Now that Shadows of Atlantic City is published, I’m working on Fury, the sequel to Kingmaker. However, there are a few things I learned from the first book that I plan to tackle with this next manuscript. The idea is to address a few problems before they arise.
It’s been a couple of years since publishing Kingmaker, but a lot of the issues I had while writing are quite fresh in my mind. For one thing, I vividly remember spending three days calculating horse travel for a scene to make sense.
So, I figured I would share my insights and perhaps help someone who is interested in writing fantasy. But mostly, this is to remind myself of things I want to do this time around.
Besides, some of the ideas will also work great for marketing. Hopefully.
7 Lessons Learned While Writing a Dark Fantasy
Now, the following list is under the presumption that you’re writing a series or plan to use the same world in future books. You probably don’t need half of these if you’re just writing a single fantasy and moving on.
However, I plan on writing a lot of books set in this particular world, even beyond the Witcham Chronicles. So, the more details I flesh out, the better.
What did I learn after writing the dark fantasy, Kingmaker?
Creating a Map!
I should have listened to Tolkien. He said that he “wisely” started with a map and then wrote the story to fit. Unfortunately, I did not, and I’ve been kicking myself in the butt ever since.
As I was wrapping up the final edits of Kingmaker, I realized the vast importance of a map and how it would help write the story. Sure, I can remember a few of the important landmarks. But there is so much I described that I can’t remember it all.
In any case, I am currently looking for a map maker. I was thinking about using Inkarnate, as it’s one of the cheapest I’ve found thus far. But there are a lot of great platforms out there, and I plan on reviewing them on the blog and YouTube channel.
Copious Notes of Important People, Places, and Things
Although I kept track of certain things in a notepad sitting next to me, I know I didn’t write down everything I probably should have. This is especially true considering the expansiveness of Fury (the next book in the series) compared to Kingmaker.
This time around, I’m going to utilize World Anvil as I write. That way, I can keep track of people, places, and things quite easily while giving readers and fans a landing page for the world of Denaris, the planet where the Witcham Chronicles take place.
World Anvil has a bit of a steep learning curve, but it has a lot of nice features.
Don’t Be Afraid of Some Worldbuilding Beforehand
Usually, I build the world as I write. I don’t know landmarks, societies, races, or even gods until I need them in the story. And for the most part, this has worked well. However, I feel that some things could be built before I take to the keyboard.
Knowing landmasses and distances, for instance, would be a great benefit for laying out plot points. Having an idea about the gods I feature and the magic system would help as well. Knowing the nearby kingdoms might also quell issues of trying to remember who is from where.
So, while I will still build much of the world out as I write, there are a few things I plan on fleshing out beforehand.
Keep Track of Timelines and Events
I didn’t think I was going to need a plan for keeping track of timelines and events. However, there were a few references to past wars and world-changing elements that I should have jotted down.
In fact, there were two major past events in Kingmaker that ultimately shaped the story. And yes, I’ve forgotten those timelines.
This is another aspect I plan on taking advantage of in World Anvil. There is a tool specifically designed for keeping track of timelines that I plan on fleshing out a bit.
The trick is to do so without giving away too much of the books. You don’t want to load up something public with a bunch of spoilers.
Flesh Out Bios of Humanoid Creatures
When describing your races in a fantasy story, you want the reader to “see” the creatures as you see them. That means being quite descriptive when introducing characters and other lifeforms. There were a few in Kingmaker that I could have described much better.
This is part of the reason why I plan on writing a “remastered” version of Kingmaker once the series is complete.
Anyway, this is another aspect that I’m going to feed into World Anvil, mostly to help me remember what the hell my creatures look like. I may go so far as to draw a few myself or perhaps hire an artist to help.
Artwork Helps with Descriptions
Speaking of art, having a visual of certain things in the book helps with description. Sure, you can try to visualize it and save it in your memory, but I’m pushing 50, and the memory has leaks.
I’m not without artistic ability. It would behoove me to sketch a few things out while giving them more life in the storyline. Besides, sketches could be a fun addition to any fantasy book.
Would I use AI art to build something to describe my characters or plot items? Hell no. That’s what the imagination is for. Plus, I often use images of actors in other films to “cast” the book anyway. So, no, I will not use AI to help with “art” when I need to visualize something.
Building a Minor Lexicon
After Kingmaker, I often find myself going back to remember terms I used for magic. Not to mention creating languages for the different races in the series. I don’t necessarily need entire volumes of dictionaries. But jotting down how certain languages are spoken or what specific words mean could be quite helpful.
I’m not quite the dork to create an entire lesson plan, such as how to speak Klingon. However, there is something to be said about continuity and the impact verbal queues make in a series of books.
Not to mention the fact that people will be quick to point out inconsistencies in linguistics.
It’s All About Consistency and Continuity
When all is said and done, consistency and continuity play a major role in writing any story. This is true whether you’re writing a single book or plan to write 100 in the same world.
You don’t want to accidentally create a seemingly endless stream of plotholes.
Do you need to use digital apps such as World Anvil to keep track of your book’s elements? Not necessarily. You can probably get away with using a simple notebook and pen. In reality, I should have used mine far more often to take notes while writing the first book.
Now, I have to reread Kingmaker and start filling in the information so I can make sure it aligns with what I wrote in Fury. And that is going to take a bit of time. But it’s worth it to keep continuity in the series.
My point is that doing all of this in the beginning could have saved a lot of time overall. I could try to wing it, but doing so would create a slew of disconnects with the environment and various characters.
Building an Expansive World
In the beginning, I wasn’t planning on doing more than just three or four books. But the more I write and build onto the world, the more I realize that there is so much potential for what I’m creating.
Will all of my books feature the same characters? Probably not. But they will all share the same world.
That’s the beauty of world-building. Instead of relying upon what’s already created, you can make the rules up as you go. In fact, you could go so far as to include virtually every genre of writing from a single world you built yourself.
You’re only limited by your imagination.
Another industry I would love to include in my writing is gaming. And basing a game on a world that is already created would cut a lot of the developmental workload. At least, from the storytelling aspect.
The bottom line is that fleshing out your stories can lead to a plethora of opportunities for more than just your stories. That is, as long as that is something on your radar.
Not every author wants to go beyond just writing a book or two based on their imagined world. And that’s fine. There is no right or wrong answer to writing a book as long as you’re getting what you want out of it.
Always Be Open to Learn From Mistakes
Part of growth as an author is to learn from past mistakes. They help you develop into a better writer, meaning that every book will simply get better as time progresses. You just need to be open to feedback and understanding things you could have done better.
I learned an awful lot after publishing Kingmaker. And thanks to analyzing my mistakes and taking steps to fix them, Fury is going to be a much better book.
Truth be told, I’m looking forward to using World Anvil and adding more to the world I’m creating. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be the location of a blockbuster video game a decade from now. Or, perhaps Netflix will pay me for the rights to make a series.
Those might sound like lofty goals, but you never know who is going to pick up your book or read your blog. You could become an executive’s favorite author without realizing it.
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