4-Part Writing Special// Part Three: Storyworld

Welcome, one and all, to the third installment of the 4-Part Writing Special. You can read the past two week's posts here and here. Today's post is all about the story world. Yay! I get to tell you all about Reylance and the surrounding countries.

~Name a unique aspect of your story world~

A unique aspect of my story world? Hmmm. I think one of the most unique aspects is that everyone in the world is born with what I call a Special Ability. Usually, they're a normal ability that's exploded (like tracking anything you want), but sometimes they can be very different (like transforming into anything one wishes). Originally, I wanted it to demonstrate that everyone in the world has a God-given talent. While that is still the message I want to convey, I don't know if it's blatantly obvious to the readers. It's kind of like one of those subtle themes, I guess.

~Talk about one of the important animals in the story (someone's pet or horse; or a fierce animal the MC must defeat)~

There are various animals that come into play during the trilogy but, in The Dawn of a Hero, the Jemuw, a dragon, is the animal that the Edifuni must defeat. He's pretty cool.

~A paragraph describing something in your storyworld (building, landmark, etc.)~

Is this from the WIP? Or just write about something in the storyworld? I'm going to go with the former. This snippet is about the base at Eprus.

"Sunlight blazed through the window. She dragged herself out of bed and slipped over to look out. Birds flew inches from the glass, shrieking in abhorrence of the obstacle. The Knight base of Eprus spread out in front of the barracks, with the city beyond the halfway wall. Knights dashed back and forth from various buildings in the open area down below, probably trying to finish tasks before breakfast. The bell tower stood in the center of the main buildings. It rang twice every morning, once to wake the Knights and once to signal that breakfast was ready."

~Something dangerous in your storyworld~

The border between Reylance and the Foyc Territory. Things happen there. Bad things. Cool things. Things that will probably be deleted in future drafts because they serve no purpose to the story. But might be changed to other, more dangerous things.

~Something delightful in your storyworld~

There's a spot just outside of Eprus, on a cliff by the sea. Laylah loves to go there when she needs to clear her head or find some time alone. Most people, except for those closest to her, don't know about it. Those who do, know to not bother her too often while she's there. Except, you know, when the world's ending.

~A movie soundtrack that would complement the setting~

Hmmm. I think for part of it, the Piano Guys Desert Symphony would suit the Midland Plains. I know that's not a movie soundtrack, but it works.

I think maybe the Narnia or LotR soundtrack? I'm not familiar with too many soundtracks, so I don't have a lot to go on.

~How does the geography impact the story?~

The mountains of the Foyc Territory play a big role in the story. As one can imagine, it's tough to climb a mountain. Almost impossible to bring a horse with you. Also, it's mid-spring so it can be a bit chilly at night. Also, mountain creatures. We'll just leave it there.

The forest is something that Laylah loves. She loves being around the animals, especially since her Special Ability is shapeshifting. So there is a lot of time spent in and around the forest.

~Is there a particular location or time period your story you had in mind when creating your storyworld?~

When I first started developing Reylance, I was heavily inspired by my family's farm and the surrounding area. Many of the names are derived (loosely) from nearby locations. Let's see if I can remember some.

Thos Mtn.= South Mountain State Park

Derrone= Redbone Willy's

Eprus= Pasture

Chemmit= Mitchem's Kitchen

Library= Ryiar

And so on. You get the picture. Never underestimate the power of your surroundings. With a little rearranging of letters, you just might figure out the names of your fantasy land.

~What is the climate like, and does it play a role in the story?~

The climate varies throughout my world. In Reylance itself, the weather is pretty much like where I live. It has all four seasons. In the northern part, of course, it stays cooler longer, but they don't spend much time there in this series. It comes into play during the second series. 

In the Foyc Territory, it's a mountainous region. It's cold most of the year and pretty treacherous to cross if you're not careful. In tDoaH, it's springtime so the cold doesn't play too much of a role. But it definitely causes some issues in the following books. 

In Chemmit, it's inspired by the tropics. It's warm and exotic. Doesn't really affect this book, but they spend a lot of time there in the second book. 

~Are there any traditions, and do they have an effect on the plot? ~

Oh man, I'm running into the problem of having written six books in the same realm: I can't remember which traditions effect TDoaH alone. I know I mention the Kingsday celebration. I'm still working on fleshing that out, but it worked for the scene I was writing, so I thought I might keep it. If I get it to where it's developed, I can probably use it in the future.

Oh yeah! I forgot the entire point of the book. There's an ancient tradition of the Spoiler involving the Spoiler of Spoiler to the Spoiler. Kind of a big deal to the plot. I'm so glad to let you in on it.

I hope you enjoyed that. Make sure you check out the rest of the participants' answers! They're bound to be amazing. I'll update the links as they come live.

Julian
Ivie
Lisa
Carol
Jem
Faith
Lila
Evangeline