Katie Bachelder

Time to Plan the Narrative: Building Your Plot pt. 4

In the last three months, we’ve taken some time to figure out the basics of our story through its abstract, as well as discussed what should be taken into consideration when crafting your characters and your world. Now, it’s time to put them all together and create the most fundamental piece of any novel: the…

Katie Bachelder

May 8, 2019

For Writers: Builder’s Theory

Builder’s Theory, character development, novel writing, outlining, plotting, world-building, writing

The Viper Queen

Location: Caouk, Garizal. The Queen’s winter castle. Queen Lia lounged back in her chair, drumming her fingers against the table before her. Reports had flown in this morning from the Captain of the Guard that the Duchess of Athselt and most of the members of her court had been arrested for treason. Murdering both the…

Katie Bachelder

May 3, 2019

The Matriarch

Alzair, assassin, Garizal, matriarchy, monarchy, politics, queens, Short Story

The “Woke” Misconception

So here’s the thing about information, especially when it comes to something related in any way, shape or form to social issues: the facts are always being revised to take new information into account. Anything that aligns with the “old information” is considered either propaganda for the status quo or is simply outdated. Because it’s…

Katie Bachelder

April 26, 2019

Shower Thoughts

anti-vaxxers, facts, internet, politics, social issues, social media, tumblr

April Reading Reflections

Fair warning: This week, we’re talking about Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. I doubt there will be any spoiler-y stuff, but if you haven’t yet read it, proceed with caution. For some time now, I’ve been thinking about the incorporation of languages in fantasy novels. As I make my way through Children of…

Katie Bachelder

April 19, 2019

Reading Reflections

#amreading, Children of Blood and Bone, epic fantasy, Fantasy, fantasy languages, Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, Tomi Adeyemi, translation

Crafting Your World: Building Your Plot pt. 3

I’m so excited to talk about world-building this week. There is just so much potential when you’re creating your fictional world. You can make mountains bright red or create people who spend half of their time in the skies. Just look at stories like the Wheel of Time or even simply Lord of the Rings…

Katie Bachelder

April 12, 2019

For Writers: Builder’s Theory

Builder’s Theory, draft zero, Game of Thrones, morality, novel writing, Wheel of Time, world-building

Upon the Coast of Quirst

Dynol, Quirst. The coast. The Red Dragon burst into a flurry of action as it caught sight of land. Nevena Proksch, captain of the Dragon, had been sent by the queen of Nubik to land in the small country of Quirst. It was a strange little country, run by men rather than women. Better yet,…

Katie Bachelder

April 5, 2019

The Matriarch

alternate history, captains, explorers, feminism, fiction, matriarchy, ships, Short Story

The Process of Writing a Novel: An Unpublished Author’s Edition

Stage 1: Catch the spark. This is the most thrilling part that any to-be-author is going to see for quite some time. Where the ideas come from is a bit of a mystery. It begins, I suppose, with an impression or an image that sparks the novelist’s mind in the form of a creative what…

Katie Bachelder

March 29, 2019

Uncategorized

#amwriting, aspiring author, author, drafts, editing, novel writing, process description, writer, writing

Searching for Answers with Blinders On

Way back in the day, before motor vehicles became the primary source of transportation in America, Europe, and so forth, people used to travel from place to place via horse and buggy. Often, the horse would have a blinder on, to prevent them from spooking on the road. With such an object obstructing their vision,…

Katie Bachelder

March 22, 2019

Shower Thoughts

adulting, controversy, John Stuart Mill, life, logic, On Liberty, politics, social media

March Reading Reflections

This post primarily discusses King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, though I also talk about her other works and compare it to A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin. There shouldn’t be any spoilers, but I make no promises. So, without further ado, let’s reflect. I talked about the issue of information flow…

Katie Bachelder

March 15, 2019

Reading Reflections

A Song of Ice and Fire, George Martin, Grishaverse, King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo, Narration, Point of View

Drafting Character Sketches: Building Your Plot pt. 2

Last month, I discussed writing a book’s abstract, a sort of premature “book blurb” to help you keep both interested and focused on the most important aspect of any novel project: the plot. For many of us, however, the plot is one of the hardest things to develop, and so is best cultivated by exploring…

Katie Bachelder

March 8, 2019

For Writers: Builder’s Theory

aspiring author, character development, draft zero, drafts, Game of Thrones, plotting, writing, writing tips