So I’ve done NaNoWriMo since 2008, and I’ve won every year. Hilariously, my cumulative word-count from 10 years is 503,605, meaning I’ve won by an average of 360 words each year – if that isn’t precision, I don’t know what is. I thought newer NaNoers might find it interesting to hear my reflections
A note on naming conventions In Deusetats, names comprise a title, a nearname and a farname; for example Prince Rainhart Dorn. Generally only people who know each other well or are close family will call each other by their nearname (“Rainhart”). Equals or superiors will use their farname (“Dorn”), or
So, in my Primer on Politics for Writers, I said: If you make the [inheritance] systems any more complex than that, you risk (a) spending all your time explaining it, or (b) confusing readers over something that doesn’t drive the plot anyway. Trust me, I know this from personal experience.
If you have spent any time talking to me about writing, original fiction on the internet or slash, then I have probably mentioned Captive Prince. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that the author C. S. Pacat had done a lengthy guest post… on tension. As a
Ah, the secondary character. Interesting creatures. As writers, we either love them more than we should, or throw them in to push the story forward. As readers, we either… love them more than we should, or find them annoying detours on the path to characters we care about more. This
Previously: the Game, the Board (domestic), the Board (international). Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. – Epicetus So, you know that politics is all about the getting and keeping of power, and that the pursuit of said power will
So, last time on NaNoWriMo: a Retrospective, I split my time between a silly romance, and a gritty hist fant. 2013 – Philomena Or, an Unexpected Story
By request, a little pronunciation guide – happy to add any others people aren’t sure of. 🙂 Broadly (but not consistently), Deusetatsan pronunciation is similar to German, Jovani to Latin, and Alysine to Greek. Alysia/Alysine “a-LEES-ia/A-liss-ine” Cervin “KER-vin” Cimbra “TSIM-bra” Deusetats “DOI-zetats” Holle “HOL-ly” Leutz “LOITZ” Mittelwalde “MI-tel-vald” Mullrose “MOOL-rose”
Last time: we talked about the game, and about the systems and social structures that underlie your country’s politics. This time! We’ll look at diplomacy and trade, war, and the murky world at the borders of your country.