We have been talking about a lot of world-building lately. We see it as a very vital part of writing, especially when it comes to creating your own world. The detail behind your creation should resonate with your reader, and describe a place they will be sucked into. Some of our authors at HRM gave us a look into their ways of building and we thought it would be nice to share with a writer who hasn’t quite gotten the grasp of piecing together their fictional world.
I have my system (basically pages and pages of journal entries attempting to consider every element of the society as it goes across books), but a streamlined version would probably be a bit more coherent. 😉
I have a notebook for each novel/series and write all of my little world intricacies down. Most of the world-building I layer in after the first draft. Touch, sights, social differences, currency, sayings, speech patterns, etc. I try and make the world-building almost unnoticeable.
I use a single Scrivener project for a whole series, so all my notes are in there. Before I start writing, I gather up enough to make me feel like I know the place well enough to live in it for a few books, and then add/revise as I go along. Everything from the magic system to what they eat. Also maps. So many maps.
I always thought a basilisk was some sort of reptile, human thing. Never in a million years did I think I would expose myself to some very confusing legend to turn my brain to mush!
Basilisk | British Isles
“Winged, cockerel-headed reptile that murders with a single glance.”
Basic Facts:
A chicken’s head…a dragon’s set of wings…a long serpent’s tail…That’s what nightmares are made out of. Ew!
Although they sound gross and scary, the basilisk can actually be as tiny as 6 inches. That’s small. Mushu-small.
These little creatures can kill in five different ways: a gaze, its breathe, venom, its hiss, orsimply touching it.
If you ever found yourself in trouble with a basilisk, there’s only one way to save yourself…and that’s with a mirror.
It’s more commonly known as a basilisk, but sometimes you’ll hear the name ‘cockatrice’…they’re the same thing!
…okay. This may not be about the film industry, or who we think is going to top the box office charts next, but it is about how your book could be top of the selling charts in one way or another!
Awhile back we wrote a post about the art of creating a book trailer. We’re bringing it up again because IT IS IMPORTANT.
Social media and streaming services have become a big part of our society and our culture. I mean, hi, we’re talking to you through a screen!
If you haven’t already, work on a trailer to boost your exposure on YouTube or Vimeo and repost this video on all social media platforms. Show it to your family/longtime fans, provide a link so those fans can share around theirplatforms.
It’s all about word-of-mouth…or rather word-of-typing?
Writing is already tough as it is, but the thought of character development or simple character creation makes it all the more harder. What happens if you, the writer, want to create and develop a main character who is of the opposite sex or gender?
As humans raised in a society where the social construct revolves around binary gender identification (so, male or female), we tend to think we have the other side figured out. Writing the opposite gender can bump the difficulty of your novel-writing up to 100. Personally, I applaud trans or androgynous characters because although I said our society currently revolves around binary gender IDing, the world is slowly changing and becoming more accepting of such. Why do we have to choose to be one gender, Social Construct? HUH?
Instead of going on about gender identity for a whole blog post, I’m here to try and help you writers out there understand the gender identity of your characters and how to portray them properly without offending anyone. I’m only focusing on men writing female characters and women writing male characters today!
Dudes writing dudettes?Always remember, if diving into the female POV, make sure she has a personality. Girls are people, too. People who have personalities as well experiences which shape them into who they are.
Beyond her INSANElyaverage looks is a deeply complex and developed being, she’s starts to become a person. Not that cardboard cut-out character who is tasteless and has no real meaning to the story.
A few key points about writing a girl:
Girls are empathetic, which is what heightens their emotions.
A girl usually wants to know that someone cares for her, which is why she wants to hang out with her SO all of the time or it seems like she’s always with her friends.
Looking into things is a girl’s MO. Girls do ask each other what they should wear to go out on a date, or what to say to someone.
For a bit more detail into those things I mentioned and a bit more, see this blog. The author of this blog really describes the nitty gritty details of the points she finds most noticeable in a female character, particularly in their POV.
Moving on!Dudettes who are writing their hunk of burning love…remember, he’s not real. He can’t be Mr. Perfect. If dudes can’t write women up to be super warriors with gigantic breasts and long legs, there should be no reason to write up a six pack with bulging muscles. Not every guy is tall, dark, and handsome.
Name that movie!
Following the same rule earlier, give this guy his own unique personality. After that, you can add some good looking qualities, then the flaws. Make sure the guy is as realistic as possible because if you’re trying to reel in male readers…you’re not going to get it by stabbing his ego (just like a guy could do to a female reader’s self-confidence).
Want some key points here, too?
Feelings. Women tend to think men don’t have them but they’re most certainly wrong. Men have feelings. They’re just bottled up, until they’re ready to blow.
Want to evoke raw emotion? Mess with his brain.
If you’re main character is talking to his friends or his love interest, make sure he’s blunt and to the point. He’s not beating around the bush. He wants what he wants, so he’s going to get it.
That same blog from earlier also did a peek into how to write a guy’s POV, featuring a friend. It’s pretty interesting and worth the read!
On this fine Wednesday, we’re talking about a very strange legend from Scotland. This creature can transform into a variety of other creatures…but from my research, I couldn’t find what the creature appeared to be when not transforming into another creature…Help?
Kelpie | Scotland
“Water horse that lures victims to ride on its back to their doom.”
Basic Facts:
The name “kelpie” is suspected to be a slang/mash-up of a couple of Scottish Gaelic words. “Cailpeach” or “colpach” are just a couple to name and these can be loosely translated to heifer or colt.
Since they’re most commonly known as a water horse, they typically can be found near a river or stream.
In their horse form, they attract children. But they’re not limited to only one form; they can turn into almost anything! An example is a beautiful woman, to lure a man out to the stream, where she snatches him up and takes him down the river!
These creatures wield magic. Mainly pertaining to the water to help them easily catch their prey.
What’s their weakness? Latching onto its bridle. Once you do that, you’ll have the power of a hundred kelpies.Eh, actually just one – but they’re darn powerful!
Recently, I’ve been interested in literature published before the 1960s. Just checked my Goodreads profile and yes, the earliest I have read was 1966. I felt like it was about time that I dive into the century prior.
I always thought that if someone was in a reading or writing slump, a good way to revive the inspiration is to visit a favorite book or possibly something new entirely but out of the person’s preferred genre. What are your thoughts on reading classics? Do you think it’s beneficial at all? Or just torture?
That being said, I’m reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. For the first time! And boy, can I say: revenge is best served cold, sweet Edmond!
A little late to the BookExpo train, but we’re here to update you all on one of the most important parts of our day.
In our opinion, the best panel we attended was the impromptu one. Long story short, the panelists who were supposed to be in attendance and speak got stuck somewhere else and two agents took over halfway through the wait.
One of the most talked about points of the conversation was about metadata. In book publishing, metadata was stressed so much and we’re here to help you understand why.
What is metadata?… I asked myself the same thing. I knew it had something to do with the discovery of online destinations, but I didn’t know the breakdown. Book metadata, specifically, consists of the details that help the exposure of your novel on the internet. But what does it consist of? Let’s talk about that.
Before the publication of your novel, you should consider opening up another document and writing out three basic points:
Keywords / key phrases
Book description using keywords
Author bio, using keywords
Do you see the common trend? I do. Keywords.
Keywords will become your best friend and your book’s best friend. But stay away from the generic words and “less important” ones. Your work could easily get lost or misplaced on the internet. Double check those words on a search engine to see what comes up. If it is similar to your work, then you hit the jackpot.
Your list should be narrowed down to 10 – 20 words. You’ll be able to use this same tactic for the book description and author bio to reach a max audience.
To continue to thrive in the market, revisit this and re-brand yourself every so often. When you do this, you’re re-entering the market to a new wave of potential readers and fans.
Your list should be narrowed down to 10 – 20 words. You’ll be able to use this same tactic for the book description and author bio to reach a max audience.
