Formal world building for the Blood Magic series is slow going, not helped by the fact that it is far more exciting to write new content for stories than it is to dig through existing stories and write up what is essentially a textbook on my imaginary world. However, I made some good progress this past weekend, completing the rough draft of the Blood Magic world map, and a second draft to follow on.
Cartography
One of the distinguishing features of the speculative fiction genre in its published form is the maps. Avid readers of fantasy and science fiction are known to pour over the maps included in the books they read, maps describing fantastical worlds and universes in vivid detail. It was perhaps inevitable, therefore, that I would at some point be obliged to create maps to go along with the stories I've written or am in the process of writing.
Updates
There are really some interesting considerations going into this Blood Magic project. Since it has this episodic nature, the project as a whole requires a great deal more pre-planning than I tend to do. Not that I don't plan out my writing; I just tend to do it in my head, and then revise my plan as I write. Fo'Fonas, for instance, began as a single chapter exploring an idea for a magic system I liked, which blossomed into my first, complete novel (it's now in the review process).
Outlining
With most of my writing, I tend to be a post-outliner. I'll discovery write my way through a piece, and then go back and outline it in detail before embarking on the revision process. Ever since I did a massive outline for a world and then had no story to tell in it, I've found … Continue reading Outlining
What’s Next?
With any luck, you enjoyed my debut short story. I'm working hard to get more stories revised, formatted, published, and released for you, but since this isn't my actual job just yet, that process can sometimes be a bit slow. However, I have a couple of good prospects for our next publication.
The Grounds Warden Release!
It is now available for purchase, exclusively at igcpublishing.com, as a digital download. For only $1.99, you too can own a PDF copy of The Grounds Warden, readable from your phone, your tablet, your computer, your Amazon Kindle, or any other devices that support PDFs.
The Grounds Warden Cover
For now, everything here at IGC publishing is done by me. Writing, revising, formatting, publishing, copyrighting, website maintenance and setup...everything. That includes cover design. Now, I'm an engineer, not an artist, and I don't have a marketing background. I know what I like in other covers in my genre, so I work from there with what I have. So I'm proud to share with you the final cover design for The Grounds Warden:
Front Matter, Back Matter, Does it Matter?
You probably don't think about it - I hadn't given it more than cursory consideration - but there is a lot that goes into a book beyond the simple writing of the story. Front and back covers have to be designed. ISBNs have to be purchased. Copyrights have to be obtained. Fonts have to be chosen, and sizes: page sizes, font sizes, margin sizes. Pages have to be numbered, prefaces and acknowledgements have to be written...I could go on.
IGC Publishing 