Felix Antonia

Hype people up for your original writing project (no fanfiction please- it's a wonderful medium but not the focus of this blog post) or work in progress by giving us some juicy details!

TODAY'S QUESTION:

Original novel

Graphic novel 1

TV show

Graphic novel 2

Novel 2

Novel 3

Novel 4

That you don't have to keep That Thing™ in your story just because you came up with it a long time ago and now it's hindering your story or doesn't fit anymore. Even if you came up with it with someone. Even if you've shared it with a million people.

Save it for something else. But cut it out of the story that it isnt working for.

Hype people up for your original writing project (no fanfiction please- it's a wonderful medium but not the focus of this blog post) or work in progress by giving us some juicy details!

TODAY'S QUESTION:

Original novel

Graphic novel 1

TV show

Graphic novel 2

Novel 2

Novel 3

Novel 4

We all know buying books is a great way to support indie authors but not everyone has the budget for every title they want. The good news is that there are so many ways to help an author’s career that don’t cost a cent.

Here are some ideas:

Sign up for their newsletter. This keeps you connected and boosts their mailing list numbers, which helps with visibility and credibility.

Talk about their work online. Share what you loved, favorite quotes, or why you’d recommend it. Tag the author so they can see it!

Make fandom content. Moodboards, fanart, fanfiction, playlists—these not only spread the word, they keep the author’s work alive in the conversation.

Join their community. Be active in their tags, Discords, or reader groups. This makes the fandom more welcoming for newcomers.

Send them a kind message. Knowing someone connected with their work can keep an author going through the tough days.

My love for queer historical fiction is limitless and exceptionally growing, especially those with an alternate universe or a magical setting.

Turns out it’s herding cats. Half of them are on fire, and the other half are narrative choices I don’t remember making.

Here’s how to build worlds that feel ancient, lived-in, even when your creatures can breathe lightning and your magic can shatter mountains.

1. Magic Needs Rules

You don’t need a 10-page magic system. You need logic.

Think of magic like weather: predictable in broad strokes, chaotic in the details.

Ask yourself:

What fuels it? Emotion, will, ritual, blood, belief?

What costs come with using it?

What can’t magic fix?

Magic becomes real when it has boundaries.

Example:

Fire magic isn’t powered by heat — it’s powered by conviction.

Weak will = weak flame.

Now everything feels tied to character.

2. Dragons Need to Behave Like Creatures

Dragons aren’t props. They’re forces of nature with instinct, intelligence, culture, and agenda.

Give them:

behaviour shaped by biology (territoriality, nesting, hoarding, migration patterns)

behaviour shaped by emotion (fire dragons run hot when angry; lightning dragons spark when startled)

behaviour shaped by history (why is a dragon protecting villagers like hatchlings?)

Even if you don’t explain it immediately, you should know the why. Or at least what the characters think is the why.

3. Myths aren't all complete, or always truthful

No real-world mythos is perfectly preserved.

Let your world feel ancient by including:

half-remembered songs

crumbling scripture

contradictory stories

misinterpretations

rituals whose original purpose has been lost

Readers love piecing things together.

Example:

A village recites a winter hymn to “Stonefather,” unaware it was once a warning against awakening a mountain wyrm.

4. Build Cultures

Fantasy settings feel real when they behave like societies

Think about:

how people eat

how they swear

how they bury their dead

how magic influences daily life

what they fear, worship, avoid, celebrate

Culture = worldview.

Worldview = conflict.

Conflict = story.

5. Geography

People don’t live on floating islands “because it’s cool.”

They live there because:

storms tear the surface

magic wells poison the ground

dragons nest in the valleys

old gods sleep beneath the mountains

Let your locations have consequences.

Then your world feels like it existed from even before your story begun.

6. Symbolism

Symbolism makes your world feel intentional without forcing exposition.

Tie elements together:

Fire = renewal, fury, rebirth

Ice = memory, restraint, stillness

Lightning = judgement, clarity, divine anger

Stone = steadfast, oathkeeping

Storm = change, rebellion

Silence = secrets, forgotten gods

Let your dragons, magic, religions, architecture, and folklore echo meanings.

Then everything feels like part of the same world.

7. Keep the Mystery

Don't feel the need to explain everything because you want every reader to know it. People love finding things in stories.

But you do have to stay consistent with:

tone

rules

character beliefs

cause and effect

A dragon disappearing for “plot reasons” feels cheap.

A dragon disappearing because storms disrupt migration patterns? That feels like a world with its own logic.

8. Tie the Impossible to the Emotional

Magic becomes compelling when it reflects the inner story.

A reluctant hero whose powers flare under fear.

A grief-ridden mage whose spells frost over whenever she remembers him.

A dragon who refuses to burn a village because a child once sang to him.

The fantastical should reveal something about the people within it.

That’s what makes it powerful.

9. Let Your Characters Interpret the World Wrong

The reader shouldn’t know more than the characters, at least not immediately.

Let locals get superstitions wrong. Let priests misquote scriptures. Let scholars argue over dragon origins. Let villagers swear the mountains move at night.

When you finally reveal the truth, it lands harder.

10. Above All: Consistency!!

You don’t need to explain how dragons fly with wings too small, just make it consistent and let the world accept it.

You don’t need to explain what magic “is” so long as the effects behave believably.

She has an unlikely set of skills: Stick her with a set of skills or talents that might not pair well with her occupation or personality. Maybe she's a hellish warrior who's a beast at knitting. Maybe she's a wallflower with a four-octave singing voice. The combinations are really endless, and this is a great and easy way to inject some extra charm into her.

She doesn't exactly conform to societal norm views: And I mean this more than just not adhering to traditional gender roles. Maybe, in the scope of your world, she has a set of views that many might consider unorthodox, or maybe she's just a little more "off the wall" with her opinions than the other characters around her.

Identity crisis, identity crisis, identity crisis: Have her balance different roles that seem like they have no business mixing together. Have her face a trial that makes her question everything. Have her wrestle with the skeletons in her closet (literally or figuratively, whatever you think fits her situation better). Not only will this help make her more relatable, but its a great way to give her some internal strife.

She doesn't know who to support: Is she stuck in between two warring families? Or, maybe the will of her superior vs. the will of her beloved? Whatever the struggle is, giving her a sense of uncertainty around who to support can go a long way in terms of her own conflict and keeping reader interest.

A strong sense of justice goes a long way: I LOVE a girl who has a strong moral compass. Give us the girl who's up in arms about serving justice in the way she believe is right. Bonus points if she will do absolutely anything and everything to defend her ideals. Extra bonus points if her sense of justice doesn't exactly seem "kosher" on paper...

...or maybe it's ever changing: But, on the flip side of that, a more flimsy sense of justice--one that almost appears to change with the tide or time of day--can also pique some interest. This is more than just plain grey morality; this is morality that can flip for any reason.

Traits that don't seem to match up: Like the skills suggestion, this encompasses general personality traits rather than skills. Give us the fiercely independent woman that absolutely craves human touch, or the high IQ genius who has no sense of emotional intelligence, or the fearless leader who wants nothing more than to fall to the background. You can really go nuts here, too!

She's obsessed with SOMETHING: Whether its an obsession or an addiction, this is something I feel like I don't see a lot of in female characters. It could be a substance, or a person, or even a concept. Bonus points if she compromises whatever she might be doing to touch on this obsession. Drive it home for us, writer.

Double life, maybe?: Whether its metaphorical or totally literal, this trait is a great way to dig down to her depths and tack on some intrigue with her character. Is she really hiding a secret identity? Or is she trying to reconcile two contrasting parts of herself?

She's confident in her femininity: Look, I love me a woman who defies gender norms and goes against the grain of femininity, but in that regard, I feel like there isn't enough writing about characters who embrace it. That doesn't always have to be falling into gender roles, but maybe she's really in tune with her nurturing side. Maybe she's the picture of grace. Maybe she just really likes dolling herself up and looking pretty. There's nothing wrong having any of these traits, so having her be confident in them could be a breath of fresh air!

She knows her tastes and she knows them well: Is she goth? Is she coquette? Is she all glam? However she rolls, she knows how she wants to look, and she sure as shit embraces it in her overall aesthetic.

She's a leader...and an imperfect one at that: Yes, this is a dig at the classic "Strong Female Lead." The fact of the matter is that even the best leaders are imperfect, so if your FMC finds herself at the front of a rebellion or an organization, really emphasizing her imperfections can give her some nuance that doesn't make her seem totally and completely untouchable.

As always, gooooooooooooo fucking write something today <3

how much blood is she covered in

are her eyes filled with madness

But realistically, that’s not where we’re at: the general-audiences million-viewers TV show will signal early and often that unlike the protagonist, these other characters are The Gay Ones. And as long as the characters are treated well, narratively, that’s not a bad step. It’s an increasingly common one, from my perspective.