This week's blog post:
A Letter to Christina - Refusing to Self-Sabotage Via Self-Doubt

This was more personal than most of my posts, but I needed to do this in public to hold myself accountable. I will publish next year and refuse to let nonsense pounded into me during childhood stop me from doing so.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #WorldOfOntyre #WriterProblems #WriterLife #WritersOfMastodon

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/08/31/a-letter-to-christina-refusing-to-self-sabotage-via-self-doubt/

This week's blog post:
Revisiting Locations - The Perfect Moment for Character Growth Via Self-Awareness

Revisiting a location is the perfect moment to show character growth to the reader. The location hasn't changed, but the character's perceptions have changed over time.

This was inspired by a real life moment when I returned to a location recently. Nine years had passed...

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writers #WorldOfOntyre #Writing #Characters #POV

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/08/24/revisiting-locations-the-perfect-moment-for-character-growth-via-self-awareness/

This week's blog post:
My Next Writing Transition - Another Step Closer

Is this an update?

Yeah.

Except, no.

This is a tale of persistence. This is about slogging through frustration. It's also about sitting down and working towards the dream when it isn't easy or flashy.

This is about reaching the other side.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WorldOfOntyre #Writing #Writers #WriterLife #WriterProblems #WritersOfMastodon

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/08/17/my-next-writing-transition-another-step-closer/

This week's blog post:
Plotting Ontyre on the Hard or Soft Magic Spectrum

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Long ago, in response to some soft magic systems, I set out to create a hard magic system.

Except, in the end, that wasn't how it went. Instead, I found my way to a hybrid & the risks that entails.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #WorldOfOntyre #Writers #AmWritingFantasy #Fantasy #WritersOfMastodon #Magic #Worldbuilding

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/08/10/plotting-ontyre-on-the-hard-or-soft-magic-spectrum/

Kasaria Garthing isn’t introduced to the series until Book 5, but she’s the MC in it. She’s the one character who’s difficult to discuss without spoiling too much.

Her story, though, is about imposed magic, yet none to wield that’s her own. It’s about an expedition into the Lost Hills to retrieve a message written in Old Elf. It’s about hiding her past or face death.

5/5

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Characters #AmWritingFantasy
#WorldOfOntyre

Glistenelle Primara is the most powerful seeker of her generation. She can detect evil possessing magic from a great distance & assesses character with a touch, seeing it as dynamic colors.

Introduced in Book 1, she’s featured in Book 3, the prequel. She was the “spoiled rich girl” with an unlimited future—until she developed illegal magic. That led to the “bad deal” with the rebels.

4/5

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Characters #AmWritingFantasy
#WorldOfOntyre

Maniff has no last name when introduced in Book 1. He’s a seer & can see through the eyes of those he’s touched for up to a week.

His obvious education & vast knowledge, yet shadowy existence, are an enigma for Riparia. They’re two magnets repelling & attracting. He also knows a lot about outlawed magic & technology. He knows more than he should—about her.

3/5

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Characters #AmWritingFantasy
#WorldOfOntyre

Sorceress Crimson is mentioned in Book 1 & appears in Book 2 (these images). The lone sorceress among sorcerers at the Ministry of Magic’s Knoss Citadel, she knows nothing of her origins.

She possesses a non-evil ability that makes her suspect to the others. The lone companion she trusts is her crow, Mazatta. He has limited speech & came to her when she was a child. He never left.

2/5

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Characters #AmWritingFantasy
#WorldOfOntyre

I made my 1st mood board & character images a couple of years ago. For my series, Kovenlore Chronicles, I have 5, two of which I’ve never shared so here’s a fun thread.

This is for Riparia Dellbane & Book 1. She’s the series’ MC & appears on page 1 with her horse, Doppla. She’s a rebel courier who’s otherwise dropped out of life—until life finds her in all its fury.

1/5

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Characters #AmWritingFantasy
#WorldOfOntyre

THIS WEEK'S BLOG POST:
Writing Inanimate's & Animals with Your Heart

Genres & preferences vary, as they should, & as a fantasy writer I have more options available when portraying inanimate objects & animals.

So, yes, this my mindset.

Still, there remains the opportunity to lift any character in your WIP, & that, in turn, can lift a story just a little more.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #WorldOfOntyre #WritingTip #AmWritingFantasy #WritersOfMastodon

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/07/13/writing-inanimates-animals-with-your-heart/

This week's blog post:
The Silent Memory Maker in Every Story

I like to examine the writing craft from different perspectives. One that became clear to me when drafting the last novel in the Kovenlore Chronicles series in December 2021.

Early on, I realized readers are virtual participants in events. That sparked further inspiration and added an extra twist to all my writing...

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WorldOfOntyre #Writers #Writing #AmWritingFantasy

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/07/06/the-silent-memory-maker-in-every-story/

This week's blog post:
My Life as a Hyper Writer (Literally)

Despite my age. Despite my damaged lungs. It doesn't matter. I tend to be kinda hyper & always have been (& anxious, & a worrier...).

Yes, there are advantages, but it isn't always ideal for sitting in a chair & writing, which is why I've adapted.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #WorldOfOntyre #WriterLife #WriterProblems #AmWritingFantasy #Fantasy #MentalHealth

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/06/29/my-life-as-a-hyper-writer-literally/

This week's blog post:
There's Worldbuilding & There's World Living

I learned this in hindsight. Have a new fantasy world? It's one thing to understand it in a textbook sense & quite another to have lived it.

You can write a novel there, but novels take awhile & can be a narrow slice of the world. That was where shorter works really opened my eyes & enhanced my world...

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #WorldOfOntyre #AmWritingFantasy #ShortStories

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/06/22/theres-worldbuilding-and-theres-world-living/

Last weeks blog post:
The State of My Writing Journey - Brief Summer Version

Whoops, I'm late sharing this after an unusually busy weekend attending Pride events here. This is a glance back at my spring and look ahead at summer.

Above all, I always keep in mind my vow to start publishing all these books in 2024!

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #WorldOfOntyre #AmWritingFantasy #WriterLife

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/06/15/the-state-of-my-writing-journey-brief-summer-version/

This week's blog post:
My Kinda Sorta Map Problem Everyone Should Avoid

Okay, deep down I knew this was coming because I've seen maps in the past that weren't legible on an e-reader. My examples, though, are my own maps, & my basic rule is to always make it easy on the reader.

So, yes, this is a cautionary tale...

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Fantasy #WorldOfOntyre #Writers #Writing #Map #Maps #Worldbuilding #AmWritingFantasy

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/06/08/my-kinda-sorta-map-problem-everyone-should-avoid/

This week's blog post:
•The Aesthetic that Caused a Major Decision—15 Years Apart•

Yeah, I'm odd this way. I have fun tracing the sources of my writing inspiration, especially my worldbuilding. It existed in a place somewhere between Steampunk and traditional fantasy and I never forgot it.

Except, I kinda did for a while. Then, suddenly, I didn't.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #Fantasy #WorldOfOntyre #Worldbuilding

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/06/01/the-aesthetic-that-caused-2-major-decisions-15-years-apart/

This week's blog post:
The Me I'm Supposed to Be

This was a difficult post because there was a lot of pain leading up to it. It's part journey, part cautionary tale, and part pep talk for those needing it.

If you're like me, you need it.

Not all those who smile & say they support you actually do so. Ours can be a lonely & dangerous road.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WorldOfOntyre #Writers #Writing #WriterLife #WriterProblems #LGBT #Gay #Lesbian #Sapphic #Transgender

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/05/25/the-me-im-supposed-to-be/

This week's blog post:
What's in a Name? Maybe a Story

Sometimes a name just sounds right, or maybe there's meaning. Maybe we use a naming convention like I do for wizards & witches.

Sometimes, though, it's its own story...like my own, & I don't even cover it all in the post.

Naming a character in-story can be an intimate experience for the characters involved.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #WorldOfOntyre #AmWritingFantasy #Characters #WriterProblems

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/05/18/whats-in-a-name-maybe-a-story/

This week's blog post: How I Made a Prequel More than Backstory

The story behind the story is its own strange tale, & one I resisted. In the end, it was struggling with the series' direction after Book 2 that prompted the prequel & exploring what Riparia didn't know.

How strange to discover all that I didn't know. Funny how exploring backstory changed everything.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #WorldOfOntyre #AmWritingFantasy #WritingTips

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/04/20/how-i-made-a-prequel-more-than-backstory/

This week's blog post: Worldbuilding with Storytelling Purpose

Unless you want to worldbuild simply for the joy of worldbuilding, you need to recognize you can't build everything. Certain basics are absolutely necessary. After that, it's the stories you want to tell that should rule.

Serve your purpose and your worldbuilding will serve your stories. 😃

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #WorldOfOntyre #WritingTips #Worldbuilding #AmWritingFantasy

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2023/04/06/worldbuilding-with-storytelling-purpose/