Changes to This Blog

Hola Valkyries,

I know it’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated my blog, but I thought I should let you know that I won’t be using this blog to give updates. I have a website specifically made for update information, especially with my newsletters. I’ve also returned to doing YouTube video which you can know about them by subscribing to my YouTube channel, following me on Instagram as I post the thumbnails to let you guys know a video is up, and Twitter as I post links to my videos there too. Instead I will only use my blog to post chapter excerpts to current and future stories I have in mind. I’ll start deleting some here, such as YouTube videos and book reviews, which like I said you can find them on either my YouTube channel and GoodReads. You can also read said excerpts on my Wattpad accounts. So you can find me in quite a lot of places lol. Don’t worry about missing any new information from me, follow me on any of these places I mentioned and you will be up to date with what is going on, especially with my New Adult Fantasy/Adventure novella, The Call for Finis: Pride. Okiedokie, I think that’s it. I hope you are all staying safe from the corona virus, still social distancing and keeping loved ones safe. Please have a safe and wonderful writing journey, adios.

Character Archetypes

Note: This is mainly a rehash of something I went over but I want to focus on character archetypes only this time.

There are at least 12 Character Archetypes. Now you may be wondering, what is a character archetype?

Character Archetype – In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting.

Archetypes:

The Ego Type: The Innocent, The Orphan, The Hero, and The Caregiver

The Soul Type: The Explorer, The Rebel, The Lover, and The Creator

The Self Type: The Jester, The Sage, The Magician, and The Ruler

The Innocent

-Free from moral wrong; not corrupted. Simple; naive. An innocent person, in particular. A pure, guileless, or naive person.

Motto: Free to be you and me
Core desire: to get to paradise
Goal: to be happy
Greatest fear: to be punished for doing something bad or wrong
Strategy: to do things right
Weakness: boring for all their naive innocence
Talent: faith and optimism
The Innocent is also known as: Utopian, traditionalist, naive, mystic, saint, romantic, and dreamer

The Orphan

-A child whose parents are dead.

Motto: All men and women are created equal
Core Desire: connecting with others
Goal: to belong
Greatest fear: to be left out or to stand out from the crowd
Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth, the common touch
Weakness: losing one’s own self in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships
Talent: realism, empathy, and lack of pretense
The Regular Person is also known as: The good old boy, every man, the person next door, the realist, the working stiff, the solid citizen, the good neighbor, and the silent majority

The Hero

-A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Motto: Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Core desire: to prove one’s worth through courageous acts
Goal: expert mastery in a way that improves the world
Greatest fear: weakness, vulnerability, and being a “chicken”
Strategy: to be as strong and competent as possible
Weakness: arrogance and always needing another battle to fight
Talent: competence and courage
The Hero is also known as: The warrior, crusader, rescuer, superhero, the soldier, dragon slayer, the winner, and the team player

The Caregiver

-A family member or paid helper who regularly looks after a child or a sick, elderly, or disabled person.

Motto: Love your neighbor as yourself
Core desire: to protect and care for others
Goal: to help others
Greatest fear: selfishness and ingratitude
Strategy: doing things for others
Weakness: martyrdom and being exploited
Talent: compassion and generosity
The Caregiver is also known as: The saint, altruist, parent, helper, and supporter

The Explorer

-A person who explores an unfamiliar area; an adventurer.

Motto: Don’t fence me in
Core desire: the freedom to find out who you are through exploring the world
Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, and more fulfilling life
Biggest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness
Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, and escape from boredom
Weakness: aimless wandering and becoming a misfit
Talent: autonomy, ambition, and being true to one’s soul
The explorer is also known as: The seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, and pilgrim

The Rebel

-A person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler. A person who resists authority, control, or convention.

Motto: Rules are made to be broken
Core desire: revenge and/or revolution
Goal: to overturn what isn’t working
Greatest fear: to be powerless and/or ineffectual
Strategy: disrupt, destroy, and/or shock
Weakness: crossing over to the dark side and crime
Talent: outrageous and radical freedom
The Outlaw is also known as: The rebel, revolutionary, wild man, the misfit, and iconoclast.

The Lover

-A person having a sexual or romantic relationship with someone, often outside marriage. A person who likes or enjoys something specified.

Motto: You’re the only one
Core desire: intimacy and experience
Goal: being in a relationship with the people, work and surroundings they love
Greatest fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, and unloved
Strategy: to become more and more physically and emotionally attractive
Weakness: outward-directed desire to please others at risk of losing own identity
Talent: passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment
The Lover is also known as: The partner, friend, intimate, enthusiast, sensualist, spouse, and team-builder

The Creator

-A person or thing that brings something into existence.

Motto: If you can imagine it, it can be done
Core desire: to create things of enduring value
Goal: to realize a vision
Greatest fear: mediocre vision and/or execution
Strategy: develop artistic control and skill
Task: to create culture and express own vision
Weakness: perfectionism and bad solutions
Talent: creativity and imagination
The Creator is also known as: The artist, inventor, innovator, musician, writer, and  dreamer

The Jester

-A person who habitually plays the fool.

Motto: You only live once
Core desire: to live in the moment with full enjoyment
Goal: to have a great time and lighten up the world
Greatest fear: being bored and/or boring others
Strategy: play, make jokes, and be funny
Weakness: frivolity and wasting time
Talent: joy
The Jester is also known as: The fool, trickster, joker, practical joker and/or comedian.

The Sage

-A profoundly wise man, especially one who features in ancient history or legend. Having, showing, or indicating profound wisdom.

Motto: The truth will set you free
Core desire: to find the truth.
Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world.
Biggest fear: being duped, misled, and/or ignorance.
Strategy: seeking out information and knowledge; self-reflection and understanding thought processes.
Weakness: can study details forever and never act.
Talent: wisdom and intelligence.
The Sage is also known as: The expert, scholar, detective, advisor, thinker, philosopher, academic, researcher, thinker, planner, professional, mentor, teacher, and contemplative

The Magician

-A person with magical powers. A person with exceptional skill in a particular area.

Motto: I make things happen.
Core desire: understanding the fundamental laws of the universe
Goal: to make dreams come true
Greatest fear: unintended negative consequences
Strategy: develop a vision and live by it
Weakness: becoming manipulative
Talent: finding win-win solutions
The Magician is also known as: The visionary, catalyst, inventor, charismatic leader, shaman, healer, and medicine man.

The Ruler

-A person exercising government or dominion.

Motto: Power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
Core desire: control
Goal: create a prosperous, successful family or community
Strategy: exercise power
Greatest fear: chaos and being overthrown
Weakness: being authoritarian and unable to delegate
Talent: responsibility and leadership
The Ruler is also known as: The boss, leader, aristocrat, king, queen, politician, role model, manager, and administrator

Now although it is easy to just place a character in one archetype, it isn’t what makes a human. Humans are actually multiple archetypes, sometimes two or three or more. For a more, in my opinion, complex character add a second archetype. It can be a conflicting one or a supportive/consistent one. Maybe you give them a specific archetype and are not beholden or don’t care of the weakness specified to that archetype.

You have many choices to make a character who they are, more real, more compelling. Now get to creating, I can’t wait to see who and what you create.

Novella

Hello everyone, I’m back to inform you that I am starting a new story while I am working on Valhalla. It will be a novella that I will throw on ebook when it is finished and edited. In case you don’t know what a novella is it is shorter than a novel.

Short Story – A story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel.

Novella – A short novel or long short story.

Novel – A fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.

A short story is anywhere from 1500 to 30,000 words. A novella is anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 words. A novel is anywhere over 60,000 words. In order to fit within a type of book, it would be a good idea to watch out for your word count when writing.

Now this novella is a type of rapture story. A massive city called Lumen Magnum in a large country called Marlela is home to a religion known as the Cristu faith. The entire country is run by the religious order ruled by a Papa Regem, a King. I borrowed heavily the religious rankings of the Catholic faith but because I need to focus on something specific in this story I won’t be going over it.

The story will be revolved around faith and how people perceive it and led to perceive it. The order is using the religion to control the masses, enslaving people who are different and murdering those who don’t convert. The Seraphim, with the permission of the mighty one above them, have allowed 7 demons to find 7 human hosts to purge the city from the world to hopefully save Eldara, the world, from damnation. In my story, the angels of Hevellum and the demons of Infernos have a much better relationship than most other interpretations of the two opposing sides. Some obviously don’t like each other but it is still somewhat a healthy relationship.

I participated in a contest on Wattpad, I lost, but a couple readers came forth wondering if I was ever going to go more in depth with the story because they really liked it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should because it didn’t win but I did like what I wrote. So my husband suggested writing it as a short story and sell it as an ebook for now, maybe with any income I can get from the story I can use the money to self-publish Valhalla. So I decided to turn it into a novella, mainly because after planning it I don’t think it can be short enough for a short story length book.

The story currently has no title nor a summary. I do have a placeholder title and I have an idea for a summary but I plan to get a second opinion first.

I have already done my research on Angels and Demons and Religion, build the world a bit, and finished up writing story bullets. The next step is the outline and then begin writing. I am still thinking about sketching out my characters so I can get a better visual on their appearance but I’m not sure yet. I will be sharing the progress here and on my YouTube account.

In case anyone is curious I do plan to post only the first 2 chapters of this novella. It is a lot shorter than Valhalla and won’t have as many chapters either which is why I will only post 2.

I think that will be all I will go over for this week. If you want to know more about this novella or Valhalla for that matter then please follow my blog. If you have any questions please let me know, I definitely want to hear them. Thank you so much for the read and please stay tuned for next Wednesday for another post on my novella.

Before Writing Part 5: Types of Readers

Before Writing Part 1: World Creating

Before Writing Part 2: Creating Races

Before Writing Part 3: Creating Characters

Before Writing Part 4: Who Is Your Character

Now before writing your story there is something that needs to be answered, who is this book for? Who will be reading this book? Can everyone read your book? The answer is, it depends on you and your story.

There are many types of readers out there from Children to Adults and then each age group has their preffered genre from Fiction to Non-Fiction.

Types of Readers:

— Age:

1. Children
2. Middlegrade
3. Young Adult
4. New Adult
5. Adult

Genre:

— Fiction:

1. Classic Fiction: Fiction that has become part of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools.
2. Comics/Graphic Novel: Comic magazine or book based on a sequence of pictures (often hand drawn) and few words.
3. Crime/Detective Fiction: Fiction about a crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the crime.
4. Fable: Legendary, supernatural tale demonstrating a useful truth.
5. Fairy Tale: Story about fairies or other magical creatures.
6. Fan Fiction: Fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, or book.
7. Fantasy: Fiction with subplot(s), theme(s), major and minor characters, in which the narrative is presented in verse form (usually free verse).
8. Folklore: The songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or “folk” as handed down by word of mouth.
9. Historical Fiction: Story with fictional characters and events in an historical setting.
10. Horror: Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader.
11. Humor: Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres.
12. Legend: Story, sometimes of a national or folk hero, that has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material.
13. Magical Realism: Story where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic environment.
14. Meta Fiction/Romantic Irony: Uses self-reference to draw attention to itself as a work of art while exposing the “truth” of a story.
15. Mystery: Fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the revealing of secrets.
16. Mythology: Legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods.
17. Mythopoeia: Fiction in which characters from religious mythology, traditional myths, folklore and/or history are recast into a re-imagined realm created by the author.
18. Picture Book: Picture storybook is a book with very little words and a lot of pictures; picture stories are usually for children.
19. Realistic Fiction: Story that is true to life.
20. Science Fiction: Story based on the impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, often set in the future or on other planets.
21. Short Story: Fiction of great brevity, usually supports no subplots.
22. Suspense/Thriller: Fiction about harm about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harm.
23. Tall Tale: Humorous story with blatant exaggerations, such as swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance.
24. Western: Fiction set in the American Old West frontier and typically in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century.

— Non-Fiction:

1. Biography: Narrative of a person’s life; when the author is also the subject, this is an autobiography.
2. Essay: A short literary composition that reflects the author’s outlook or point.
3. Owner’s Manual/Instructional Manual/User’s Guide: An instructional book or booklet that is supplied with consumer products such as vehicles, home appliances, firearms, toys and computer peripherals.
4. Journalism: Reporting on news and current events.
5. Lab Report: A report of an experiment.
6. Memoir: Factual story that focuses on a significant relationship between the writer and a person, place, or object; reads like a short novel.
7. Narrative Non-Fiction/Personal Narrative: Factual information about a significant event presented in a format that tells a story.
8. Reference Book: Such as a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, or atlas.
9. Self-Help Book: Information with the intention of instructing readers on solving personal problems.
10. Speech: Public address or discourse.
11. Textbook: Authoritative and detailed factual description of a topic.

— Fiction Subgenre:

1. Adventure
2. – Epic
3. – Imaginary Voyage
4. – Lost World
5. – Men’s Adventure
6. – Milesian Tale
7. – Picaresque Novel
8. – Robinsonade
9. – – Apocalyptic
10. – Sea Story
11. – Subterranean Fiction
12. Brit Lit
13. Children’s Literature
14. – Young Adult Fiction
15. – – Class S
16. – – Light Novel
17. Education Fiction
18. – Campus Novel
19. – – Campus Murder Mystery
20. – School Story
21. – Romance
22. – Varsity Novel
23. Erotic Fiction
24. – Erotic Romance
25. – Women’s Erotica
26. Experimental Fiction
27. – Antinovel
28. – Ergodic Literature
29. Graphic Novel
30. Historical Fiction
31. – Historical Romance
32. – – Metahistorical Romance
33. – Historical Whodunnit
34. – Holocaust Novel
35. – Plantation Tradition
36. – Prehistoric Fiction
37. – Regency Novel
38. – – Regency Romance
39. – Contradiction
40. Literary Fiction
41. Literary Nonsense
42. Mathematical Fiction
43. Metafiction
44. Non-Fiction Novel
45. – Bildungsroman
46. – Biographical Novel
47. – – Autobiographical Novel
48. – – – Semi-Autobiographical Novel
49. – – – – I Novel
50. – Slave Narrative
51. – – Contemporary Slave Narrative
52. – – Neo-Slave Narrative
53. Occupational Fiction
54. – Hollywood Novel
55. – Lab Lit
56. – Legal Thriller
57. – Medical Fiction
58. – – Medical Romance
59. – Musical Fiction
60. – Sports Fiction
61. Philosophical Fiction
62. – Existentialist Fiction
63. – Novel of Ideas
64. – Philosophical Horror
65. – Platonic Dialogue
66. Political Fiction
67. – Political Satire
68. Pulp Fiction
69. Quantum Fiction
70. Religous Fiction
71. – Christian Fiction
72. – – Christian Science Fiction
73. – – Contemporary Christian Fiction
74. – Islamic Fiction
75. – Jewish Fiction
76. Saga
77. – Family Saga
78. Speculative Fiction
79. – Fantasy
80. – – Epic/High Fantasy
81. – – Hard Fantasy
82. – – Historical Fantasy
83. – – – Prehistoric Fantasy
84. – – – Medieval Fantasy
85. – – – Wuxia
86. – – Low Fantasy
87. – – Urban Fantasy
88. – – – Paranormal Fantasy
89. – – Comic Fantasy
90. – – Contemporary Fantasy
91. – – Dark Fantasy
92. – – Fantasy of Manners
93. – – Heroic Fantasy
94. – – Magic Realism
95. – – Mythic
96. – – Paranormal Fantasy
97. – – Shenmo Fantasy
98. – – Superhero Fantasy
99. – – Sword and Sorcery
100. Horror
101. – – Body Horror
102. – – – Splatterpunk
103. – – Erotic
104. – – Gothic Fiction
105. – – – Southern Fiction
106. – – Psychological
107. – – Supernatural/Paranormal
108. – – – Cosmic(Lovecraftian)
109. – – – Ghost Story
110. – – – Monster Literature
111. – – – – Jiangshi Fiction
112. – – – – Vampire Fiction
113. – – – – Werewolf Fiction
114. – – – Occult Detective
115. Science Fiction
116. – – Alien Invasion
117. – – Post-Apocalyptic
118. – – Cyberpunk Derivatives(Punk)
119. – – – Cyberpunk
120. – – – – Biopunk
121. – – – – Nanopunk
122. – – – – Postcyberpunk
123. – – – Steampunk
124. – – – – Atompunk
125. – – – – Clockpunk
126. – – – – Dieselpunk
127. – – – Dystopian
128. – – – Hard Science Fiction
129. – – – Military Science Fiction
130. – – – Parallel Universe(Alternative Universe)
131. – – – – Alternative History
132. – – – Scientific Romance
133. – – – Soft Science Fiction
134. – – – Space Opera
135. Speculative Cross-Genre Fiction
136. – Bizarro Fiction
137. – Climate Fiction
138. – Dying Earth
139. – Science Fantasy
140. – – Planetary Romance
141. – – – Sword and Planet
142. – – Slipstream
143. – – Weird Fiction
144. – – – New Weird
145. Suspense Fiction
146. – Crime Fiction
147. – Detective Fiction
148. – Gong’an Fiction
149. – Mystery Fiction
150. Thriller
151. – Mystery Fiction
152. – Legal Thriller
153. – Medical Thriller
154. – Political Thriller
155. – – Spy Fiction
156. – Psychological Thriller
157. – Techno-Thriller
158. Tragedy
159. – Melodrama
160. Urban Fiction
161. Westerns
162. Women’s Fiction
163. – Class S
164. – Femslash
165. – Matron Literature
166. – Romance Novel
167. – Yaoi
168. – Yuri
169. Workplace Tell-All
170. General Cross-Genre
171. – Historical Romance
172. – Juvenile Fantasy
173. – LGBT Pulp Fiction
174. – – Gay Male Pulp Fiction
175. – – Lesbian Pulp Fiction
176. – – Lesbian Erotica Fiction
177. – Paranormal Romance
178. – Romantic Fantasy
179. – Tragicomedy

— Non-Fiction Subgenre:

1. Autograph
2. Biography
3. – Memoir
4. – – Autobiography
5. – – – Autobiographical Novel
6. – – – Spiritual Autobiography
7. – – Bildungsroman
8. – – Slave Narrative
9. – – – Contemporary Slave Narrative
10. – – – Neo-Slave Narrative
11. Commentary
12. Creative Nonfiction
13. Critique
14. – Cannonical Criticism
15. – Form Criticism
16. – Higher Criticism
17. – Historical Criticism
18. – Lower Criticism
19. – Narrative Criticism
20. – Postmodern Criticism
21. – Psychological Criticism
22. – Redaction Criticism
23. – Rhetorical Criticism
24. – Socio-Scientific Criticism
25. – Source Criticism
26. – Textual Criticism
27. Cult Literature
28. Diaries and Journals
29. Didactic
30. –  Dialectic
31. – Rabbinic
32. – Aporetic
33. – Elenctic
34. Erotic Literature
35. Essay/Treatise
36. History
37. – Academic History
38. – Genealogy
39. – Narrative
40. – People’s History
41. – Popular History
42. – Official History
43. – Narrative History
44. – Whig History
45. Lament
46. Law
47. – Ceremonial
48. – Family
49. – Levitical
50. – Moral
51. – Natural
52. – Royal Decree
53. – Social
54. Letter
55. Manuscript
56. Philosophy
57. – Metaphysics
58. Poetry
59. Religious Text
60. – Apocalyptic
61. – Apologetics
62. – Chant
63. – Confession
64. – Covenant
65. – Creed
66. – Epistle
67. – – Pauline Epistle
68. – – General Epistle
69. – – Encyclical
70. – Gospel
71. – Homily
72. – Koan
73. – Lectionary
74. – Liturgy
75. – Mystiscism
76. – Occult Literature
77. – Prayer
78. – Philosophy
79. – – Philosophical Theology
80. – – Philosophy of Religion
81. – – Religious Epistemology
82. – Prophecy
83. – – Blessing/Curse
84. – – Messianic Prophecy
85. – – Divination
86. – – Oracle
87. – – – Woe Oracle
88. – – Preditcions
89. – – Vision
90. – Revelation
91. – – Natural Revelation
92. – – Special Revelation
93. – Scripture
94. – – Buddhist Texts
95. – – – Lotus Sutra
96. – – – Tripitaka
97. – – Christian Literature
98. – – – Apocrypha
99. – – – Encyclical
100. – – – New Testament
101. – – – Old Testament
102. – – – Patristic
103. – – – – Anti-Nicene
104. – – – – Post Nicene
105. – – – Psalms
106. – – – – Imprecatory Psalm
107. – – – Pseudepigrapha
108. – – Hindu Literature
109. – – – Bhagavad Gita
110. – – – Vedas
111. – – Islamic literature
112. – – – Haddith
113. – – – Quran
114. – – Jewish Literature
115. – – – Hebrew Poetry
116. – Song
117. – – Dirge
118. – – Hymn
119. – Sutra
120. – Theology
121. – – Apologetics
122. – – Biblical Theology
123. – – Cosmology
124. – – Christology
125. – – Ecclesiology
126. – – Eschatology
127. – – Hamartiology
128. – – Pneumatology
129. – – Mariology
130. – – Natural Theology
131. – – Soteriology
132. – – Theology Proper
133. – Wisdom Literature
134. Scientific Writing
135. Testament
136. True Crime

Now as you can see their are A LOT of Genres and Subgenres for reading and writing. Think of your story carefully, look up what each of these genres mean and what they stand for and see if that is where your story fits. I believe a few more genres were created in the past couple of years such as Fae stories but I have not read one so I am not sure exactly what they contain.

To be honest you can’t just write a book and expect everyone to read it especially when there is a specific genre involved with your story. I have noticed that there are authors out there that purposely put the wrong genre on their books because they don’t like the genres their books belong to. For example you wrote a story that has Romance and Crime Fiction in the obvious forefront of your story but you refuse to see it and say it is Supernatural Fiction instead even though there is nothing supernatural related in your story. Not only are you stubborn in what your story actually belongs to but you are also lying to readers in what your story contains. Now you could say, well they could just read the synopsis of the book to see what it contains. There is another problem, it is surprisingly easy to make your synopsis sound like something else, not to mention your book is found in a section you think your story belongs to. Own up to what your story really is, if everyone is seeing it as a different genre then go back and look at your story again, read other books in the genre you want your story to be in and see what it is missing.

  Next is determining who is capable of reading your book. Now Children are very young and normally fall under 7 years of age. Simple or even small words should be enough for them along with a story they can understand. It can be a story to help teach them like simple education, life that is relatable to them and to help them understand and help them cope at such a young age, and the usual good versus evil stories or just fun little adventures.

  Middlegrade is for much older children that normally fall between 8 and 13 years of age. Small words are no longer necessary but you are free to continue using simple words but do not insult their intelligence, now it is time to use a bit of a wider range of words. Stories begin to be much more relatable and complex, stories that help encourage them to try new things and to never give up trying. You can continue writing stories of the good versus evil approach but as I said, it is time to go a bit more complex with the characters. Just because is not a good enough reason anymore, especially for Middlegrade stories, you can try and write one but some of them will get bored with the story if that will be your only approach to writing a Middlegrade story.

  Next up is Young Adult or YA readers, they normally fall between 14 and 18 years of age. Simple and small words are pretty much pointless, especially as some may only see these words as you insulting their intellience. Begin broadening the use of your words, characters, and story. Relatable and empowering stories is what these guys enjoy from what I have gathered so far but please becareful with how you tell your stories and characters as some may end up taking it as gospel for what the world could truly be. Don’t tell young girls to hate and distrust men, don’t tell young boys to beat and belittle people of another race nor gender unless it is to show those characters are in the wrong but if you won’t show that they will see it as maybe this is okay in society. Here in these stories you are also free to be a little racy if you want.

  New Adult is something I heard of recently and from what I have gathered they fall between the ages of 19 and 26 years of age. Now as I’m sure you know where I am going with this, you are free to increaese and broaden yourself even further, even be racy with your story if you want. You can begin to tell a story to mean something or just tell a story to tell a story, the choice of what will be up to you.

  Lastly we have Adult which are readers older then 27 years of age. Here you have much more freedom in characters, writing, and story telling. These readers should be capable of handling a lot more than younger readers but still treat certain topics with care as lately some people are becoming easily offended with certain topics but the way how I see it, there are small warnings and reviews on books and if they choose to ignore it then it is on them, not you, but that is of course my opinion.

You have plenty of references out there to see what can come from each genre and reader type, some authors even go a bit more with what can go in a book, especially Middlegrade and Young Adult books as the authors believe that younger readers have more intellect to handle certain topics than readers before. Go ahead and write your story but you must understand what your story falls under, IT WIL NOT be done for you.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on types of readers, I honestly can’t wait to hear your opinions on this. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

Mythical Creatures Part 6

NOTE: I created this post to the best of my knowledge on this subject and have provided personal opinions and suggestions on each creature. In no way am I an expert on this subject and am learning still. Please keep this in mind while reading, thank you.

Part 1 Mythical Creatures Part 1

Part 2 Mythical Creatures Part 2

Part 3 Mythical Creatures Part 3

Part 4 Mythical Creatures Part 4

Part 5 Mythical Creatures Part 5

Well here is a new list of mythical creatures, this time focusing on bird like creatures. I never realized the amount of flying creatures found in mythology until I go looking for them and I know there are probably some I’ve missed, and if I have then please let me know.

Cockatrice

As earlier this creature was once known as a basilisk but now the name has changed to a cockatrice, again depending on the writer. Descriptions are the same, a rooster like creature with either feathered or webbed wings and a snake tail. This creature was also known to breathe fire.

Basan

Think of a normal rooster but bigger and can breathe fire. So almost like a cockatrice minus the reptilian features.

Furaribi

This creature is a bird like beast on fire with the head of a dog. So it is almost similar to the phoenix but with the face of a dog and is not reborn in the ashes, also did I forget to mention vengeful.

Itsumade

This creature here has both features from a bird and a snake. It has a body of a snake but feathered wings, beaks, and sometimes feet of a bird. Depending on who is doing the writing they can actually have claws of a reptile or no feet at all and slither about like a snake or fly with its great wings.

Suzaku/Zhu Que/Jujak/Chu Turoc

This creature is very beautiful. It is always known to be read and similar to a pheasant with five, long, and colorful plumage coming from its tail. It is sometimes known to be on fire.

Gandaberunda

This is a large and powerful two headed bird creature.

Jatayu

Think of a large eagle that is able to stand up right like a man. Sometimes the creature has arms like a man or massive wings only. The creature is also powerful, able to fly very high into the sky.

Chamrosh

This creature has a body of a dog with the head and feathered wings of a bird. Some have described it as an eagle head or a falcon.

Roc

Massive and powerful bird capable of carrying an elephant with ease. It is sometimes described as being fully white.

Strix

A bird like creature with a long golden beak, fully feathered body and wings, and black talons with round yellow eyes.

Kongamato

A large bird like creature with webbed wings. This creature is almost similar to a pterodactyl.

Yatagarasu

A crow with three legs.

Griffins

A creature that is half eagle and half lion. The front half is eagle with feathered wings while the back half is lion.

Hippogriff

A creature that is half falcon and half horse. The front half is falcon with feathered wings while the back half is horse.

Thunderbird

This creature is a large bird normally in the shape of an X but still recognizable as a bird. It creates thunder storms and causes heavy rain.

Phoenix

A bird like creature that is either on fire or fully feathered. When the creature dies it is literally reborn in the ashes, meaning when it is time or it is killed it bursts into fire until there is nothing but ashes, and then it is reborn as a baby phoenix. They even have tears of healing.

Owlursus

This is a very interesting creature because it is part bear and part owl. Many have mainly used descriptions of a horned owl but I think you are very much free to use any owl, as for the bear, many have used grizzly bears because of their massive sizes but again I think you should be free to mix and match. Who says you can’t use a snowy owl and a polar bear together? Their back legs have normally been talons while the front is a bears paws. Another notable feature that always remains is the wings. The creature is also known to have fangs of a bear. Some have also described the creature as being able to fly like a griffon or a Pegasus while others describe them as only being able to glide because of its massive weight. You guys decide.

Now although I’ve split up the creatures list a bit I still feel like I’ve missed more. The bird list is done for now along with my mythical creatures list. I hope these lists help you at all in anyway, good luck in creating your world, I look forward to hearing about them.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on mythical creatures, I honestly can’t wait to hear some of the other creatures I have missed. If your favorite is not on this list please let me know so that I can add them as soon as I can. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

Mythical Creatures Part 4

NOTE: I created this post to the best of my knowledge on this subject and have provided personal opinions and suggestions on each creature. In no way am I an expert on this subject and am learning still. Please keep this in mind while reading, thank you.

This list will actually be different from all the ones I did before as this time I will be focusing on mythical races seen and read in Fantasy. There are, I believe, a lot of races in Fantasy that have been used many times, as other authors just create their very own. This list will only focus on the over used races.

Part 1 Mythical Creatures Part 1

Part 2 Mythical Creatures Part 2

Part 3 Mythical Creatures Part 3

Part 4 Mythical Creatures Part 4

Part 5 Mythical Creatures Part 5

Part 6 Mythical Creatures Part 6

Humans

The focus race in a lot of Fantasy stories, humans. They are you and me, we are humans. Descriptions and ability is determined by you, the creator.

High/Light Elves

 

High Elves or Light Elves, whichever wording you’d like to choose, can also be up to interpretation but their appearance is light or pale with long pointed ears. Their skin is light, almost pale, with hair ranging anywhere from white to yellow with bright colored eyes. Elves have known to be fairly tall, about the same height or taller than humans. Their clothing make them appear radiant or heavenly. Abilities can be up to you.

Wood Elves

 

Wood Elves also have long pointed ears but they are somewhat darker in appearance. Their skin can range anywhere from fair to copper. Hair ranges anywhere from golden yellow to black. Their eyes are also known for being darker or just being similar to woodland colors. Elves have known to be fairly tall, about the same height or taller than humans. Their clothing is meant to be more woodland, almost appearing native or druid like. Abilities are up to you.

Dark Elves

Dark Elves have long pointed ears but have a very dark appearance. Hair, eyes, even their skin can be dark but some opt with grey or pale grey or white. Elves have known to be fairly tall, about the same height or taller than humans. Their clothing have always been up to interpretation, but some make them evil because of their names. Note: Because Dark is in the name does not mean they should be automatically evil. Abilities are up to you.

Half Elves

 

Half Elves have a mix of human and elvish qualities. Their ears are pointed but much shorter than other elves. Male Half Elves are capable of growing facial hair like humans but well kempt and kept short where the other elvish races are not. Appearances also range similarly to humans, including in height and clothing. Abilities are up to you.

Dwarves

Dwarves

Dwarves are much shorter than humans, ranging anywhere from 4’0 to 5’0. Depending on the creator they can have pointed ears or round but the male Dwarves always have beards, long or short. Appearances ranges similarly to humans. Clothing have been up to interpretation. Abilities are up to you.

Gnomes

Gnomes

Gnomes are very short, ranging anywhere from 3’0 to 4’0. Many mistake them for children unless they have facial hair or wrinkles. Appearances are similar to humans but clothing have been known to be brighter and cheerful. Abilities are up to you.

Orcs

Orcs

Orcs have been very much up for interpretation. They have been known to be tall, about 6’0 to 7’0, and very muscular with pointed ears, long or short, and sharp tusks protruding from the bottom of their mouths. Abilities are up to you.

Goblins

 

Goblins are another race up for interpretation. They are small but should never be underestimated. They fall anywhere between 3’5 to 4’5. They are known for having long, pointed ears and less then four digit toes and fingers. Abilities are up to you.

Angels

 

These beings are normally beautiful and holy in appearance. They have the appearance of humans along with their height or taller. These beings are graceful and powerful with massive white wings to allow them to fly through the skies and into the heavens. Some describe them with halos or wearing armor to protect them when in battle with demons of hell. The amount of wings on their back is sometimes described dependant on their angelic rank, the rank is dependant on you along with their abilities.

Fallen Angels

 

These beings are almost the complete opposite of Angels. They also have the appearance of humans along with their height or taller. These beings sadly have fallen from grace so most of their clothing and armor is black, tattered, and sometimes described bounded by chains. Their wings are also black and broken or with massive missing plumages. Some have even described them to be a bit more hellish in appearance by giving them demonic qualities such as horns and the like but their feathered wings stay as a reminder of what they once were. Abilities are up to you.

Demons

 

Demons have always been up for interpretation. They can either have the more human appearance or more of a monstrous appearance. Horns, webbed wings, and a barbed or spear tail is the frequent feature for this race. Abilities are up to you.

Gremlins

Gremlins can be shorter than Gnomes, going anywhere from 2’5 to 3’5. This race is also up for interpretation. They are known for having pointed ears, long or short, and sharp fangs and claws. Abilities are up to you.

Vampires

 

Vampires have at times been up for interpretation but the repeating feature is that they look and are dead. They have pale skin, cold to the touch, and sometimes glowing red eyes. Some creators try something new with their eyes like icy blue, silver, or black. Some either have the vampires turn into a monstrous bat or summon wings from their bodies to fly. Sometimes they have short pointed ears or just normal round ones. They do look like humans but if you have other races in your world you can make them any race. They suck blood and either turn other races into their ranks, give birth to vampires, or turn them into mindless ghouls to control. Abilities are up to you.

Were Creatures

 

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These races are forcibly or willingly capable to turn into humanoid animals, the more popular is the Werewolf, Werecat, Werebat, and Werebear. Like Vampires you can either specify them to humans only or other races can turn into such creatures. Abilities and transformations are up to you.

Fairies

 

Fairies are very small, about 1’0 to 2’0. This race is also up for interpretation, wings especially as some go the insect route or floral leaf route. They basically look like humans but with pointed ears, long or short. Their attire has also been very floral or leaf in appearance. Abilities are up to you.

Trolls

 

Trolls have always been up for interpretation as some either do monstrous or more humanoid appearances. They are very tall, about 6’5 to 7’5. They have long tusks protruding from the bottom of their mouths and less then four digit toes and fingers. Abilities are up to you.

Dragonborn

 

Dragonborn is another race up for interpretation. They either have a more human appearance or more of a dragon appearance. The features that remains is webbed wings, horns, a tail, and the capability to breathe fire. They are known to be taller than humans, about 6’0 to 7’0. Abilities are up to you.

Centaurs

 

This race is half human and half horse. The human appearance is very similar to humans minus size as half of the body is that of a horse making them very tall. Abilities are up to you.

Mermaids

 

Mermaids are always up for interpretation. They are half human and half whatever aquatic creature you want, it can be either a dolphin, lion fish, man’o’war, octopus, etc. Abilities are up to you.

Ents and Dryads

 

Ents and Dryads have been known to be together depending on who is telling the story, other than that they have also been separate. Ents are pretty much walking trees with faces, arms, and legs. Dryads look somewhat human but have much more plant and nature about their body. Abilities are up to you.

Satyrs

 

Satyrs are half human and half goat. Although the top half is human they still have a lot of goat features such as horns, hairy arms, and long ears similar to a goat. Abilities are up to you.

Harpies

 

Harpies have been known to be female only but some have been having fun creating male Harpies as well. They are half human and half bird. Their top half is human but instead of human arms they have massive wings to carry them and legs of a bird. Abilities are up to you.

Giants

 

Giants are well massive, human like creatures with profound facial features. They have also been up for interpretation at times especially their sizes, making them anywhere from 7’0 to 8’0 or much, much bigger. Abilities are up to you.

Naga

 

Nagas are half human and half snake. Although top halves have been human some add more snake like features to their faces or in Medusa’s case, snake for hair. Abilities are up to you.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on mythical races, I honestly can’t wait to hear some of the other races I have missed. If your favorite is not on this list please let me know so that I can add them as soon as I can. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

Mythical Creatures Part 3

NOTE: I created this post to the best of my knowledge on this subject and have provided personal opinions and suggestions on each creature. In no way am I an expert on this subject and am learning still. Please keep this in mind while reading, thank you.

This is a continuation of creatures typically seen, heard, and read in fantasy type novels, video games, television shows, etc. This list will only contain some Fantasy fans favorite creatures, dragons.

Part 1 Mythical Creatures Part 1

Part 2 Mythical Creatures Part 2

Part 3 Mythical Creatures Part 3

Part 4 Mythical Creatures Part 4

Part 5 Mythical Creatures Part 5

Part 6 Mythical Creatures Part 6

Drake

 

Like a few other mythical creatures this one has been subject to change. The winged version has especially had several names from salamander, wyrm, drake, or just dragon. They are large, reptilian creatures capable of breathing fire, and fully covered in scales and sometimes many horns about their heads and neck. They have four legs and two webbed wings.

Wyvern

This creature from time to time, depending on the writer, has been known as a drake instead of a wyvern. Like drakes they have scales about their bodies along with many horns about their heads and neck and are capable of breathing fire. They have two legs and two webbed wings, the tip of their wings also act as hands.

Lindworm

This creature can also be considered a dragon. It has a long serpent like body similar to a snake with only two arms and no wings so it can’t fly. Some describe this creature being covered with fur instead of scales.

Qilin/Kirin

Now this is an interesting creature. Depending on who is doing the writing, this creature can be considered a dragon. This creature is very stag like with scales throughout its body with a long tail and two, long, thin whiskers on the side of their nose like a Chinese and Japanese dragon. The stag like features are the antlers, hooves, and even the face can be similar to a stag. It is sometimes known to be on fire.

Longma

This creature is very horse like with dragon features. It has horns about their head and fangs with a somewhat scaly face.

Dragon Turtle

As what you’d expect from the name, the creature is part turtle and part dragon, minus the fire breathing of course. The shell is heavily spiked like a mountain with a reptilian head similar to a snapping turtle, reptilian claws or webbed feet, and a long reptilian or finned tail.

Knucker

This dragon is a long, serpent creature similar to a snake but with four legs like a lizard and two, small, webbed wings. They can’t fully fly but they are capable of gliding and soaring. Like other dragons they are covered in scales and horns about their head.

Chinese Dragon

Chinese and Japanese dragons can be mistaken at times but if you look close enough, you see that they both actually have some key differences. Both dragons are covered in scales with long whiskers on the side of their nose, almost like thin mustaches, and horns similar to tree branches. They are also long, serpent like creatures, similar to a snake with four legs and no wings. These creatures, unlike other dragons also have ears like a horse. The snout to this dragon is short and round with many small spikes going down the back to the tail. Sometimes, depending on who is doing the writing, they are covered in fire. Depending on who is doing the writing, they fly with the use of magic or they do have webbed wings but are apart of the legs connected to the body, giving them abilities to glide instead of fly.

Japanese Dragon

Japanese and Chinese dragons can be mistaken at times but if you look close enough, you see that they both actually have some key differences. Both dragons are covered in scales with long whiskers on the side of their mouths, almost like thin mustaches, and horns similar to tree branches. They are also long, serpent like creatures, similar to a snake with four legs and no wings. These creatures, unlike other dragons also have ears like a horse. The snout is long and slim with soft, long or short hair going down their backs to the tail. Depending on who is doing the writing, they fly with the use of magic or they do have webbed wings but are apart of the legs connected to the body, giving them abilities to glide instead of fly.

Amphithere/Amphitere

This is a very interesting creature and also determines on who is doing the writing. This is a dragon covered in many scales and horns about their heads but their wings can either be fully feathered or webbed but have no legs as the creature is a long, serpent like creature similar to a snake. They can also have either two wings or multiple.

Marsupial

This dragon in no way can be mistaken for a kangaroo but it does move like those creatures and has a pouch over their belly to carry their young as well. They are fully covered in scales with horns about their head and neck and are capable of standing upright on their two hind legs with two somewhat small arms but their webbed wings are surprisingly small. They are in capable of flying but they can help reach taller heights when they make leaps.

Arctic

These are very interesting dragons. Instead of scales they are mainly covered in fur with a scaly underbelly. They do have horns about their heads but instead of breathing fire they can breathe ice and are capable of withstanding the cold but also warm weathers. They have a long body with four legs and no wings.

Frost/Ice

Although these creatures can be mistaken for drakes with their four legs and two webbed wings, they are far from drakes as these creatures live in frozen tundras. Depending on who is doing the writing they are either made completely of  ice or they are just freezing to the touch. They are covered in scales or look like they are with horns about their heads and neck and breathe ice instead of fire.

Dragonette

Think of a velociraptor with two massive webbed wings and there you go, you have your dragonette. They are capable of standing upright on their two hind legs with somewhat small arms. They are fully covered in scales with horns about their heads. The tips of their wings cal also act as hands to help with grabbing things. On their tails, instead of spikes they have fins to help with flying.

Feydragon

These are very beautiful and adorable dragons. They have long bodies and sometimes either two or four legs. Their wings can vary but instead of webbed or feathered, they are insect like, mainly butterflies. They are scaly but have no horns and are small in size, not the size of an insect but of a bird.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on mythical creatures, I honestly can’t wait to hear some of the other creatures I have missed. If your favorite is not on this list please let me know so that I can add them as soon as I can. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

While Writing: What to Listen to?

This weeks post I think is going to be a pretty short and simple one, what should you listen to when writing?

Now I have heard some authors have surprisingly been listening to music with lyrics when writing such as pop, hip hop, country, etc., and honestly I have no idea how. Some even have television shows and movies running in the background while writing. I’ve tried a few times letting shows, movies, and video games play in the background and they are so distracting. Sometimes I accidentally write the quotes from those mediums while I am supposed to be writing MY story. So I am here to suggest what to listen to when writing your stories, whatever they may be.

Soundtracks

 

Now soundtracks, especially from movies and video games, can be some of the coolest, amazing, and epic things to listen to. I especially prefer to listen to soundtracks from fantasy based mediums because they not only have epic music within their track but also some sweet, somber, lighthearted, and mellow music within the track. It is a mixture of things to help you get in the mood and if there is a specific song on that track that really helps for you to write certain scenes in your story you can always play it on loop to help with any immersion needed. You can also try Game of Thrones but to me there is just too much mellow and somber music, of course the show is much darker then certain other fantasy shows and movies, but without a proper diverse soundtrack it can get hard to be in the mood especially if your scene isn’t even a tense scene. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings also has many lighthearted music to go along with your writing if you are looking for some relaxing air to your writing.

Orchestra

 

If you aren’t looking to listen to soundtracks from movies, television shows, and video games then don’t worry you also have conductors and orchestra groups too. You have groups such as The Philharmonic, Two Steps from Hell, Lindsey Stirling, Taylor Davis, the works. You have an assortment of musicians out there to listen to and what is awesome, if you listen on YouTube or Spotify, they recommend more music like what you are listening to so you will have an even bigger selection.

So now that you have things to listen to when writing, what will you give a try?

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on music to listen to, I honestly can’t wait to hear what you listen to when writing. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

Before and After Writing: Titling Your Book

All righty then, I’m sure some of you are wondering, I’ve gotten my journals to jot down everything I need to write my story, characters are figured out, worlds created, and the first draft of my story is done, until you realized, what should my title be?

It’s simple really, right now you just finished your first draft of your story, only have a temporary title ready. It isn’t until after you have fully fleshed out your story can you give it a proper title. The temporary title is something you aren’t fully in love with, it is only there as a placement holder nothing more. Just something to let people know that the title right now is just (Blank), I’m hoping to have something later after my story is more polished. I only say this because if you just create a title now while you are writing your story and you let people know what it is, you may get some negative feedback about the title, how it just doesn’t grab them or the title just doesn’t fit the synopsis you gave them.

Here is an example from my experience:

My first title was Valhalla Warrior of the Gods. After I threw my earliest draft of this story on Wattpad, some have come out not liking the title at all. I’ve heard it isn’t grasping, it is unoriginal, and it does nothing for my story. I was bummed out for a while because I liked it of course but I was forced to look for a new title and so far, no it isn’t easy.

My Titles So Far:

Valhalla Warrior of the Gods(The very first title. My character, Valhalla Onnika, lives in Asgard with Gods and sometimes goes on specific errands for them and the Valkyries that guard Valhalla.)

Valhalla The Red Warrior(Not sure about this one because it might be too simple. My character, Valhalla Onnika, wears red.)

Valhalla Lady of Fire(I like this one because it makes mention of what the main character is in a way. My character, Valhalla Onnika, is a fire sage, meaning she has magic over fire.)

Valhalla The Dragon and The Raven(As much as I really like this one, there is all ready an existing book with this exact title. I like this one because I symbolize the two main characters of my story into the title. My first main character, Valhalla Onnika, has magic over fire but it isn’t simple magic it is magic taught to her by dragons. The second main character, Prince Alistair Hilliard II, is a royal and the crest of his family is a raven upon a violet field.)

Valhalla The Fire and the Raven(A different iteration of the last title.)

Valhalla The Red Dragon and the Violet Raven(I basically kept the title I really liked but added colors to it, not sure about this one either.)

Valhalla The Red Fire and the Violet Raven(A different iteration of the last title.)

When titling your story, this is how I do it: If your story is going to be a series of books then come up with a series name first and it WILL be a good idea to look online if another book has the same series name. I only say this because it would be best to avoid a possible lawsuit and to avoid readers getting confused with two different books with the same name. Second, come up with a name for the book itself. Again look online to make sure there is no other book with the same name. Maybe a theme to go along with each book.

For Example: J.K. Rowling has a book series called Harry Potter. The first book is called The Sorcerer Stone. The second book is called The Chamber of Secrets. The third is The Prisoner of Azkaban. The fourth is The Goblet of Fire. The fifth is The Order of the Phoenix. The sixth is The Half-Blood Prince. The seventh is The Deathly Hollows. Each book is titled after a certain object, place, tale or person that is vital in each of those books. The series name, Harry Potter, is after the main character. The first book, The Sorcerer Stone, is titled after a very important object that Lord Voldemort, the villain of the story, is trying to steal to obtain a fully fleshed body. The second, The Chamber of Secrets, is a place hidden deep under the castle that holds a deadly basilisk controlled by the spirit of Voldemort. The third, The Prisoner of Azkaban, is on Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black who escapes a prison for Wizards, seeking vengeance on the one who betrayed him and Harry Potter’s parents to Lord Voldemort. Do you see a theme here? Just about each title is connected with something Harry Potter must discover what that is that will inevitably lead him to Voldemort, to either prevent the villain from getting or just discovering what he needs in order to combat the villain.

Second Example: George R.R. Martin has a book series called A Song of Ice and Fire, some of you may know it as A Game of Thrones. However A Game of Thrones is the name of the first book, not the series. The second is called A Clash of Kings. The third is A Storm of Swords. The fourth is A Feast for Crows. The fifth is A Dance With Dragons. The sixth is The Winds of Winter with the final book not released yet being called A Dream of Spring. Each book is titled after certain events and historic tales that took place in the past. The first book, A Game of Thrones, is based on an event between specific key characters planning, scheming, and conniving for the right and ability to sit on the iron throne. A line in the book is when you play the game of thrones, you play to win or you die there is no middle ground. The fifth book, A Dance With Dragons, is titled after a book in the story. The book is about a war with dragons where the Targaryan royal family are thrusted in a war with each other for the right to sit on the iron throne. The Targaryan’s ride actual dragons that no longer “exist” in the world of Westeros. The theme for these titles so far is being able to sit on the iron throne or fighting to sit on it to be the true ruler of Westeros. The series name has been theorized since its inception. The series name, A Song of Ice and Fire, may be Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryan, two of the many main characters in the story, coming together but as for how it was titled may be Samwell Tarly, another main character in the story who wanted to be a Maester, a teaching like person that is a witness and discoverer of history, being in his old age wrote or is writing the actual history of what is going on in the books and titling the book the history is written in A Song of Ice and Fire. Pretty interesting huh?

Third example: Morgan Rhodes has a book series called Falling Kingdom which is a little funny because it is also the name of the first book. She is using the book title, Falling Kingdom, as a series title as well which is fine, she is not the only author to do that. The second book is called Rebel Spring. The third is Gathering Darkness. The fourth is Frozen tides. The fifth is Crystal Storm while the sixth book that will be released soon is going to be called Immortal Reign. Seeing as the series title and book one title is the same, we will skip over the reason for a series title here. The first book, Falling Kingdom, is what you expected, A kingdom falls by the hands of another for reasons of keeping the wealth for themselves as other kingdoms struggle to carry on. There is also some jealousy there too. The second book, Rebel Spring, is a group of characters from the fallen kingdom gathering in secret along with a third kingdom that was betrayed coming together to fight back against the kingdom that ruined and possibly destroyed their lives. The third book, Gathering Darkness, may be about a terrible force coming to destroy the land or possibly the world. I am only guessing the third title because I have yet read the series as a whole but I am working on that.

So after your story has been polished enough to where it is time to think up a title, come up with a series name first IF the story is going to be a series of books and/or think up of a title for the books and those after. Right now I am not sure if I should keep the series name Valhalla because, like with The Dragon and the Raven, their is another book series with the name Valhalla but the author has it as The Valhalla Series. The series is not named after a character but it seems to be a Historical Fiction based on Norse Mythology.

 

 

Here are some examples I found when I was venturing through a book store. It was completely by chance and threw me off for a bit. Here I would hear about Production Companies, whether movies or video games, and Musicians freaking out about their products having the same name as something else suddenly start throwing lawsuits at each other to gain royalty fees or just force the other to change the name but here are books keeping the same name. J.R.R. Tolkien has The Return of the King and Brian Windhorst has Return of the King. The difference here is the “The” in the titles, one of them doesn’t have it and of course the covers and genre themselves are also different. Perhaps these two titles can get away with it but what about these other two books, Christopher Paolini has The Inheritance Cycle and N.K. Jemisin has The Inheritance Trilogy. Clearly one has more books then the other but both are in the genre of fantasy with very different book covers and titles. The difference here is one series is a cycle while the other is a trilogy. This is what I mean by things could get confusing especially to readers looking to read one of these books for the first time. At most I can call my series the Valhalla Chronicles but I am still not sure. I tried looking up another series name but I can’t think of anything else besides Valhalla especially when she is very much the forefront of my story. For now I will keep Valhalla as the series name but the first book title is still being a big work in progress.

Be patient and research your title well. I think title generators are pointless especially as it is literally throwing random words together to make a title that may have nothing to do with your story. For now if you are still writing your story then just focus on your story and your characters, the title can come later and it is not something you need to worry about right now. I say this because if you decide to look for a book agent, all fiction stories must be done before they will even read it or even consider representing you. So as I said, take your time, think, and write, write, write.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on titles, I honestly can’t wait to hear about your title ideas. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

Adapting Your Story

NOTE: This topic is an opinion, you in no way have to agree with me or even consider the things I will suggest. This is to help understand the topic and in no way am I saying I am a professional in this topic. Please keep this in mind when reading, thank you.

No one knows a book better then the Author themselves.

Books vs other medias. Now I know many of you don’t care to watch movies that were adapted from books and you know what, that is okay. Movies have to turn your favorite book into an hour and a half to a two and half hour entertainment segment, meaning that many scenes may end up changing and story arcs and characters may end up being dropped from the film, and it will be terrible if one of those characters happen to be your favorite. Then you have the movies that thought it was a good idea to take several books and squish them into one movie or one book and stretch them out into several movies. Either way some will get confused and others will wonder why certain scenes even exist in the movie in the first place. I’m sure some of your responses, including the Authors, will tell those who’ve never read the books, read the books, it is explained a lot better there. NO! That is a terrible response to tell someone who has never read the books, in my opinion. If they go into a movie or a television show and are let down and disappointed from what they saw and you tell them well read the books, it isn’t going to get them to read the books, it will just keep them far from it. If the movie or show was not good in their opinion then what make you think they will even consider the original source?

Remember not everyone likes to read, not everyone likes to watch movies, and not everyone likes to play video games. There are universal fans that will try out every media out there from books to comic books and even mangas. When adapting your story you MUST consider that there are many types of fans out there, and telling them to just read the original source material will not get them to read your books. You must look at these other medias as another way to reach other fans respectfully. Yes some fans that enjoy movies will read your books but then there are those that are just content with just watching and not reading.

First, those who write and/or read Fantasy and Science Fiction novels MUST understand, Science Fiction and Fantasy is very, very, very, VERY expensive to make. Don’t believe me, look into how much some of your favorite Fantasy and Science Fiction movies cost to make from as early as the 60’s to now. Game of Thrones budget for television alone, “Between 2012 and 2015, the average budget per episode increased from $6 million to “at least” $8 million. The sixth-season budget was over $10 million per episode, for a season total of over $100 million and a series record.” That is a lot, Game of Thrones is literally the most expensive television show out there right now, followed by possibly Walking Dead. The budget to make the very first Lord of the Rings movie was $93 million and Ender’s Game budget was anywhere between $110 to $115 million to make. Gone Girl is only a mystery, thriller novel and it cost $61 million to make into a movie. Do you see the difference here? In order for a movie to be successful and continue, the movies in the box office have to try and meet the cost or exceed it. If they fall short, that movie is done. Television shows and video games are the same, if the companies don’t like the numbers well then that is pretty much it for them. You have to convince them that your story is worth something, it is its own story. Don’t let them make the next big thing because that is what they are looking for, the next big thing, and therefore try and make your story similar as the last big thing, and that will also destroy a movie and show.

Some of you out there are also like, CGI vs Practical Effects. Remember, CGI is not as expensive as Practical. Once an actual effect is used but the Director did not like the shot, everything needs to be reset, including all the explosions used for the shot that was just taken. Even animatronics have been known to break on set, setting filming back for a couple of weeks and sometimes months. Jaws wasn’t in most of the movie not because of suspense and thriller, it did help, but it was because the shark kept breaking on set. Yes, there is a thing called too much green screen and not enough of it. There needs to be a nice balance for the two without breaking budget. Costumes are great and all but they also need to function not only nicely and possibly comfortably, but also must be believable. Some actors have come forth hating costumes they wear, the make up they are stuck in for hours breathing in the fumes that coat their skin but aren’t bad for them but really hate the smells. Some Authors even think that maybe animation is just the way to go especially with creatures, magic, and settings that are in their books. Remember many people think animation is just for kids so you must be careful with how companies advertise the animated movies and shows. Don’t shy away from live action adaptation because you are worried about how creatures and magic will look in the movie, odds are it will look amazing regardless, you just need to focus on if the story and characters are adapted properly from how your book is. Don’t fret on the visual effects, don’t believe me watch The Hobbit movies, Game of Thrones, and the Warcraft movie, trust me when I say visually it will look amazing, the story is the real focus here.

I’m sure many of you would love to see your favorite book adapted and I know many of you don’t even want it to be touched and that is understandable but try and look at it from the Author’s point of view, more adaptations means that they will be able to reach more fans, more opportunities for their own books to be heard and possibly read.

If you don’t want to check your favorite story in other medias, that is fine, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, this is more to help reach a larger fan base, as I said more opportunities to allow people to know of Authors stories. Some adaptations are pretty good, great, and some are just, wow! What the hell did I just watch? I am asking that you don’t force fans of other medias to read original sources when in reality they just don’t have the time, patience, or even interest in the original source. Please keep this in mind.

After your novel has become a success, you’ve made it into the New York Times Bestseller lists for many weeks, even months now, there is a chance you may want to adapt your book into something, Movie? Television show? Mangas? Video games? Problem, don’t just jump head first into that opportunity, YOU need to make sure your story will be adapted properly. Don’t be scared down when these other entertainment medias tell you, well we know what we are doing. NO! This is your story and you need to be able to trust that they will do your story justice and not because they are looking for the next big Harry Potter movie or Hunger Games movie. As George R.R. Martin has said, no is the sexiest word in Hollywood. Say no enough times will only make them want you and your story more. You definitely need to be careful about this because not every Author can get away with having it their way, if you demand too much there is a chance they will not want to work with you and tell other production companies about how you are. There needs to be a two way understanding. One is THEY must understand not only you but how much you love your story and how passionate you are to make sure it is adapted as closely as it can be and YOU must understand production companies limits. Learn about what they can and can’t do for your story, if there is too much can’t, then perhaps they are not the company for you OR perhaps your story just can’t be adapted into certain medias and you know what that is okay, there is still plenty of time to try again in the future.

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Other medias

Now there are many other medias out there besides books, there are movies, television shows, mangas, anime’s, comics, video games, and theater plays. Before even accepting any of these other medias, please try and look into them, such as what has been made, ratings, genres, etc.

I can’t stress this enough, ratings for other medias. What I mean is who can actually watch, read, and play your story?

Movies only have 5 ratings:

G: General Audience – All ages admitted. Nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children.

PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give “parental guidance”. May contain some material parents might not like for their young children.

PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.

R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Contains some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them.

NC-17: Adults Only – No One 17 and Under Admitted. Clearly adult. Children are not admitted.

In my opinion, there needs to be at least one more rating in between PG-13 and R. If any of you have ever read The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and The Summoner Trilogy by Taran Matharu, yes the stories are led by a teenager but they literally deal with fighting in war, there is blood, death, and gore about them. This can never be put into a PG-13 movie, to the point the blood in them is only about a coke can full which is in no way believable. Suggestive language is also brought down to a minimum. F-bombs are rarely dropped in these movies, S-bombs are about once or twice in a movie, and B-bombs and D-bombs are very prevalent. Trust me when I say that teenagers do cuss as much as you think. I will go into that extra rating in a bit.

There are 7 Television Ratings:

TV-Y: This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Programs rated TV-Y are designed to be appropriate for all children. The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2–6. According to the FCC, programs rated TV-Y are “not expected to frighten younger children”.

TV-Y7: This program is designed for children age 7 and above. Programs rated TV-Y7 are designed for children aged 7 and above. The FCC implies that it “may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality.” The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating may include ‘comedic violence’, or may be frightening or confusing for children under the age of 7.

TV-Y7 FV: Some programs may be given the “FV” content descriptor if they exhibit more ‘fantasy violence’, and/or are generally more intense or combative than other programs rated TV-Y7.

TV-G: Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Programs rated TV-G are generally suitable for all ages. The FCC states that “this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended.” The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating contain little or no violence, no strong language, and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.

TV-PG: This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Programs rated TV-PG contain material that parental guardians may find inappropriate for younger children.

TV-14: This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. Programs rated TV-14 may contain some material that parental guardians may find unsuitable for children under the age of 14. The FCC warns that “Parents are cautioned to exercise some care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended.”

TV-MA: This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. Programs rated TV-MA are usually designed to be viewed by adults. Some content may be unsuitable for children under 17. This rating is seldom used by broadcast networks or local television stations due to FCC restrictions on program content, although it is commonly applied to television programs featured on certain cable channels and pay television networks for both mainstream and pornographic programs.

Additions:

D: Suggestive Dialogue

L: Coarse Language

S: Sexual Content

V: Violence

FV: Fantasy Violence

E/I: Educational & Informative

There are 7 Ratings for Video Games:

EC: Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.

E: Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for general audiences. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, and/or infrequent use of mild language. For children 6+.

E10+: Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for general audiences ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes.

T: Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.

M: Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

AO: Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

RP: Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game’s release.)

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Now that you know ratings from some of the other medias out there, do you know what your book falls under?

Earlier when I said that there needs to be at least one more movie rating between PG-13 and R is because the taste between a 13 year old and a 16 year old is vastly different. War and battle to the extent of Saving Private Ryan can actually be read in Young Adult books like The Inheritance Cycle by  Christopher Paolini, The Summoner Series by  Taran Matharu, The Falling Kingdom Series by  Morgan Rhodes, etc. A 16 year old is able to handle graphic violence a little or a lot better then a 13 year old and younger can yet they are stuck in the PG-13 Movie Ratings. The Hunger Games movies in a way suffered when they couldn’t properly portray the violence that was described in the books, therefore underwhelming the fans of the original source material. Video games have Ratings for teenagers of all ages, some games specifically for 13 to 14 year old’s and some for 15 – 17 year old’s. So why can’t we have Movies specifically for 16+? Television shows rated TV-14 get away with way more then a PG-13 movie, there is clearly a problem here and certain Young Adult books with stronger content will suffer immensely if left in movie ratings of PG-13. As I said in the beginning, no one knows a book better then the Author themselves.

If perhaps movies, television shows, and video games is just a bit too much for you at the moment you can try other reading medias such as comic books and mangas. Basically it is like reading your book but with pictures and no I don’t mean a children’s picture book. Detailed drawings with dialogues straight from your own novel, actual depictions of characters and scenes laid out for all to see, exactly as how you described them in your book. George R.R. Martin not only turned his A Game of Thrones Book Series into a show and a short video game but also as a comic book series. Some of the James Bond books also turned into a comic series and some of James Patterson books have been turned into manga series such as his Maximum Ride books and his Witch and Wizard books.

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See, you have many opportunities to turn your books into more then just your book and be able to reach an assortment of fans out there. It is all up to you, how respectful you are towards other medias and how respectful you are towards other types of fans out there will really help let your stories sore. Be open minded, be educated, and spread your wings as far as you can make them, your journey is literally just beginning.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on adapting your story, I honestly can’t wait to hear your opinion on this topic. Please stay tune for another post next Wednesday. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.