You know, I was going to open this with a quip about how there’s like two castles in North America. But turns out, there’s one in Mexico, a few in Canada (most are mansions, cheaters), and several in the U.S. But I’m going to share with you information about Wawel castle in Poland, which had been built in the 1300s.
Tag Archives: on writing
Inspiration Hunt: Forests
I went to Poland for two weeks and one of the places I visited was Białowieża Forest. Now, here are some forest prompts and thoughts I had while exploring this unique location. Continue reading
Rewrite 3: Finding a Common Thread
Recently, I went to an event with the amazing Victor LaValle and we talked about the course in introductory novel writing that he teaches. What stuck out to me was that he said that many beginner writers lack focus in this work. There’s an . And I realized that that was totally true about my work during the first draft, way back in college when my writing was actual trash.
How To (Re)write: Backspace is Your Friend
Deleting words is just as important as writing them. When you’re trying to hit that desired 50,000, 75,000, 100,000 or whatever word count, you’re not focused on things to keep and get rid of. I have two tips on how to get rid of excess words. One takes work, the other is self-explanatory.
On Blood Magic
I’ve just finished playing Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II and reading A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Both books tackle the idea of having blood magic, which gives me food for thought as I develop the seven main magical systems in my work.
The Weather Outside is Frightful: Writing Weather
Where I am in my story, weather doesn’t play a huge factor. I use phrases like “biting cold,” “oppressive humidity,” and “sunny” to get an atmosphere going. After this weekend’s Winter Storm Jonas, it gave me fuel for thought as my characters do more traveling as the tale goes. Here are some tips for navigating the weather of your realm.
Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Deleting Chapter 1
Back to the editing board. This time, my book is on a diet to shed some excess words. And it’s working! I got rid of 8,000 so far and the plot hasn’t changed yet. I have, however, gotten to the point where some chapters just have to go. And the first one I got rid of was chapter 1. It came down to one thing.
Giving Thanks: How to Write Holidays
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
When I build a world, I think about all the minutiae that go into it. Do they celebrate Thanksgiving? Would they celebrate Christmas? Should they have a day of dressing up like Thanksgiving? Or is their Halloween the somber All Hallow’s Eve of days old? Here’s are some things you want to consider for developing a culture’s holy days.
Remember Who You Arc
That pun was bad. But I’m not ready to sit in a corner and think about what I did. I ran into an interesting problem where one of the points of view in my tale hasn’t been very linear or defined. So how do you tie it together in a knot? Let me count a few ways.
Aesthetics & The Quest for Inspiration
Here is a blatant plug for my Tumblr. If you want to know about imagery for scenes, I think it’s super important to have an online pin-board of scenes, characters, and event designs. Here’s why you do it and here’s how I do it.
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Jo Writes Fantasy 