Star Spun Souls

This post is part of a series to augment the Guest Resources available for free download. This and other guest-inspired content is gathered in my Guest Directory for you to explore. Find my personal inspirations in the Spark Directory . One of the most cohesive, customer-oriented brands I've encountered is that of Tara Swiger , a self-described "pink-haired author, maker and Starship Captain." Though she began entrepreneurship selling hand-dyed yarn, her small business experience led her to teach marketing insights adapted for the creative community. Now, owners of handmade businesses across the globe find direction and camaraderie through her online courses, books, and in-person classes. Unabashedly herself, Tara Swiger built her niche as a genuine, compassionate guide into the intricacies of a profitable craft business. By pinpointing the common traits of creative personalities, Tara...

This post is Part 5 of a series to augment the Atlas of the Known World available for free download. Start with Part 1 here . This and other TotKW maps are gathered in my Map Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! The Forests of Kalrein Towering black pines of the faeries. Geography and Climate In Chapter 3 of Awakening , the Forests of Kalrein lie north of the Front Rishi , filling the western reaches of Allana. The black pine forests are deep and dark, stretching west of the D'jed Mountains and forming the southern border of the Draconans . Springs are rainy and summers warm, but autumn brings cold downpours and snow crusts the winter pines. This region also borders the Plains of Rishi , the Great Sea, and the North Sea. Flora and Fauna The black pines of Kalrein support a flourishing food chain. Insects, birds, and small woodland creatures thrive off the cones of the pines, as...

In the novel Awakening , there are 23 portents fortelling the events of the unfolding saga. Start with Portent I here . These and other riddles in rhyme are gathered in the Portents Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! From darkness warped and witnessed hence The builders rise beneath the fall Of prince enthralled as fled he whence The binder heard the master's call Awakening astride the rift Of knowledge gained and lessons learned The builder freed would freely gift Unbridled bride and suitor spurned They flame and bound and binder met Who begged forsaken their consent When evil stole away his debt By darkness came and darkness went. Can you decode the future Tales of the Known World ? Share your interpretation! Comment below with your take on this portent. This prophesy details the events that unfold in Part 2 of Awake...

This post is Part 4 of a series to augment the Atlas of the Known World available for free download. Start with Part 1 here . This and other TotKW maps are gathered in my Map Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! The Sutek Desert Eternal sands of the mystic Dua Dara. Geography and Climate In Chapter 2 of Awakening , the reddish sands of the Sutek stretch from the back of the D'jed Mountains to Allana's east coast. There, the elevation sheers into steep cliffs and escarpments. To the south, dunes spill out into the neighboring plains, while in the north, desert highlands sprout rocky buttes from coarser sands. Few clouds pass the D'jed to rain on the Sutek, so water is pulled from wells and the rare oasis. Arid summers scorch the lapsing breeze, until winter's cooling air stirs whirlwinds and raging sandstorms. This region also borders the Katei Ocean and the Back Rishi , ...

This post is Part 1 of a series to augment the Tips for Writing Fiction available for free download. This and other writing workshops are gathered in my Workshops Directory for you to explore. Find more guest-inspired content in my Guest Directory . This week, I'm pleased to introduce guest blogger Jocelyn Crawley, author of Erudition . Her top five favorite sentences unveil the precision writers use to craft their best work. I don't do much outside of writing except reading. And when I read, I'm always on the lookout for writers that have an innovative way of doing things. Whether the doing involves an exceptional articulation of the absurd or an inventive complication of something simple, ingesting a well-written sentence is an activity that leaves me in a state of mental reverie. Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to read a lot of really great bo...

In the novel Awakening , there are 23 portents fortelling the events of the unfolding saga. Start with Portent I here . These and other riddles in rhyme are gathered in the Portents Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! The hidden prince unveiled his plan To take the darkened sky But mountain met where time began Awaiting flame to cry With flame without the flame within Did flee through snow and hate To meet another shifting sin And find A'lara's mate The bound with binder came to flee The builder sent to wed Adopting long mistaken key When mages both lay dead At last the stolen builder deems Escape from master right Awakening from broken dreams To flee unto the sight The dragon mage emboldened fled The builder's errant son And master drank the growing dread Of destiny begun. Can you decode the future Tales...

This post is Part 3 of a series to augment the Atlas of the Known World available for free download. Start with Part 1 here . This and other TotKW maps are gathered in my Map Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! The Khollek Mountains Land of icy crags and broken shale. Geography and Climate In Chapter 1 of Awakening , the Khollek Mountains cover the western side of the small northern continent of Kholl . The rugged shale mountains are old and crumbling, pulverized by icy polar winds swirling from the northwest. The whole mountain range will someday erode into cold sand. Summers are short but the days grow long. In winter, the dark of night stretches three times as long as daylight, and the spring snowmelt fills a modest network of lakes and rivers. This region also borders the Katei Ocean , Kondak Sea, and Heleki Desert. Flora and Fauna The crumbling shale of the Khollek Mountains produces ...

This post is Part 1 of a series to augment the Tips for Writing Fiction available for free download. This and other writing workshops are gathered in my Workshops Directory for you to explore. Find more website tag definitions in my Index Directory . Why do so many good editors never become authors? Because a novel is not just a well-worded manuscript. All writing is the composite of two separate skillsets: the language skills that a wordsmith displays, and storycraft, the art of storytelling. While the wordsmith hammers out an engaging manuscript, storycraft provides readers with worthwhile content. Neither will spin you a gripping novel alone, but in tandem they unlock your writing prowess. Storycraft is the art of stitching a good story together. Beyond the events of your plotline, storycraft explores how you sequence your events, where you place foreshadowing, and how that foresha...

In the novel Awakening , there are 23 portents fortelling the events of the unfolding saga. Start with Portent I here . These and other riddles in rhyme are gathered in the Portents Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! Expunging legend's earthly might The endless creep of shadow's fold For master primes the westward flight To twice awaiting hold The subtle signs of rose's blight His silent gate is first to see Awakening to waning light Without the chance to plea To close the long unfinished fight They reign revered as Mother's call Yet linger lost beyond the sight Of builder's westward fall. Can you decode the future Tales of the Known World ? Share your interpretation! Comment below with your take on this portent. This prophesy details the events that take place in Part 3 of Awakening . Its th...

This post is part of a series to augment the Tips for Writing Fiction available for free download. This and other writing workshops are gathered in my Workshops Directory for you to explore. Find more tarot-related content in my Tarot Gallery . Whether or not you subscribe to the mystical side of tarot, it remains a fantastic characterization tool. Tarot readings provide an in-depth snapshot of a person and what their life is like, as well as the influences driving them into the future. A normal reading comes together through a skilled interpreter and the overturning of cards in a meaningful order (positioned in what's called a tarot spread). But to do a tarot spread for your characters, all you need is to fill out this worksheet with your insights and ideas. The exercise evolves from your character's personality, through external and internal circumstances, to their most likely ...

This post is Part 2 of a series to augment the Atlas of the Known World available for free download. Start with Part 1 here . This and other TotKW maps are gathered in my Map Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! Kholl A bleak, frigid land at the edge of the world. Geography and Climate In Part 1 of Awakening , Kholl is a frigid land at the northeastern edge of the Known World. Each dark, brutal winter thaws into the gray drizzle of summer daylight, but little sunshine strikes the embittered land. The crags of the Khollek Mountains in the west crumble into the cold sand dunes of the Heleki Desert in the east, and the whole continent is windswept and barren. This region also borders the Katei Ocean , the Kondak Sea, and the Unknown East. Flora and Fauna The Khollic wasteland is inhospitable to most lifeforms. The cold shale mountains and crumbling sand...

This post is Part 2 of a series to augment the Tips for Writing Fiction available for free download. Start with Part 1 here . This and other writing workshops are gathered in my Workshops Directory for you to explore. Find my world workshops in the Worldbuilding Directory . In Part 1 of this series , we talked about the storycraft aspects of flow - what flow is, why it should fluctuate, and where to adjust it for best effect. Now, we get down to the nitty gritty of how to use language to control your flow. First, the basics! Each scene of your tale has its own natural flow, determined by content and the way you tell the story. Action, plot events, excitement, and suspense naturally flow fast, while introspection, description, and other exposition slow down your natural flow. Certain scenes require a slower flow, and provided you've structured your story to build good momentum, you can use action a...

In the novel Awakening , there are 23 portents fortelling the events of the unfolding saga. Start with Portent I here . These and other riddles in rhyme are gathered in the Portents Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! Through razor's edge of knowledge bought Of timeless time congealed With cold deceit the master culled His destiny long concealed To piercing realm of shadows fell In terror burden reaps With lover's spark ignites the dark A pawn as the legend weeps Surrendered gate the golden word To portent's deathly creed Awakening the tide of grief And forfeiting soul to bleed. Can you decode the future Tales of the Known World ? Share your interpretation! Comment below with your take on this portent. This portent appears at the start of Part 4 of Awakening , and it foretells the ending of the first book in the TotK...

This post is Part 1 of a series to augment the Tips for Writing Fiction available for free download. This and other writing workshops are gathered in my Workshops Directory for you to explore. Find my world workshops in the Worldbuilding Directory . One of your most vital tools in storytelling, flow can be difficult to master, especially in works of fiction. But what is flow? This stylistic device may seem complex and elusive, but only because the term flow refers to three concepts: pace, pulse, and momentum. Pace refers to the speed of your unfolding events, and it gauges the effort needed to follow events as they unfold. A faster pace requires readers to pay more attention, and it creates a sense of immersion in the story. If your pace is too slow, your story is dead and won't engage readers. However, if your pace is too fast, your events will blur togethe...

This post is part of a series to augment the Author's Manifesto available for free download. This and other inspirations of mine are gathered in the Spark Directory for you to explore. Find my published stories and guides in the Books Directory . Last Friday, I read from Awakening live for the Streetcar Series , a creative expo in the Detroit area. As a former singer and drama student, I was no stranger to performing in front of an audience. But as an author, I've spent a long time alone with my words, and I had to switch into extrovert-mode to climb onstage and bring those words to life. The proposition both enthused and terrified me. But I am a storyteller first, and an author second. Writers may be reclusive, but the storytelling tradition is grounded in performance art. With a 20-minute set to fill, I opted to read Chapter Two for the audience. Not only is Chapter One posted free o...