books

Foxy Lady

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Gumiho | Korea

“Nine-tailed fox that freely transforms into a beguiling woman.”

Basic Facts:

  • How does the fox become the woman? It lives a thousand years.
  • The goal of the gumiho (also called Kumiho in Korea) is to seduce boys and lure them off to eat their organs. They focus on primary organs, such as the liver and heart.
  • Since the legend of the gumiho originated in China and also has a sister legend in Japan, the gumiho is differentiated by the item it carries. The gumiho keeps a marble of knowledge but it’s also used to help drain human energy. If a human steals the marble…they gain knowledge!
  • Even though they can turn into a woman, they maintain fox-like features.
  • Hoping for some good news? If the gumiho doesn’t kill or eat any humans…they’ll become human. Don’t forget…they’re spirits, not actual animals.

A Visual Tale

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Originating in Japan, the visual novel has made quite the impact on interactive reading for tweens, teenagers, and new adults.

A platform designed for artists and storytellers, visual novels take reading to a new level. Some stories revolve around custom characters, while others don’t. The storylines vary but the biggest genre here is romance.

By teaming up with graphic designers or digital artists, authors can create a version of their story which would appeal to those who like visuals accompanying their story or travel down the similar route as Harry Potter. (We’re talking about the game released where you become the witch or wizard, in case you missed it!) Building the world for your readers first and building a fanbase, may make transitioning to visual novels much easier. They don’t all have to be romance stories; they’re just the easiest genre to get into!

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Nine Imps

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Dokkaebi | Korea

“Impish spirits that transform from inanimate objects.”

Basic Facts:

  • Also called Korean goblins, they like to play tricks on humans (or help them – it can go either way.)
  • Physical descriptions of the dokkaebi can be found on ancient roof tiles but are usually frightening to look at.
  • Into wrestling? So are these spirits! in order to pass them, you should be able to wrestle your way out of their clutches of evil! Their weak spots include their right side and (some of them are one-legged) a simple push will get them down.
  • There are different types of dokkaebi. To be frank, there are nine common types.
  • Sometimes, rituals are hosted to get in the good graces of the dokkaebi but other times.

Be Rewarded

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Pixiu | China

“Winged lion that words off spirits and attracts wealth”

Basic Facts:

  • The Pixiu is a protector of those who practice Feng Shui.
  • A creature well associated with wealth; it is also associated with Earth and Sea elements.
  • There are male and female variations of the Pixiu. They’re referred to as Bìxié (male) and Tiān lù (female). The Bìxié is known to be in charge of the wealth, while the Tiān lù shoos off bad spirits.
  • In terms of the wealth they bring in, they are picky. The prefer gold, silver, and jewelry.
  • As years have gone by, the Pixiu has maintained their love for wealth. Statues are often used in the practice of Feng Shui and the philosophy is: wealth will come. They’re also used in Jade pendants in modern jewelry.

Overlapping Myths and Traditions

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This is the first of our mythological creatures from East Asia and can we just say: we are so excited to share these!

For this week, we’re looking at the traditional Chinese dragon, also known as the East Asian Dragon. This creature is widely known within and beyond Asian history, used as symbols of great strength and honor. But let’s jump right in and see what we could possibly teach you!

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Chinese Dragon | China

“Long, serpentine creature with elemental powers.”

Basic Facts:

  • Don’t be fooled! The serpent-like animal is the more commonly known dragons. They’re also described as turtles and fish.
  • The dragon usually has powers to control water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods (do you see the common trait of strength behind this all?)
  • Scholar Wang Fu of the Han dynasty recorded myths about long dragons having distinct features. It’s an interesting Google search!
  • Depictions of the East Asian dragon sometimes feature a flaming pearl. It’s symbolic of spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power, immortality, thunder, or the moon.
  • Wings? Nope! East Asian dragons fly with the help of their mystical powers, nothing physical helps them soar through the sky.

Falling Down An Unwanted Hole

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When reading any story, there’s bound to be a plot hole we encounter or fall into…no one is perfect. Not every loose end will find its tie; it’s a matter of picking and choosing which ones to leave.

Some plot holes could be used later on in the series…even if it was just an accident. While editing your manuscript, if the plot is disturbed greatly by the error, fix it. Does it ruin one sub-plot? Revisit. If it can be manipulated later on, maybe it’s not really an issue at all.

Listen to your beta-readers, your editors…If it proves to be a serious problem, you’re not going to have that groundbreaking novel you had hoped for.

Creature From The Black Lagoon…?

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We’ve finally made it to the end of European legends and mythological creatures. Next week we’ll be venturing over to East Asia to see what sort of creatures and legends we can inspire you to incorporate into your writing!

Onto this week, though! Could we have found what inspired the Creature from the Black Lagoon?

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Vodník | Czech Republic

Basic Facts:

  • The appearance of the Vodník varies…from a man with webbed hands and gills to a humanoid frog. The description of this creature depends on the location of the myth. His story gets around!
  • On the side of good or evil? The Vodník can be aligned with either. But the bad ones are the recorded ones. They try to drown people who are in their territory!
  • To pass the time, this creature likes to play cards, smoke pipes, or just hang out near the water and overlook their home.
  • Sometimes, fisherman give the spirit tobacco as a trade for fish.
  • They don’t have a mentioned home…but sea water is deadly for them! Just speculating, not confirmed.

A Little More, A Little Less

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Has anyone ever thought “I don’t care what color his eyes are” or “what does the size of her hips have to do this journey?” Or my personal favorites are, “well, what color are his eyes” and “how wide are her hips REALLY?”

You know where this is going: physical descriptions of characters.

Sure, establishing attraction between two characters could use some physical traits to highlight. Everyone has their personal attractions. But besides that, when does describing a character become too much? Or do you feel there is too little to your character altogether?

Sometimes we think of the readers first. Readers come in all shapes and sizes – and we also want to highlight everyone thinks differently. But you knew that already. The way a reader can interpret your characters varies. Some enjoy rich, written word describing every nook and cranny of your world…others envision a movie scene, playing itself out in their head.

But what’s also important to keep in mind is yourself. It’s up to your discretion as a writer if you wish to pursue colorful scenes adorned in magical items or timeless pieces of furniture. Or that may not be the point of the story. Factor in everything (point of view, genre…we mean it.) Some writers feel comfortable with a simple “an average man/woman comes into the crowded bar…” and the reader’s creative mind can take the reins from there.

Get comfortable with your characters for who they are, not they look like.

Mood Rings

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We’re not going to talk your ear off about how mood rings are real and they need to be taken more seriously…no, instead, we’re going to talk your ear off about colors and symbolism in your writing.

Using colors to accentuate the mood you’re trying to convey in your scenes may help your form of story-telling improve. It could be your main character can now see surrounding characters’ auras and the auras tell your character how a particular person is feeling. Or quite possibly there are colors within a room to set a mood in which your character is about to enter.

Use this color bar image we found on the great, big internet to give you a start on what sort of colors to use in your writing!

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Head Count

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We’ve talked about killing off characters more than once on this blog…but today we’re discussing how many characters you should keep ALIVE to complete your tale.

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First of all, you need your protagonist. Usually there is only one of these but sometimes there are more. It takes a certain type of writer to have more than one protagonist.

Character count: 1

Next up, we have the deuterangonist. Or more commonly known as the sidekick. Let the confusion start here. Limit your sidekick to a single being, or two. To this we say: have fun. They’re very important characters who need to be just as well-crafted as the protagonist. If you’re still getting the hang of writing, stick to one.

Character count: 2

The antagonist becomes our next character to focus on. Don’t be fooled though; the antagonist doesn’t always have to be another person. Your protagonist could have very real inner demons they can’t shake like struggling with mental health, addiction…and so on. This should almost always be a single thing. Think of it as your target that you’ve zeroed in on and need to destroy. Your protagonist would think the same thing.

Character count: 3

Love. If your character finds their love along the way, there’s another character to include on your list. The love interest character could cross over in being a deuterangonist. There’s one less character you have to flesh out!

Character count: 3-4

If your main character is on an epic journey for the books, a mentor is always a plus. Most characters aren’t all-knowing and if they are in your book…well, this is about to get awkward. Keep a mentor down to one…they usually get killed off at some point.

Character count: 4-5

Secondary characters matter, as well. Two of these slightly developed beings in your story would be enough. Your subplots usually revolve around these characters and they contribute to the main plot line with the protagonist.

Character count: 6-7

Last but not least, we have the tertiary characters. These are the characters that aren’t really talked about in great detail but they’re still contributing to the protagonist’s journey the number to this is subject to the kind of story you’re writing.

Then you’ll have flat characters that aren’t too important at all. These are the characters your protagonist comes across in passing.

How many characters do you limit yourself to in your writing? How many do you think is appropriate?