Year 6 of My 5-10 Year Overnight Success Plan
Well, here I am, yet again. It’s time for Firehurler’s 6th birthday, marking the end of Year 6 of my 5-10 Year Overnight Success Plan. I’ve made a minor improvement over last year in getting this done in January rather than June (doh!). Hopefully, I can turn...
Poet Fleet Night Before Xmas
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the sector,Not a starship was inbound on any known vector. The cargo was stacked by the freight loading gear,In the hopes that the rendezvous soon would be here. The crewmates were nestled, all snug in their...
Year 5 of My 5-10 Year Overnight Success Plan
Well, one of the hallmarks of my annual plan update seems to be posting it later and later every year. This year I’ve somehow made it to June with a combination of being busy/forgetful/procrastinating. In part, that’s a good thing because I’ve reached a point in my...
Inside Scoop on Black Ocean
As I started planning 2017's 4 Black Ocean missions, I realized that the main story is coming to a close. But even though the characters have decided to spread their wings, and live off-camera (for at least a while), I wanted to make sure the end is satisfying to the...
Year 4 of My 5-10 Year Overnight Success Plan
So… January 31st marks the 4th bookiversary of Firehurler. I’ll have been a self-published author for four full years. At this point, I have vague recollections of an office job in some sort of engineering field. It just seems like such a stark contrast from my...
What’s coming in 2017?
“The time has come,” the Writer said, “To write of other things. Of robots, clones, and aliens, Of shadowbloods, and kings. And why V.R. is killing us, And why spaceships have wings.” “But wait a bit,” the Readers cried. “We haven’t read your last. For some of us are...
Worldbuilding: Cultural Values
What separates one culture from another. It's more than clothes and language, though those are important for making them look and feel distinct from one another. No, what makes two cultures unique are cultural values. These are the traits that, as a society, are held...
Who Can Practice Magic
So, your world's got magic. Great! Since you're in charge, it's up to you to dole out that mystical power to your characters. Time to decide who gets to participate. A Matter of Study Anyone with a keen mind and a good work ethic can learn the arcane arts. Maybe it's...
Naming as a Worldbuilding Tool
Many writers struggle with naming characters. I'm not here to help them. I'm actually going to make it harder by giving them another consideration to bear in mind: character names help define your world. How names work in the real world Every culture on Earth has come...
When to Start Worldbuilding
One question that an aspiring worldbuilder is going to ask is when to start. Can you build a world without knowing anything about the story you're going to tell in it? Do you need any characters before you build a world for them to inhabit? Actually, you have options....