Tag: books

Building the World

I wanted to take a moment to talk about an important topic- especially for fantasy/sci-fi stories. World Building!

Simply put, without it, there would be NO world. NO world for that wonderful story to take place. I’ve come to realize that in its own way, establishing the setting- aka developing the ‘world’ is just as important as the actions within the story. You need to have a well developed world and setting for the story to take place, otherwise the action gets lost.

Imagine if there were no Hogwarts or Platform 9 and three… for Harry and his friends to explore. If there was no middle earth for Frodo to explore. Yikes!

Without those aspects to the story, no one would care.

Why is that?

Because the reader needs to be able to submerse themselves into a story. It needs to feel real… even when it’s drastically NOT. I don’t care if we’re anywhere close to living in space on a giant floating city. The right details and back stories can make any reader think.. ‘yeah, I see how that could work’ (in that story)

I was reading a book the other day which got me thinking about the many ways we can add world building details. The realization of it’s importance is great timing as I’m in the middle of working on book 2 of ‘The Kingdom’ series.

In book one I had a handful of newspapers and magazine clips that revealed an issue the society had fought through in the past. Other things I did were to create the names of restaurants, bars, and shops that would pop up throughout the story. It was just one way to help establish a ‘reality’ to this made up town.

One of my favorites was adding a game in the story called ‘Pegs’. I’ve always enjoyed making new games in real life and took great pleasure creating one that was enjoyed for the patrons at the bar.

In my upcoming book I’ll be introducing at least one new game that is played by those who wield magic. There are many other things that I’ve already added into the book and as I work on my edits- I plan to add a few more things to bulk up the ‘world’, now that I have the story line down.

What type of things do you do (or enjoy reading) that you think really help build a world?

I always love to hear new ideas!

And hey- Check out my book- The Kingdom; Hidden City

You can get it cheap on kindle. And if you like it- drop a comment!

The Kingdom; Hidden City

Happy reading!

~Cam

Flexibility in Writing

I’m a firm believer that you need a pretty solid outline if you wish to make it through your story. Especially if you’re a fiction writer like me. Possibilities are so endless that you have to stay somewhat grounded to a pre-outlined  story or else you’ll never get there! You either run into the problem of having too many side plots or you become overwhelmed and end up with the dreaded Writers Block.

I made that mistake on my first writing attempt. I had an idea and I thought let’s just wing it! Yeah. That was fun… for about an hour. It wasn’t so fun when I trashed that idea days later. Talk about a waste. Funny thing is, it was probably a good idea.

Bad implementation.

That being said. Lets talk about another mistake. Creating an outline and then feeling pressure to work purely within the confines of that outline. It can make it a nightmare for writing. It definitely disrupts the flow and severely hinders progress. ‘No I can’t have this happen because my outline says it needs to be this way.’  Let me tell you, I started doing that on my next book after the above mentioned trash(ed) story. It took me a week to write one chapter! Everything had to fit in too nicely.

It wasn’t even fun!

I’ve learned that being an author is as much about discovering the story we have as telling it. I’ve found I have the most success when I create an outline but allow for flexibility. You don’t know how something will truly play out until you’re in the moment of writing the details. If something feels right, roll with it! It’s so much more enjoyable that way and what you end up with, is a story you’re excited about. After all, if you’re not excited about it… who will be?

Try it out! I’ve had some of my most successful and enjoyable days when I let my mind wander. So long as you’re staying somewhat grounded to that original outline, the story will progress as planned. 🙂

On that note- I just had a monster session working today on what will be book two of “The Kingdom” series. I’m truly happy with the progress.

Coming soon!
In the meantime check out my site and take a look at Book 1: Hidden City

Happy Writing and Reading

~Cam

It was a cold, bitter day.

“It was a cold, bitter day. Snow was beginning to fall as the wind whipped from all directions. It was the wind that Mox had always hated most; the way that it cut through his body like a knife through butter. Even through the surrounding trees, the wind continued to whirl. No place was safe….”

 

An excerpt from my recently published book in ‘The Kingdom’ series titled ‘Hidden City’. Follow Mox at the beginning of his quest. A journey of truth and discovery riddled with hard choices.

Check it out!

And hey, look out for my next post as I continue discussing the different aspects involved in writing, editing, and the publication process. As always, feel free to ask any questions!

Here’s the synopsis of my book and a link to the site for purchase. You may also check out my facebook page Cameron Kielb- Author for chances to win the book for free  🙂 Enjoy!

~Endless human conflict has ended the comfortable technological era known to man – cell phones and video games are a thing of the past. Taking its place is an age of magic, earthly power, and an unknown disease, ravishing humanity. As fear of the unknown, of contagion, and of magical power creates divides and pushes people into hiding, one man thinks he has answers.
Mox, being with magic, is one of the few and the feared. Raised and taught by a family friend, Mox has developed his powers and cunning to try and find a cure for the rapidly growing disease. He believes these answers can be found with the father who deserted him long ago as a small child.
In an effort to retrace his father’s steps, Mox stumbles upon The Hidden City. Tensions run high as the distrust between the magic and non-magic communities is at an all time high. The Hidden City, its residents, and the truth will test him and his powers, but in the end, he just has to keep moving forward.

 

Happy reading and writing!

~Cam

Steady Progress for Big Gains

Writing a story is no easy feat. No matter the length of the story, it is hard to stay committed to process. In fact, I could argue that one of the hardest parts of successfully completing a book is the discipline required to stick with it. How many times have you had a great idea for the next best seller only to leave a short synopsis or rough version of ‘chapter one’ collecting dust in your notebook or hard drive.

I realized quickly that it would be important not to fall into this pitfall of a mistake. I enjoy writing and creating stories too much to see them go to waste! So with that in mind I created a process and goal to keep myself accountable to. I’m here to share with you that process of what’s worked with me.

The details of everyone’s goal will be a little different depending on the project and time available to give, but I believe the single most important feature is setting up a word count goal. That is, what is the bare minimum amount of words that I want to add to my story. I do it weekly… I had tried daily for awhile but it proved to be unrealistic for someone who has a full time job. Perhaps a full-time writer has daily goals.

For me, my bottom line number is 5,000 words a week. This actually isn’t that much but that’s the point. It’s the minimum amount I want to give. So even on a busy as h@#L week, I know I’m still making movement on the story. Nothing kills progress and momentum faster than a complete hiatus from the story. This is because when you finally get back into writing- you first have to get caught back up with the details of what you’ve established. That two week reprieve now costs you three or four weeks! It also opens your story for holes in the plot.

I mostly exceed this goal and when I do, great! Even more gained. 🙂 but those extra words a week above 5,000 are not as important–for me– as consistently hitting my goal.

Try it out! Keep that word count high enough to push you a little throughout the week without overwhelming you into quitting. That’s a whole different mistake. I promise, if you keep chipping away at that story you’ll actually stay more involved with, and enjoy the story that’s running wild in your mind.

Happy Writing!

P.S> Here’s a link to my recently published book. 🙂

~Cam