Lmst

I should elaborate on Carrdia FLINTA…

It doesn’t exist.

There’s zero tolerance for those who are “different” among leaders. Punishment is swift and severe.

Does that mean I don’t address this in Kovenlore? Exactly the opposite. These are stories about those who are different coming together, about the struggle.

It also means people who are afraid to be who they are, and especially afraid to let others know.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Fantasy

@Bot_Anix Years ago, I used ArtBreeder to create a number of character portraits.

When I last visited a couple of years ago, there was a paid AI version, which I've never used.

The free version allowed me to find an existing picture that was halfway close to my vision, then "breed" it with others and make adjustments to create the character I wanted.

It took me hours, but was fun realizing my vision.

Even so, I used Affinity Photo to make micro adjustments to get them right.

#WorldOfOntyre 09
History 3

To pull history into a story, Writing 101 says to have a character simply pose a question, or need an answer to solve a problem.

Going deeper than that, there’s Riparia, who’s a fangirl who reads books about Queen Vernathia, “the greatest of the queen’s of old.”

A variation of that is someone like Kasaria who studies languages, or Journ who studies cultures.

Be everwell.

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On a shadowed shelf, and guarded by the gargoyle on the right, are the first three books in the Kovenlore Chronicles series.

Each book’s cover is the negative image of a golden, hand drawn map showing mountains, plains, and rivers, but sometimes a black void. The titles are always displayed across two lines up high, the color varying. Between the two lines of the title is always a set of turquoise eyes.

A subtitle, always in turquoise, is below that and shares which number book it is in The Kovenlore Chronicles. At the bottom is the author’s name, Christina Anne Hawthorne, and always in a dark yellow. All text is outlined in black, the titles possessing a shadow.

Book 1, Trust in the Forgotten, is on the left, it’s title in turquoise. Book 2, A River in Each Hand, is at center, its title in red. Book 3, Exhuming Truths, is on the right, its title in dark blue.

#Today 09

Good day!

One berry in the snow.

So, last Saturday I submitted my taxes, so that’s done. Finishing that eased my stress levels.

Meanwhile, the days are mostly cloudy with periods of drizzle like we’d normally have in late April.

For me, it’s good writing weather.

Be everwell.

#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography

Even while hiking, this single berry amidst green leaves stood out against the snow background high on the saddle between mountains. I wasn’t expecting to see red.

#PhantastikPrompts 09
strikes

Dystopian Carrdia is tearing itself apart and is past the point of strikes being effective, or tolerated. In the book I’m editing, Book-5, they spend more time in the wilds than anywhere.

Yet, Book-4 is about fumbling for ways to convey to people that it’s time to act, to face the Ministry.

Strikes could occur in my Pannulus stories. It’s a thriving nation where there are those who abuse their power and position.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Fantasy

#WordWeavers 09 (pt2)
how to convey history?

I’ve used these triggers in stories to pull history naturally into the tale:

• old architecture
• ghosts
• books, writings
• “forgotten” places
• libraries
• old folks’ tales
• religion
• found objects
• ruins
• graves and mausoleums
• artifacts
• different languages
• teachers
• monuments and statues
• character’s heritage
• maps (in the story)
• pictures and paintings
• interest and questions
• wizards/witches

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

#WordWeavers 09 (pt1)
how to convey history?

First of all, let’s define info dumping.

To me it’s an excessive explanation that stands out because it was unnaturally inserted for the purpose of telling, often worldbuilding.

Therefore, providing info should be triggered naturally (next post) in the story, and the length should reflect importance and urgency. I typically limit it to 2-3 sentences at a time in dialogue or internals, but that isn’t a hard rule.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub 09
intricate or fundamental?

As someone who does both, I typically yearn for the opposite of the one I’m working on, though none are simple.

I love intricacy, but must beware or “too clever” becomes convoluted.

There’s mystery in everything I write (why else read to the end?), but complexity varies. My romantic suspense stories are complex. Kovenlore’s main plot is, to a degree, straightforward, the intricacy the individual stories.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

@Teyrnon Most years, I write a holiday tale in my world following Thanksgiving. And here I thought I was the only one. 😃

@joyce Good luck. Be mindful of that foot! 👍

@joyce I'm glad you're okay, but I'm also glad you had a powerful reminder that it's vital to avoid falls. That's a reminder everyone should have, and now you've done that for everyone who reads this. Thank you.

#WorldOfOntyre 08
History 2

One way I bring history into stories is via architecture. Union Arch in Transgamete still exists. It symbolized unity between the ancient Emprensen Empire and the ora’ean of Forstava.

It was a lie, but still exists, as do other structures.

Each is a symbol of a time that contrasts or mimics the present, and is linked to stories, religion, politics, controversies, etc..

Be everwell.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #AmWritingFantasy #Fantasy #FantasyFiction #Fiction

COLOR TREMJARA MAP
The image is a color map of the continent of Tremjara on the world of Ontyre.

The continent is roughly oval with notable exceptions, the oval tilted southwest to northeast. In the far north are the Frozen Lands, but otherwise the continent is surrounded by three oceans, the Para-Equa in the west, Terminus in the south, and Titania to the east.

A long, slim peninsula, along with multiple islands, exists in the northwest. In the west and south are multiple, large islands. The southeastern peninsula is a barren wasteland with some volcanic islands off its coast. There are scattered islands up the eastern coast, most notably Pannulus, a roughly circular archipelago.

The continent is roughly divided in half by mountain chains, some more extensive than others. Mountains also exist in other locations, especially the southwest. The west is heavily forested, the east a mix of forests and grasslands. The south desert.

Some notable locations follow. Mythwyll in the southwest was the elfin homeland. In the west, Forstava is still the ora’ean homeland. In the east, Emprensa was once the home province of an empire. In the northeast, Draskrith is the realm of the shadow lords. Below that, and as noted, is Pannulus.

At the continent’s center is nation of Carrdia. It’s surrounded by mountains, except in the west along its border with Forstava, and in the northeast. The continent’s biggest lake is located there, as is the mighty Key River.

#Today 08

Good day!

I took this from the saddle below Mt. Sentinel. That’s University Peak on the left.

The dramatic drop to my immediate left into Hellgate Canyon was unnerving.

Be everwell.

#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #SilentSunday #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography

From a snowy platform, the view looks over trees and along a wooded ridge, everything covered in snow, to the mountain on the left that’s mostly wooded, but has patches of snow. The sky is a uniform shade of gray.

#PhantastikPrompts 08
feminist themes

Most of my MCs are female, like Riparia, the series’ protagonist.

Misogyny flourishes, from men dismissing Riparia’s ideas, to wizards who are held in high regard, while witches are reviled for no “apparent” reason.

Glistenelle evolves into a strong character, an irony given she was raised to be a spoiled socialite, a daughter for sale so as to create a financial alliance. Then, she developed illegal magic…

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Fantasy

#WordWeavers 08
stereotypes

It’s my intent to write original works, which means trying to write original characters, and that means writing characters who fall across the spectrum.

Riparia is the protagonist, but is insecure. Glistenelle was the spoiled rich girl, but has a strong will. Maniff is a man of action/adventure, but is also an intellectual. Powerful Sorcerer Fermtem is agoraphobic.

Original characters are more interesting to write, stereotypes boring.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 08
influential country that’s not the US

I cast a wide net, so there isn’t just one. Just as my characters are composites, so too are the cultures and histories that I create.

I mix cultural elements and draw from world history and philosophers like Plato.

Some of the countries? England, Germany, Japan, China, the nordic countries, and more. Empires? Greek, Roman, British. Let’s not forget the ever-present Nazis.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub 08
seasonal writing

In the summer, I’m busier in the outdoors, and there’s something about autumn/winter that makes me more creative. So, rather than draft during the summer, I typically edit.

Despite all that, of the 7 Kovenlore books, only 4 take place during colder months. Restricting the series to certain months only would be ridiculous.

I have, though, written many standalone novellas that take place during the holidays.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

@guidojansen6 I’ll trust to your evaluation. I think my fumbling answer to this prompt proves that I have no idea what I’m talking about. 😆

@ericphelps I cheat. My (mild) defiance makes me feel more in control.

Since I live alone, I usually change the clocks late in the afternoon. In a way, it's the beginning of adapting to the change.

My phone and computer still display the present time, but later today, they'll be in the past and I'll be in the future.

@Firlefanz You are your writing, and your writing is you. If someone else can't accept both, then they're the issue, not you.

That said, I understand the loneliness that can cause. It's been a part of my life for a long time.

I hope that your path finds acceptance to pair with the joy you find in writing. 🤗

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