Star Spun Souls

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...

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 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 Rye...

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. ...

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 ...

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 my world workshops in the Worldbuilding Directory . Remember that 6th grade English class? If your school was like mine, characterization was all about the complex or developing characters, fraught with internal conflict and personality development. But what about your flat and static characters? Those shallow lone rangers drift through your scene like extras in a zombie film, with only one or two defining traits to call their own. In many ways, flat characters help your story come to life by anchoring the tale into the bustling world-at-large. But all too often, their lack of depth interferes with the impact you're hoping to make. A smattering of flat characters here and there bring reali...

This post is part of a series to augment the Chronicles of Mother's Gate available for free download. Start with Part 1 here . This and other fantasy stories are gathered in my TotKW Books Directory for you to explore. Enjoy! Enhance your reading experience with this map from Chapter 1. Read more about Awakening here. Have you read this novel? Please write your own review. See all TotKW reviews at www.DNFrost.com/praise . Chapter I: From Broken Dreams "...what loosed the Nine Hells black and deep let Mother's mourn, let freedom weep..." Kodyeh Njarwn Gusya XIII 1:2:4:4/5, III:IX Larin could taste soot in the snow swirling across the auction block, and she appraised the small gathering of bidders. In a sibilant language like nothing she’d heard before, the auctioneer screeched above the wind t...