new writeblr!

hi! i’ve been lurcking for the longest time, never quite daring to make a proper writeblr, so! here goes.

hum-hum. let me introduce myself. my name is doriane, i’m a 22 yo archaeology student (yay!), a professional procrastinator and living vicariously through my sim. also, i’m french. eh. i write! fantasy, sci-fi, horror. i read everything.

i’m currently working on a story, still untitled but! alive and well. i’ll keep you updated on that. lol. wip introduction post coming up!

i need fellow writers and advice blogs to follow. so please. hit that reblog.

[milleralexanderauthor]

Let’s talk about cartography and how it can be useful to you as a writer. 

Cartography is the process of map-making. You may have picked up a book in the past and noticed a map in the first few pages, ala Tolkien or Le Guin.

 These reference images help the reader get a better image of the layout and scope of the world of a novel. We’re not gonna talk about that today. What I want to talk about is how cartography can help you, the author, develop an in-depth world. 

First of all, under what circumstances should you spend your time on this? If you’re writing, say, a contemporary novel set in New Jersy, you probably don’t have to worry about this. The genres that benefit from this type of planning are:

-Science Fiction

-Fantasy

There are probably exceptions to this rule, but these two genres require a certain amount of worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is the process in which you develop the system, rules, and landscape your novel takes place in. In some instances, a novel may fall into these two genres but be set in a familiar setting. The landscape in these instances is still something I think you should give some degree of thought to. Consider how the landscape has changed or will change based on the parameters of your story. 

An example of this is Panem from The Hunger Games. 

Panem exists in a dystopian world in which the country of the United States has not only been divided, but rising sea levels have changed the coastline. This is an example of a familiar landscape that has changed because of the events of a novel or the rules of the world in which it exists. Even if you’re not starting a world from scratch, take into consideration what might alter your world.

Let’s say you are writing a novel set in a different world. Do you need to make a map?

Of course, you don’t NEED to do anything. I’m not your dad, I can’t tell you what to do. Do I think it’s incredibly helpful? YES.

Why? It will give you the same benefits it will give a reader. A more in-depth layout of the world you’re creating. 

If your characters are staying in the same place throughout the duration of the book, maybe creating a full map of the entire planet isn’t necessary. But maybe making a map of the city could help you. What does you’re city look like? What is the architecture like? What is the economy of your city like? What in the landscape influences that? 

If your characters are going on a Tolkien level journey across your world, you probably need to consider the landscape. Mapping is a good visual way of doing this. It’s also really fun, in my opinion.

“But Miller,” you may be saying. “Why would I go to all that effort if my characters don’t even go to most of these places?”

That’s worldbuilding for you. You will come up with a TON of details over this process that will never make it into your novel. However, the more detail YOU have in your brain, the more detailed your world will feel. 

“Okay, sure.” I hear you say. “But I’m a terrible artist!”

Me too. I’m not saying that the draft of the map you make has to be in your book. In fact, I encourage against that. If you think a visual aid will help your reader gain something or would just be a fun perk, you can refine it or hire a professional cartographer (yes, they exist) when your book is closer to publication. If you’re at that point, I’m not talking to you. I’m encouraging map making as a world building exercise to those of you who are trying to flesh out your worlds before you even commit anything to page. 

It can be an intimidating task, creating a whole world from scratch. I’m happy to tell you that it doesn’t have to be hard.

The first step is to consider the scope of your map. Like I said, only create what you feel you may use. Does your character never leave their home town? Do a map of the town? Does the country your story takes place in come into play during your book? Do a map of the country. Does your character make a grand journey across the world? Make the world. My RECOMMENDATION is to make at least the country your novel takes place in. You probably won’t use every location, but less is not always more. 

Then, consider the context. Are cities in your world trade centers? What are their major imports and exports? What type of climate does your world have? What is the political climate like? Are there physical boundaries that cut one part of your world off from another? These are things to keep in mind before you start making your map because the landscape of a world could have a profound impact on the daily lives of its residents. 

Next, we need to outline. I find countries or continents to be the easiest to do, and you’ll probably see why. Coastlines are honestly really easy to do. This is probably the part you’re freaking out about but worry not. There are some easy methods to get natural-looking coastlines and borders.

A prefer traditional paper and pencil art, so we’ll start with that. By all means, if you just wanna go crazy and come up with something all on your own, I won’t stop you. However, some of you may be intimidated by the idea of just DRAWING A WHOLE COUNTRY FROM NOTHING. There are a couple of things you can do if this is you.

Look at some reference pictures. 

Look at an atlas or a globe. Find borders and coastlines that look cool or fit into some of the ideas for your world and copy ‘em. To some people, this doesn’t feel “creative”. Someone will always look at your map and tell you that it looks like Russia or Italy, so don’t stress too much about it. 

BEANS. 

This will sound weird, but a tried and true method to get nice looking coastlines is to just dump a few handfuls of dry beans or rice onto a piece of paper and move them around until you like the look of it. Then you trace out the masses of beans until you got yourself a country, huzzah!

If you’re working in photoshop, a method I’ve seen used is to import a few images of different countries into it and move and transform them around until you you have a brand new landmass you like, then trace around that. 

Next, we need to fill the world with stuff. This sounds simple, but keep in mind that things don’t happen in a vacuum. 

If you’re building a forest or farmland, consider where a water source would be. 

If you’re adding a lake or rivers, consider how it would flow to the ocean with the force of gravity, starting in mountain ranges.

If you have mountains, consider how shifting tectonic plates would form them. You have to at least know the rules before you can break them. Your world has to make some type of sense and, if it doesn’t, you need to explain why. 

Take a look at the styles of maps to get an idea of how to indicate this on your map. Some maps take a very simplified approach to denoting landmarks, some are very complex. It’s up to you.

Once you know where your forests, mountains, and lakes will be, you can place your cities. 

Your cities should be placed in locations on your map that make sense. Is your city’s major export fish? Put it by the ocean. Is the climate cold? Put it at a higher elevation. Is your city isolated? What type of physical barriers could illustrate this? 

If you didn’t take any of these things into consideration before this exercise, you have now. Let’s say you have a protagonist who needs to get from one town to another, but you need to spice up the journey a little. You made this map, you look at it, there’s a river in between the towns. BOOM! Now your protagonist needs to cross a rushing icy river. Mini conflict, a setback. All because you considered the landscape of your environment.

Obviously, this works on a lot of different scales. How long will it take your protagonist to get from point a to point b? What stands in their way? How do the features of the landscape impact the world as a whole? Now you know. 

Finally, slap some labels on that bad boy. 

If your working on paper, it’s a good idea to do this ALL in pencil first and leave some space for labels. This will make referencing where things are and what they’re called easier. Get creative with it, use crazy fonts. It just needs to be LEGIBLE for your own sanity. Trust me. 

Honestly, doing this at some point in the worldbuilding process has done worlds of good for me. It really gets your creative juices flowing and it’s just another step to a well-rounded world. You can skip it if you’re not a visual person, but I definitely am and I’m sure some of you are, too. 

I just want to reiterate, this is for YOUR benefit only. No one else has to see it, its reference for you. However, if you want to add a map into your published works, consider talking to a professional artist/cartographer unless you, like, are one. Then I’m not sure why you read this much of my post. 

Thanks for reading! I post a wide variety of content on my blog every Friday including writing advice and book updates. Stop by and say hi!

-Miller

[milleralexanderauthor]

[milleralexanderauthor]

Hey, ya’ll! I did a short intro once before, but I figured I’d give you guys a more detailed introduction.

Personal Info

My name is Miller (he/him). I’m a 22-year-old Floridian, a husband, and a dog dad.

I tend to gravitate toward fantasy and historical fiction with romance and LGBTQ+ elements.

Besides writing, I like to take advantage of the natural beauty of my home state and hike and kayak whenever possible.

Current Projects

I’m currently devoting my energy to one project. I’m about 10k words into the first draft of my novel The Guardian of Len.

The Guardian of Len follows an anthropologist named Féilim who stumbles upon the source of a mysterious power kept secret by an ancient civilization, getting himself cursed in the process. He teams up with a doctor in order to find a way to break the curse before it kills him.

Other than that, I do a lot of freeform poetry, mostly about love and mostly dedicated to my wife (because we’re cute like that). 

I’m always up to making new friends and talking about writing, so my inbox is always open! Feel free to stop by and say hi! 

[milleralexanderauthor]

[milleralexanderauthor]

calling all writeblrs!!

like/reblog this if you:

write fantasy

write anything honestly

want new friends to vent about your wip with

honestly pretty much just if you’re a writeblr lmao

i’m trying to make new friends here so please boost this if you want!!:)

[milleralexanderauthor]

It reminded her of the mountains she only knew in her mind, the feeling of bracing wind in her face.

I thought I’d try my hand at this aesthetic thing for my book, The Guardian of Len. I hope you enjoy it!

[milleralexanderauthor]

Writing? In this economy?

[milleralexanderauthor]