Head to the Sea!

I'm back from holiday, and it was so great. I just regret that it's already over.
We went to Bensersiel, which is locaded at the Wadden Sea. The weather was changeable, but we were quite lucky when we did day trips.
Instead of souvenirs I have a little something for you I drew at the shore of Langeoog:

For this picture I used Chinese ink. Today -- after the trip -- I coloured it with Copic markers. Big difference as you can see here:

Writing Exercise 029

As I'm on holiday this week my weekly writing exercise has to be published today, before my departure.
To me, this week's topic has great timing because last week my djembe (African drum) group performed at a summer party. I was super nervous but everything went well and we had a lot of fun. So this is what came to mind when tasked to write a drabble about music:

2016/06/27 – Drabble: Music

Knees touching, we sit and wait. My heart beats like a drum as I glimpse at the others of our ensemble. It is time.

Together we chant like a choir so the people may gather: “Odja hee, odja – hee odja...“ I suck in a breath as our leader gives the signal. My hands fly over the African drum, hitting the drumhead in a quick staccato: open, open, bass – bass, bass. The beat is fast, the rhythm invites to dance. The crowd cheers as I play a solo. In the end we throw our hands in the air, laughing: “Fanga!” – Welcome.

Oh, and don't forget: on Wednesday I guest vlog on Frankie's and Sam's blog 'Kalopsiad'.
Let me know what you think of it.
See you next week! :D 

Cards....And Announcement

So I will say it right from the start: next week I am on holidays. Yay. :D

But does that mean I will neglect my blog?
The answer is simple: no, of course not.

I intend to continue my weekly writing exercises; you'll problably get to read the next one on Monday, right before my leaving.
AND, my dear writing buddies Sam and Frankie invited me to guest vlog on their blog 'Kalopsiad' on Wordpress on Wednesday. Isn't that awesome?  :D
I'll talk a bit about my works, so I hope you drop by then.

Last but not least, here are some of the remaining cards. Again I used Chinese ink and Copic markers to colour them.

Writing Exercise 028

This week's writing exercise is very interesting. I guess the topic implies a specific genre, but we'll see. :D
I additionally challenged myself to write a drabble. Therefore this exercise is pretty short. But it might get you thinking... ;)
Here it is:

2016/06/21 – be a visionary (Drabble)

Imgaine I could see into the future. Imagine I could take a glimpse at what life would be like then. Imagine I could know the fate of you and me and everyone else. What would I do with that knowledge? Would you believe me if I told you? Yes, that's what I thought. But what if I wrote down everything instead? What if I guised my visions in the cloak of the fantastic stories you are able to read now? Perhaps you might find them entertaining, perhaps you might buy my books. But you will remember when it actually happens.

Vast as Worlds

Today I want to talk about an important aspect of writing -- the world your characters are inhabiting.
It is not only part of the setting, but where your story takes place can also influence the characters' behaviour and -- utlimately -- the plot itself.

source: pixabay.com

Worldbuilding is way more than mere mapping. It includes many aspects such as culture, lore and languages. Especially for fantasy/scifi stories worldbuilding is essential. Still, if you decide to use the 'real world' as setting, you have to keep all of these things in mind.
Imagine your story takes place in, let's say, Italy. It would be very strange if your characters  -- Italians -- had Finnish names or German traditions or lived in cities which reminded you of ancient Chinese architecture. Think about this beforehand, and be dedicated to whatever you decide.

This is even more important when you make up your own world like I did with my 'Neverbeen Universe'. Surely, the readers won't know exactly how it is supposed to be in this world. But they will catch on to things that make no sense or are confusing. So it is important to be stringent with yourself and with your world. Think about the different people who live there.
How are they governed? Do they remind you of real people in their mannerisms? What are their traditions and values? What do they believe in? What about sports, art or food?
These are just a few questions you should be able to answer.

In Neverbeen Universe there are a lot of different people and creatures. For example, there are the Waterfairies. They are a deeply religious and traditionally rooted people who live in Waterfairy Kingdom. Their capital Yponerotis is a megacity larger than Tokyo and it is both ashore and under the sea. While they are very traditional a people, Waterfairies are very advanced in medicine and healing magic. Their motto is 'panta rhei' -- everything flows. And like the waters, they believe they can always find a way to solve issues. Altough they have ongoing feuds with other fairy people, they are very helpful towards any creature in need. Their religion is centered around a waterdeity, who occasionaly helps heal people at the Healing Academy of Yponerotis. The Academy building is a masterpiece of architectural art. As the Waterfairy country is a kingdom, they have an absolutistically ruling dynasty -- the di Kuningas -- and the Waterfairies would always follow their lead, even if it led away from their traditional paths. They usually have more than one first name and the naming pattern is something between Icelandic and Japanese. Their life expectancy is a few thousand years...

Now this is only one people living in Neverbeen Universe. And -- like the name suggests -- Neverbeen Universe is more than just one world. There is Earth -- a lot of my short stories take place in the fictional city of Thuddington -- and there are other planets connected to it via magical portals; they belong to Thisside, but there are also Heaven and Hell, which are vast and complex realms of their own, belonging to the Otherside.

source: gizmodo.com

You see, I spent more than a decade building this universe and it still grows and thrives. Of course you don't have to wait for ten years until your world is finished and you can start writing.
But you should take time to get to know your world, to explore the places your characters inhabit and to build this world until it fits. You'll soon experience that writing becomes a lot easier if you not only know your characters by heart but also take like a fish to the sea in the world you created for them.

Celebration...and Cards

Today is a day to celebrate. :D
I ordered some copies of my books, and today they were in the mail. I'm so excited and they look fabulous. Awesome! I'm totally over the moon.

Also this blog has crossed the 1k hits margin. So thanks, guys! :D
This makes me think of the future of this blog; and I wonder, what do you think of the things I do? Do you enjoy my writing exercises and my art? 
Do you have suggestions how to improve?
Do you want me to cover different topics?
Please, leave a comment and tell me. :)

Last but now least, I have some more coloured cards to show you. Here they are:

Writing Exercise 027

It's time for my weekly writing exercise again. :D
This week's task was rather funny. I had to describe one of my stories as if it was a recipe. I chose my WIP 'Ravenous Adventures - A Tale from Neverbeen Universe', which is currently in beta stage (thanks for the great help, Frankie!).
But let's start cooking, shall we? ;)

2016/06/13 – describe one of your stories as if it was a recipe

Recipe for Ravenous Adventures:

1 reckless Daemon, who is worried for his human lover

1 oblivious human, who becomes the 'damsel in distress'

6 Reapers, at least one of them a gentlemanly coffee junkie

1 mad sadistic demon and his shy shadow devil companion

1 time-jumping Daemon, who is up to mischief

a choleric seal technician and a witch, to get you out of trouble

a pinch of a soul thief to spice up the plot

1 lost mighty time travelling artifact

Bring the reckless Daemon and the human together and place them in a dangerous world. Have them look for the time travelling artifact. Add seal technician and witch for good measure.

In the meantime combine the six Reapers and add a pinch of a soul thief, so they blend for a time and try to catch the thief. Remove the gentlemanly Reaper and add him to the search party until the human gets kidnapped by the time-jumping Daemon.

As a side dish have the mad sadistic demon and his companion investigate and infiltrate enemy territory. They will cause trouble.

The Reapers continue to hunt for the soul thief while you wait for the search party to find the time travelling artifact. When they do, remove seal technician and witch from the mix. The human will be in need of help by now, so stir the tension until the reckless Daemon is ready to do anything to get the human back. Activate the time travelling artifact and watch everything spin out of control. Prepare for a surprise end.

The World Is Not Just Black and White

Last time I showed you the first of the coloured cards.
As I continue to colour them they become so very different. Again I used Chinese ink and Copic markers, and I really like the outcome.
They weren't bad when they were still b/w, but they look so much better now. See for yourself how the next two cards turned out! :D

Writing Exercise 026

Another week, another exercise. :D
This time the task was to write about pets. I additionally challenged myself to make it a double-drabble. Here it is:

2016/06/07 – write about your pets (double-drabble)

Some people have dogs, others have cats or birds or fish. Me? I have neither.

My 'pets' are of the quiet, less demanding kind. I don't cuddle; but I enjoy their silent company. I call them my 'little family' and whenever I watch them I smile to myself. They are very different; tall and fat, small and slender, in the bloom of their life, growing and thriving. Just for fun I gave them names that are considered chavvy like Schantalle, Cedric and Disco-Dieter.

Yes, they are cactuses, but to me they are my beloved pets, my little chav family, and they have been with me for many years. Some bear edible fruits, others grow beautiful blossoms or look woolly like sheep.

Everything began with one cactus as tiny as my thumbnail. I remembered I read a story where a boy gave a cactus to his crush. It was then revealed that in flower language cactus stands for passion. Thinking one can never have enough passion, I started collecting cactuses. By now I have fifteen of them and the very first one has grown exponentially. If my passion has likewise multiplied I can't say. But I'm passionate about what I do.

Level Up, Colour Up!

Now you know all the cards my friend and I'd drawn so far.
But it doesn't end there.
Before we can play, the cards need some colouring, right? So I did. :)
I used Copic markers and Chinese ink for these. So have a look at the first two cards. Much better this way, aren't they?

You Haven't Seen the Rest of It Yet

...and that's exactly my point.
There are still some cards left. So I'm going to show you. ;)
First up are Orcneas and Josephine:

And these two gentlemen are Toki and Henry, who you'll get to know if you read my recently published short story collection 'More Untold Stories of Neverbeen Universe'. ;)