I’m pretty fond of Neal Litherland’s writing, and I’ve been pretty vocal about it over on Facebook. He has a “for writers” blog that I enjoy, and I thought I’d share this one with you fine folks, as I think most of you are also writers.

https://nealflitherland.blogspot.com/2018/11/successful-authors-are-persistence.html?fbclid=IwAR1GBsEWfc_5RlBeCSJpnS74Kr5PwjygW8-4OpdS8WugIE_cxH6uHr-iqOs

Seriously. Check out his blogs. Check out his writing. And I do recommend his books, New Avalon (a collection of steampunk short stories) and Crier’s Knife (a fantasy novel).

Improved Initiative

The Literary Mercenary

 

So… I’ve been working for two weeks on write-ups of Erde’s mercenary companies and it’s not going well.  It’s like walking into a brick wall and every time I turn there’s another wall.  Usually this means something is wrong in the narrative and my subconscious has picked up on it.  I backed up and looked at it and I started thinking, Damn, that’s a lot of adventurers.  Maybe I’ve made the companies too big?  But Koenigsburg has a population of nearly a million people; a few thousand “adventurers” isn’t much.  Plus, the company totals are spread over several cities/areas, so the total of adventuring types within the city is probably closer to 1,000.  And then it hit me: if there are that many adventuring types in and around Koenigsburg, why are the bandits such a problem?  Well shit – there’s a great big gaping hole in my storyline.  The existence of the mercenary companies is established: they exist.  So why aren’t they taking care of the bandit problem?  And that’s where I am in my world-building.  Until I understand what is keeping the mercs busy, and where, I can’t move forward.  But I know when I get through this I’ll have more of the world’s political structure, current events, and the Big Bad’s machinations in my head.  And then I get to share them with you.  🙂

Until then, may all your road blocks force you down unexpected and fruitful new pathways.

~Jean Nadira, the stumbling World Walker