Monday, April 14, 2014

A to L: L

The A to Z Challenge is underway this year, thanks to the awesome hosts and minions. Special thanks to Arlee Bird for starting this amazing blogging challenge!!! For more information about this challenge, go to the website!

Primary theme: World of Aramatir (Setting for The Champion Trilogy) Glossary
Secondary Theme: World-Building Questions and Thoughts

L

Lazi – lizard creatures of the Dark Sisterhood

Liness – member of the Dark Sisterhood Coven, and caretaker of the Lazi

Liam – 13th Prince of Wylandria, and last bearer of the Swan Prince curse

Louras – the osprey bonded to Odran of the Watch Guard


World Building Thoughts: Building layers into the fictional world gives it authenticity for the reader. Using legends or fairy tales from the real world and blending them into the landscape of the book world is one way to create layers.

For example, in Champion in Flight (and mentioned in Champion in the Darkness), there are thirteen princes who were under curse - forced to live as swans by day and men at night until their sister freed them from the curse by sewing shirts from aster flowers. The youngest prince, Liam, still bears the curse, partially. It's all based on a fairy tale I love, but then taken and re-set in the world of Aramatir, with the Dark Sisterhood lurking in the background.

How do you build layers into your stories? Do you use legends or fairy tales to do it?  

10 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I wonder if that's where the writers of the movie Ladyhawke got the idea of a wolf by night and man by day, and a hawk by day and woman by night?

Tyrean Martinson said...

It may have been. :) That's one of my old favorite movies.

Cherie Reich said...

I love layering mythologies and the like in my stories, and that's so cool about the legend you came across and how you used it in your stories!

Maurice Mitchell said...

The best are like an onion. I wonder if there were other stories using that inspiration?

Karen Lange said...

Layers make a story so much better, don't they? Great choice for L! :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

I noticed that in your writing, Cherie - it's cool! And Thanks!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Yes, the best are definitely like onions.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Yes, layering makes the world building so much richer.

Tamara Narayan said...

Both of my girls love the fairy tale about the swan and the princess. I recently wrote a novella that borrowed from the legends about the constellation Ursa Major.

randi lee said...

I use a lot of metaphors in my work to help build layers...It's almost Inception-like because I start using metaphors within metaphors. A lot of times, I think of added layers later on, so I backtrack a lot to get new things in :)