Articles – Page 35 – Mythic Scribes Test Site

Character Girl – Letting Characters Drive the Story

This article is by Bets Davies.

I’m a character girl.

The question becomes inevitable when you have a novel in your head: Where to start? I used to plunge into a rambling first draft with inconsistencies, reams I had to cut out and reams I had to fit in. Then there are outliners. Plot every important event in sensible order. Me? I begin, continue, and end with character. If I want to be character-driven, I let the characters drive.

It starts with the character sheet. I use Leonard Chang’s but he claims it as intellectual property, so I can’t hand it out. Suffice to say it is single spaced aspects about your character that take up more than a page. You can Google one. Make sure to fill it out in obscene detail.

Fantasy Music – What Inspires You?

by Test Administrator

Cover of "Legend: Original Motion Picture... — Legend: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Music has the power to conjure emotions and spark the imagination. When I’m at my writing desk, nothing makes the work go smoother than listening to just the right music.

Over the years I’ve put together a collection of fantasy music which I use for inspiration. Some of these albums are derived from my favorite fantasy movies. Others I discovered while listening to Radio Rivendell, the online fantasy music station. All of them have one thing in common: when played, they transport my mind to a different place – a realm of myth and magic.

Here are seven of the albums which I turn to the most when seeking inspiration:

How to Get a Book Published – The 7 Step Plan

by Test Administrator

Patrick Rothfuss — The king of rejection letters?

Upon the publication of my first book, other authors asked me how I accomplished this feat. As it turns out, many writers see getting published as a herculean, almost insurmountable goal. But as with any major undertaking, breaking it down into manageable steps makes the process far less daunting.

For this reason, I drew up a step by step plan for authors who are wondering how to get published. Although these steps are based on my own experience, they are applicable for most authors. So without further ado, here is my seven step plan for getting published:

Writing an Online Fantasy Series

by Test Administrator

The Haanta Series is the longest ongoing fantasy series on the internet. As of September 2011, the series covers twenty-nine books and over nine-hundred short stories. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with its author, Michelle Franklin, about the joys and challenges of writing an online series.

How did the Haanta series get its start?

It was 2010 and the winter holidays. The recession came around and I was laid off at Christmas. By that point, I had given up on a previous series I was writing and hadn’t published a short story or article in six months. When I was laid off, my friend and editor said to me, “You know, you haven’t written in a while because work has been killing you. Why don’t you take this time to write something new?” I felt that she was right.

Role-Play with Mythic Scribes

by Test Administrator

Dice for various role-playing games — No dice required

During my teenage years I discovered the thrill of role-playing. My friends and I became enamored with White Wolf’s World of Darkness games, along with Middle-Earth Role Playing and Dungeons and Dragons. These games opened new worlds to us, and provided us with opportunities to explore the darker side of human nature.

As an aspiring writer, I particularly enjoyed the intricacies of designing and playing a character. The act of placing myself into a character’s mind, and responding as he would respond, helped me to write more realistic, three-dimensional characters. I would argue that role-playing is one of the best exercises for any writer who is interested in furthering their craft.

For this reason Mythic Scribes will be hosting a role-playing contest during the month of October.

Why Am I Still Writing?

by Featured Author

Knitting — What do knitting and writing have in common?

This article is by Craig Robertson.

If I write something and not many people read it, am I wasting my time? This is an important question and I think most creators ask it, be they authors, musicians, dancers, or painters.

I write speculative fiction – time travel, mythic figures, spoofs on genres – that type of thing. Moreover, I write fiction which is not mainstream. I pound away for hours at my stories and my podcasts and my blogs. I think they are all perfectly wonderful. But, come on now, we all know people who think their FLK’s (medical for ‘funny looking kid’ – honest to goodness) are soooo beautiful. In point of fact, the child is so peculiar looking, and acting, that you are glad you are not the parent. Many might advise, for example, that if my writing efforts are not very successful maybe I could better spend my time doing something else – you know, something productive, useful, not a complete waste of my time.

5 Keys to Writing Craptastic Fantasy

by Test Administrator

Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan — St. Jar Jar, Patron Saint of Crap

So you want to write a really bad fantasy novel, eh?

You’ve come to the right place. After years of practice, I’ve mastered five ancient techniques for writing shitty fantasy. These methods were pioneered by the elves of the Ethereal Empire during the reign of Xerxian Rhafstorr the Sword-Breaker (in the Twelfth Age), so you know they’re good.

Just read on, and you’ll be writing the Ishtar of fantasy novels in no time.

Novel Writing Software – Which Programs Are the Best?

by Test Administrator

Some authors scoff at the idea of using software to help write a novel. As a technology geek, I take a contrary view. If software can make the writing process easier, why not use it?

I’ve been experimenting with novel writing software, and have found some success. What I’m wondering, though, is which programs are the best?

For my latest project I’ve been using three writing programs consistently. Here’s a rundown of what they do.