Writing A World Of Fantasy

October 11, 2019 / Detached / Leave a comment

Doing something a little different for today’s post! I’ve been putting a ton of time into plotting, world-building, and just getting that much needed time into writing on my novel series, so I wanted to share some fun tips I’ve learned along the way about writing in the fantasy genre.

Writing a fantasy novel is great fun – you can literally let your imagination run wild. It’s a little different when writing a novel set in the real world as unlike books set in a reality where you can use real-life as examples, you’ll have to invent everything in your new fantasy world. Do you enjoy writing, are you working on a fantasy novel, or have you had the notion to start one? I hope the next few minutes while reading this helps you no matter what stage you might be in for writing a novel.

One of the best things you could do to kickstart things is to read as many classics as you can find! No matter the type of book you begin writing this will give you a good idea about what works and what doesn’t. Remember though that reading other people’s works is something to help with idea spawning and relax your mind. You must take note not to simply copy the ideas you’ve read from any of the good old classics or other pieces of work you find. If you find yourself dealing with elves, halflings, and orcs whilst being a reluctant hero on a quest to destroy a powerful item, it’s probably best to scrap it and start again. It is true that all stories are a combination of those the reader has encountered over the years. But, you should always try to find an original angle and it certainly should not be obvious what the source material was. Reading the classics will also allow you to discover how well-crafted characters interact with each other as the story progresses.

Tip 1: Use established myths and legends as the basis for your fantasy world. Think about what your fantasy world might be like. Do your studying and find out what your world and culture are mostly like….Is it Celtic, Roman, a medieval world or a blend of multiple cultures with your own twist on it? Once you’ve chosen, go and read about the myths and legends that relate to those cultures. The mythological creatures and characters and their stories will give you a great basis for your new world.

Tip 2: Get to know your imaginary world – you need to be able to describe it in detail if you are going to convince your readers, for the duration of the book at least, that it exists. Be thorough and detail everything you can possibly imagine about the world you are creating.

Physical – what does your fantasy world look like? Think about and make a note of:
- the color of the sky
- what other planets can be seen from the surface
- whether the air is breathable
- what the plants look like
- what creatures live there
- whether there are seas
- what the landscape looks like
- futuristic world or something older
Residents – decide who lives in your newly formed fantasy world. You should spend time thinking about how they look, what they eat, how they move, whether they need sleep, how they speak to one another etc…
Society – what kind of society exists? Do they need money to buy things? Is there a complex system of politics they follow? Do they have a police force, a king or president? Is there a religion?
Special powers/magic – Do the residents have any special powers or use magic? If so, what are they and why do they exist? Does everyone have the use of them or only certain people?

Tip 3: Make your characters believable. This is one of the most essential parts of the book if you want to hook and keep readers interested in the story. A great way to achieve this is to apply logic to every character in every fantasy world you create. This means creating a set of rules that apply to the world and the character. The rules can be based on either real life or they can be simply invented by you. Remember if you are creating the rules of the world, don’t let a BOX hold you back from being creative. Sometimes creating our own ways is just the push we need to make that next step in our creative writing.

Tip 4: Make sure you keep careful notes of all the details you invent for your new fantasy world. This will help you maintain continuity throughout the novel. There are many ways of doing this, some writers like to have a set of cards with the details on, others set up spreadsheets; so play around with different systems to find one that suits you the best. I personally use a book mapping chart I created in excel that helps me track all major parts of the book I need. I hope these few steps help you get started, or give an idea of what steps to take next in writing your new fantasy novel!

Remember, have fun!! That is the first and foremost thing I can say when writing… Have Fun and lots of it!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Review

September 30, 2019 / Detached / Leave a comment

Godzilla: King of the Monsters quickly sets the tone that it won’t be the same thing we’ve seen in the past. 2014’s Godzilla rebooted the classic king of monsters for modern audiences, but the latest portrayal of the iconic monster gives us huge monsters everywhere within the first few minutes of the film. If you came to see monsters, then you came to the right spot as this film is loaded with a more classic outlook on Godzilla and other monsters from the past.

This film was well written and directed in my opinion from co-writer and director Michael Dougherty who you might know from an interesting horror film released on Christmas a few years ago called Krampus. Dougherty has an eye for suspense and building a story, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters wasn’t short on drama, action, or suspense by any means.

Monsters everywhere in this film! Besides Godzilla, we get to see classics like Mothra, Rodan, and the Hydra King Ghidorah but this time with a little more classic thrown in that takes you back to their origins. As for Godzilla, as we saw at the end of the 2014 film, he is clearly set on the side of hero and ready to do battle to help protect humanity. If you came to see an award-winning film loaded with Academy Awards and the best acting you’ve ever seen then this isn’t the film for you. This is purely an action-packed monster film loaded with HUGE monsters destroying everything they touch. The human interaction between the monsters is well done in most scenes, between the moments of fear to the occasional understanding that Godzilla is here to help. All in all the actors pulled off a fun and exciting movie that was a blast to watch and fun to see what the director had around each corner.

We came to see Godzilla kick some monster butt, and this film delivered on that more so than any other to date including a massive monster battle including an exciting, final battle between all the monsters. King of the Monsters keeps you engaged with its story, monsters, explosions, and more…..and if you are a Godzilla fan then this movie is everything you could have possibly hoped for. The film looks absolutely amazing with its impressive beasts, to technology it brings. One major thing King of the Monsters did was to give the audiences MONSTERS and a lot of them as the 2014 Godzilla film was a bit lacking, but I’m excited about the next installment…..that is if they pursue the little hook they left at the end of the film.

The Kings of Gondor: Part Nine – A Bloodline Lost

July 25, 2017July 20, 2024 / Detached / Leave a comment

Welcome back fellow hobbits and people of Middle Earth! It’s been a very long time since I last wrote about the Kings of Gondor, but after a long break and much time away with family I felt it time to return and continue writing. So, looking forward to continuing this series and many others just like it.

The Unwise King

Earnur was the son of Earnil II. He like his father was a great warrior and became a great leader of armies before he became King. His greatest victory was against Angmar in the Battle of Fornost, in which he defeated the Witch-king, whom he intended to slay had his steed not panicked in terror of the Witch-king’s darkness. Earnur became King in TA 2043, and was challenged by the Witch-king of Angmar. The King of the Ringwraiths, who then resided in Minas Morgul wanted this King of Gondor dead and gone. Earnur, being quick to anger and wrath, would have accepted his challenge had the wise Steward Mardil Voronwe not held him back, and so the first challenge went unanswered. Just seven years later a second challenge came, mocking Earnur, and the steward Mardil was not able to stop the King this time. Ernur accepted the challenge, and after entering the gates of Minas Morgul with a small escort, Earnur was never heard from again. The unwise King was thought to be dead, so his crown now rests upon his father’s tomb in the Hallows of Minas Tirith.

The Battle of Fornost

A year prior to the battle, the armies of Angmar conquered Arthedain, the last realm of Arnor. Angmar’s armies had taken Fornost, the capital of the Dunedain, and Arvedui, the last King of Arnor, had drowned in the Ice-Bay of Forochel. A year later, a fleet of ships under King Earnur arrived in the Grey Havens and set off toward what was left of the once-great northern kingdom. With the armies of Gondor came men from Rhovanion, elves from Lindon, and the remainder of the Dunedain (among them Aranarth, the Prince of Arthedain).

The battle itself did not take place in the city of Fornost, but on the plains to the west of the city, near Lake Evendim. The armies of Angmar hurried west to meet the assault, and seeing this, the cavalry of Gondor rode north into the Hills of Evendim to wait in ambush. As the main part of the army of Gondor met the enemy in battle, the Gondor cavalry set out from the hills to strike the rear of the army of Angmar. This served as the turning point in the battle, and allowed the combined armies of the west to gain the advantage. Realizing that his forces were all but completely destroyed, the Witch-king of Angmar fled eastward. As he fled, an army led by Glorfindel came up out of the south and blocked his escape, destroying what was left of his crumbling army; the Witch-king himself was able to escape during the night and fled southward. Though the battle itself had been lost and Angmar utterly destroyed, Sauron was extremely pleased with the Witch-King’s work, for the destruction of the northern kingdoms of the Dunedain was a victory for the Dark Powers which far exceeded the loss of the Witch-King’s realm.

A Broken Bloodline

The Line of Anarion was broken with the disappearance of Earnur, and the rule of Gondor passed to the Stewards beginning with Mardil Voronwe, the Steward who had tried to restrain Earnur from going to Minas Morgul to face the Witch-king. The Stewards were to rule “until the King returns” for it wasn’t sure at first whether Earnur had been killed dueling with the Witch-king or not. In addition, Earnur left without naming an heir, and while many nobles in Gondor could lay some sort of claim to the kingship, those claims were generally held in doubt, and no one wanted to risk another civil war like the one that had devastated and weakened Gondor.

The Stewards of Gondor were firstly the chief high councilors to the Kings of Gondor and then the rulers of Gondor, until the return of the rightful king (Aragorn Elessar).

First created by the powerful King Romendacil I, Steward was the traditional title of a chief counselor to the Kings of Gondor. The Quenya name for the title is Arandur , “Servant of the King”. The steward was was usually an elderly man not from the Royal House chosen for his wisdom and integrity, and was never permitted to go to war nor to go abroad. During the time of the Steward Pelendur, from the famous House of Hurin, the title became hereditary, passing the station of counselor from father to son, much like the Kingship.

The House of Hurin was founded by one Hurin of Emyn Arnen, Steward to King Minardil, the twenty-fifth King of Gondor. They were of high Numenorean blood, but not descendants of Elendil in the ruling line.

After the death of King Earnur, who left no heir to the throne of Gondor, the Steward Mardil Voronwe became the first of the Ruling Stewards. Mardil was the first of the Stewards to administer Gondor, and his descendants did so for 25 generations.

The Stewards watched over the throne until it could be reclaimed by a true King of Gondor, an heir of Elendil. When asked by his son Boromir how long a time must pass before a Steward could become a King, if the King did not return, Denethor II replied, “Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty … In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice” (The Two Towers).

The Stewards never sat on the throne of the King; instead, they sat on a simple chair of black stone placed below it.

I hope you all are enjoying this series as it has been an absolute blast to write and put together! We are nearing the end of the series but still have a lot more writing to do, so stay tuned to the site and think about following so you never miss one of my series.

You all stay awesome and I bid you a fine farewell!

Cheers,

Iogro Merrybelly

The Wolf Among Us – Episode 2 Smoke and Mirrors Review

August 2, 2016 / Detached / Leave a comment

The second episode of Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us, titled Smoke and Mirrors, takes us to a whole new level of awesome! This masterpiece of a world that Telltale created is still bouncing with vibrant neon colors, but all the characters this go round are coming in shades of grey!

This episode dives much deeper into the character of Bigby, and no matter whether you play as the nice guy, or as a monster you get to see a personal side to who Bigby really is. You really get to see a lot of the dark, fantastical world of Fables which you find yourself really questioning some of the decisions you have to make, right or wrong. The writers of this episode did an amazing job of keeping the suspense up, but thrilling you with moments of ease and lush adventure.

Starting this episode you will pick up right where you left off with the shocking events at the end of Faith. A lot of the drama and suspense in this episode revolves around how Bigby and the other Fables deal with the fallout, and thankfully, a lot of that is fully up to you and the decisions you make. The voice acting in this episode and overall game is top notch and probably some of the best Telltale has put out, which is saying a lot with the games they’ve done.

Want some villians? Well, this episode has got plenty of them as they set the foundation for some really nasty ones who you will quickly love and hate all at the same time. SPOILER ALERT – One of the nasties in this game is named Georgie, a strip club owner and pimp with an absolute numbness to human dignity and need. No matter how you handle Bigby’s interaction with him, through understandable violence or forced restraint, the scene plays out great both ways. A few of the major decisions from Episode 1 also have some nice moments of payoff in Smoke and Mirrors. Particularly how you handled Belle lying to Beast and who you chose to chase out of the bar result in very different scenes that shape both the story and Bigby as a character.

As great as this episode is/was with all the character developments, the one downfall is the overall story didn’t move a long quite as I hoped. This episode leaves a lot of loose ends still unanswered from episode 1 which I was hoping to tie up, but instead they add more to the mix and leave you with even more questions. There aren’t any big action sequences that would meet the expectation that episode 1 left after encountering the Woodsman which was a bit disappointing.

Overall The Wolf Among us series continues to bring moments of joy while playing, but at the same time tears away at the multitude of emotions while dealing with people. Sadness is something you see quite often in Bigby’s life as he is alone in this journey, or so he feels. You quickly learn that he has more allies then he realizes after meeting some of the other characters in this game. Telltale makes it more than worthwhile to go back and replay the episode as a complete maniac or a restrained reasonable person. This is really something I never wanted to do with any of the other adventure games Telltale has made, so good job for sucking me in even further Telltale.

Smoke and Mirrors is a fantastic second step in this already great story. You are going to get 90 whole minutes of memorable characters, scenes and some of the best but agonizing decision moments Telltale has ever made you think about before. Even with the slight disappointment with the overall story not progressing like I hoped it would….I’m completely sold on this story and can’t wait to finish the rest of the game.

The Battle of the Gladden Fields

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016 / Detached / Leave a comment

The One Ring Lost

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields was a battle at the beginning of the Third Age, in which Isildur and a group of acompanying Dunedain were attached by a large group of Orcs as they were marching home after defeating Sauron. The king and his three eldest sons Elendur, Aratan, and Ciryon were all slain and the Ring of Power was lost in the River Anduin. Only three men survived this battle, Ohtar being one of them, an esquire of the kings which was able to save the shards of Narsil.

With the death of Isildur, it impacted both Gondor and Arnor as it left both kingdoms seperated and isolated. Arnor wouldn’t be able to completely recover from this loss of it’s nobles and knights until the kingship of Aragorn in the Fourth Age. Most importantly, Isildur’s death prevented him from passing on the One Ring to the Keepers of the Three, which he had passed on to his brother Elendur to be his chief reason for visiting Elrond in Rivendell.

After the War of the Alliance, Isildur remained in Gondor for one year, taking back lost lands. He sent a large part of Arnor’s armies back to Eriador through the Fords of Isen to Fornost. After getting the affairs of the southern realm in order, he handed the South Kingdom over to Meneldil and marched to Rivendell. He chose to leave his wife and son at Rivendell, but also came for counsel from lord Elrond.

The Battle Ground

The Dunedain traveled northwards from Lorien, marching along a path that led to Greenwood the Great where Thranduil ruled. They had to change routes due to the flooding of the Anduin, which led Isildur to take the road on the eastern banks of the river. Isildur’s party was flanked as the enemy used the steep cliffs overlooking the river.

The Dunedain sang cheerful songs but as the evening drew close they began to hear the orcs in the nearby forest. The first onslaught struck quickly so Isildur called for his esquire Ohtar to take the shards of Narsil back to Rivendell for safe keeping. The second attack from the orcs brought down the Numenorians great defenses, and Elendur convinced Isildur to flee and cross the Anduin if he could and find safety back at Rivendell.

Isildur cloaked himself with the ring, and made a run for the valley parting ways with his armies and tried to cross the river. Unfortunately the rivers waters were flowing to hard and Isildur being exhausted got tangled in the reeds and in doing so the ring slipped from his finger. Nearby Orc’s caught sight of Isildur in the waters and out of fear quickly shot him and fled.

Wake of Destruction

Only Ohtar, Elendur, Estelmo, and a handful of men survived the battle. Isildur’s body was never recovered, and was presumed captured and mutilated by Sauron’s forces The orc army that ambushed the Dunedain were scattered among the lands by a relief force but they were to late. Estelmo after being recovered spoke of how Isildur and Elendur related to each other about the One Ring. Isildur remarked: “I cannot use it. I dread the pain of touching it. And I have not yet found the strength to bend it to my will. It needs one greater than I know myself to be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three.”

Probably the biggest fall of the Gladden Fields was the union of Arnor and Gondor were broken by blood, and Isildur never managed to give the ring of power to the three. Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn if given the chance probably would have destroyed the ring of power long before Sauron would have gathered his spirit and refortified Mordor. But we all know how this story ends as Sauron does finally fall to the hands of many brave souls, and one very important little hobbit named Frodo.

Mind Mapping a Novel

July 1, 2016 / Detached / 2 Comments

Are you struggling to start your book? I struggled with this idea for a long time before I dove into the deep end of the writing pool, and then when I dove in it was a bit overwhelming and at times felt I was drowning.

Many people don’t write books because they simply don’t know how to start. They possess an idea for a book, but they don’t know what to do with it. They can’t imagine how they get from initial idea to finished manuscript which isn’t a small feat at all so don’t think I’m playing this down.

It wasn’t until I began using the “Brain Dump” method to get my ideas that were just floating around that space in my head, to the paper so I could have a visual. Some call this mind mapping, but for me this is just an old fashioned Brain Dump. Whatever you like to call it doesn’t really matter, just the methodology and way it’s used. Brain dumping will take you from a few grand book ideas, to a detailed book outline you can work from to make a manuscript. This ultimately becomes the go to place for when you need a guide to take you from start to finish of this novel you’ve dived into.

It’s funny how our brains work as we have an analytical and creative side, so mapping those ideas out for a book when thinking about that can be tough. Basically mind mapping allows you to bring the two sides of your brain together in one location so that all the thoughts and information are easily visual and accessible. Once you’ve learned how to wrangle those thoughts it’s time to take a look at the actual brain dump. This is the point where the thought has to become a reality. So….how do you make the brain dump happen?

Well multiple ways, but my favorites are using a large white board to map out my ideas and plot pieces of story together. My journal is always a go to, though lately it’s littered with sticky notes from ideas I need to go back and form into the story section I need it in. Another favorite is the sticky note and poster board which is always fun for me as you get to move the sticky notes around and write on the poster board as well. Maybe this is a super writing nerd kinda thing, but this is very relaxing and enjoyable for me and that’s why i’m writing this post. I’m hoping this sparks some ideas for you as well and lights a fire so you can get to moving on that great book idea you have.

Think of the brain like this and hopefully it will help you picture what needs to happen.

Brain Dump Process

Creative Right Brain is where the ideas flow from and all the magic happens. The fun stuff clicks on this side of the brain.
Analytical Left Brain is where the organization of all that creative material you just dumped to the paper happens. This is where the structure of the book comes from and where your – table of contents, and outline of the book will look like.

If you’ve lined everything out and keep a good record of the book and use this process then you can produce some very detailed information and great chapter outlines for your book.

Now let’s look back at the Sticky Notes and how they will help you map this book out. This is the easiest way to make a mind map of your book.

My Favorite Brain Dump Process:

Grab yourself a large poster board or poster boards, or even a large white board will work. Get yourself a big stack of sticky notes….multi colored is what I like to use as I color coordinate topics to specific colors.
Take a single sticky note in the middle of the poster board and write your topic on it, or a book title, just depending on what you are working on.
Write all the related topics you can think of on sticky notes and place them anywhere on the poster board. Sounds like chaos I know, but don’t worry about where you place them , or about organizing them, unless you are absolutely sure the topics relate to one another.
Fill the board with as many topics as you can possibly think of as this is the “Brain Dump” phase and when you think you’re done, look again as you will more than likely come up with more topics after taking a break, or a step back.
At this point I like to take a picture of the board for reference purposes in case I have to take a break or get pulled away for something. They are called sticky notes, not permanently held in spot notes.
Ok now comes the organization of the topics. The analytical side of the brain is ready to be worked right? Look for related topics. Pick up the notes and move them around. Take a close look at what you have grouped together as they just might become the chapters of your book. More than likely, this will be the groups with the most information lumped together. Just remember this is your book and your board so move things around how you feel fits best, and don’t be afraid to break apart groups into multiple chapters if one is too large. Just make sure you use a different colored sticky note to mark that chapter and don’t forget to name the chapter.
Use each of the sticky notes you have grouped together under a chapter as a sub-topic that you want to write about in that chapter. This is where the fun begins as writing guides and book maps are a must at this point. Sub-plots of a story can make things confusing if you don’t.

Ok now get ready to write as it’s going to take a lot to get that story from your head to paper so what are you waiting for? Sit down, start slow, think it out and enjoy the process of making that next best book anyone has ever read!

Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 – Writing With Focus

June 21, 2016 / Detached / 1 Comment

Starting a blog is easy for the most part as the tools you can get now days makes the startup pretty seamless. What isn’t so easy is staying focused while writing as it takes time, and time is the killer for most writers. Either we don’t have enough of it, or we lose focus over a period of time and get frustrated with what we were trying to accomplish. I’ve been down these paths quite a lot before but over the years it’s helped me learn how to stay focused, or at least narrow it down so I can enjoy writing.

One of the questions I hear a lot from new bloggers is am I doing this blog thing correctly?

That question is very broad but when you break all those pieces down into why you started your blog and even why you started writing…..that question becomes pretty easy to answer.

Doing this blog thing comes down to personal preference overall but be willing to focus your material and niche so you can reach an audience.

These are just a few things I’ve stumbled over and even sometimes fallen on my face while writing and blogging. I’m no professional by any means, but I enjoy what I get to do with my little corner of the internet and I want to make it the best I can.

One of the ways to improve your blog is step back and examine all of the aspects of what your blog brings for readers. Do you have a vision for the blog, or at least an idea of the direction you want to go?

The more you narrow your focus, the more you broaden your audience. This is where vision and an idea of where and what the blog will look like helps.

Before you begin writing, consider your subject (what you want to write about), then figure out the the theme (your angle and area of focus), then put it into action and figure out what you want to accomplish.

What subject or subjects are you writing about, and what are you passionate about? If you can bring those two ideas together then you’ve made a huge step as that’s something most writers struggle with for years.

Take a look at the theme of your site and writing style as well. Think of it as a subset of your main topics and figure out what that looks like for you. Ask yourself: What will my writing “VOICE” be? Will it be tackling the humorous side of things, or maybe you take a more practical approach to writing.

Lastly, take a look at what you want your blog to accomplish overall. This is the main goal of this little exercise so take some time and look at what impressions you want to leave the readers with. Ultimately the question is why am I blogging and how does it bring enjoyment to my life?

For me writing is a passion but connecting with people is a bigger passion and that is where my enjoyment and focus comes from.

One of my writing mentors gave me this little nugget years ago and quickly became a favorite quote and one I stuck to when I was struggling with writing.

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” – Louis L’Amour

Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 – Cartography of a Fantasy World

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016 / Detached / Leave a comment

See, you can post about anything for #NBI2016

I wanted to do something different this morning and take a look at map making!!! Didn’t you ever draw a secret treasure map when you were a kid? Map making is fun but it can be a huge challenge and pain point for writers who want to depict their world to the audience.

Technically I’m wrong in calling it “Map Making” which I pulled this from the definition off of Wikipedia.

“Cartography (from Greek χάρτης khartēs, “map”; and γράφειν graphein, “write”) is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively”

Personally I’ve always enjoyed making maps for any of the stories I’ve written but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have frustrations that came along while making them. Creating a map for a fictional world is one of the most satisfying things you can do, as it gives you a greater idea and visual reference to what your world really looks like. All those ideas floating around in your head about this magical world is only a pen and paper away. Creating a map on paper is one of the best ways for a writer to connect to their world as it allows you to see the geography of the land, and best thing is it’s yours so customize how you see fit.

I’m not a published writer “Yet” but that is something I am diligently working on as I have a fantasy novel series that’s in the making. This epic story is currently four years in the works and map making has been a huge piece of depicting this piece of fantasy. The worst part about writing when you have a map for reference is when you go back and realize you’ve missed a great detail of location specifics in the story. It’s one of those oops moments you get when writing and the questions begin to pop about why didn’t I look at this closer, or why did I write location A when it really should have been location B the war took place.

Frequent reference to your map can be one of the greatest tools in the bag for you as a writer. Stumped on where your hero was supposed to end up, check the map and maybe it will turn a flickering light bulb into a bright spotlight of an idea. The uses for a map from a writers perspective are to help bring the story to life, and give the geography of what you have in your head a visual presence for you and the reader.

Mapping a world isn’t a set style and there really isn’t anything you can do that is wrong or would break some hidden rule of map making. Take a look at the visual style of the following map. Probably one of the most famous fantasy worlds ever created to date.

I don’t think their will ever be another world quite like what Tolkien created with Middle Earth, but that’s not to say we can’t get some inspiration off of the beautiful world he created.

Another famous author and amazing story with a vast beautiful map is Narnia. Both C.S Lewis and Tolkien had grand creative minds and each with their own flair for map making.

Now a quick look at a rough draft for one of my maps I created. It’s nowhere finished and doesn’t have the flare or prestige either of the maps above do. The world I’m creating is for the novel series I spoke about earlier.

This is the first time I’ve ever let anyone look at one of the early rough drafts of one of my maps. This one is still in the works and it’s ever changing at times with new places and grows as I continue to write this novel.

Welcome to Ardonia – The main world of my novel series Brothers Three

How do I get started map making…..?

Have fun and CREATE
- First and foremost have fun with it and allow it to be something that sparks creativity for you and your story. Don’t let it become a burden or you will be overwhelmed and quit pretty quickly through frustration. It’s easy to try and be a perfectionist when creating a map for anything so don’t be afraid to have multiple versions, drafts, copies, and let the map be something that could continually grow and change just as a real world does.
Take Risks
- Don’t be afraid to develop something that doesn’t work the first time around. Remember things have a natural process for development and as you write and grow the story, your map may continue to grow with it. Don’t get stuck in one style of box….have a bunch of them and hop in and out whenever you want.
Create the Foundation
- Every world has a center of attention. What is your’s? What are the major cities, towns, and locations on your map? You have to start somewhere so why not start with a basic list of cities and towns.
Land Development & Growth
- Anything you create will always be a work in progress of sorts. As I mentioned above the land mass you create will have a natural development process and a free flow but you have to allow for that space and development to happen. Have some places in your world that aren’t mapped out per say….maybe it’s a discovery point later on in the story and a new map get’s released. Just sayin.
Features of the World
- This is a very complex piece of map making, as you not only have to think about the geography of the land, but the type of surroundings, climate, cultures, race of inhabitants etc. Do you have a town with a unique culture that stands out from the rest, or maybe a deserted location locked away with dark secrets. The possibilities are limitless of how you carve the land and features of this world.

Have fun creating your world and enjoy the development of how the characters of the story interact with their surroundings. Go checkout some of your favorite fantasy / sci-fi novels and begin to explore their worlds as it will help you get a perspective of what to do for your map.

Game Blogging – Should You Start?

June 10, 2016 / Detached / Leave a comment

Good morning writers!

Have you had the thought yet? You know, the one where you start up a blog and write shamelessly about gaming.

Maybe you are stuck on the idea but just not sure where to start. I’m hoping this post helps kickstart some ideas and gets the brain sparks firing.

Why Would I Blog About Games?

If you enjoy writing at all then blogging is one of the most satisfying things you could venture out and do. Especially as a gamer it gives us an outlet to speak about our passion of games. Gaming in all sense is a large community and blogging about games is more than just writing thoughts down on a screen and hitting the submit button. As a community, blogging gives us a way to connect with other gamers, writers, and gives us a place to enjoy each other’s perspectives.
This “Blog” you create is a little slice of the internet that you get to make however you like, and it allows networking with other which helps build those relationships. This personally is one of my favorite parts of blogging. I’ve had the chance to meet some pretty amazing people over the years, that otherwise I would have never probably met.
Writing about games in particular though gives people a look into your perspective on the game, and that can create some fun conversations. Whether that platform is through writing, streaming, or connecting online over some social network it’s always great to connect with other gamers and share opinions.
Writing about games is also a way to reach the community and review specific games you enjoy, and potentially help others find games they’ve never tried before. This is also a way you could potentially connect with the developers of said games and give them a look at what players think of these games.

Starting That Gaming Blog

Ok, you’ve made the decision you are going to kick this idea off and get things rolling but need help with the blog creation. Go checkout one of my previous posts on “Starting Your First Blog” for ideas of the platform you want to use. Now that you have the idea kicked off and you know what blog platform you are using it’s time to start writing.

What do I write about?

Anything you want! That’s the best part as this is your blog, and you get to choose how often you post, what you write about, how things look, and what niche you want to connect with. Some ideas for good kickstart posts to help get you started though are ……

Game Review / Play Through: I personally do a lot of game reviews which is always a fun outlet to talk about. These are thorough descriptions of the game and mechanics you’ve experienced. Usually screenshots, videos, and tips / tricks you’ve come across while playing. These types of posts are fun to write but they are a great way to help other gamers potentially discover something they’ve never seen before.
Gaming Rundown: This is another great way to get started and usually a nice way to connect with people playing like games. What are you currently playing and do you have a task list per say you’d like to talk about. What are your top games of all time which could lead to a history walkthrough of how you played them. These are always fun posts to make.
Gaming Community: You can write a blog post that depicts your thoughts on the state of gaming, and the communities that surround this realm. How do the communities differ from PC gamers to Console gamers? This is always a fun area to delve into.
Gaming Companies: What do you think about the gaming industry, and some of the top dogs out there. This is always another way to get your foot in the door of writing. Let people know who your favorite / least favorite companies are producing games and why?

These are just a few ideas to help you in this blogging adventure. I hope you guys have fun with this, and make sure you don’t burn yourself out as it’s easy to do. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with and start reading those posts. Stop by and visit me sometime over at my blog A Hobbit’s Journey. I enjoy connecting with people and who knows maybe we’ll see each other out in the virtual world of gaming one day.

Scream The Pilot Review

May 17, 2016 / Detached / Leave a comment

Ok, so let me start this post by saying I’ve thrown the idea back and forth for years now of whether I do film & TV reviews. It’s always come down to NO not right now as I’ve just got to much going on and I didn’t want to add to an already full plate.

So why the change you ask? My change has come due to that once full plate becoming less full as I’ve finished up some major projects that I’ve finally finished. This has freed up more room to write both on this site, and for my book series I’m working on. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to do film & TV reviews and now that I have the extra time I’m jumping on board with one of my favorite genre’s #HORROR so I hope you enjoy the post as I look forward to this new journey.

With my first ever film & TV review write up, we start with the new TV adaptation of Scream which is brought to us by our old friends MTV!

Now I know I’m coming into this show a bit late as it’s already finished up with season 1 and has been renewed for season 2 which airs on May 30th this year. MTV’s Scream takes the very popular and familiar movie franchise title and brings us into something new. This isn’t a continuation of the story from the movies, nor is it a TV remake, as it involves different characters, location and backstory from the films. Instead, this creation brings us back to the original tone of the films without being about the same people or places.

Personally I was a huge fan of the Scream films so when I stumbled across this TV gem I was rather ecstatic to begin watching it. Though I had my doubts and questions as most TV adaptations of popular films are just strange at best. Regardless, Scream has brought us right back to the original movie. The opening sequence, featuring Bella Thorne, brings us back to 1996 with the Drew Barrymore sequence in Scream, as a high school girl, home alone in her big house, finding herself being watched, and contacted. Now things have changed over the past 20 years so instead of a phone call they’ve replaced most of the interaction with this mysterious watcher by texting. Things just go very badly for her once she starts replying back to these mysterious texts. It’s an entertaining sequence, due to some fun iPhone issues involving Siri not understanding you put into the middle of a horror scene.

From there, as the show unfolds we get to meet the cast and overall feels like a Scream movie, but different and same all at once. Weird I know, but the parallels to the first film’s characters; Sidney, Billy, Stu, Randy and Tatum in Emma (Willa Fitzgerald), Will (Conner Weil), Jake (Tom Maden), Noah (John Karna) and Brooke (Carlson Young), as these kids from “Lakewood” begin to realize a killer is among them. The show throws some other characters into the mix, including a mysterious new guy in town Kieran (Amadeus Serafini) and Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus), who was the victim of some recent cyber bullying.

Probably my favorite character of the series is Noah, the socially awkward film, game, and horror geek – aka Randy if you were watching the Scream movies. Noah brings us one of the best Film to TV translations of all time when he says, “You can’t do a slasher movie on television,” because ultimately slasher films happen quickly. TV needs to pull things out and stretch them over a long period of time to bring us the same story. Scream at least has the benefit of including the whodunit aspect of the films that did set the series apart from most others in the slasher genre. The show introduces plenty of characters who could be the killer, even as some of it – including important town history involving Emma’s mom Tracy Middendorf, who actually had a role as the babysitter in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

If you haven’t watched the show – Checkout the Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP-dU21LXMw

Ok so all in all, the pilot series was a win in my book! The show had me hooked from the get go, and has me curious who the killer is. This is quickly becoming a favorite go to show and I can’t wait to see where they go with things!

scr.ee tags:

#MTV #Horror #Survival #Slasher #Scream #TV #Film & TV #Review

A Hobbits Journey

Writer