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The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

Posted on 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” →

2022 Wrap-Up and Goals for 2023

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Another year has come and gone, and boy… what a year it has been. Parts of this year feel like they belonged to last year, and in many ways this year has felt very long. How could so much have happened all in one year?? But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take a look at how this year stacked up against my expectations.

2022: An Overview

I split last year into three parts relative to my camp job, and I’m tempted to Continue reading “2022 Wrap-Up and Goals for 2023” →

Worldbuilding for a First Draft

Worldbuilding for a First Draft

Posted on 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?

How Should Christians Write About… Magic?

Posted on 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)

Know the Novel – Part One: Introduction (2022)

Posted on 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)” →