#novel tips

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Hello! Do you have any tips for writing 'geopolitical' relationships between kingdoms in a story?

In The Forgotten Legends of Chima, there are tribes of anthropomorphic animals (separated by species) who have their own lifestyle and culture. There are certain tribes with more privilege than others (e.g. some are more rich than others, some withhold more Chi than others), which of course will cause some kind of resentment from others. Not only that, but the actions the leaders/kings take also affect their relationship with other tribes. The people suffer from all of this too; if a king, for example, dislikes a certain tribe, his people will also dislike it too.

I'm trying to write these kinds of relationships as realistically as possible, because TFLOC's story is almost entirely based on the coexistence of Chima's tribes. How do you, or any other writer, tackle this in their stories? Any tips? Thanks :)

How to Write Geopolitical Relationships Between Kingdoms in Any Fictional Story

Thank you so much for this submission, I'll try my best to give you a professional, and detailed explanation so you don't have to do as much research as I did (lol).

Introduction

Geopolitical relationships are the intricate connections and dynamics that exist between kingdoms in a fictional world. These relationships play a crucial role in shaping the political, social, and economic landscape of your story. By understanding and effectively portraying these relationships, you can add depth and intrigue to your narrative. I'll try my best to provide you information and help you explore the elements of geopolitical relationships and provide tips on how to write realistic and engaging connections between kingdoms in your fictional story.

What are Geopolitical Relationships?

Geopolitical relationships refer to the intricate connections and interactions between different kingdoms in your fictional world. It encompasses various aspects such as geography, history, culture, and economics. These relationships determine how kingdoms interact, cooperate, or clash with each other, shaping the overall political and social landscape of your story.

Why are They Important in Fictional Stories?

Geopolitical relationships are important in fictional stories for several reasons. Firstly, they add a layer of realism and authenticity to your narrative, making the world you've created feel more immersive. By understanding the geopolitical dynamics, readers can engage with the story on a deeper level.

Moreover, these relationships serve as a catalyst for conflict and suspense. They provide opportunities for power struggles, alliances, betrayals, and dramatic plot twists. When done effectively, geopolitical relationships can captivate readers and keep them hooked throughout the story.

How to Write Realistic Geopolitical Relationships

(Now, the good part.)

To write realistic geopolitical relationships in your fictional story, you need to consider several key elements. These elements include geography, history, culture, and economics. Let me help you explore each of them in detail:

Geography

Geography plays a crucial role in shaping geopolitical relationships. Consider the physical location of the kingdoms, including their natural resources and borders. A kingdom located near valuable resources may have an advantage in trade negotiations or military capabilities. By understanding the geographical factors, you can develop realistic relationships between kingdoms.

History

The past interactions between kingdoms significantly influence their present relationships. Historical events such as wars, trade agreements, and alliances shape the attitudes, trust, and animosity between kingdoms. Take into account the history of your fictional world and the impact it has on the geopolitical landscape.

Culture

The different cultures of the kingdoms are an essential aspect of geopolitical relationships. Explore their distinct values, beliefs, customs, and social structures. These cultural differences can create tensions, misunderstandings, and alliances between kingdoms. By delving into the cultural aspects, you can enhance the authenticity and complexity of your geopolitical relationships.

Economics

Economic systems and trade relations are crucial factors in geopolitical relationships. Consider the economic capabilities of each kingdom and how they influence their interactions. Trade agreements, rivalries, and military capabilities are all elements that can be influenced by the economic dynamics between kingdoms. By incorporating these aspects, you can create more realistic and engaging geopolitical relationships.

How to Write Realistic Geopolitical Relationships

Now that we have explored the key elements of geopolitical relationships, let's discuss some practical tips on how to write them effectively:

Do your research: To create believable geopolitical relationships, take inspiration from real-world history and geography. Understanding how real nations interacted can provide valuable insights for crafting realistic relationships between your fictional kingdoms.

Be consistent: Once you have established the geopolitical relationships between your kingdoms, strive for consistency throughout your story. Ensure that the actions and decisions of the kingdoms align with their established relationships. This consistency will make the narrative more coherent and enhance the credibility of your world.

Use conflict: Geopolitical conflict can be a fantastic source of drama and suspense in your story. Introduce clashes of interests, political intrigue, and power struggles between kingdoms. Utilize the tensions and rivalries to create compelling conflict that drives the plot forward.

Don't be afraid to change things: If you find that the initial geopolitical relationships need adjustments to serve your story's plot, feel free to modify them. As long as the changes are well-justified within the context of your story, altering the relationships can add unexpected twists and keep readers engaged.

Conclusion

Geopolitical relationships are a vital component of fictional storytelling. By understanding and portraying these relationships realistically, you can enrich your narrative and captivate readers. Remember to consider the elements of geography, history, culture, and economics when crafting these relationships. By conducting proper research, maintaining consistency, utilizing conflict, and being flexible with adjustments, you can create engaging geopolitical relationships that truly bring your fictional world to life.

(That was a handful of words lol)

Additional Tips I Use for Writing Geopolitical Relationships in Fictional Stories:

Think about the motivations of the different kingdoms. What are their goals? What are their fears?

Consider the role of individual characters within the geopolitical landscape. How do they influence or interact with the different kingdoms?

Use the geopolitical relationships to create conflict and suspense in your story.

Don't hesitate to change the geopolitical relationships as your story progresses. Flexibility can lead to more exciting plot developments.

Copyright © 2023 by Ren T.

TheWriteAdviceForWriters 2023

[rwhague]

Using Psychology to Develop Character Personalities (Part 3 of 5)

Introversion vs. Extraversion

This post is going to be a bit shorter than my other analyses of the Big 5 Personalities because much is already widely known about these personality types. Essentially, an introvert is someone who is energized by time spent alone and an extravert is someone who is energized by time spent with others. This does not mean that an introvert is necessarily shy. They can be talkative—but generally they need time after being social to recharge for the next event. They can get lonely, but it usually takes longer for an introvert to get lonely.

An extravert is someone who enjoys being around people. This does not mean they can’t be alone or can’t enjoy time alone, but they find themselves fueled by being with people and socializing. They often have several casual friends and can hang out with multiple groups, but introverts generally find themselves comfortable around a smaller, close-knit group of friends.

Now as it relates to terms of success for the introvert vs. the extravert, an extravert is more likely to obtain success in one’s life as it relates to the business world. This has a lot to do with networking. If an extravert is frequently at social functions or chatting with all sorts of people, they are more known to people. When opportunities arise, often these people are considered over their ‘quieter’ counter-parts. Sucks, but true. The squeaky wheel gets the oil after all. In life, this should be a tip to all my followers. Don’t forget the quiet workers you haven’t seen all day if you are in management. Chances are, Mr. Extravert was possibly running their mouth all day instead of working and Mr. Introvert might be more qualified and produce better outcomes than the loud mouth. Just saying.

Also for my introverts out there, although you don’t want to go to that office party, it may behoove you to buck up and do it anyways. You might keep your nose to the grind stone all day, but if Treece down the hall is chatting up the boss man, you might get overlooked for that promotion. It is good to keep up those social skills even if they feel oh-so miserable.

Now, how does this relate to your characters? Is your MC a King Arthur character—always at the party, always knows what to say? Life of the party? Or are they a behind the scenes Merlin character full of magic but mainly behind the scenes? You can turn this into a character arc as well.

Perhaps because of your character’s high levels of neuroticism and low extraversion, they hang out at home all the time until dwarves breakdown their door and insist on them joining their party to go defeat a dragon. Suddenly, their quiet life is thrust into a world of never being alone where they have to rely on their friends for survival. Although at their essence, the character will probably remain an introvert, they will still find themselves stretched by the experience and grow a lot.

When I developed my main character Jared, I wanted him to be the mirror image of Midas, the main baddie. Introversion wasn’t one of those things that I set out to make Jared be, it sort of just happened. He experienced a trauma and walled himself off from his friends. Interestingly enough, introversion and extraversion became the primary difference in the personalities of Midas and Jared. The primary determining factor between how these two respond to situations is hinged on this one factor, so don’t under-estimate its value.

So, like always, I would like to know about your characters, so be sure to drop your descriptions of your MC’s in the comments below. I read ever comment and reply to them.

[kayakwrites]

how to know what your story is

is it a novel? is it a short story? is it poorly written two a.m. poetry?

PINPOINT A VAUGE PLOT

Yes, even the pantsiest of pantsers--know your beginning, middle, and end. there’s no need to make it complicated! from there, you can decide how much time and effort you need going foward to give the story justice. what’s important? Are there vital details that would be too long to include in a short story? questions like this stem from finding your basic plot.

WHO ARE YOUR CHARACTERS?

this seems to go hand in hand with the last one, but if you’re more of a character driven writer, then you could lean towards this as well/more. what’s their backstory? is it complicated, is it necessary to the story? what is their endgame in the story and their overall character arc. Is there a certain role they need to play? Taking this into account you can help formulate your plot and therefore recognize what route you need to take to reach the end!

REVIEW YOUR WORK & KNOW YOUR LIMITS

what have you written in the past? what have you written in regards to this story so far? Even if you have the tiniest bits written, look over it and decide if you need more time to brainstorm the idea or if you’re ready to go on. just by looking over your work, you may see new potential in the story and realize what best fits it. whether that’s making it longer or shorter than originally planned, it still gives you a new perspective/a fresh look at what it could be. If you find something seems to not work, review it and contemplate the idea of shortening/lengthing it--there’s no shame in making your story better, even if that means to delete some beloved scenes. (i’m sorry to say, but killing your darlings can REALLY save a story sometimes!)

remember this is YOUR story and any little idea you have can turn into something great! have fun writing!

[reverieblue98]

Wants Versus Needs

Do you use wants and needs for your characters to make them interesting? No? I think you should reconsider...!

Let’s talk about character wants versus needs! A lot of writers don’t think about these as two separate ideas, but they are. When we talk about a character’s personality, these two basic things can make them instantly feel deep and real, and keep readers wanting more of them. Here’s a simple example:

This character wants to be super famous and rich. He needs to be super attractive and charismatic to get what he wants. 

Or:

This character wants to be super famous and rich. What he needs is to decide what’s more important to him: financial riches or relationships. 

Which character seems more likeable or relatable? Probably the second one. The wants and needs don’t need to directly reference each other like in the first description. 

In fact, people like characters with wants and needs that are opposites, because it creates conflict and tension. Here are some popular examples of this: 

The good guy and the bad guy fall in love with each other, the good girl goes bad, the cold-hearted turns warm, and so many more.

These are all example of characters with wants that clash with their needs, creating the opportunity for good conflict which is what we’re all looking for! When you incorporate this into your character creation, you might find it easier to form your plot, relationships, and personality traits/flaws. It creates a character that readers will fall in love with, and will want to read more of! Let me know if you do this, or if you do something different that gives the same result. I hope this information serves you well, and as always, happy writing!

-RB

[elcrivain]

The change that a character undergoes from the beginning through to the end of the story is also called the “character arc”, or “character development arc”. Often, a strong development arc is considered to be one in which the character makes an essential change, and improves their situation.

CHARACTERS CHANGE BECAUSE:

The experiences they undergo during the story alter their perception of the world, of other characters, and of themselves.

The world is changing around them and they need to adapt.

They travel to a new world and need to adapt to it.

They’re growing older.

CHARACTERS REMAIN UNCHANGED BECAUSE:

They’ve reached a mental, emotional, or physical peak or plateau.

For various reasons, the story has not required them to change. This might signal a weakness in the story plot.

They’re resistant to change. This is often the defining trait of a tragic hero.

HOW CHARACTERS CHANGE

Most stories describe a character’s transformation from one state to another, and over time, storytellers have developed plot formulas to help them understand how characters change and how this change can be related to an audience.

In general these formulas guide the character through the following steps:

THE CHARACTER REACTS TO AN IMPETUS: The character receives an impetus to change. This trigger to action may be internal or external. In other words, the character may decide to leave their current state of being of their own accord, or another person or event can urge them to do so.

THE CHARACTER ENTERS A NEW WORLD: The character comes in contact with new places, new people, new ideas, and new rules that make them rethink or doubt the ways of their state of being at the beginning of the story. This new world creates a sense of uncertainty that is necessary for unsettling the character’s old beliefs, in order that new perspectives can take their place.

THE BEGINNING STATE IS PROVED TO BE UNSOUND: The uncertainty created by the character’s meeting new people and ideas is further eroded. The character sees the problem of their beginning state, and the direction in which they’ve been heading. Sometimes, especially in the “mythic mode”, the character undergoes a figurative death.

THE CHARACTER UNDERGOES A PARADIGM SHIFT: A paradigm shift is a fundamental change is perspective that has repercussions for an entire belief system. Often this shift is a synthesis of the original state, and the lessons that the character has learned in the new world. It leads to an important insight that allows them to finally understand the direction in which the story is taking them. Some frameworks describe this as the moment when the character moves from being reactive to being proactive.

THE CHARACTER EXPERIENCES LOSS OR FAILURE: Sometimes a devastating failure or seemingly-fatal defeat will further detach the character from their old state of being, or from the direction that they thought their story needed to go. This may be the death of a mentor, guide, or guardian, or it might be an event that seals the fate of a particular enterprise. The loss guarantees that the character can’t go back to the way things were, but it may also give them a sense that they have nothing more to lose.

THE CHARACTER DISCOVERS WHAT THEY TRULY NEEDED: Finally, the character understands the new state of being that they are being led towards, and accepts the change. This usually involves a hidden part of their personality coming to light, and bringing them the necessary strength and certainty.

INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL CHANGE

Internal changes are visible only to the character themselves, and to the narrator who has access to their thoughts and feelings.

External changes are visible to other characters, and to the narrator who has access to the character’s appearance, and behaviour.

HOW CHARACTERS CHANGE THEIR WORLD

Some characters, having undergone a change through the story, will end by changing the world around them. In the Hero’s Journey (or monomyth), this occurs when the character steals or wins the Elixir of Life – a symbolic substance that restores life – in the underworld, and brings it back to the Ordinary World in order to share it with others who have not been through the same journey.

As well as bringing life, the character may also change the world using the knowledge and wisdom they’ve gained through their experiences in the story.

COMMON CHARACTER CHANGES

Characters may change:

The way they think and feel about a particular person or group of people. For example, they may come to realise that an enemy or opponent is no different from them.

Their occupation or preoccupation. For example, they may change from being a warrior to a healer.

A trait or set of traits they possess. For example, they may change from being disappointed to being determined.

In status. For example, they may change from being a commoner to a member of the royalty.

Their level of knowledge. For example, they may change from not knowing anything about magic, to being a master magician.

Their level of ability. For example, they may change from being a terrible public speaker to one of the most articulate speakers in the world.

Not all change that characters undergo is positive, although in general negative change is the domain of failed heroes or antagonists.

[crsedore]

[mentallydatingahotcelebrity]

The Strong Female Character

Strong Female Character = an excuse to write poorly-developed characters to whom victory/success miraculously “just happens” because they’re The Woman and Can Have No Struggles (unless they be superficial ones which are painfully and laughably contrived). Faults in their persona aren’t to be born (because they’re STRONG. and FEMALE. how DARE they be human????)

If someone uses this phrase “strong female character” unironically or NOT when describing a badly written, cliché and amateur character, then clearly they do not know what well-written characters vs terribly-written characters looks like and should not be relied upon for any sort of entertainment or criticism.

If anyone EVER says they’ve “written a strong female character” what they’ve actually written is trash and had better dump it in the bins and begin again.

To call your creation a strong female character is to point out that they’re terrible. Strong female characters don’t earn their place through merit, don’t get meaningful development or grow through experience, but are handed everything they have by bad writers who couldn’t find their way out of a maze even with a map and a red ribbon to mark the way in their hands.

So think before you call your character a “strong female”. Chances are that all you’ve written is a piece of trash in what otherwise could’ve been a work of art. 

Rather, write a female character (who in the end because of what she has endured) is Strong.

[marockwell-blog]

Novel Writing Checklist

This checklist is going to mainly be for my personal use, but I thought I’d post it for others. You don’t have to use it for a novel necessarily, so feel free to apply it to a short story, flash fiction, or even an epic poem. I personally will apply this list to writing my novel, but I’ll be also be using it as a rough schedule of blog post ideas. If anyone has anything to add or suggest for this list, please feel free to message me! Also, if anyone ever wants me to beta read anything, message me the link!

Novel Writing Checklist:

Characters (because let’s be honest, they’re the best part to write and it’s always been all about them).

Character “police sketch“ - appearance, age, a few important details.

Your Character’s Tragic Backstory - short character bio, what memories shaped them to be who they are, their family/friends

Getting in your Character’s Head - character questionnaires, finding their voice, flaws and strengths

How the world sees your Character - describing them from an outside POV.

World Building (the 2nd best part)

The basics - when and where

Map-making (if necessary) - important landmarks/places, climate/weather, how to draw a map for personal reference

Detailed work - governments/social classes, religion, plant life/food, architecture, clothing/appearances, traditions, holidays (am I missing anything?)

Novel Outline (this is about where I start pulling hair out)

Idea summary - one to two sentences describing plot

Writing the ending first - know what your end goal will be

The snowflake outline, or other outlining techniques

(Finally) Writing Your Novel

Draft 1 - just getting it down on paper

Beta-reading/readers - giving and getting advice

Revision - may involve a draft 2, 3, even a draft 4 and repeating step 2 as necessary. Focuses on making large changes to content

Editing - grammar, word economy, language.

It doesn’t look so bad when it’d broken down this way, does it? Hopefully this will be helpful to the writers out there. I know it will certainly be helpful to me.