Wheel of Time is known for many things, and for its readers, channeling is often touted as an impressive magic system. It is expansive, detailed, and well-thought-out. For those who are interested in a more present, harder magic system, the series offers as a template three major facets that differentiate channeling from other magic systems. … More Building a Magic System (WoT Setting Study #2)
Certain books, you’re bound to love. Others, you can’t help but hate. And some, you find you just couldn’t care less about. If you read my Reading Challenge Wrap-Up from Wednesday, you probably think that Inkheart falls in the middle category. It certainly felt that way sometimes as I read the book. But then I … More Adult Reader vs. Middle Grade Book: Inkheart
The Wheel of Time series is a vast and detailed world, based not on your traditional medieval European setting but rather drawing from a multitude of sources to make each country, even those most resembling the expected medieval England-esque setting, feel very much distinct. As a result, it would be impossible to do a single … More Sidestepping Monarchy (WoT Setting Study part 1)
Welcome back to our discussions of minor characters. You can find the first of these posts here, where we discuss the various levels and dimensionality of characters who play a smaller role than the protagonist. Today, I want to expand on that post by delving into the different functions that a minor character might have … More The Various Roles of Minor Characters
Among the multitude of differences that separate the practice of reading from the art of writing, especially when it comes to the fantasy/science fiction genres, one of the hardest to reconcile is that of world-building. For a reader, the setting cannot take center stage. Even for someone like me, who loves to explore new settings … More Choosing the Opacity of Your World-Building
Back in April (what feels like a lifetime ago), I wrote up a review on the yWriter program I’ve been using for writing-related projects. As I go through making revisions for my current WiP, I decided now is a good time to take a look at Campfire Pro and how useful it’s been for both … More Writing Program Review: Campfire Pro
Four years ago, I wrote a blog post on my old Mad Chronicler site called “Who’s Who? The 8 Character Archetypes.” I’ve been thinking about it a lot, lately. Four years is a long time for any individual writer, and even in the bookish community, our understanding of tropes and archetypes can shift in that … More Eight Character Archetypes, Then and Now
Katie Bachelder 