GiraffeCrafts

We come to fantasy for the worldbuilding, the chance to explore brilliant new worlds, the likes of which we'll see nowhere else. If they're done right. Emily Mundell is here to talk about how to do it right. She's the author of the adorable Sorceress and the Squid , and let me just tell you, the worldbuilding in that book was wonderful. I can't wait to see what else this girl has up her sleeve - and she's got some great tips for all of us! Emily Mundell Fantasy/Sci-Fi Author of The Sorceress and the Squid Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest  So, you want to write a fantasy novel? The awesome and also incredibly difficult thing about fantasy is that great worldbuilding is key to creating an awesome and epic saga! Whether you've got a series worked out or just a short story, here are 5 Pillars of Worldbuilding for your fantasy fiction. 1. GEOGRAPHY   It's imperative to work out the landscape and layout of the w...

Aliens were what kept me away from sci-fi for the longest time. Nevermind the fact that I read and wrote fantasy filled with all sorts of non-human characters ... I just couldn't justify it in our own universe. And now I write alien sci-fi... Anywho, Kimia Wood is here with us to talk about how to write with aliens. Kimia is the author of multiple novels, spanning from dystopia to kingdom fiction to mysteries. Both of the books that I've read of hers have been intriguing and fun to read. Kimia Wood Science Fiction/Dystopia/Historical Fiction Author of Soldier Blog ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Newsletter The word "alien" means, by definition, something different. Something strange. A creature apart. What’s it look like when we’re not just writing about different people, but actually different species? When we're talking space aliens, this separate-ness can manifest in a number of different ways: biology, psychology, and theology. In ...

Actual science. That's the tricky part of writing science fiction. You can't throw all the rules out the window and make up your own. You have to build your rules upon the realm of possibility. And I have Julie C. Gilbert here to talk about it! Julie's a lovely author who's tackled numerous genres, including sci-fi. Though I've only read one of her mysteries thus far, the rest of hers look so lovely that I can't wait to get my hands on them! Julie C. Gilbert Christian/Mystery/Sci-fi/Fantasy Author of The Collins Case Website ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Newsletter Introduction: There are many different flavors of science fiction. It’s not all aliens and spaceships. Sometimes, it’s the science that matters most. Writers who strive for near-future science fiction typically ask “what if” a lot. What’s the trick to making it realistic? Go a step further than what’s possible now. For The Dark Side of Science,...

*rubs hands eagerly* Worldbulding is my favorite thing - and it's especially fun in science fiction. Fun, and intimidating ... since it involves extrapolating upon the possible yet still remaining within the realm of amazing. Rachel Rossano is here to talk about this monumental task. Her sci-fi Exchange is a short little thing. I read it a couple years ago in my Great Sci-Fi Consumption and was seriously impressed with the little glimpse that she gave to the world (telepathy is just my favorite, okay?). I wish we were in the future just so that more of these series could be on my bookshelf right now where I can read them. Anywho, over to her! Rachel Rossano Christian/Fantasy/Kingdom Fiction/Sci-Fi/Romance Author of Honor Website ~ Blog ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ Newsletter Rossano Designs A couple of years ago (well, maybe seven or so), I decided to take a dive into writing science fiction. I was armed with a decade of ...

The medieval era. Now that was an interesting time. (I say this like I was there. I wasn't.) Since I wasn't there, nor do I know anyone who was, it is, understandably, an intimidating era to tackle - but I have Katy Huth Jones here to cover the topic. Hopefully, we can emerge at the end better equipped to pen stories into this interesting time. Katy is primarily a fantasy author, but her traditionally-published Treachery and Truth is a biography of King Wenceles, a fascinating figure of the time. Let's hear what advice she has for us! Katy Huth Jones Christian/Fantasy/Historical Fiction Author of Mercy's Prince Blog ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube How can a historical fiction writer find credible evidence about people who lived hundreds of years ago? After all, it’s not possible to interview William the Conqueror, since he died in 1087. The key is to turn over every possible rock in your search for inf...

So, this is a post that I thought I was going to share on Saturday, but once Sarah Allerding sent it to me, I decided that it would be much more beneficial here, especically given how many authors I have posting on fantasy. Children's time travel is a genre that I read and watched  sooo  much of as a kid - Magic Tree House, The Magic Attic Club, Castle in the Attic (probably a bit more fantasy than historical, but it had the feel), Indian in the Cupboard, Superbook, and countless more that I'm not calling off of the top of my head. (Ah, childhood and the way it blurs together.) So, reading Sarah Allerding's Swords of Time was a trip into the past for me in more ways than one. Also, Swords of Time  has the distinct honor of being the first official GiraffeCrafts blog tour, and will be releasing on the 25th of next month. Sarah and I would very much appreciate it if you popped over and signed up to help us spread the word! My latest book is a historical fantasy ab...

Ever thought to yourself, "I should do some research before I start writing this book, but I don't where to start." Well, I have Guy Worthy here with a tip for you! Guy Worthy is the author of Ace Carroway and the Great War, a book that reminded me of Hogan's Heroes, reading it. Just, set in World War I, and with a resourceful young lady in Hogan's position. As I don't often see WWI fiction, I quite enjoyed it. Guy Worthy Historical Fiction Author of Ace Carroway and the Great War Website ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Newsletter The tip is: read some old newspapers! Newspapers such as the May 10, 1918 Keokuk, Iowa "The Daily Gate City and Constitution-Democrat," pictured here. That image comes from Chronicling America , a database assembled (and still being added to) by the Library and Congress, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Reading news written near the historical window you wish to write in adds ...

Originally Posted on Knitted By God's Plan. Once upon a time ... (Any old Fairy Tale) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ... (Tale of Two Cities) There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it ... (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) Every good story has to begin somewhere. It needs an opening line that peeks your interest and makes you want to read more. It needs an opening chapter that introduces you to the characters, but leaves you with questions as to  why are they like that!!!??? It needs a good beginning. The question is, however, how do you get a good beginning? First off, start with the chapter. You can always change the opening sentence later to make it sound more grabbing, but if you write a brilliant first sentence, and then it completely does not fit the book, well, it'll just make you cry. Sure, try to make the sentence as grabbing as you can (for you, if you aren't pulled into what you're writing at...

Originally Posted on Knitted By God's Plan When you write a book, you have an important decision to make right up front - what voice will you write it in? The voice is very important part of the book, and it can make or break your story. What do I mean by voice? Voice is the style of how you write it. You can break it into three main parts: Mood, person, and tense. There are other factors, too, but those are the three main ones. Mood is the emotion the book is supposed to carry. Some books have a cheerful mood. If your book thus, you would use lots of happy words and there would probably be some jokes. Descriptions would be full of color and sunshine. Other books have a gloomy mood. These books use sad words, and sad things happen. Descriptions tend to be grayish dark. Some have a hopeful mood, where there's grayish descriptions but there's a ray of sunshine piercing this darkness. Person is what pronoun you use to describe your main character. ...

Originally Posted on Knitted By God's Plan The setting of your book tells a lot about your book. If your setting is a land filled with dragons, expect to see a dragon or two (hundred). If your setting is the arctic, expect polar bears and ice. If your setting is a futuristic world with amazing technology, expect robots and space travel. Setting affects your characters. For instance, a young girl in the first setting probably wears something typical of the fantasy genre - a long dress with a corset or something. If she belonged to the arctic, she probably wears a parka. In a futuristic world, she would wear something hightech - maybe a watch capable of displaying a computer on the wall? Setting is very important, so its something you need to know. Define your setting well before you start writing. How do you do that? First, state the premise of your book - to take from two weeks ago, a girl finds mysterious glowing egg. Obviously, magic will be involved. As we have...

Originally Posted on Knitted By God's Plan Villains are a special type of character, and often the most delicate to write. They tend to distrust people, especially their authors, with their secrets, which are often quite crucial to the understanding of the way they work. You have to make sure their evil doesn't corrupt you as you develop their characters. To make matters worse, there are actually three types of villains. There is the true villain, the antagonizer, and the circumstances. The true villain is what most people think of when they say the word villain. He or she is evil through and through - like Sauron from the  Lord of the Rings , or the White Witch from Narnia. What they do, they do on purpose. They are powergrabbing, stingy and selfish. The only thing you can do with them is kill them (or at least dump them in the nearest black hole.) Once in a while you can find out a secret about them that can turn them good in the end, but this is rare. The sec...

Originally Posted on Knitted by God's Plan One of the most important parts of a book are the characters. If you don't have a character your reader will fall in love with, they will put the book down and not touch it again. So, one of the biggest challenges an author has is how to create a character that will keep the reader from putting the book down. Now, that's a pretty tall order. You've got to create an entire person and effectively bring the character to life through words. How are you supposed to do this???? The first thing you have to do is define your character. Give your character a name, a brief backstory, a basic appearance, and a core personality. For example, I'm going to create a character named Julia. I think she is a little girl of ten or twelve who discovers a strange egg in her backyard ... which glows red. As for basic appearance, I think she's of average height, has blue-green eyes, ginger hair, and freckles. Lots of freckles. As ...

Originally Posted on Knitted By God's Plan Since, last week, I told you you can't steal someone else's story, I'm going to talk about other places you can get a story. Now, I can't tell you that these work 100% of the time, and I can't tell you that they are all the ways you can get story ideas, because neither is true. These are just some methods that have worked for me. 1. Books you've read. Now you're looking at me like I'm crazy. Last week I told you that you can't take ideas from books you've read ... and now I'm telling you that ... Relax. You CAN get ideas from books you've read. You see "There is nothing new under the sun." Suppose you're reading a book about people who ride eagles, and you really like the idea, and you want to write a book about people who ride eagles. Now, there are hundreds and hundreds of books about people who ride eagles, so if you write a book about people who ride eagles, it woul...