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The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

Posted on February 14, 2023March 3, 2023 by R.M. Archer

This post is part of a collaboration with several bloggers to discuss romance tropes and the philosophy behind them. Stay to the end to check out the other participating authors’ posts!

I have a problem with the arranged marriage trope in YA and NA fiction, and it’s not the issue you might think. I have no objection to portraying arranged marriages in fiction, even to portraying them to a (reasonably) young audience. In fact, my problem with arranged marriage in YA fiction is that it is almost always portrayed in a negative light.

Before you get too worked up, allow me to say that I don’t think arranged marriage is necessarily the ideal these days, and it can be problematic. I don’t believe Continue reading “The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction” →

Worldbuilding for a First Draft

Posted on November 15, 2022February 7, 2023 by R.M. Archer

Worldbuilding can present a number of challenges—often different for each author—but one that seems to be a universal struggle is the challenge of knowing how much worldbuilding to do before you start a writing project. Whether you’re an author who gets sucked into the worldbuilding and has trouble getting into the actual writing process, or an author who leans into the writing process and finds later that their worlds don’t have as much depth as intended, hopefully this post will be a help and encouragement on the subject of worldbuilding for the sake of drafting.

Enough is Enough

You don’t need to know everything before you start writing.

Those of you who prefer to dive into Continue reading “Worldbuilding for a First Draft” →

How Should Christians Write About… Magic?

Posted on October 18, 2022October 18, 2022 by R.M. Archer

Magic can be a hot-button topic in Christian fantasy circles. Is magic ever okay? What is the difference between the magic in Lord of the Rings and the magic in Harry Potter? Should we just avoid it all? Does the faith of the author make a difference?

As with the other topics addressed in this series, magic in fiction is a matter of personal conviction and the intention of these posts is not to tell you what to think but rather to pose food for thought and my personal understanding of the topic based on what I see in Scripture.

To start with, I want to highlight a few different categories of “magic,” because I think a lot of conflict arises when we’re unclear about what we mean by “magic.”

I tend to see Continue reading “How Should Christians Write About… Magic?” →

Know the Novel – Part One: Introduction (2022)

Posted on October 4, 2022October 6, 2022 by R.M. Archer

After a two-month hiatus, I figured a link-up introducing my latest writing project would be a good way to ease back into blogging. I get a relatively easy post to start with and y’all get an introduction to what I’ve been working on during my long silence. So first off, thank you to Christine Smith for hosting the Know the Novel link-up, and with that… let’s get started!

Questions

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

I honestly don’t remember. XD I know it started with Continue reading “Know the Novel – Part One: Introduction (2022)” →

5-Year Blog Anniversary

Posted on August 2, 2022August 6, 2022 by R.M. Archer

Today marks the 5-year anniversary of Scribes & Archers! 5 years ago today I got serious with my blog, rebranded everything, and set up an official schedule. The rest, as they say, is history. Today we’re going to delve into some of that history and look at what the next five years may hold, plus there will be a giveaway and I’ll open the floor to questions in the comments! Stick around to participate in all the fun. :)

*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, meaning purchases made through them earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you

The Story So Far

The history of this blog really extends back Continue reading “5-Year Blog Anniversary” →