#fantasywriter

[briarcrawford]

Are Animals Becoming Extinct in Fantasy Novels?

Recently, I read this post titled “Animals have been taken off in novels since 1835. Is fiction undergoing its own extinction event?” which talks about a study that found that since 1835, the use of wild animals in fiction has dropped drastically.

Many are blaming this “slow extinction” on modern societies disconnect to nature. After all, not everyone spends their days outside, so they might not notice mice, birds, or even the insects at their feet. If they do not think about animals in their daily life, why would they think about them while writing?

That is the theory, at least.

It is worthwhile pointing out what several other writers and readers are; there are plenty of animals in children’s fiction. That is true, but what about young adult to adult fantasy? Since that is what I personally write, that is what I wanted to talk about.

Just going off what books I think of first, it seems like often in fantasy novels, the only prey animals (like deer, squirrels, or rabbits) that we see are after nearly always during or after they are hunted. Then there is the complete lack of mosquitos, leaches, biting ants, and other annoying creatures.

Sometimes, there is a mention of the sound of birds singing, but rarely ever are there any details of the birds or what they are doing. Where are the ducks and swans on the lakes? Where are the birds building nests?

Now you may be going “What is the point? Why should I care?” and I get that, but by eliminating these creatures, your novels could be losing a sense of realism.

For example, in Stephen Kings The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon — which I argue is a light fantasy story, not a horror story — has a girl is lost in the woods and stalked by a creature. Interestingly, even most survival books fail to mention animals apart from for food, but Stephen King did not do that. He had deer, water bugs skittering across ponds, and even wasps that attack the main character. This added a sense of reality to the novel. It was not just a forest with some trees and plants, it was a forest filled with life, and that can be dangerous for anyone, let alone a young girl.

So, go ahead, raise the mood with your characters. If they are miserable, make them more so by having the mosquitos bite at them day and night or have them step in a anthill. If they are happy, they could watch a mother bird feeding its young or a swan rubbing necks with its partner.

Adding more hints of nature could not only amplify the mood, but it could also make your forests seem more real.

[tenmeithesinisterminister]

I have been writing like a man possessed. I have written 5,772 words since tuesday, bringing my total word count to just over 6,000, sitting at a nice little 6,260 words. The goal has been to hit around 55,000 to 61,000 or so, just within that general ballpark. I'm writing like crazy, and I am so close to petering out, but I also want to keep going. I've been telling myself that I will write at least 1,000 words a day, and for some reason it works? It's slow and I often just tab back into youtube and watch whatever I'm watching or listen to whatever I'm listening to on spotify. (I have listened to GOODING, Ghost, and Barenaked Ladies non-stop all day every day) If there's anything any of you take from this, please let it be that just doing it will feel good, and you'll hit that flow state and stuff will just come out somehow? I invented the deuteragonist today and I just feel like I'm on a roll, and all I've really done is just keep up a steady routine and pushing myself to hit a minimum. I know for a fact this would never work for everyone, but you should try it at least once. Just down a can of your preferred caffeinated beverage and get to work for 2 or 3 hours while you listen to your favorite artists or a podcast or something.

[jbankai89]

[writtenbylevi]

A wee introduction

Hello! My name is Levi Morton and I created this page as a sort of dumping ground for my writerly thoughts. A place for me to scream, cry, and laugh. To celebrate wins and write out the struggles. Name something a writer can be plagued with and I've got it in spades. Perfectionism, imposter syndrome, rejection sensitivity. But maybe (just maybe) we can make it a bit lighter together. I doubt I'll garner a huge audience here, but if you happen to pass by and follow me, thank you! I'm sure I'll be up to lots of shenanigans with some thoughts that should probably stay in a diary and some short stories that should probably stay in the drafts.

[emlinden]

This month's book recommendation post is now live over on emlinden.com! Today, we're taking a look at an Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 🔥

Visit the link above to check it out!

[skymeria]

Camp NaNoWriMo

Well... it’s that time of year again where I pretend I’m a real writer and that I’m actually going to get a draft finished. 

But this time it’s different because this time I AM going to get a first draft finished! I’ve manifested it. I’ve spoken it to the Universe. And I’ve told Lola I’m going to do it so if I don’t then I will have lied to Lola and that is Very Bad. 

So the next 30 days will be filled with all things #LunarWIP 

Also, please bear with me... it has been an AGE since I’ve used Tumblr and I’ve got no idea what I’m doing so if there is anyone still out there do excuse the mess!

[kingoodin]

The Dead Empire

Title: Twisted Destinies Series: Dead Empire Series - Book 1

Premise: In a world filled with magic, intrigue, and danger, the lives of Sorin, a skilled elf warrior, and Thalus, a young man unaware of his true parentage, become intertwined as they each seek their own truth, forming an alliance that will change the course of their lives forever.

Summary: As the story unfolds, Sorin and Thalus find themselves caught in a web of secrets, lies, and betrayals. Thalus, yearning to discover the truth about his parents, struggles with loyalty to his adoptive family and his own moral compass. Sorin, meanwhile, is determined to protect his people and uncover the dark forces that threaten his world.

The two heroes face numerous challenges, including encounters with the enigmatic Alaric and Aldous, who are torn between their loyalty to their father and their own sense of right and wrong. The characters must navigate the complexities of love, loyalty, and betrayal as they confront shocking revelations about their families, their pasts, and the sinister plot that could destroy everything they hold dear.

In the first installment of The Dead Empire Series, Sorin and Thalus journey through a realm filled with magic, mysterious ruins, and ancient prophecies. As they forge alliances, face betrayal, and encounter dark forces, they discover their fates are intertwined, setting them on a path toward a destiny that will change their lives and the world around them.

[rlgeerrobbins]

Snippet from my upcoming book.

Sometimes, writing fantasy allows us to say what we shouldn't say.

 Day 13 of 365 days. 352 days left to go. Nothing profound or inspirational today. Just wanted to share one of my favorite parts of my upcoming book- The Witch and the Prophet. Sometimes, writing fantasy allows us to say what we shouldn’t say. I joyfully await the exit- and I hope never to return. Frida Kahlo Until tomorrow my friends, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeniated. If tales of legend,…

[jbodenauthor]

[mabards10]

Dive into the Enchanting World of "Destined Inscriptions

🌟✨ Dive into the Enchanting World of "Destined Inscriptions" ✨🌟

📖✨ Introducing "Destined Inscriptions: A Plebeian's LitRPG Journey of Magic," available on Kindle! Embark with Lucius, a humble craftsman with an extraordinary magical talent, on an epic journey in the Roman Realm. 🏛️🔥 From unassuming plebeian to a master of mystical arts, watch Lucius battle rivals, uncover potent inscriptions, and navigate a world where magic can alter empires. 🐉💫 This LitRPG saga combines fantasy adventure, enchantments, and the power of destiny. Will Lucius control his fate or be overwhelmed by magic? A thrilling tale for fans of adventure and discovery. 🗡️✨ Don’t miss out!

[briarcrawford]

A Common Problem With Fantasy Castles: The Details

Commonly, in both books and movies, the castles are shown or described as having bare, cold, stone walls and floors. They look dark, depressing, and sometimes not even all that impressive even though someone important is living there. What people are forgetting is that when you invite people into your castle, how it looks can be a representation of how powerful you are. As well as that, if you are going to live there, you will want to make it comfortable.

Yes some castles did have bare stone, but I just want to clarify that it is not your only option. Here are some ideas on how make your fantasy castles seem more interesting:

Flooring

Wood Stains. You can stain wood a variety of colors

Tiles. Hand-painted medieval tiles can be absolutely stunning (though expensive) and some have lasted even to today.

Rugs and Carpets. Not only do they help with warmth, but they can also send a message. If someone enters a castle and there is a rug on the floor that would have cost a fortune to make, that tells the visitor that this person has so much money, it is fine to walk on the rug.

Walls

Whitewashing. Whitewashing castle walls(sometimes after smoothing them with plaster) was extremely common, which alone brings a lot of brightness to the room.

Fabric. Tapestry was a quick and less expensive way to add extra insulation to a room, and also added color. Imagine elaborate hand-stitched artworks.

Wainscoting. This is simply just wood added to the wall for decoration, but it can be expensive.

Stonework. The stone of the castle itself could be made beautiful. For an example of amazing carved stonework, look up Rosslyn Chapel.

Paintwork. Yes, medieval times did have colorful paints. Many of the mural decorations were incredibly detailed, but even simple flowers were popular to paint on walls.

Other Décor

Even medieval people hung up items just for the sake of decoration. Commonly in movies, the most interesting thing you see on the walls is a coat-of-arms, or maybe a boars head, but you do have more options.

Suits of Armor. Many suits of armour for royals would never see battle, but they could be shown off. This was a way of showing your power. In fact, children, dogs, cats, and even elephants, have all had armour made for them, even though some of these would never see battle, or quickly grow out of the fit.

Imported Items. Imports were expensive, and having decorations from another culture made you look educated and rich.

Furniture. Could be metal, wood, or stone. It could be amazingly detailed.

Statues. Keep in mind that many of statues used to be painted, so they don’t have to all be void of color. They also do not all have to be about a families history; sometimes people are passionate about a certain subject. For example, a king might have an obsession with an ancient culture and collect statues about that cultures myths.

Weapons. I have been into a few castles where the collections of weapons cover the walls of the entire rooms.

Pottery. Ancient or simply just the most famous artist of the times.

Lighting. Candles, especially beeswax, were not cheap. Having enough candles to brighten an entire room is for sure a show of wealth.

[tenmeithesinisterminister]

I really enjoy my characters

Really, I do. I've been unable to really make progress with my novel, which is sitting around 9,000 words right now, so I figured I'd try and write a short story set after the novel so I could get a better idea of how the story is going to develop through the novel, and to help better characterize my characters. I introduced a side character named Valerian in one of the early chapters, who's essentially Alzad's sort of wild card sorcerer companion. He is a human and his entire personality is being reckless, sarcastic and snarky while he fumbles with actually being able to perform functional magic. He's a really good contrast to Alzad who's moral and is at odds with himself while Valerian is just "This is fun. I like this." Writing for Valerian is one of the most enjoyable parts of this process and I felt like I should share.

[jbankai89]

If you like my fanfiction, please consider checking out my books. It's been a rough couple of months over here between barely making ends meet, and near-constant chronic illness issues. Any sale or pages read on Kindle Unlimited is a huge help, and will be greatly appreciated <3

If you need some kind of intro to my horror before you dive in, I have been featured three times on the podcast Scare You To Sleep! The episodes where my stories have been featured can be found here:

And, finally, a direct link to my books can be found here:

[writtenbylevi]

Writers: don’t shy away from literary devices and narratives just because they intimidate you. Don’t shy away from writing in third if you’ve only ever written in first if you think your book would shine in third.

You absolutely have what it takes.

[emlinden]

This year, I decided that I wanted to give doing a writer blog a shot. The first post, a quick little introduction of myself and what I plan to do on the blog, went up today, so be sure to check it out over on emlinden.com!

[skymeria]

Tagged by unbearably wonderful @lola-theshowgrl <3 who you should all be following. You should also be reading her original work too because I need other people to scream about it with. Just sayin.

Anyway... the game!

Rules: give us your characters' names and definitions and vote whether or not they fit the meaning.

Astraea: a feminine name of Greek and Latin origin meaning “star-maiden” or “starry-night.” It is a Latinized version of the Greek name Astraia which is derived from the Greek word aster, meaning “star.” In classical mythology, Astraea or Astraia is the goddess of justice, innocence, purity, and precision.

9/10 - I wanted a celestial name for her because of her power so I did actually look her name up before deciding on it. It fits pretty well, apart from the "innocence, purity and precision" part at the end.

Seren: a Welsh female and male name meaning "star".

10/10 - again, I looked it up first - I wanted a false name that was close enough in meaning to her real name.

Caspian: One of the most romantic of appellations, as well as being a geographical name of the large salty sea between Asia and Europe.

4/10 - points for being considered "romantic" but tbh I didn't look this name up first and still don't know if it will survive the redrafts but I chose it because I like it and I needed a name.

I haven't spent enough time on tumblr to know who is still writing these days so if you see this and you want to tell everyone about your character's wonderful names then this is your sign to do it and tag me so I can see!