Friday, August 29, 2014

Adjust Your Flow: a storycraft workshop

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 together and important moments will be lost. Nothing will make a lasting impression on your readers, and the need for increased focus can tire them over time.

Pulse is the fluctuation in pace through your tale, creating a heartbeat by alternating between fast-paced and slower scenes. Action and plot events naturally flow faster than characterization and exposition, which tend to drag your story down.

Sudden transitions make your pulse thrilling, but readers can get lost and leave your story unfinished. If your pace is too predictable, your story flatlines and readers grow bored. Like a river, your story needs exciting rapids and gentle eddies of explanation and clarity.


Check these Tips for Writing Fiction to see more workshops!


Momentum is the result of a well-planned pulse, building your reader's excitement scene upon scene. An effective chain of events compels readers from beginning to end. Adjust your pace to create pulse, and you achieve momentum. This momentum surges through the fast scenes, and sustains interest during the slower scenes. In my Tales of the Known World saga, I leverage the natural pace of each scene using this principle.

Once you grasp these dynamics, you can manipulate flow for desired effects. The key to good flow is knowing when to speed or slow your pace, and how quickly to transition. You'll develop your own style as you decide how to construct your story's pulse.


That's it for this post! Up Next: How to control your scene's pace...

Download Tips for Writing Fiction here, or start your adventure below.






Liked this? Share, please!

Friday, August 22, 2014

My First Live Performance: inspiration & spark

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 on my website, but Chapter Two introduces a new set of characters, and offers more scene breaks as potential stopping points.

After a jittery day of check-listing and meditating, I embarked on the 90-minute drive to the neighborhood of Hamtramck. The long transit steeled my nerves, and the venue's atmosphere reminisced of my hometown Austin, Texas. Soaking in the cool Cafe 1923, I admired walls lined with art and laden bookshelves.

My set came after an open mic segment, so I set up shop in a corner and focused on staying calm until my turn on stage. Amidst the whirl of poetry slams and karaoke came the sweet tone of an ocarina, keening a tune from Majora's Mask. Then came a low dirge from the Lord of the Rings, and a medley of Zelda songs woven across the theme from Star Wars. I realized my target audience of gamers, Ren Faire goers, and fantasy fans extraordinaire had turned out in force to hear what I'd come to share.


Check out this Author's Manifesto for more of my inspirations!


Projecting my voice over the cafe's exhaust fan, I rattled through my opening remarks and relaxed into the story. My revision process hinges on reading text aloud, so I found the flow of words natural and familiar. Within minutes, the persistent chatter that had plagued open mic died away, and I wove my story for a spellbound audience.

Twenty minutes later, the enthralled room quivered back to life and burst into applause! As the crowd surged into discussion, my closing remarks fell on deaf ears, and I headed back to my booth with mixed feelings. But the shop owner ran up for a signed paperback, and unleashed a merry tide of piqued imaginations. I signed books for new fans and took subscribers to my monthly newsletter until the cafe locked its doors.

Then came the after-party, where I talked with my kindred nerds about fan-fiction, gaming, and world-building. I unveiled my vision of encouraging fan-fiction where most authors reject it, and of sharing the Known World with my fellow gamers, who are just as capable of grand storytelling but have more fun with a ready backdrop. Fans met these dreams with overwhelming delight, encouraging me to build a community where they could gather to celebrate their own adventures in the Known World.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who came out to see me, I had a great time at my live reading. I really connected with my target audience, found new fans, and made new friends. Before I left for the evening, they invited me back for Shire Day, where the seven meals of Tolkien's hobbits rule the related LotR festivities. On the long drive home, I reveled in their joy at my story, and their motivating extolments of my dream to open the Tales of the Known World saga to fans. Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, I can help unleash the storyteller inside us all.


That's it for this post! Check out my latest inspirations for more.

Download the Author's Manifesto here, or start your adventure below.






Liked this? Share, please!

Friday, August 15, 2014

The Known World: a map for Awakening

The Known World: an enchanted realm of magic and prophesy www.DNFrost.com/maps #TotKW A map for Awakening by D.N.Frost @DNFrost13 Part 1 of a series.
This post is Part 1 of a series to augment the Atlas of the Known World available for free download.

This and other TotKW maps are gathered in my Map Directory for you to explore.

Enjoy!



The Known World
The Known World: an enchanted realm of magic and prophesy www.DNFrost.com/maps #TotKW A map for Awakening by D.N.Frost @DNFrost13 Part 1 of a series.
An enchanted realm of magic and prophesy.


Geography and Climate


In Book One: Awakening, the sun rises on the Known World in the east, and prevailing winds circle from the west. Four seasons stretch the days of summer to cull the winter daylight. Much like Earth, twelve months of four weeks mark the clockwork of its orbit around a yellow sun.

But two moons phase through the Known World's sky. The bright, silvery-blue First Moon swells full every 24 days. The smaller, rusty-orange Last Moon takes three times as long. When the phases sync every 36 days, they cast shadows at full, or forsake the sky for a truly moonless night.

This region contains Kholl, the Plains of Rishi, and the badlands of Old Ryerin.


Flora and Fauna


The plants and animals of the Known World are familiar to us, though some we may dub mythical creatures. Dragons nest in the high mountains of the north, and their wingless cousins, the drakes, inhabit caverns and lower altitudes. Wyverns, the most common relative of dragons, are waist-high creatures with wings and back legs. Domesticated for food and hide, wyverns survive extreme climates and eat almost anything. Wild herds roam the open plains, feeding on insects, grass, and scavenged gryphon-kills. Sea wyverns travel along coral reefs, and pods have been known to herd fish into dead-end traps.


People and Dress


The five races native to the Known World are men, elves, faeries, nymphs, and merfolk. Reclusive and prophetic, the merfolk keep histories dating back 10,000 years in coral libraries. Nymphs inhabit the dense Glades of Despair, and tend to be fairly short and pale, with rounded ears. Brightly-colored faeries rarely reach four feet tall, and dwell in the northern pine forests. The tallest of the landfolk, elves show great diversity across the D'jed Mountains and Plains of Rishi. Equally diverse, men have settled the Draconan Mountains and Sutek Desert of Allana, as well as Kanata, Kholl, and the Dohar archipelago. Styles of dress vary widely across cultures and subraces.


Native Magic


Unlike foreign magics acquired through study, native magics arise in children and develop as they grow. Branches of these elemental, sensory, and special magics vary by race, and each branch provides individuals with both a prime and latent power. Generally, men display strong flavor and animal magic, but are weak earth mages. Elves show slightly better earth skills, but tend towards metal or sound magic. Though weak with touch magic, nymphs make powerful earth and plant mages, with higher occurrences of rarefied skill. Faeries are great air mages, with useful scent and intent magics to boot. The merfolk wield strong water magic, but their aptitudes for light magic and the prophetic Gift vary greatly between green and blue subraces.

Check out the Magic Codex of the Known World to learn more.


Cultural Values and Traditions


Magic saturates everyday life, so the people of the Known World have grown to view it as their birthright and heritage. Though not all are born with strong native abilities, anyone can learn to wield magic through enough schooling and practice. Families pass down magic techniques across generations, but only the wealthy classes produce well-rounded mages, because extensive education is an expensive privilege.

With a few regional variations, the people of the Known World measure their age in years. Most calendars are derived from the solunar tables of the ancient merfolk calendar, which places the winter solstice on 1:1:1:1 as New Year's Day, and the summer solstice on 3:1:1:1 at mid-year. All five races enjoy an 80-90 year life expectancy, but the age of adulthood differs across cultures. Class divisions are rather set, and children typically assume a role in the family enterprise.


Warriors and Guardians


Few remain who carry out the traditions of the old warrior classes. Isolated bouts of plague and the increasing value of farmland drive the once-mighty gryphon riders to the background of the agrarian Rishi. The Dua Dara of the Sutek protect their desert from outsiders, and on the north slopes of the Draconan Mountains, bold youths still train to become dragon riders. Though respected, these warrior classes have lost relevance, due in part to the protection offered by the widespread reach of the Allanic Empire.


Languages


With millennia of written tradition, the elusive merfolk speak their language of prophesy, but Allanic is a unifying tongue for most landfolk. Dialects vary by region, and Allanic has supplanted several heritage languages. Thone, the language of men, is spoken mostly on the fringes of Dohar, by sailors who switch back and forth to Allanic. Faeries preserve the Kalrei language in village ceremonies and rituals. Of all the old tongues, only Ka'e has seen a resurgence of speakers, the elf language revitalized as a symbol of elvish solidarity within the larger Allanic Empire.

Check out the Language Codex of the Known World to learn more.


Characters from The Known World


Awakening is a potent tale of self-discovery. Experience this gripping fantasy adventure and discover yourself within. www.DNFrost.com/Awakening #TotKW
In the book Awakening, Kingard is a plains elf of the Rishi, immortalized by legendary deeds from centuries ago.

Kingard now journeys to the mythic city A'lara, leading a misfit band of heroes to unbind the city's powers against an evil revitalized from Kingard's past.

With him are the journeyman Tirrok of the Sutek, the faerie Vithril of Kalrein, young shape-shifter Darek of the Draconans, two gryphon riders, a pair of slaves from Kholl, and a spirited couple sailing from the eastern reaches of Dohar.


That's it for this post! Up Next: A bleak, frigid land at the edge of the world...

Download the Atlas of the Known World here, or start your adventure below.






Liked this? Share, please!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

What is TotKW?

This post is part of a series to augment the Chronicles of Mother's Gate available for free download.

This and other published stories are gathered in my Books Directory for you to explore.

Find more website tag definitions in my Index Directory.



The acronym TotKW stands for Tales of the Known World, my epic fantasy saga, which I pronounce "TOT-koo" in my head. Much of this website is dedicated to my saga and the various online resources supporting my work, so I use the TotKW tag for any post regarding or referencing my fantasy world.

Despite my passion and decades of hard work, I know my Tales of the Known World saga isn't going to please everyone. Not everybody likes fiction, let alone fantasy. But the saga appeals to certain types of people, for a few specific reasons. I believe that over time, my TotKW saga will find its way into the hearts of fans.


Check out the Chronicles of Mother's Gate for more of the saga!


If you are a gamer, TotKW is for you. I present a whole world to house your games, from the online role-players and costumed LARPers, to the fanfic writers and tabletop dice-rollers. My tales aren't the only stories in the Known World, and unlike most authors, I invite you to take part with your own games. I've drawn maps and outlined cultures for you to build into your own adventures, and your art, fan-fiction, and RPGs have a dedicated page.

If you're a fantasy fan, TotKW is for you. Even if you don't game, you'll love exploring fantasy traditions from new angles. My saga offers dragons, gryphons, and other mythical creatures, at once familiar and unconventional. You avid readers and Tolkien fans will enjoy the epic plot and vivid characters racing your heartstrings through the story.

If you're an adventurer, TotKW is for you. Do you adore maps? Are you a natural-born navigator? Follow along on the adventure, and discover new lands beyond the scope of the novels.

If you love mythology, TotKW is for you. Creation myths vary across the Known World, informing religious paradigms and shaping diverse societies. If you love stretching your imagination, TotKW is for you. Your mind's eye will bring to life a vibrant world to spark your inspiration, and evoke your own stories.

If you love riddles, TotKW is for you. Alongside the story come prophetic riddles, scripted as poems for fans of meter and rhyme. For the dedicated code-breakers, a calendar system dates every prophesy, tracking cycles of the sun and two moons. Can you decode the upcoming Tales of the Known World?

If you love language, TotKW is for you. With my Linguistics degree, I've constructed languages that interact with their native cultures. The names on the maps reflect the lands and their history, and the saga supplies snippets of foreign language you can translate if you're intrigued.

If you believe in magic, TotKW is for you. Whether you subscribe to tarot or the law of attraction, you'll find familiar principles guide the magic of the Known World. Multicultural lessons of enlightenment shape my characters and their unfolding journeys. May your own path become clearer through joining my characters on theirs.

I'll say again, my Tales of the Known World saga isn't for everyone. But if you are a fantasy fan, an avid reader, a poet, a gamer, a lover of mythology, a linguist, an adventurer, a riddler, dreamer, or believer...then TotKW is for you.


That's it for this post! Check out my latest stories for more.

Download the Chronicles of Mother's Gate here, or start your adventure below.






Liked this? Share, please!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Portent I of Awakening: a riddle in rhyme

In the novel Awakening, there are 23 portents fortelling the events of the unfolding saga.

These and other riddles in rhyme are gathered in the Portents Directory for you to explore.

Enjoy!



A village in the forest dark
Despairing glade past desperate sea
Well met the friends and chieftain lone
All left with nowhere else to flee

So stumbled they upon a star
Northeast for elvish homeland slain
A man for western evil come
And mer southeast for ocean rain

With exodus of faeries north
And village south for nymphs to hide
So bound the binder bid to bind
Thus six good lives the city plied

The builders five were all but felled
When flesh did tower gray as stone
Their minds eternal jyagaweh
All vested now for binder lone (I)

The dragon mage shall bring them all
To find the star as evil rears
So builders dread its looming death
And bloodlines lost to coming years

The master there shall be bestowed
Each tower bared to hungry eyes
Betrayed to grief and turned to dust
As evil readies light's demise. (II)


Can you decode the future Tales of the Known World?

Share your interpretation!
Comment below with your take on this portent.


This is the granddaddy of all prophesy. Said in ancient times, it heralds the original creation of the magic city A'lara, as well as the eventual return to the city that drives the plot of Awakening.

This genesis prophesy is the first one I ever wrote for the saga, and it is the last portent of the Golden Age, when the merfolk shared their interpreted prophesy with the landfolk.



Download the Prophesy Appendix:

The merfolk culture is built on the prophetic Gift. Nearly all men produce a portent every twenty days, and they devote their lives to interpretation. For more about the role and inner workings of prophesy, check out the Prophesy Appendix above.



Alongside every prophesy is an attribution block. This block contains a byline giving the name of the person who said the prophesy, and a dateline giving the day the prophesy was first said. Here is the attribution for this portent:
Lovynge Njyae Dynde XVI
Wndelyo Njyae Dynde XVI
Venkwn Njyae Dynde XVI
4:3:2:1/10, 7:3:1 IX
V:I 3:2:3:5/2, 3:2 IX
V:II 2:2:2:2/5, III:IX
The portent attributed here references multiple events that come to pass in sections called tatters. An additional tatter dateline has been added to the attribution for each tatter, noting the date when that segment of the portent will come to pass.


That's it for this post! Up Next: The tide of grief and forfeiting soul...

For the Prophesy Appendix, enter your email above.






Liked this? Share, please!
Hello, there! Connect with me:
TwitterFacebookPinterestInstagram

Leave a comment, ask a question, share a story, make a friend.