#stephrawlingwrites

1.) Set the mood

Think about what makes your writing sessions productive. Do you need a cup of tea? Make one! (And grab yourself a glass of water while you’re at it. Writing is thirsty work and once you get up, you might not sit back down!) Does your desk need to be cleared off? Take a couple minutes to clear the clutter!

2.) Find your tools

Grab whatever you need to write. Grab your lucky pen and notebook, your laptop charger, a snack, everything you need. Put on your favorite playlist and take a seat. You’ve got some work to do.

Open your notebook or document to where you left off. Pull out your pen, pencil or keyboard and take a deep breath. Reread the last couple sentences. If you can’t continue from there or you just aren’t feeling the scene anymore, take a break to clear your mind, then see if you can go back and pick up where you left off.

3.) Clear your mind

Open to a blank page in your notebook or create a blank word document. Write everything that happened to you today up until this point. Did you have a lousy day? Write what made today so lousy. Have something you wish you could say to someone but don’t really want to? Write it here. Write about your crush. Write about that argument you and your sister got into. Use this time as a brain dump just to get some words on a page.

Maybe you have a story idea you want to write down before you forget or a snippet from a future scene? Jot it down and highlight or circle it. You don’t need to save this document, but if you wrote anything important, you might want to save that snippet.

4.) Pick a theme

Have you ever done a focused free write? Pick a theme. It can be an emotion, an item, a character or setting from your story; pick whatever strikes your fancy. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and in that time, write everything that comes to mind when you think about that theme.

You don’t need to use complete sentences. This can be a list, random words, feelings you associate with that, descriptions, how one of your characters would interact with this object, or anything else. The point here is to get some words on the page through association.

Can’t think of a theme? Check out @deepwaterwritingprompts or @writing-prompt-s for some writing prompts and try a similar exercize.

5.) Give your story another shot

Did you get into the groove? Did you feel like you can write? Great! Open back to your story and start up again. Even if you can’t finish that particular scene, throw in a couple enters or a page break and start writing a scene that you really want to write.

If you decide to skip ahead, try to write a couple of sentences of what happens between where you left off and where you start back up. This doesn’t need to be eloquent or beautiful or even full sentences. Just an idea of how your characters can get from point A to point B.

Here’s an example of something I’ve written when I didn’t want to finish the scene in Illusions of Hope:

Kreisla was right. Job boards full of listings. Red - salvage, blue - ROSE Corp., yellow - mining, green - bounties and missing persons.

Investigative journalism may not be a career path on Caldera, but an investigator/bounty hunter? might not be a bad idea. She found a job, some kid had skipped town on a debtor and was presumed to be in [NAME THIS GOD DAMN CITY ALREADY]. That couldn’t be too hard.

6.) Don’t give up

Maybe today just wasn’t a good day to write. That’s OKAY. You’re not going to be able to wake up every day and write 5,000 words. You might not even be able to wake up every day and write 1,667 words.

YOU ARE VALID no matter how many words you write in a session. YOU ARE VALID if you didn’t even open your word doc today. YOU ARE VALID if the words you wrote weren’t up to your standard.

No matter where you are in your writing process, your words don’t need to be perfect. You can always come back later to make revisions or rewrite entire scenes. The biggest fear I face when I’m looking a blank page is that the words I write won’t be perfect. The perfect first draft is a myth, just like the perfect final draft.

I believe in you. Don’t give up.

hhh…I haven’t thought abt minerals/gems at all tbh except based on the world’s internal logic, there would be several main indicators of value that would intersect: 

simplest structure/easiest for Ciaric folks to work with, (something like olivine, perhaps) (for context, I’m talking abt a magic system)

properties like hardness, softness, conductivity, etc that can be useful

rarity (ofc)

difficulty to work with (a finished product made of a complex material would be more expensive than one made of an easier material, especially because the reason you would make that is because of #2)

and of course all this is related to technological advancement. 

How the Ciaric magic system translates the most into functional use is pretty much super good manufacturing skills, so folks in Ciar/Daenar generally have the most access to the best tech. (two countries, same race.) However, it’s more complicated than that. 

Both Ciar And Daenar engage in a lot of trade w/ Tarrian (bigger region w/ ppl who can’t do magic,) but of course that’s uneven bc Tarrian isn’t very centralized. But Tarrian provides a lot of raw materials for Ciar and Daenar, and imports a lot of their goods, so in places w/ a lot of trade, Ciaric goods are pretty accessible. Breidon is the biggest Tarrish trading city, and if you’re a rich person in Breidon, you’ll probably have a better standard of living/higher tech than if you’re a Midrian living in Daenar (bc you’re basically a second class citizen/not even allowed to be a citizen but ANYway)

congrats if you got through that paragraph w/ me just throwing my lingo everywhere

in terms of actual level of tech…it’s kinda hard to explain/some of it is still up in the air. They don’t really use steam or combustion engines (I don’t think) but they do have train-style transport on track systems, which originally had something to do w/ electromagnetism but now I’m not sure… and they do use electricity but not quite in the same way we do

so anyway in Ciar, you’ll see electric lighting and free public transport and running water and temperature control and all that jazz

in rural parts of Tarrian, you’ll see oil lamps and people traveling on horses/carts/on foot and going out to the well for water and stuff like that

OK and then abt families…

back in ye olde days, extended families were super important in Ciar, and things got pretty out of hand w/ family allegiances and feuds and tribalism (is that the right word?) a la Romeo and Juliet and everything was basically controlled by a few Ciaric High Families and things got so out of control that they basically revolutionized their society and swung things really far in the opposite direction. (This is also around the same time that a lot of people left for the mainland and voila that was the beginning of Daenar but there was multiple reasons for that)

So anyway nowadays things are different. Family names were abolished, and so everyone gets addressed by their first name (you have a second name for legal/administrative purposes but those aren’t inherited; they’re assigned when you reach legal adulthood.) The only legally recognized family bonds are spouse/spouse and parent/child. (aka you’re not legally related to your sibling/grandparent/aunt etc.) And community is supposed to take precedence over family ties. It’s seen as kinda unpatriotic and sketchy to be super tight w/ your extended family. 

So in Ciar, people generally “live” with just their spouse and non-adult kids if they have them. Doesn’t this get lonely? No. This ties into the fact that most of Ciar is technically one giant building. People don’t have houses, they have rooms, basically. They’re tight w/ their neighbors bc functionally they do pretty much live together. The concept of a “family unit” is pretty loose and almost doesn’t exist. 

Daenar is kind of like this but not as extreme. They still don’t have family names and all that, but they do have separate houses. (and lots of apartments but anyway.) But it’s much more common in Daenar for a few different couples to live together, or a group of friends or whatever. 

The Midrians are…pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum. Family and extended family is super super important, as is genealogy and respect for ancestors. (This ties into the midrian magic system a lot.) This is a huge reason that Daenic ppl don’t like the Midrians, bc Ciaric/Daenic culture sees family allegiance as primitive and their own way of life as more civilized. 

Midrians will often live together as extended families, with grandparents or great-grandparents as the patriarch and matriarch. Of course, because of forced assimilation, a lot of them don’t anymore… esp those who are more well off and live outside fo the Midrian districts, as the way to do that is pretty much to be a solo/traveling worker and maybe shack up w/ a few friends. 

Tarrish families will vary a lot based on socioeconomic status, and urban/rural divides but they’re more in-between: maybe something like a “nuclear family” with a grandparent or uncle or something thrown in. And they’re like allowed to ya know, hang out w/ their cousins or something without it being weird. 

This is funny because half my characters actually have powers so they’re kinda out of the running for this ask

However I do think Hallie (who has super speed powers) would be delighted to be able to talk to animals

As would Zach from TREE Series. He’d also like to read minds.

I know I left this off for so long but these are super interesting questions and I had to think about it for a while. (And I may have also forgotten that it was in my inbox, that happens. ^^’) Thank you so much for doing this!

So, because my wip takes place in the “real world” during 1716, there’s not much of interest in the worldbuilding of the human world. But what about the sirens? Warning for moderately big spoilers from One Siren’s Soul, specifically about how siren society works and about some of the siren species themselves~

Hi @stephrawlingwrites! Thank you thank you for the asks! I admire your dedication to sending out all these questions, you’re a boss.

Which of your OCs doesn’t need coffee to wake up?

Mel. Oh my God she is the most insufferable morning person. She also doesn’t sleep much, so she’s always up early. Her favorite morning activity is tormenting Gemma with her positivity before 8am.

Your OCs are having a picnic, what does everyone bring? Is anyone left out?

No one is ever left out in this town. It’s almost too friendly.

Gemma and Mel: Gemma helps Mel bake bread and cookies. And by “helps” I mean hands her things and looks over her shoulder and wanders back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. Gemma makes a mean mocktail, though.

Fred: Cheese plate, crackers, and a big jug of lemonade. But he forgets plates and cups. Woops.

Oz and Harry: Oz actually helps Harry make a ton of sandwiches, including vegetarian and gluten free options. He has to force Harry to let him help, though, because “Goddamnit, woman, I can put a sandwich together, I’m not a baby.” Harry also bakes a few pies. I mean, she can’t not bring pie. That’d be sacrilegious. 

Treena: Brings the plates, cups, and silverware everyone else forgets. And the blanket and/or tablecloth. 

Mary: Caprese salad with Fred’s tomatoes and a bunch of fruit! Gotta be healthy at least once a day. 

Are any of your OCs afraid of heights? Have they had a bad experience that led to this fear?

Ooh, these look fun! Thanks for asking!

So… Fri-yay as in they’re excited for it? Maybe it has something to do with younger characters, but Lou and Aoife would both do just that!

Scarlet is definitely the one I identify with red, because she’s the Red Riding Hood of her universe. Besides that, she’s also the one who gets really fired up and passionate about things, and if she decides she likes you, she’s also one of the warmest characters. If she likes you.

I’m creating this character, Alice, a little differently than I normally do. Generally, I get an image in my head of what the character looks like, and then I’ll narrow down personality traits and names as I get to know them a little better. After I do this development, I then figure out the plot and plan the rest of the story. (This is just one of the many methods I use to develop my characters. )

The Whitebridge Chronicles series is interesting for me in that NONE of the characters have been created in this way. Every one of the people of Whitebridge has been a quick one-line idea that has then expanded into a character and eventually a story.

A Study of Character: Alice Canterbury

Original Concept: A superstitious character whose life revolves around their superstitious beliefs.

What do I know already?

Alice has lived in Whitebridge for her entire life.

Alice is superstitious to the point it takes a toll on her interactions with others.

Alice’s superstitious habits affect the people around her.

After I have this brief character sketch, the next step is to flesh it out. I can do that by asking some questions on what would drive the plot.

How will the existing personality traits create conflict?

She often unintentionally offends people because of the superstitions she follows.

If her superstitions and rituals serve a purpose, something bad could happen if she were unable to perform them correctly.

What are her goals or motivations?

Because of her superstitious beliefs, she wants some things changed around the town. This could create personal comfort/peace of mind, or to prevent something from happening.

Who or what would make sense as an adversary?

A town mayor or authority figure who has to address both complaints made by and about her.

The people making complaints about Alice.

The people affected by the complaints Alice is making.

If these superstitions serve a purpose, the thing she is preventing from happening.

Now that I have some of the basic makings of the story, I can come up with some plot ideas. These are going to be really simple, no longer than a paragraph and are always subject to change.

Relevant plot ideas:

Alice makes a complaint to the mayor. The mayor addresses the complaint. The resolved complain creates a new issue. The new issue is resolved and everyone moves on with their lives.

The mayor approaches Alice about a complaint about her. Alice decides to confront the person who made the complaint. The confrontation leads to a disagreement and becomes destructive. Alice and the disgruntled neighbor resolve the conflict and make good on the damages.

Alice is unable to properly perform one of her superstitious rituals. Because of this, something terrible happens. The town comes together to resolve this terrible event and they all come to a better understanding of Alice because of this.

Now that I’m armed with three new story ideas, I’m going to pick one and develop her character to benefit the plot.

Questions to consider:

If her superstitions are preventative measures, are they passed down through her family? If not, is it a hereditary condition or learned behavior?

Does Alice have any close friends or family who understand the meaning behind her unusual behaviors?

Who are the other characters in this story and what do their interactions with Alice look like?

Does Alice have any other personality traits that will affect the direction of the story?

What does Alice’s life look like? Does she have a job? Did she inherit money?

Now that I have all of this to work from, I can move forward with this story!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send me an ask or complete THIS SURVEY (anonymous). My ask box is always open.