Laying the Foundations of Your World

Laying the Foundations of Your World

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Something I’ve always found fascinating, as a Christian with an interest in story, is how so many mythologies have points in which they reflect the truth of how the world was made, how it flooded, and even sometimes how it was saved and how it will end. When something is true, it is impossible to completely obscure that truth. Which is why I think it’s important for authors to lay out the groundwork for their fictional worlds fairly early on; what is true of your world will shine through in many different areas. Continue reading “Laying the Foundations of Your World” →

How to Deepen a Fantasy Religion

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Religions have a significant hand in shaping the cultures around them, and developing them can be a powerful tool both in developing those cultures and in exploring worldview. While I’ve talked before about the basics of creating a fictional religion, today I want to talk about some of the complexities and details that will deepen that religion (or really any organization or culture) and make it feel more organic and complete. Continue reading “How to Deepen a Fantasy Religion” →

5 Tips for Writing Strong Description

Posted on by R.M. Archer

My brain decided to flip-flop Monday and Tuesday this week, so… this is late. Because yesterday didn’t feel like Tuesday (and apparently I didn’t consult my calendar yesterday). But here we are with a new writing post.

Authors tend to fall into approximately four camps when it comes to description in early drafts. 1) Too little description; everything is dialogue or action. 2) Too much description; we’re overwhelmed by the detail of every blade of grass. 3) There’s the right amount of description… but it just sits there and looks pretty. 4) The magical people who can actually write fantastic description on pretty much the first try (believe it or not, I know people who fall into this category). I usually fall somewhere between too little description and flat description… which is really frustrating since I know the principles for description and when I’m editing description is one of my strong points. But what are those principles? Continue reading “5 Tips for Writing Strong Description” →

October 2020 Wrap-Up

October 2020 Wrap-Up

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Writing

I got sooo little writing done in October, as far as primary projects are concerned. I have, however, been able to focus on my Deseran worldbuilding a lot in the past couple weeks, which has been really fun. In fact, it’s been so fun that Continue reading “October 2020 Wrap-Up” →

Writing Fiction as a Christian – Author Panel Interview

Writing Fiction as a Christian – Author Panel Interview

Posted on by R.M. Archer

The time has come! As announced last week, I’m wrapping up my series on Christian fiction with an interview with a handful of other Christian authors! I had the privilege of hearing from Miranda Marie, Mattie May, and Brian McBride (Angela Watts was unfortunately unable to make it), and I’m super excited to share the interview with you today! I hope it’s an encouragement and maybe teaches you a little bit more about different perspectives on Christian fiction and the experience of writing and publishing fiction as a Christian. Enjoy! :)

More About the Authors

Continue reading “Writing Fiction as a Christian – Author Panel Interview” →