Category Archives: Writings about Writing

Thoughts and tips about the craft

World-Building Tips: Creating a Magic System – Part 2

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In my previous blog post, I went over some simple world-building tips for anyone writing fantasy who is creating a magic system for their world. No matter how unique you want to make your fictional world, things within the story should follow the rules of the world you’ve built. This creates consistency and helps build trust with the reader; this makes your story more believable, no matter how fantastical some elements may be. 

There are a few more basic concepts that I think can help writers to build the structure of magic within their fantasy world. Answering these questions can help you think more deeply about how you want magic to work in your story. 

Societal View of Magic 

How does the society of your world view magic? Is it just an everyday thing, or reserved for special people or special occasions? Is it viewed positively or negatively, or kept a secret? A society that casts spells with the same casualness and frequency that we check our smart phones would be very different from a society that hunts down magic users and puts them in prison. The cultural ideals regarding magic should be a huge element in your worldbuilding. 

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World Building Tips: Creating a Magic System – Part 1

Posted in Writings about Writing by

For the next couple of posts, I’m going to discuss some simple world-building tips for anyone writing fantasy who is creating a magic system for their world. No matter how unique you want to make your fictional world, things within the story should follow the rules of the world you’ve built. This creates consistency and helps build trust with the reader; this makes your story more believable, no matter how fantastical some elements may be.

There are a few basic concepts that I think can help writers to build the structure of magic within their fantasy world. Answering these questions can help you think more deeply about how you want magic to work in your story.

Continue reading →

Tips for Naming Your Characters

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Choosing names for your characters is an important, and sometimes challenging, process. There are many different ways that writers have of choosing character names. Sometimes an author has a favorite naming method, and sometimes the story itself determines the types of names (and ways of choosing them). Here are a few suggestions for picking the perfect character names for your next story: 

Meaning 

Many authors like to choose character names that mean something—whether that meaning is addressed in the story or not. Many baby name websites have name meanings, but one of the most comprehensive name meaning sites is Behind the Name. 

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POV Pros and Cons

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I’ve seen many beginning writers ask “what point of view should my story be told in?” I believe there’s no right or wrong answer to this, and certainly no one-size-fits-all answer. Many writers will start writing in third person, realize the story just isn’t working, and switch to first person, and then everything flows (or start out in first and switch to third, or some other combination). At any rate, the story itself should be the thing that tells you whether to write in first person, third person, one point of view, many, or some other arrangement. 

If you’re struggling with POV (Point Of View), here’s a quick guide that maybe can help you figure out what’s best for you and your story: 

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What is Art, Really?

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What is art? It can be a hard question to define, especially in today’s world of AI generated art. One of the definitions given by Merriam-Webster is “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” 

I don’t want this blog to dissolve into a rant (or argument in the comments) about the pros and cons of AI in the world of writing and visual art. I will say that I support it as a tool—just like other computer-aided art programs that came before, and computer-aided editing tools like spell check. But just like any carpenter or handyman will tell you, one tool is not enough—and no one particular tool is better than all the others. A range of tools, and the skill and knowledge to use them well, gives the handyman/artist the best opportunity to create an excellent final product. 

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