Ah, how the writing waves roll. I go from uninspired and overwhelmed to an outburst of creative fire. The fantasy series is the tip of the iceberg.
Yes, Leia Talon is me. It's my fantasy pen name. Do you follow me on Twitter yet?
An Overdue Writing Update
Months ago, I told myself I could take a big writing break after finishing the contract I’m working on. I was in the middle of a big project that has been super challenging but also fun, and not feeling like working on the books I’d planned to publish next.
I accidentally fell off Hive for a few months. Did not mean to do that, but hey, it happens. I'm still here.
Then I started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses, proceeded to devour thriteen Sarah J Maas novels over a couple of months, and emerged reinvigorated.
When in doubt, read a good book. Or thirteen of them.
My latest projects...
I’ve been working on a very cool interactive fiction project all year, which has been fantastic. It’s paid (yay!), and I’ve been coding and writing my happy little heart out for a game which should be released next year. This is for Heart’s Choice, the romance division of Choice of Games. I’m just gearing up to write the last installment, bringing all of the story threads to completion.
This has been a super challenging project because it’s not linear—I’m writing multiple storylines and the choices the player makes changes the story. It’s like a choose your own adventure story, but with stats, so the choices have weight.
Sometimes, writing it makes my brain hurt, but I suppose that could be said of all writing. This just adds code and a bunch more complexity into the mix. But it also makes me that much prouder to be nearing completion. I’ve learned a lot, and writing this game has also provided me with a bunch of characters and storylines that I can revise into novel form. Eventually.
In fact, I figured out how to weave the characters and plotlines from the game together with another story I’ve been working on, and now have the basis for an epic fantasy series! I’m very excited about this, because it takes a story I’d shelved and makes it so much more impactful the way I’m going to rework it, as well as adding depth in the worldbuilding for the game.
I’ve spent a good amount of time on World Anvil and Inkarnate making maps and character sheets, and entering every bit of relevant worldbuilding I came across as I read through the first portion of the game, polishing it up and refreshing my memory in preparation of writing the ending.
It’s funny, I’ve written both stories first, and am now going through and making the worldbuilding match. Some people actually do the worldbuilding first. Not me, I just make shit up as I write the first draft, then go through and tweak things so it makes sense after the fact.
I wish I could share the maps and worldbuilding I've been doing here, but none of it is ready to go public. Yet... However, I'll share a sneak peek because I want to give you something.
This is one of my maps with most the names stripped away.
OMG I was selected for a writing mentorship!
As if finishing the game and plotting an epic fantasy series wasn’t enough, I entered a mentorship contest in November, and OMFG I WON!!!
After 6 years of entering mentorship programs, my submission was finally selected by WriteHive mentors (not associated with the blockchain Hive, but still cool).
Except it’s even better than that.
TWO of the mentors liked my story so much they decided to co-mentor me, rather than having a duel over who would get to help me with this story.
What does this mean? Well, I have a lot of work ahead of me to wrangle this story into something ready to publish, but I will have help! Yay!
The story in question actually started off as a Hive writing prompt way back in Feb 2018. (Okay, it was on that blockchain whose name shall not be spoken, but let’s call it Hive.) I actually found the damn post after searching for way too long, but it's nothing like the current version so don't bother looking back, it's not worth it. 🤣
After getting my creative juices flowing with the writing prompt, and pulling inspiration from worlds like DC's Arrow and Pirates of the Caribbean, I turned the story into a full-length novel with a disaster assassin-smuggler and a warrior-mage. Together, they tackle trust issues, an epic heist/rescue mission, and a rift in the world.
Even after several revisions, this manuscript still needs big worldbuilding help, which I’ve been reluctant to tackle on my own. Thankfully, now I have not one but TWO mentors to guide me.
Could I do it on my own? Possibly. But having an outside perspective is essential in writing novels. I get so close to the story I can’t see what it needs to make sense and become a book that people will not only read, but rave about.
I’m currently reading one of my mentor’s stories (when not writing like a fiend), and it’s a super fun read that has me giggling a lot, and cackling at times, which is welcome after the last dozen books I read by Sarah J Maas, which tore my heart out and put it back in pieces. Okay, that’s a metaphor but oof did those books hit my soul hard.
TL;DR: I have SO much happening in my writing life, and I’m grateful!
What about you?
What creative endeavours are you working on or finding inspiring right now?
Thank you for reading! 💖
Peace @Katrina-Ariel / @LeiaTalon
Baker's dozen never hurts, HA! Excited to see this next chapter unfold for you!
Thank you for all your support and inspiration over the years! 💖
I’ve always wanted to write a book series. I wish that I had the time.
Writing is fun, for sure. But you can also do it slow, little by little, when you can find the time... I'm sure you have other things you enjoy, though. Like stacking. 😉
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Wow, your post and dedication to what you do is quite inspiring. Do not stop thinking that everything you are doing is great, writing for a game? I love it, building your own epic fantasy story and its complex world? love. I hope one day I can read something of yours. It's still hard for me to read in english, but I'm trying. On the contrary, I love to consume more than create hahaha
What a sweet and thoughtful comment! Thank you so much! I think reading is creative, because you're building a world in your imagination. Yes, the author is helping, but you get to fill in all the details they left out, and go along for the adventure. Also, if English isn't your first language and you can communicate this well, I am impressed!
Wow
This is a lot of update. 😅
Amazing how you're able to juggle all this together, the project, the writing and the mentorship now.
And then finishing that series 😯
It's a lot of projects, for sure. But I'm not working on the mentorship manuscript until I've finished the interactive fiction game, and since the story for the game is part of the series, I'm plotting it as I go. I won't be able to actually write the series until the game is finished, either... But I might be working on another side project that is related to the game and series. 🤣
When inspiration strikes, I do my best to run with it.
A mentorship, awesomeness! 👏
Congratulations 🙌🙌🙌
Your book sounds so fun :) Will it also be posted here???
At the moment, I'm mostly doing prompts. But my goal for 2023 is to tie up some more of my Hive collections, especially Just Down The Road.
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