R.M. Archer's Blog

Why yes, this is the second review of a book by Bethany Meyer this year, and yes, I had the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Copy of this one too. (Here’s the required disclaimer that even though I received the book for free for review, all opinions expressed henceforth are entirely my own.) And yes, this one is as good as DragonFire and Other Nonsense.

What is And Everything in Between about?

Wick and Archer have collected Heather Stones and battled dragons—but even amid the clamor of survival, quiet conflict finds its way in.

Brothers struggle to form a bond under the thumb of their controlling father.

A failed play forces two young leshy to face their uncertain futures and the expectations that await them there.

Trapped in his hometown, Archer encounters an odd, generous girl that he just can’t ignore—but what does she want with him?

From Wick’s first taste of cinnamon to Archer’s first fall, Everything In Between is a collection of moments, of memories and dreams, of the everyday aches and triumphs of becoming.

Review

Collections tend to be hard for me to organize reviews for, so I’ve decided in this case to simply discuss the stories that most stood out to me and some overall impressions of the collection as a whole. It works out for me and how I remember things, and leaves details for you to discover on your own when you pick up the book (as you definitely should)!

Kicking off this collection with Twill was a great choice, in my opinion, because Twill was already my favorite side character and I was thrilled to see a story that gave her the spotlight. That first story added to the relationship between Twill and Wick that’s already well-established in the main Scorch trilogy, and that I love so much, so it also works well to introduce the collection with something familiar.

The first story focused on Fowler is one I’ve read three times now, and it has definitely gotten stronger through iterations (and it was already pretty strong to begin with!) The imagery is perfect, the seeds of Archer and Fowl’s later relationship are so clear, and I just love the dynamics between the brothers in this story and getting a peek at how Fowl really sees things, since Archer’s perspective in the trilogy is so strongly biased (as it should be).

Eland’s story was another favorite! Eland didn’t stick out to me incredibly strongly in the main trilogy, but this story adds so much to his character and definitely bumped him upward in my estimation. It was also a fun opportunity to see more of the world and its workings, as that element of the series really shines in this story!

Watching Wick discover unpleasant flavors–whether due to Archer’s prodding or his own curiosity–is pitiable but hilarious, and a great focal point given certain details established in Robbing Centaurs and Other Bad Ideas.

Now, if there is any singular reason I believe you should definitely check out And Everything in Between, it is because to skip it is to deprive yourself of Spring, and that would be a true tragedy, believe me. She was a tragic omission from the main storyline (though understandably so) and a character–lending relational dynamics with certain other characters–that I didn’t know I was missing but now feel I was unfairly deprived of because she’s my new favorite character. Read And Everything in Between, so that I might gain accomplices in petitioning for more Spring content.

Overall, this was a delightful collection that any reader of the Scorch trilogy is sure to enjoy, and if you enjoy cozy fantasy and short stories you’ll enjoy it even if you haven’t read the Scorch trilogy (but then, what are you doing with your reading time? Go read the Scorch trilogy!) All in all, And Everything in Between gets 5 solid gold stars.

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First of all, let me assure you that there’s been no death, injury, or other misfortune to prompt this post.

Secondly, it seems pertinent to confess that I chronically over-commit to things. I constantly have multiple large projects going on at the same time, besides ongoing commitments like my blog, this newsletter, etc.

When I took a hiatus for the summer, it was really nice to set all of that aside and let it run in the background for a while—which was a little bit surprising, because usually I’m anxious and antsy for the duration of hiatuses like that.

When I started the hiatus, it was with the understanding (and announcement) that it might be extended further if the need arose. When I came to the end of the hiatus, I was excited to dive back into things, so I figured there was no problem letting the end date be the end date and coming back to work on my writing, etc.!

But over the first couple of weeks after returning to writing work I felt super stressed out, multiple significant obstacles came up on the business back-end of things, our household is working toward moving, and I was seriously questioning whether things were so hard just because running a business is hard and I was meant to push through it, or whether God was telling me to put my writing-related work on the back burner for a while.

So I prayed about it, I got some wise counsel, and ultimately… I decided to take an extended break from the writing sphere. I wasn’t initially happy about it—I had just started things back up, it meant figuring out how to put certain things on hold, and I haven’t taken this long an intentional break from writing-related work since I started a decade ago—but God has given me so much peace since I set the pressure of writing stuff aside, which has confirmed for me that this is the right choice for this season.

What does this mean for my projects?

You’re probably wondering what this will mean for the things I had in the works—especially those things that were already in motion.

1) I’m honoring my existing commitments to the best of my ability

This means that the Worldbuilders Guild will still be open to the waitlist through the end of November, I will still be adding the new content that I had planned through the end of the year, and I will continue to honor the lifetime memberships that have been purchased. After November, the Guild may be a lot lighter on new content, challenges, etc. and much more tightly focused on personal feedback and mentorship, but I will still be providing that personal feedback and mentorship throughout this sabbatical. And I’m willing to refund any existing members who believe the Guild is no longer all they signed up for.

2) This doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t be writing

This sabbatical is intended to take the pressure off. I won’t be marketing, creating on a deadline, etc. But I also won’t be preventing myself from working on projects that I want to work on, at the pace I want to work with. I will probably be working on projects “in the background”—particularly the Lightning duology, as I am excited about re-outlining and re-writing Thunder—and you might even see scattered blog posts here or there. For one thing, taking all of my own projects off my plate freed up time for me to do more beta-reading and ARC reading, so you will see a review on November 4th for Bethany Meyer’s upcoming And Everything in Between short story collection! (Beyond that, I make no particular promises as to what may or may not go up on the blog.)

Hopefully, this sabbatical will give me the opportunity to refill my creative well, rediscover the joy of writing, and ultimately have more (and better) work ready to share when I come back.

3) Most of my published projects will still be available

My books will still be available on Amazon, and The Worldbuilding Toolbox will still be open for enrollment through the duration of my sabbatical.

The Worldbuilders Guild will not have its wider launch until post-sabbatical, and I’ll be closing direct book orders sometime between January and March. I also won’t be getting new stock between now and then, so what books are available now are the only books that will be available for direct purchase until I return from my sabbatical. If you’d like to order books directly from me before the shop closes (or stock is gone), you can do that here. Lost Girl is already gone, but all of my other books are available for the time being. (Note: I can only ship within the U.S.)

4) My inbox will still be open… but I may be slow to answer

My favorite part of this work is getting to connect with readers and authors like you, so I will not be closing my inbox to messages. But I also can’t promise that I’ll respond as quickly as I otherwise would, since the bulk of my attention will be on other responsibilities. If you’re okay with that, I would still love to hear from you!

This applies to comments on the blog and on The Worldbuilding Toolbox, also.

How long will I be gone?

Unfortunately, I don’t know. Presently, I believe it will be at least a year, but it’s all up to God what circumstances crop up between now and then that could make it longer or shorter. Whenever it is, you will be the first to know.

In closing

I’ll miss connecting and sharing my work with you, but I believe that God is calling me to slow down and focus on my family for a while. If you’d like to stick around and wait for my return, I’ll be happy to reconnect! If you’d rather unsubscribe, I completely understand that, too; no hard feelings.

May God bless you in whatever season you’re facing.

I bid you all a very fond farewell (for now).

Have a great day,
Ariel

The post A Very Fond Farewell (for now) appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

Having worked on several projects with Sarah throughout the years, including her previous book Escape from Mathebos, I was super excited when I heard she was working on a cozy fantasy mystery series! I’m always super excited to see more Christian-authored cozy fantasy books, and cozy fantasy plus cozy mystery sounds like the perfect mix, so I couldn’t wait to read Murder in Mossyhollow.

(Required disclaimer that though I received a free copy to review, the following opinions are my own.)

What is Murder in Mossyhollow about?

As Mossyhollow’s apothecary, Sybell Buslingthorpe has her finger on the pulse of the village. When a well-loathed man is poisoned at a dinner party and the fiancée of Sybell’s assistant, Joan, is the prime suspect, Sybell feels compelled to step in and solve the murder before the wrong person is accused.

Sybell Buslingthorpe fills her days with caring for the sick, teasing her young assistant and his spunky fiancée, and going home to her garden and pet dragons. Free time is spent interacting with the village people of Mossyhollow and getting involved in the local politics. Everything an elderly apothecary could dream of.

Her comfortable life is thrown into chaos when her dear friend, Anya Thorne, throws a dinner party and her friend’s grandson is poisoned. Despite everyone hating him, Joan, as Anya’s housekeeper, becomes the prime suspect. Knowing her assistant’s fiancée is innocent, Sybell races against the clock to clear her name and find the real killer.

She finds herself swept up in a world of politics and prejudice, where everyone has a motive, but few have the means and opportunity. Will Sybell be able to patch up Joan’s reputation before it is too late?

Review

Murder in Mossyhollow‘s charm is in its premise, characters, and world. Cozy mysteries in a fantasy setting should definitely be more popular! The town of Mossyhollow is suitably cozy, with its host of unique characters—both elves and goblins, its small-town politics, and cerberi and miniature dragons for commonplace pets. (I always love a good mini dragon!) The world is established well enough to support the story at hand, and to provide the appropriate amount of color. As someone with a particular eye for worldbuilding, I look forward to seeing how the world is deepened and the details are filled in more and more throughout the Mossyhollow Mysteries series.

Sybell is a perfect elderly amateur detective, with a compelling interest in her town and a perfect position within its community from which to investigate. Of course, knowing everyone in town also has its drawbacks, as it’s hard to believe those you know well would commit such crimes, and Sybell’s blind spots add a great bit of conflict to the story.

It’s hard to speak to the other characters without indicating who may or may not be guilty, so I’ll simply say that they’re varied, distinctive, and well-developed for a mystery, with compelling motives and suspicious behavior.

Personally, I found the mystery itself to be rather lack-luster. While the pieces that were put in place were situated well, I felt there was an obvious suspect that was completely overlooked—without even a quickly-dispelled suspicion from anyone endeavoring to identify the murderer—and the ultimate reveal at the end felt like it needed more set-up earlier in the book in order to feel believable. The conclusion as a whole felt rushed, with the revelation of the murderer seeming to come out of left field and the consequences in the lives of other characters seeming a bit weak.

The prose also felt a bit weak, and I would have liked to see more motion and detail written in to strengthen the reader’s connection with the plot and world and really draw them into the mystery.

That said, I enjoyed the story as a whole, and I look forward to seeing future installments in the Mossyhollow Mysteries series! The core characters and underlying setting are certainly compelling, and I look forward to seeing how they’re fleshed out and built upon in later books!

Rating: 3.5 stars

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Scrivener is a program I mention a fair bit for two reasons. First, full transparency, because I’m an affiliate for them. I make a small commission if you buy a Scrivener license through my affiliate link (and, yes, this post contains affiliate links, marked with an asterisk). But secondly, because it’s genuinely my go-to writing tool; I don’t join affiliate programs for tools that I don’t actually use and find valuable. My primary goal is not to make a commission, but to help you find the tools that will best serve your writing process! That’s why today I’m going to talk about why Scrivener might be a worthwhile investment for you… or why you might be better off going with something else.

Scrivener is for You If…

…Every Project Has Numerous Files

I used to have numerous files for each project I was working on, in folders within folders, and if I wanted to reference them I would have to open multiple separate Word documents and swap back and forth.

Then I found Scrivener.

Scrivener’s binder lets you put all of those individual files into one singular “binder” in the sidebar—all within a single Scrivener project, all within easy access for reference as you work. Referencing multiple files at a time—say, your draft and a character sheet, or your draft and your outline—is also super easy with the side-by-side view… but I’ll get to that in a moment.

The binder doesn’t negate all of those folders-within-folders, either; you can still nest your files within the binder to keep them organized the way that works for you! They’re just within easier reach, simpler to swap between, and don’t require you to open multiple versions of the program all at once.

Additionally, Scrivener keeps you from having to start over from scratch if you always use a particular character sheet, outline structure, etc. If you have particular reference materials (I have a plotting prompt list) or character sheet templates you use regularly, or if you almost always structure your documents and folders the same way, you can set up your own project template with those pieces already in place so that every time you start a new project you have that baseline to work from; no rebuilding from the ground up every single time!

Subscribe to the newsletter to download the plotting prompts I mentioned, my character voice question sheet, and other writing tools from the resource library!

…Seeing Documents Side-by-Side Appeals

If you’re constantly swapping back and forth between documents—referencing your outline with each new scene, pulling up character sheets when you can’t remember an eye color, etc.—let me introduce you to Scrivener’s side-by-side mode, which is genuinely one of my favorite features. With this, you can keep your draft open on one side while you use the other to display your outline, switch over to different character sheets, check on worldbuilding details from another document, etc. This makes it a lot easier to keep from having long delays while you remind yourself what comes next, what color needs to be used in the description you’re writing, whether or not the way your character is about to use their superpowers is in line with the rules you’ve established, etc.

You can also use this mode to refer back to a previous scene to avoid inconsistencies, or during the editing process to compare an older version of a scene/chapter/manuscript with a newer version… or for any other purpose you find necessary in your writing process! If you have any two documents inside your Scrivener binder, you have the option to work with them side-by-side.

…You Work on Multiple Devices

Scrivener licenses can be used on any device that you’re the primary user of. That means if you work on a desktop and a laptop, for example, you can install Scrivener on both with a single license and switch your projects back and forth. There is also a syncing feature available, using Dropbox, which can make swapping between devices particularly easy—as long as one of those devices is an iPhone or iPad, anyway. If you don’t want to deal with Dropbox or anything online—or you don’t use Apple products—keeping your Scrivener files on an external drive can still make this a pretty simple process. Unplug from one computer, plug into the other, and you’re good to go. If even that doesn’t work, then you can copy the newer version over to the other device and overwrite the older version on that computer. However you manage the files, Scrivener can be run on multiple devices to open your projects from wherever you’re working at a given time.

Simply as a practical note here, I recommend keeping your license key somewhere you can easily find it. If you replace your computer, have an issue that requires you to totally reset an existing computer, get an additional computer you want to use Scrivener on, etc., you will want to have the license key handy. There’s also an option to retrieve a lost license key, so it’s not the end of the world if you do lose the license email, but it’ll make things simpler if you put it somewhere you’ll know where to find it (or just make sure you don’t delete it and you know what to search for in your archives).

…You Don’t Just Write Novels

Besides plain book-writing, I’ve also used Scrivener for worldbuilding organization, for D&D campaigns, etc. Because it’s so flexible and you can make the structure whatever you need it to be, it can easily be adapted to different kinds of projects. Compiling a short story collection? Organizing different pathways through a tabletop campaign? Building a homebrew RPG world? Organizing the worldbuilding for a series? Gathering research and writing an essay? All totally doable with Scrivener, which makes it a great long-term investment even if it doesn’t solely “pay itself off” in use toward novel-writing (though, if you’re a career author, I believe it will!).

…You Write Multi-POV Stories

As I’ve worked on the Lightning duology these past few years, I’ve found Scrivener’s color-coding feature super helpful for keeping tabs on POV distribution. Scrivener allows you to color-code documents, as well as to see your story pieces (whether scenes or chapters) lined up by color, like so:

Selecting a color per POV character and color-coding your scenes/chapters accordingly allows you to see who has the most page time, how frequently you swap back and forth, in what order, etc. so that it’s super easy to ensure your POV swaps remain as consistent as you need them to be.

Related reading – Using Multiple POVs In Your Novel: How To Do It Well and What To Watch Out For by Gillian Bronte Adams on Go Teen Writers

…You’re Easily Distracted

If it helps to be able to eliminate all menus, your computer toolbar, etc. to stay on track while you’re working, Scrivener’s composition mode exists to help with that. The downside of composition mode is that it only opens one document at a given time—no side-by-side view with composition mode—but you can keep the sidebar notes and document synopsis within view (see below). As a result, I often copy the outline for a given chapter into that chapter’s “synopsis” section so that I can view it even if I can’t see the entire outline while I’m in composition mode. You can also see your word count goal progress in this mode, which I’ll touch on momentarily.

The composition mode also has customizable cosmetics—background, text color, etc.—so you can personalize it to suit your needs. I personally find matching my composition mode settings to the story helps me get into that story’s headspace more easily, so my composition mode background for Lightning is cyberpunk-esque and the text is set to a contrasting light grey while in that mode. (It reverts back to plain black in the regular editor.) You could also set this up as a sort of “dark mode,” soften the contrast, test out the method of turning your text to match the page so you can’t see what you’re writing, etc.

…You Like to Visualize Progress Toward Your Word Count Goals

Scrivener allows you to set “project targets” for each of your projects—both total word count goals and session goals—and keeps ongoing progress bars that you can choose to display or hide.

You can also set word count goals for each document—if you have a ballpark length you’re aiming for each chapter to be, for instance; or if you’re aiming to compile a certain amount of worldbuilding information (say, for a challenge like World Anvil‘s* Worldember). These display at the bottom of their corresponding document; before a goal is set, there’s a target icon that opens the menu for setting the goal, and afterward clicking on the progress bar opens the same window. The rectangular icon beside the progress bar is where you can set whether or not the document is “included in compile,” which relates to exporting later as well as to which portions of your Scrivener project count toward your overall word count goal (depending on your settings); the check mark changes to an X when the document is not included for compilation.

In short, if you like being able to see your progress tick upward, Scrivener has features to make that easy!

…You Prefer Offline Tools

Aside from initially connecting a license, Scrivener is, by default, completely offline. You can sync to iOS devices using Dropbox, which obviously requires an internet connection, but syncing is a manual process. Besides this, Scrivener is completely offline once your license is set up. No dealing with your projects being automatically sent to the cloud, trying to find them outside of your computer files, etc. It’s all on your hard drive (whether internal or external) by default.

…You Value One-Time Purchases

I personally hate subscriptions. When I moved my courses, I scoured the course platform market for something that had all of the features I needed and was not locked into a subscription model. (I found one, thankfully, and MemberVault has been a great fit so far!) So I really appreciate that Scrivener is also a single-purchase program! For $60*, you get the license for your OS and lifetime access to updates for that version.

If they upgrade to a whole new version (after a long while), sometimes there’s a discounted upgrade fee—but even that is optional; if you’d rather keep using the older version you already paid for, that’s still an option.

Additionally, purchasing the license for one OS gets you a discount off the other if you switch operating systems, have different devices with different systems, etc. (I will note, I’m not certain how the Windows and Mac versions play together, if you’re using devices with different systems for the same projects. Since I only use Windows, I’m simply not the person to ask.)

Does Scrivener sound like a good fit?

Buy here*

Now, let’s get into why Scrivener might not be the best fit for you.

Scrivener is NOT for You If…

…You Like Accessing Your Work from Online by Default

Scrivener is not predominantly cloud- or internet-based, and syncing via Dropbox is a manual process (at least on Windows) that is only set up for Apple products. If you prefer to keep your projects easily accessible online, Campfire is a fairly comparable (if much less cost-effective) tool that might be a better fit for you. (As a note, I’ve only dabbled in Campfire, so take this recommendation with a grain of salt and test it out yourself to find out if it’s a good fit for you and worth the expense.)

…You Use a Linux OS

Scrivener has a beta version available for Linux, but they do not update their Linux version like the do the Mac and Windows versions. If you use a Linux OS, there may be better and more up-to-date writing tools that would be a better fit.

…You Keep Everything in One Document

If you write by the seat of your pants and don’t have a lot of extra documents, you predominantly use just one manuscript document, then Scrivener is way more complicated than you probably need. A plain word processor is best for few-document projects.

…You Feel Like You Have to Use Every Feature

If you download a new software and feel like you have to use every feature available to you, Scrivener is going to have a steep learning curve. If you’re okay with that and you enjoy figuring out all the fun gadgets, you might still like Scrivener! But the learning curve is much more manageable if you start with only the foundational tools and build up your use of Scrivener’s further bells and whistles as you go; if that’s going to be a challenge for you, something simpler than Scrivener might be a better fit.

Still interested?

Buy here*

Have questions about Scrivener or how I’ve used it? Comment below or send me an email!

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As fall hits, I always find myself wanting to read more classics. Something about the season just makes me want to return to older, (often) richer literature. Whether you feel the same way about fall or you’re just looking for classics to expand your horizons or strengthen your writing, here are seven of my favorite fiction classics (by order of how many times I’ve reread them).

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

A must-read for any fantasy fan, The Lord of the Rings makes the top of the list because I’ve read it… four times or so? Each time, I find new highlights of theme, writing, character, etc. This story is so rich, not only in the worldbuilding it’s praised for (though that is, obviously, a highlight), but in every facet of its writing and the values that Tolkien wove into it (both intentionally and innately). I also find it’s a very encouraging read, especially in times of cultural degradation, and it always helps me find a bit more optimism and hope in the ultimate triumph of light and truth over darkness and falsehood–which may also be a reason it appeals to me during the cold, dark months of the year.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Around the World in 80 Days was my first introduction to Jules Verne, and I’ve read it twice so far (in addition to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, since then). I love the adventure of this one, as well as the characterization–especially of Fogg himself–and the setting descriptions (even though some of them are a bit… stereotyped). Verne seems to have loved to explore the world through research and writing, and thus far Around the World in 80 Days is the best example of this, in my opinion. In 20,000 Leagues he gets a bit carried away with all of his research into oceanic mechanics and wildlife… but Around the World in 80 Days keeps the focus on the adventure and wonder of world-hopping, and it’s a very fun book to read and reread!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I can’t remember if I’ve read Fahrenheit 451 twice or only once; in either case, I’m overdue for a reread and my recollection of the specifics of this book have grown hazy from the last time I read it. However, I greatly appreciate this book’s focus on the power of books and ideas, the worldview shift we get to watch within the main character over the course of the book, and the hopeful ending. The book is a bit slow to get started, if I recall correctly, but the core of the story is well worth the time spent.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter was among the first classics I read (Tom Sawyer, too) and played an instrumental role in helping me realize that I didn’t really hate classics as much as I thought I did. I’ve still only read it the one time (this one is also overdue for a reread), but the symbolism and thematic emphasis fascinated me when I read it and I actually had fun writing a book report on it. I’ve heard reports from people who’ve read it more recently and remember it more clearly that it’s anti-Puritan; while I don’t remember this being the case (I thought it was fairly balanced in that respect), I can’t report on that reliably until I reread it and refresh my memory!

The Space trilogy by C.S. Lewis

I first picked up the Space trilogy (or Ransom trilogy; call it what you will) after reading much of The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis (another book on my to-reread list) and finding the themes mentioned from That Hideous Strength interesting. The book had previously explored either Perelandra or Out of the Silent Planet (or possibly both), and having that bit of context… I was surprised to realize that That Hideous Strength came from the same series. In that respect, I think I probably had an advantage in reading this series because I expected from the outset that That Hideous Strength would be quite different from the other two. I found, ultimately, that all three books are fairly different from each other, and each has its own distinct strengths. Out of the Silent Planet is absolutely fascinating from a worldbuilding perspective and is largely a philosophical/theological adventure story. Perelandra really hones in on the theological themes, including an entire debate that takes up a good chunk of the middle of the book. (Does this slow down the story? Sort of. But it’s also kind of the point of the book, so…) That Hideous Strength is very different, taking an astute look at the natural downward inclinations of society and how people are sucked into that downward spiral–as well as how they’re saved from it. All in all, an excellent series that I definitely recommend to sci-fi and dystopian readers.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

The most recent addition to this list, Pride & Prejudice is a fun period piece with clever writing and highly distinguished characters (in the literal sense if not the societal sense). The writing sucked me in much more than I expected, going into it, and I found the emphasis on family responsibility and societal structure quite interesting, besides finding the ridiculous characters entertaining. Plus, it’s basically the original enemies-to-lovers story, and the relationship plot line is excellently done. It’s also interesting to see the different characters’ approaches to love and romance contrasted against one another throughout!

Phantastes by George MacDonald

Phantastes is another highly thematic read, and one I need to revisit because I’m confident it’s one that offers new insights upon each reading–and it’s a little weird in terms of the way the story flows (there’s a new setting with new characters in every or nearly every scene), so it’s quick to become fuzzy in my memory. That said, I do remember strong themes of what beauty is and means throughout the story (as well as how love and beauty relate to one another, if I’m not mistaken?), and the fairytale-esque settings and characters are captivating alongside the emphasis on theme.

There’s a quick summary of my seven favorite fiction classics! Have you read these? What did you think? What are your favorite fiction classics? Comment below!

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As authors, we want our stories to reflect the values that we believe in. We want to write with integrity, discouraging those things we believe to be wrong and championing those things we believe to be right. But our characters don’t always believe the same things we do (nor should they; we write stories, not sermons!), which can lead to a tricky balancing act: being true to the characters and their stories without compromising what we believe or endorsing behavior we believe to be wrong. How do you handle that tension? Here are some tips.

This question was originally brought up by an email subscriber. Thanks to Joshua for the question!

There are two things I try to show in my writing when characters are operating from a worldview I disagree with; one is natural consequence, and one is disagreement from other characters. Neither of these has to be super overt, but including them on some level when a character’s behavior calls for them can help maintain the thematic integrity of your story.

Natural Consequences

All actions have consequences—whether positive or negative. Even if not immediate, negative behavior leads to negative consequences and positive behavior leads to positive consequences. Making use of these consequences is a really simple way to maintain a sense of right and wrong within your story—even if your characters’ moral compass isn’t entirely in line with your own.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using natural consequences. First of all, consequences are not always immediate—and to portray them that way in every instance runs the risk of making your story feel unrealistic and/or preachy. Some consequences are immediate—whether physical consequences like burning your hand when you touch something hot or metaphysical consequences like feeling guilty after you’ve stolen something—but some positive choices are uncomfortable for a time before they pay off, and some negative choices lead to immediate gratification before the negative consequences catch up. Portraying that instant or delayed gratification doesn’t negate the use of appropriate positive and negative consequences further along in the story.

Secondly, natural consequences should be proportionate to the action taken by the characters. A character who misplaces their faith might not see such drastic consequences as one who cusses up a storm or is actively immoral in some way, for instance. If a character steals something, they’ll have to deal with the attempted restoration of that thing—whether that means they’re pursued by the owner, pursued by the authorities, forced to return the item, forced to make additional restitution, imprisoned, etc. (The consequences will obviously depend on the particular circumstances and on the value of the thing your character stole.) Note that this idea of proportions applies to positive as well as negative actions.

In Calligraphy Guild, most of the characters follow a false religion, and the natural consequence I show is that their faith is insecure and they struggle with a great deal of doubt that’s never really resolved. This is contrasted with the characters who do believe in the world’s true God and find greater peace and firmer answers to their questions. It’s not a huge, obvious sort of consequence, but it is there.

Character Disagreement

Sometimes, you can raise the question of “is this behavior right or wrong?” and ensure your reader thinks through the morality of your characters by presenting a contrasting perspective within the story—through another character.

Disagreement from other characters should depend, of course, on the other characters in question. You can’t force a character to disagree with another, but any characters coming from different worldviews will have disagreements (the degree of disagreement depending on the degree of difference between worldviews).

Some characters will be really obvious and direct about their disagreement based on their personalities and/or how strong their convictions are about something; a really blunt or combative character might prompt arguments and debates with a character they disagree with, while a quieter character might simply be uncomfortable but try to ignore whatever it is they disagree with from the other character. Either way, you’re giving the reader multiple viewpoints and preventing the impression that your story is giving a blanket endorsement of the worldview you disagree with.

If you do have a character who would make a bigger deal of the disagreement, they might be on the side you want to promote or on the side you don’t want to promote. Either way, you can make this disagreement useful (when it’s in-character) to reinforce the values you believe in—or, at the very least, to raise the question for the reader.

In Calligraphy Guild, the predominant character who believes in the true God isn’t especially out-there about her faith; it’s common knowledge, but she doesn’t make a big deal of it. One of the characters struggling with doubt in her false gods, however, is a more argumentative character who ends up spurring a debate about religion; she’s the one who creates the opportunity for a more overt discussion of the topic, which allows for a more direct portrayal of both worldviews.

Levels of Subtlety

If you keep things proportionate and in-character, you can make the portrayal of differing worldviews as overt or as subtle as it needs to be for the story you’re telling. As you may be able to tell from these examples, Calligraphy Guild doesn’t have a heavy focus on showing a “right” and “wrong” worldview—despite one or two scenes in which these worldviews do overtly clash. The portrayal of these worldviews—and their disagreement with one another—arose naturally from the types of characters I wrote about.

The Lightning duology does have certain worldview elements that are more directly addressed, and greater clashes between characters over certain values and choices. As a small-scale example: Erika has no qualms about using coarse language while her best friend Nyla, on the other hand, finds it unpleasant to use or hear; Nyla doesn’t make a big deal of it because she prefers to keep the peace most of the time, but it is a point of minor tension between them and it is highlighted in small ways throughout the duology.

If your story isn’t suited to lots of worldview debate, you can still use these elements in subtle ways to avoid endorsing wrong behavior. If your story is served by more overt discussion of morality, you can ramp up these elements to make a bigger deal of the questions your characters’ actions raise. In any case, these are the two things I’ve found most helpful in contrasting right and wrong within the storytelling process.

What do you think? Which of these elements makes the most sense in the story you’re telling? Do you have any thoughts to add? Share in the comments!

Looking for more guidance in incorporating your values into your storytelling? Subscribe for access to my list of Worldview Focus Questions!

The post Portraying Characters When Your Worldviews Clash appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

Like any element of storytelling, worldbuilding has the potential to greatly elevate the quality of a project. But, also like any element of storytelling, it can be easy to fall into common pitfalls and fail to tap into the full potential of your worldbuilding. Today I’m addressing some common pitfalls that authors can fall into when it comes to worldbuilding, and how to avoid them.

*This post contains affiliate links, marked with an asterisk. Purchases made through these links earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.Under-Valuing the World

One pitfall I see fairly often is that authors don’t value worldbuilding in the first place. They see their world as a means to an end, a backdrop that their characters can simply move around within–not really interact with. In the vast majority of cases, this does a great disservice both to your world and to your story! Not only does this prevent your world from becoming all that it could be and from offering readers the excitement of exploring a new world, it also precludes the opportunity to weave your world into your story and, as C.S. Lewis put it in his essay, “On Science Fiction,” “develop a story of real value which could not have been told (or not so economically) in any other way.”

Our own world affects our lives every day–even in the (many) cases in which we don’t notice. We are bound by the functional laws of our world–both physical and moral–and we are shaped by the cultures and families in which we are raised. Our worldviews, habits, etiquette, clothing choices, etc. are all shaped by the world around us. Our fictional worlds should be just as intrinsic to who our characters are–and the types of stories that are told within those worlds.

Not only does this give our worlds a function beyond mere set dressing, it also makes our characters and stories feel more real and organic, because they are naturally integrated with the world in which they take place; instead of your story feeling like “just another love story/adventure story/political story” in “just another fantasy world,” your story will feel organic and unique simply by the integration of worldbuilding and storytelling.

To solve this problem, the fundamental choice must be made to understand the potential of worldbuilding and its importance to storytelling as a whole. Beyond that, it’s important to learn what makes worldbuilding effective and how to integrate your worldbuilding with the characters you’ve created and the stories you’re telling.

Over-Complication

The next big pitfall that authors fall into when it comes to worldbuilding is that they over-complicate it–whether they over-complicate their worlds or the worldbuilding process itself. Worldbuilding doesn’t need to be complicated in order to be effective. In fact, sometimes sticking to a few simple elements is what best enables a world to serve its function within the storytelling process!

So why do we make worldbuilding complicated? There are a few potential answers to this question.

1. We think it has to be complicated to be interesting.

Your world does not need to be complicated to be compelling to your readers; it only needs to be unique. Building a unique world is not as hard as it sounds, either! If you are unafraid to put yourself–your interests and your values–into your world, then you are already creating a world that no one else could create. You are the core ingredient in creating a unique, compelling world. If your world is compelling and fascinating to you, that is going to spill onto the page and hook your readers as well! (More on this when we cover “generic concepts.”)

Not sure how to integrate your own interests and values with your world? The Worldview Focus Questions are designed to help!

2. We’re afraid of missing something.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in “what if I need to know this super specific thing and I haven’t fleshed it out yet??” that we end up diving down a million irrelevant rabbit holes and spinning off in a million complicated directions. Sometimes we end up using those super specific pieces of information, but often they end up adding nothing to the story we’re really trying to tell. And when we do hit points in the story where we need a detail we don’t have, it is so much easier to simply come up with those details in the moment (or leave a note to come back and develop those details later) than it is to try to flesh out everything ahead of time. We can’t prepare for every eventuality, and the most common result of trying is that we end up worldbuilding for years without ever putting a word on the page toward an actual draft. You will miss things, but you won’t know what you’re missing until you’ve written and found out.

3. We want the world to be perfect.

Your world will never be perfect. That’s okay. It doesn’t have to be perfect in order to be effective in serving its storytelling purpose and drawing in your readers! You can leave gaps and unanswered questions (in fact, these often contribute to greater reader curiosity!); you can get away with small inconsistencies; you can make things up as you go along when you need to. And, furthermore, the more complicated your worldbuilding, the more likely you are to have these inconsistencies and “mistakes” vs. if you keep things simple!

The question then becomes: How do you know how simple is simple enough and how simple is too simple? Well, that all comes down to purpose.

Lack of Purpose

This is smack in the middle of the list because it’s ultimately the core problem from which most other worldbuilding problems spring. If you have a purpose in place for your world, you’re less likely to undervalue your world’s role in your story, it will be easier to keep things from getting over-complicated, and you’ll have a clearer idea of what to pour your creativity into–and when you can get away with a generic concept or two.

Your world should have a purpose to your storytelling–and to the particular story you’re telling. Is it supposed to support your plot? Shape your characters? Provide a particular experience for the reader? All of the above?

From there, you can ask what decisions will best serve that purpose.

This will not only help with almost all of the other problems on this list, but also help you to ensure that your world is internally consistent and cohesive–which will help ensure that your world feels real and prevent it from feeling like a bunch of disparate pieces stuck together. (Your world’s core purpose should guide all of your worldbuilding decisions in the same way that the values of the cultures within your world should guide the creation of all other cultural elements.)

If you haven’t yet articulated the purpose of your world, thinking through your goals is the best first step toward overcoming the obstacles that have been holding you back so that you can make worldbuilding work for you and your story.

Generic Concepts

As we learn to write, we imitate. This applies to worldbuilding as well as other areas of the craft. We see worlds that we enjoy and admire, and we imitate them. At first, this is a great way to learn, but we have to move past imitation at some point or we end up lingering in generic worlds that offer nothing new to readers–or ourselves or our stories.

As I mentioned earlier, the best way to make your world unique is to weave in your own interests and values, because these are unique to you. No one else has exactly the same combination of interests and values that you do, which means that no one else can integrate them into a fictional world in the same way you can. (For that matter, no one else will approach that integration the same way, so even the very process is an additional step toward making your world unique!)

Does moving away from generic concepts and toward unique, personalized worlds mean you can never use elves, dwarves, magic academies, or other familiar fantasy world tropes? Of course not! These elements have become fantasy staples for a reason; we enjoy them, as readers, and they provide a familiar point of entry. We understand what elves are, or how magic academies work, and they provide a starting point as we explore unfamiliar worlds.

But knowing that these elements are generic, knowing why we like them, and knowing how to put our own spin on them enables us to use them intentionally and to imbue them with our own unique flair while maintaining those features that we enjoy and that provide that point of connection with readers–striking a balance between the familiar and the unfamiliar that ensures our worlds don’t feel generic on the whole but that our readers have someplace familiar to start instead of feeling like they’re being thrown into a fully alien world.

Disorganization

While the rest of the list has largely focused on the intangible elements that go into building an effective and cohesive world, it is also true that it’s difficult to create a cohesive world when your notes are scattered and disorganized. This is a real, practical obstacle, as well!

If you’re facing the disorganization of worldbuilding notes scattered among binders, notebooks, sticky notes, unrelated computer folders, online documents, etc… take a breath. I’ve been there, and I promise it doesn’t have to be a nightmare to fix!

The first step to tackling disorganization is to know how you prefer to work and keep notes. Do you like to keep analog notes? Do you prefer to have things digital where they can easily be rearranged? Do you like to be able to access them across devices? Do you take notes on paper but reference notes on your computer?

You also need to know your options. Analog options might include a simple notebook or 3-ring binder, or even a bulletin board. Digital options might include World Anvil*, Scrivener*, a Word document, a Google document, a personal Wiki tool like Zim Wiki, etc.

(Not sure what it would look like to use these different tools for worldbuilding? Here are my own tips and guides for tools I’ve used: World Anvil, Scrivener, a basic document or notebook, a 3-ring binder)

Once you know your preference in terms of process and the tools available to you, you can sort out the best combination of the two–whether you find one tool that works really well for you to keep everything in one place, or whether you end up using a hybrid system but working it out to ensure nothing gets lost along the way.

Setting up a new system can be tedious at first, especially if you’ve spent years with disorganized notes, but finding the right system for you will pay off for years–and worlds–to come!

Have you fallen into any of these pitfalls before? Which struck you most? Are you facing a specific worldbuilding obstacle I missed? Comment below with your thoughts!

Interested in learning more about the principles that go into effective worldbuilding and how to organize your worldbuilding system and notes? Enroll in The Worldbuilding Toolbox to get my “starter kit” advice for effective worldbuilding!

The post How to Avoid 5 Common Worldbuilding Pitfalls appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

If you’re a Christian reader, you may have heard the term “reading with discernment” tossed around, or something like it. Read carefully. Choose your books wisely. And this is good advice. The problem is… it’s vague. What does it mean to read with discernment?

Ultimately, I think reading with discernment will lead to different readers choosing different books. There is no one-size-fits-all result when it comes to reading with discernment. But there are a few principles to keep in mind as you consider what reading with discernment means for you and how you can choose your reads wisely.

Expose the Works of Darkness

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” – Eph. 5:11, NKJV

The world is broken, and fiction reflects that. We cannot—indeed, should not—avoid brokenness or darkness in the stories we read. When we try, we end up with stories that show only a disjointed piece of life and we can even grow blind to brokenness as we distance ourselves from it more and more.

We ought to read books that reveal brokenness, and our hearts ought to break for it. We ought to be repulsed by that darkness and to grieve for the brokenness.

This brokenness is often contrasted by hope in Christian-authored books or thrown into sharp relief for its lack of true hope in secular fiction. Both can teach us important things about the warped nature of the fallen world and the importance of the hope we have in Christ.

Reading with discernment should involve awareness of darkness and brokenness, and an intentionality toward exposing it—whether that intention has been made on the part of the author already or whether you as the reader can make use of a story to that end in your own life and/or for someone else.

Know Your Weaknesses

I don’t believe in avoiding content just because it’s uncomfortable; sometimes discomfort is critical for realizing the importance of something. However, some things really should be avoided. First on the list of things to avoid would be anything that will cause you to stumble.

If reading coarse language tempts you to use that language, avoid books with bad language. If reading about physical relationships (whether sexual or merely romantic) causes you to lust, avoid reading about physical relationships.

 “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” – Matt. 5:29

On a similar note, some things just do more harm than good. If graphic violence makes you sick, avoid it. If bad language serves no purpose in a book, you’re better off avoiding it. God can work through brokenness for our edification, but if brokenness is no more than broken… it’s not helpful for our sanctification.

Worldview issues can also fall into this category. If you don’t feel well-grounded on a topic, it might be better to avoid books that could nudge your thinking before you know what Scripture says.

Personally, I avoid most biblical fiction about actual Bible figures and most books about angels or demons. There are some exceptions, and as I grow firmer in my scriptural understanding I may venture further into these topics, but for now I focus elsewhere.

Knowing where your worldview is weak is an important part of reading with discernment.

Know What to Always Avoid

Glorification of sin, or books that dwell too much on depravity. Books hopeless enough to drag you into depression. Books that mock the gospel. These are a few categories that have no edifying value–at least not enough to outweigh the negative influence on your mind.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” – Php. 4:8

It’s important to use discernment when deciding what to read so that we don’t just throw out anything that could be bad—or read anything, willy-nilly, without concern for the spiritual consequences. Both ditches are a problem. But reading with discernment doesn’t mean that everything should be nuanced to death. There are still books out there that are simply spiritually unprofitable, and some that are outright spiritually harmful. Reading with discernment should put those in a “don’t read” camp for all believers.

Don’t avoid discomfort, but don’t put yourself in a mentally or spiritually compromising position, either.

That’s my advice for reading with discernment. Hopefully those points help you in your pursuit of wise reading! Questions? Anything you disagree with me on? Comment below and let’s discuss!

Looking for edifying book recommendations? Subscribe for my full, ever-growing database of recommendations—set up to be sorted by genre, content warnings, etc.!

The post What Does it Mean to “Read with Discernment”? appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

I’m back! At least, I’m easing into being back. And as we near the final portion of the year, it seems an appropriate time to discuss how to effectively revisit and renew progress on the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Pull out those goals you set for this year, brush the dust off if you need to, and let’s get started!

Assess Progress

The first step to a productive goal check-in is to assess how far you’ve come, where you are, and how far you still have left to go. I’ll use one of my own goals as an example throughout this process.

One of my goals for this year is to finish editing the Lightning duology and send it to beta-readers. (Those are actually two separate goals on the list, but for these purposes I’m counting them as one.) I made a plan at the start of the year that accounted for my 3-month hiatus, but I did not account for how busy preparing for that hiatus would make me in April and May, so I fell behind the plan. Right now, I’ve done the worldbuilding prep I wanted to do before editing, I’ve made notes on the entirety of both Lightning and Thunder, and I’ve determined that Thunder needs to be completely re-outlined and rewritten. That leaves me with the new outline, new draft, plot edits on both books, character edits on both books, worldbuilding edits on both books, as many repetitions of each of those as necessary, and possibly a round of line edits before the duology is ready to be sent to beta-readers. Phew!

Here’s the thing. Assessing your progress accomplishes two things: It helps you acknowledge the work you’ve already done, and it makes it crystal clear how much and what you need to do next.

It’s super important to make note of your positive progress, because this will help you 1) remember how far you’ve come and 2) stay motivated to keep pressing forward. Don’t let your progress go unappreciated!

It’s also important to know how much you have left to do, so that you can take stock of how much is left, estimate how long it might take, and begin to take action on the next step before you.

Assess Value

Once you know where you are, you can ask yourself if you need to keep going the same direction or if this goal is no longer serving you. Is your goal still relevant? Does it still serve your longer-term–and shorter-term–needs and goals?

Getting my next book(s) done is certainly still relevant to my long-term goals! And it’s still relevant to my mid-term goals, as well, as my plan is to publish Lightning next October and Thunder the following January (Lord willing and I don’t end up making changes to the plan). The biggest question is whether or not it’s still in line with my short-term priorities and goals, as I do have a baby taking up more of my time now!

Even if your short-term needs change and the goal has to be adjusted or postponed, it may still be worthwhile to make those plans for accomplishing the goal differently.

Maybe you have a goal that you realized you set only because you “should,” or that you were excited about when you set it but you’re not anymore, and it’s not serving any larger purpose. It’s okay to scrap that goal and move on to something else.

Other goals may still be perfectly in line with what you’re aiming toward right now, and they may only need minor tweaks in order to get done! Which brings us to the next step…

Assess Challenges

If you have unfinished goals, think about why they’re unfinished.

Maybe it’s a mere matter of time; maybe you’re still on track to meet your original deadline, or maybe you’re even ahead of the game!

Sometimes, however, we’re tripped up on the way to completing our goals and we fall behind or drop goals altogether. If you have goals in this category, think about what got in your way. Did you forget about the goal? Do you need to put it somewhere it’s more readily visible? Did your priorities change? Did you find that there was an extra step you hadn’t accounted for? Did you just procrastinate? Assessing these challenges will equip you to address them as you move forward–in whatever way is necessary.

Besides past obstacles, be aware of what future obstacles could crop up between now and the deadline. Do you need to account for a vacation or holiday break? Are you about to hit a stage of the process that you don’t like as much? Do you have additional projects taking up more and more of your time? Being aware of these will enable you to work on preventative measures now, before you get tripped up and slowed down.

While I’m not currently planning to make any drastic changes to my plan for the Lightning duology, I do know that I’ll need to have grace for myself if I’m not able to keep up with the timeline I had previously set. Not only am I now balancing writing with a more active stage of motherhood, but I did add two entire steps to the editing of Thunder that I hadn’t counted on, and they’re going to take extra time. Assessing challenges may lead to a direct change in plans, or merely a different plan of approach to a goal.

Adjust Course

Once you know where you are, where you’re going, the value of your goal, and the challenges that are prone to arise between you and completing this goal… you can adjust accordingly!

Some goals, you can scrap entirely. These are the goals that are no longer important to you or serving a larger purpose in your broader plans.

Some goals can be replaced with something more suitable–whether a different goal in a similar category, a sub-set of the original goal (e.g. if I were to replace “finish editing the Lightning duology” with “complete the rewrite of Thunder“), or something totally different that’s more in line with your current priorities and values.

In some cases, you may need to adjust the deadline of a goal. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with the goal, but you overestimated how much you would be able to work on it, or how quickly. A simple tweak to the timeline can easily remedy this!

Maybe nothing about the goal needs to change, you just needed to take a look at it, remind yourself what’s next, and take the next step with renewed motivation!

Course adjustments don’t have to be major, but they do ensure that you’re able to keep moving in the right direction to accomplish the purposes you’ve set out toward.

How often do you revisit your goals? What’s the most critical step in your process? Share in the comments!

Already setting goals for next year? This post has tips for setting effective goals as an author!

The post 4 Tips for Revisiting Goals appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

I momentarily interrupt the blog’s summer hiatus to celebrate that Scribes & Archers had its 8-year anniversary on Saturday! I asked my newsletter subscribers what I should do to celebrate and a Q&A was the top-voted option, so here’s this year’s celebratory Q&A post! Thank you to Amelie, Jocelyn, Cate, and Aaliyah for sending in questions!

Writing Questions

Do you use block scheduling? A planner where you do a little each day? Or how do you organize your schedule for maximum productivity?

I’ve tried block scheduling before and it’s never worked for me because I personally need a more flexible system that can adjust for differences between days and between larger seasons in terms of energy levels, other activities, what projects I’m interested in, etc. I’ve found that it works best for me when I can work with the natural ebb and flow of my energy and attention as much as possible instead of trying to force it onto certain things at certain times–which I find also makes it easier when I do need to exert a little bit of extra energy toward diverting my attention to a specific project when it’s on a deadline, work for someone else, etc.

I do have a day planner for making sure tasks get done–especially platform tasks, back-end to-dos, and housework–and I have assigned some weekdays to certain top priorities, but I don’t have a strict schedule. I mostly work on whatever is the next necessary step for whatever projects I have in the works, prioritizing whichever projects are holding my attention on a given day (unless I’m on a close deadline or editing for a client), and do as much as I can on that before moving on to the next thing. When I have a task list, I generally do my best to work straight down so that everything gets done, but, again, nothing is completely set in stone.

Over the spring, I started using Notion to keep track of current and upcoming projects and tasks–and the next steps within each one, as applicable–so I have a very clear view all in one place of what I’m working on and what’s next; that has helped to streamline things, since my notes and thoughts were functional but a lot more scattered before. (If anyone’s curious, I may post about my Notion setup in the future; comment below if that’s something you’d be interested in seeing!)

If you’re interested in reading more about how I get things done and keep all (or at least most) of the plates spinning, my 7 time management tips for authors are all drawn from my own practices.

What is your primary source of inspiration?

I referenced my on-the-go notes to identify the answer to this question and I came away with: my surroundings. I keep names from street signs, snippets of description based on things I see when out and about, lots of different descriptions of the sky, story concepts that have sprung from interesting settings, etc. I guess it’s no surprise that my interest in settings/worldbuilding extends to ideas from real-world settings (even if I usually spin those ideas into fantastical settings).

How long have you been writing?/When did you first start writing?

I’ve been writing for about 16 years. But my grandma recently showed me a document she found that was a “story” I wrote before I understood words (composed of keyboard smashing), so I suppose it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say “forever,” either.

The first story I remember writing was when I was six or seven, and it was a mystery story that stole the characters from all of the mystery books I enjoyed reading (Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children, maybe the Happy Hollisters?). It was awful and no longer exists anywhere except my brain, as far as I know. I promptly decided that the mystery genre wasn’t for me, as a writer, and I pivoted to a very DnD-esque fantasy story (which was… slightly less horrific). While my start in the genre wasn’t spectacular, I definitely enjoyed fantasy quite a bit more than writing mysteries!

How much research do you do for books with worlds based on other cultures?

It depends. Some of my fictional cultures are more or less heavily based on real-world cultures, so some simply require more or less research; but it also depends on the needs of a story, whether there are particular areas I need more help developing ideas for (food, for example, doesn’t come very easily to me, so I tend to research ethnic cuisine for inspiration), and what the priorities of the fictional culture are.

I try to take as much inspiration from real-world cultures as I need to color my own setting, while still honoring the real culture and creating something unique for my own world. It’s generally helpful, in my experience, when I can draw inspiration from real cultures that share values in common with the cultures I’m trying to build; it’s easier, then, to maintain the heart behind the details I draw on and avoid twisting real-world cultural details into something that would be entirely foreign to someone from that culture (at least, that’s the intention).

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Y’all are going to get really tired of “it depends,” lol. Different stages are more or less fun for different projects. But my most common favorites are the worldbuilding (of course) and editing. I enjoy getting to polish what’s already written and make adjustments that bring the messy draft closer and closer to the story as it’s “supposed to be” in my head.

What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

I suppose formatting doesn’t count because it’s really more part of the publishing process, but if it did, definitely formatting.

In the actual writing process, I guess it would be either outlining or drafting. Not because I really dislike either (though sometimes I do); I just don’t always enjoy them as much as other stages of the process.

What are some of your favorite themes to incorporate in your books?

Community and family come up quite a lot. Forgiveness and reconciliation are pretty common, too. Those are probably the top four that I tend to incorporate over and over.

At what stage in the writing process do you generally decide on a theme?

Usually after the whole first draft is written, because I usually don’t have a theme in mind until it works its way into the story organically and I’m able to see it after the fact. Sometimes I have an idea for a story with a very particular theme from the outset, and sometimes I have to work in a theme more intentionally during edits, but the theme usually arises during the drafting process and just needs to be highlighted more in edits to some degree or another.

How much time do you usually spend writing each day?

This is another thing that changes from season to season. Sometimes just a few minutes, sometimes a few hours, depending on my level of time, energy, and inspiration; and depending on how intently I’m working to get a project finished and/or whether I’m participating in a writing challenge/event.

I do consistently write more on days that I have writing sprints scheduled in my Discord server, especially when there’s a lot of engagement from other authors as well, but I’m not always working on book projects; sometimes I use that opportunity to knock out blog posts or newsletters, too.

Who is your favorite character (from your books) and why?

Let me limit this to characters from my published or ongoing books, because there are way too many otherwise. So from Lost Girl, The Mirror-Hunter Chronicles, Short Story Collection vol. 1, Calligraphy Guild, and the Lightning duology…

I still had to sit here and deliberate for quite a while, lol. I like so many of my characters, and for such different reasons. But four come to the top of my mind–Makio, Zen, and Sairsha from Calligraphy Guild, and Nyla from the Lighting duology–and they essentially break down into two character types that are often my favorite: strong, protective, thoughtful men; and compassionate, creative, enduring women.

In terms of fun to write vs. characters I like on a personal level, there’s also the category that Erika falls into in the Lightning duology, which is the snarky, calloused, isn’t-really-quite-as-tough-as-she-thinks-she-is woman. Tora from Calligraphy Guild is also in that category. I find that those characters come very naturally in terms of their voice, but they’re not always the characters I would want to hang out with all the time. (I would probably hang out with Tora, but Erika and I would not get along very well, lol.)

Which of your characters do you think is most like you?

Duyên in Calligraphy Guild was initially based on me before coming a bit more into her own character, so she has a lot of similarities with me, but I don’t know which character would be the most like me, because I do feel like there are some distinct ways in which I’m not so much like Duyên. (Being fictional, she has the freedom to be a little more perfect than I am, lol.)

I don’t know. I see aspects of myself in many of my characters, but it’s hard to determine which one has the most of me in them. Duyên is as close an answer as any, I suppose.

What are some of the best lines you’ve ever written?

Readers seem to like, “It seems you have saltwater and stardust in your veins,” from Lost Girl. (I like it too.)

A lot of my favorite lines aren’t in published works yet, lol. Like this one from my phone notes: “There’s a reason they call it a golden age. The years are beautiful and prosperous… but also soft and easily wasted.”

Or this opening line from a project I might not ultimately pursue (shared previously in a post about precise prose): “Darkness descended on the city. The sparkling lights of the towers tried to resist, but still it pressed down, as thick and vile as the blood coating Vix‘s knife.” I also like this one because I wrote a complementary closing line for if I did pursue the project, and I enjoy how they describe very similar details with very different tones.

As for published lines, I like these from Calligraphy Guild:

“I will love you whether hope or fear wins out.”

 

Duyên watched Lonpaia’s deft fingers work for a moment. “Why are the gods so fickle?”

“Why are men so fickle? It’s simply the way of things.”

“But shouldn’t gods be better?” Duyên looked back up at Lonpaia.

Lonpaia paused her work and turned toward Duyên. “That is what we all wish for. And yet I can’t help but think they’re simply men with the powers of the universe at their fingertips.”

Reading Questions

What are your favorite books?

I started with a very long list here and was able to whittle it down slightly… I do have a full list of recommendations available–and set up to sort by genre, content level, etc.–available to newsletter subscribers, so check that out if you’re interested in more!

(Links to my reviews, including content notes when relevant)

Fantasy: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Truth series by Dawn Cook, the Scorch trilogy by Bethany Meyer, A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup, Sing to Me of Rain by E.B. Dawson, The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, the Beaumont and Beasley series by Kyle Robert Shultz, Phantastes by George MacDonald, Harbinger of the End by Nicki Chapelway

Sci-fi: The Space trilogy by C.S. Lewis, the Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, the Whispers of White duology by Miranda Marie, the Fire Rain Chronicles by Miranda Marie

Dystopian: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Giver by Lois Lowry, the Out of Time trilogy by Nadine Brandes

Nonfiction: Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson, The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson, The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Jerry Root and Mark E. Neal, Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland

Other: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Which books most influenced your writing and/or desire to become an author?

The Shannara series by Terry Brooks really kicked off my interest in fantasy and contributed a lot to my early series/first major fantasy world, which I still intend to revisit and publish in the future. I consider the Shannara series my “origin story” as a fantasy author–alongside the Link’s Crossbow Training Wii game that got me interested in The Legend of Zelda and the worldbuilding behind Hyrule.

Beyond that, I was particularly influenced by Faye Fite’s Terebinth Tree Chronicles, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner (albeit in a different way), and The Lord of the Rings.

What is one fiction book you think everyone (and maybe specifically young adults) should read?

Probably The Lord of the Rings, if only because it’s hard to find another fiction book that I think is of such universal value. There are many other books that I think have great themes, stories, characters, etc., but almost all of them have much narrower appeal/applicability than LotR.

For young adults specifically, though, I might add the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes, because I think it does such a good job of addressing the themes of purpose and identity.

General Questions

How are you doing?

I’m doing well; thank you for asking! My daughter was born in June, so I’ve been adjusting to that change in our household dynamics and enjoying watching her grow. And I’m taking advantage of this last month before my hiatus ends, especially as my husband just went back to work and that’s presented additional an additional challenge and adjustment.

If you could only listen to one musical artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Probably Andrew Peterson. The Arcadian Wild would also be a contender, but Andrew Peterson probably wins out.

Do you have any pets?

Not presently, no. My family had cats for most of the time I was growing up, but my husband and I haven’t had any pets.

Are you a coffee person or a tea person? If so, which kinds?

I love the smell of coffee, but I’m firmly a tea person when it comes to taste. Black teas are my favorite, my go-to at home is Bigelow’s vanilla chai, and when I go out my default is a chai latte (which led me to develop a homemade chai latte recipe so I didn’t have to spend $5 every time I wanted one, lol).

Not a question, but thank you so much for all the work you’ve put into growing your platform and blessing us with your research, tips, and wisdom!

Aw, thank you, Amelie! I’m glad it’s been a blessing!

And thank you to all of you reading, whether I see you comment, send in questions, etc. or whether you read quietly. Your support helps keep me going and contributes a great deal to my being able to continue building Scribes & Archers and Worlds with a View Publications* as the years go on. <3

*More on this momentarilyPlans for the Next Year

Over the next year, I intend to continue blogging on my usual every-Tuesday schedule, focusing particularly (but not exclusively) on posts that cover worldbuilding and indie publishing. Scribes & Archers is a well-oiled part of my writing sphere, so I don’t intend to make much alteration to it. I did make some adjustments over this past year, especially over the spring, in terms of cleaning up organization and making things easier to find. I adjusted my menu setup, endeavored to make my additional writing resources easier to find, and streamlined my post categories. In short, I tried to minimize the clutter.

The bigger changes in the coming year will relate more to my publishing and course-offering efforts. I mentioned Worlds with a View Publications a moment ago; this is a new name I’ve adopted to encompass all of my work moving forward, including books, courses, and this blog. “Worlds with a View Press” is what I hope to use as the “publishing house” for my books in the future, with imprints for nonfiction and for my NA/slightly less “clean” fiction, so that it will be clear at a glance what’s what–especially in terms of content level. “Worlds with a View Academy Press” will be the imprint used for books like Building a World with a View; the imprint name for NA like the Lightning duology is still pending.

The hope is to release Building a World with a View by this time next year, with Lightning and Thunder following in the fall and winter of 2026. Additionally, my hope is to launch the Worldbuilders Guild to a broader audience (vs. its waitlist alone) early next year!

Support the next year of content

If you’re interested in supporting my work further in the next year, there are a few ways you can contribute–whether tangibly or intangibly.

1) Comment, email, etc.

This helps me to know what’s most helpful and encouraging, and gives me the opportunity to get to know you better! If you’re interested in helping shape the direction of my content, this is the most direct way to do so.

2) Subscribe to the newsletter

This is where you’ll get the most content and updates from me, the best resources, and the most information about my projects, available books, and courses. Subscribing will also give you the opportunity to share your input on projects, blog posts, etc. when I’m crowd-sourcing (like I did to choose the topic of this post), to help steer my efforts more indirectly.

3) Buy a book or enroll in a course

If you’ve been eyeing one of my books–for yourself or a friend–or you’re interested in tools to help strengthen your worldbuilding skills, now is a great time to check out the shop! What I make off of these sales (aside from a tithing portion) always goes right back into operating costs so that I can continue to do what I do.

This is also the last month you’ll be able to join the waitlist for my upcoming mentorship program, the Worldbuiders Guild, if you’re interested in joining early and gaining access to a membership discount.

4) Review a book or share a testimonial

Already read one (or more) of my books, taken one of my courses, or made use of my editing services? Sharing a review or testimonial helps others find out about my work and determine whether or not it’s the right fit for them! You can review my books on Amazon and Goodreads, and testimonials can be shared via social media or sent to me for use in sales pages, quotes, newsletters, etc.

5) Support me through Ko-fi

Ko-fi is a platform that allows followers to support the creators they appreciate with small, “coffee-priced” donations. These, too, go directly to the costs of overhead and project expansion.*

*New releases, educational resources, tools like World Anvil and Aeon Timeline, etc.

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6) Book an editing slot

Self-publishing or querying in the next year and interested in getting a professional set of line edits on the manuscript beforehand? I’d love to work with you! Line edits tackle the readability, flow, and consistency of your project, ensuring your writing excels at connecting your readers to your story. Slots will re-open in mid-September, but you can go ahead and get your query in now if you don’t mind waiting for a September sample.

Submit your query

Again, thank you all so much for your support and interest in what I do! Have more questions that didn’t get answered in this post? Comment or send me an email! I’d love to hear from you!

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