#WordWeavers

7 September 2023

Why did the Mer-Princes become villains? Simple. They had ambitions that were somewhat problematic, and they wanted to rule the world, which got in the way of other people wanting to rule the world, and the happiness, peace and wellbeing of countless other people. Did they care? Nope. They wanted what they wanted, by any means necessary.

#writinglife #amwriting #writingcommunity #mermaids #merpunk #amwritingfantasy #writing #writers #watermyth

#WordWeavers

6 September 2023

Things I consider when I want to add details:

1. Setting and Blocking: how much is needed to establish the sense/tone impression of the world of the story?
2. Pacing: How much is needed to establish pace, how much would detract from it?
3. Beats: (also related to pacing), how much description would contribute or detract from emotion or action beats?
4. Dialogue (related to blocking and emotion beats): how much description would augment a conversation and make it come to life? How much would detract from it?
5. Character: is it possible to have less detail to establish a character? If minimalism is possible/required, go for it.

#writinglife #amwriting #writingcommunity #mermaids #merpunk #amwritingfantasy #writing #writers

#WritersCoffeeClub

1 September 2023

Intro: Shameless Self-Promotion

Hello, I'm Anita. I'm a senior lecturer in literature and creative writing (I teach creative writing both for undergraduates and postgraduates and think about the mechanics and the craft of writing all of the time). As Nin Harris I've had fiction, poetry and even a Game (interactive fiction) published in various venues (professional, semi-professional, token etc). While I'm in several anthologies including the award-winning People of Colour Destroy Science Fiction, I've never had a book to my name yet. I aim to change that this year by self-publishing the first novel of the Cantata of the Fourfold Realms, #Watermyth.

Here's my bibliography for access to the free stuff: https://mythopoetica.com/bibliography/

#introduction #writinglife #mermaids #merpunk #amwriting #writingcommunity #bookstodon #bibliophile #writersofmastodon

#WordWeavers

1 September 2023

A new hashtag for a new month, allons-y!

The twenty-five Mer-Princes are one of the major antagonists in the Cantata of the Fourfold Realms, and this happened because their blasphemous (and deeply problematic) scientific experiments caused them to be expelled and exiled from the Empress Rhavella's Mer-Kingdom on the realm of Gaeirn. I suppose it's a case of "What if Dr. Frankenstein became embodied in twenty-five Mer-Princes who wanted more power and dominion over more than one element?"

The main Mer-Prince in #Watermyth is Prince Rinaldi and I guess the positive things about him is that he actually does care for his daughter, is urbane, very cultured, has excellent tastes in food and in books. As a whole the Mer-Princes are also brilliant architects and scientists, are charismatic and good company, but their cruelty is subtle and unparalleled.

#writingcommunity #writinglife #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writersofmastodon #mermaids #merpunk

#WritingWonders
31 August 2023

Has your MC or antagonist ever approved of something the other's done?

In a very bilateral conflicted "Daddy Issues" kind of way, yes.

Can't say more as it counts as a major spoiler but more than one important beat hinges on this dynamic.

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #writersofmastodon

#WritingWonders
30 August 2023

Have you ever planned to kill a character and then not done it.

I very rarely kill characters so I very rarely change my mind about it. When I do, there's a really pivotal reason why that death was necessary. But I also really don't like death as a plot device so it happens only when the plot demands it, rather than having that death to be a catalyst for a causal chain.

Hope that makes sense, haha. It's super-late here!

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #writersofmastodon

#WritingWonders

29 August 2023

Does you antagonist believe you MC has a chance of succeeding?

Within the context of Finora and the Mer-Princes: Of course, that's why they did what they did. (to say more would be to spoil)

Within the context of the Fjekres: that doesn't come into their line of reasoning at all.

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #domesticfantasy #writingcommunity #writinglife

#WritingWonders
28 August 2023

Who's the first character you created for this work?

Oooh, I really like this question.

Most of the main characters for #Watermyth were created in the 1990s, some years before the hypertext came into being. I think the first Yrejveree character was The Wild Maiden of the Trees, sometime in 1993 -- a story fragment I scribbled down in an exercise book, followed by Ipede Dwinkum in 1994 -- I typed out his story during WordPerfect class, lol.

I think it'll have to be Ipede for #Watermyth because the Wild Maiden doesn't really factor much in the novel and Ipede's just a background character who never really walks in.

For the MCs, the first character created would be Finora, actually. She happened sometime in 1997.

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #domesticfantasy #writingcommunity #writinglife

#WritingWonders

(I'm just doing what I can since I've given up on catching up on every prompt!)

22 August 2023

What makes your hero feel weak?

Aila: Regret.
Yildie: My debilitating and transforming injuries.
Regya: Cognitive dissonance and disorientation.
Vita: PTSD.

Again, Finora would be too spoilery because she's kind of larger than life.

#watermyth #writingcommunity #writinglife #amwriting #writing #writers #amwritingfantasy #Gothic #mermaids #merpunk

#writingwonders 15 June 2023

What's your setting: urban, rural, natural, something else?

All of the above, maybe -- but maybe less rural. The Cantata of the Fourfold Realms really does take you to all of the Realms and then some but in #Watermyth it is mostly Gaeirn (where the Ferahia is), and Yrejveree. Both are more water than land, but Yrejveree has forests, mountains and small human settlements. I'd hesitate to call the Mykologosia a city. It's a settlement slowly grown into a township run by a council of the more senior human exiles.

I suppose you could somehow call the Ferahia urban but only if the idea of urban encompasses hybrid cities based on a renaissance and Gothic model of Venice.

#writing #writingcommunity #writinglife #writers #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #authors #authorsofmastodon #writersofmastodon

🎺 WATERMYTH Cover and Promo Reveal!

WATERMYTH, Volume I of the Cantata of the Fourfold Realms will be out on 31 MARCH 2023.

#mermaids #merpunk #epicfantasy #domesticfantasy #Gothic #litodons #bookstodon #booklovers #books #writinglife #writingcommunity #fantasy #authorsofmastodon #writersofmastodon

I didn't ask many people to read/blurb WATERMYTH because I prioritized quality over quantity. I only asked people whom I thought *might* understand what I was trying to do, given it's a very liminal and interstitial novel perched between time, between cultures, and more dangerously, between genres.

#indiepub #debutauthor #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writing #writers #mermaids #merpunk #bookstodon #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon

Probably going to be the most low-key and unpublicized debut novelist of 2023 but I am okay with that. Goes with the territory particularly since I will only be talking about WATERMYTH on my website, the newsletter (18 subscribers now, woot!), and on mastodon. I do hope that the readers I wind up with are happy with the world I created and the narratives I am weaving, though. 💜 🌊 🧜‍♀️

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writing #writers #bookstodon #BIPOCauthors #writingcommunity #authors #authorsofmastodon #writersofmastodon #mermaids #mermaid #merpunk

I started writing (putting together older hypertext novellas from the 90s, tbh) Watermyth in 2009. Can scarcely believe I'm nearly at the finish line as far as publication goes. Kind of apt to self-publish given it evolved from my hypertext project into something bigger and more complex. But it's the beginning of another journey because the Cantata of the Fourfold Realms may very well be five novels rather than four. I'm going to be kept very busy indeed!

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #mermaids #merpunk #domesticfantasy #writingcommunity #writinglife #writersofmastodon #writing

While I have your attention, my first newsletter will come out after Watermyth is published (publication date is still a secret because I'm superstitious), and after I hit 20 subscribers.

Why should you join? Well, if you want to read Watermyth, I'll do a lucky draw (is that what they're called?) ON VIDEO (for accountability) to give away free ebook copies of Watermyth. No strings attached, you don't have to review unless you want to (as a reader I get very stressed when reviews are expected so I won't do that.)

https://tinyletter.com/afterimages

@bookstodon

#bookstodon #readers #booklovers #bibliophiles #mermaids #merpunk #amwriting #sff #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writersofmastodon

I've written so many novel drafts over the years. I started before teenhood even. But this is the first time I've reached this stage of preparing for publication. And it's without the safety net of traditional publishing, an agent, an editor etc.

It's pretty terrifying. But I'm determined not to wait any longer. Not with all of my health scares.

This stage is really different from all of the other stages of revision because I'm putting myself in the perspective of the reader even more.

"Is this what I'd want to read? Would this make sense to me if I was the reader?"

etc.

@bookstodon

#bookstodon #readers #booklovers #bibliophiles #mermaids #merpunk #amwriting #sff #amwritingfantasy #writinglife #writingcommunity #writersofmastodon

Done all the writing I wanted to do today after a day off writing yesterday because I was feeling so unwell. Not that I was very much better today, but yay! Writing! Article, short story (space opera/sf), novel (Watermyth/epic merpunk fantasy)! That'll do. Small amounts every day.

#amwriting #amwritingfantasy #amwritingsciencefiction #planetaryromance #sff #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon #writing #writers #writinglife #writingcommunity #mermaids #merpunk