Organization of Thoughts

 Everyone has their own way they like to organize their thoughts and ideas. My son does everything on the computer, my daughter and I love spiral notebooks, some people use notecards.  Here are a few ideas that might help you find your organizational path.

1) Do you like to write or type?  As I mentioned, I love spirals.  They litter my work area.  So to find anything I label the outside of the spiral with titles such as "characters" and "notes" or "places".  I try to keep my main thoughts and characters toward the front and the lesser thoughts to the back, but after awhile, they just blend together.

2) So the spirals get a little out of hand and I have to move to writing everything on the computer and have folders I can organize with just a move of the mouse.  This is more ideal for some people.  My son spends hours organizing his files, so I'm assuming there are others who like to do the same thing.  For me, it's more of an end process.  I take my spirals and their creative notes and organize them once I get them out of my head.

3) Notecards.  Some people like to put a thought or character on note card and organize them in a way that makes sense to them.  It is a little more time consuming because then you have to physically organize the cards, but if it works for you while you write, then go for it.

What ever method you choose I recommend some major points to write down/keep track of:

1) Characters and where they come into the story.  Also why they are vital, relationships to your main characters, and any secrets you have associated with them.

2) Places.  You want the places your characters go to be consistent.  By giving yourself notes, you will ensure they will be.

3) Notes!  This is probably the most important part.  There is a small section in my story with a side character that I hint at something grand.... and I can't remember what I meant by that "hint".  I pound my head a lot about it and hope I find a note or something amongst all my papers so I can figure it out. Hopefully this never happens to you!

Happy Writing!

Locations in Your Story

So as I began writing more in earnest, (and in a more organized manner), I realized making "Location Descriptions" was also a great idea.  I took the general idea for a character description and tried to make it relevant to a location.  For me, it was a great thing to do for my roleplaying group.  People like to feel as if they are there and the better description you have, the more likely the players and readers will see what you are trying to describe.

Here are the highlights I like to hit:

1) Site name.  This seems obvious, but as you run a roleplaying group, or are even writing, it's nice to make sure you are consistent on the name.

2) Surrounding area.  This gives a reader a good idea of what the area is like.  Is it just a castle out the middle of no where or in the middle of a grand city?

3) Exterior and interior descriptions.  This could be a huge description which you may never need to use, but its a good way to get your creative juices flowing.  Not to mention if you don't flush it out, as a GM a player will definitely ask for a description!

4) People associated with this building/location.  You don't have to flush out the characters here, but when you are writing and want to mention the barkeep for the inn they were staying at who gave them information, you don't want to look through all your notes to find a name.  Trust me, it's not fun.

5) Attitude and dress of people.  This is more of a general feeling so you can give the ambiance of the place and a quick description of those around them.  Trying to remember if a city is the one where feathered caps is all the rage versus more conservative dress, is a pain.

6) Rumors to be found.  This is more for the roleplaying but still is good for planning out your story plot.  Taverns are always a good rumor mill for roleplaying, but you can use them in writing as well. There are several places in my story that the main characters hang out in taverns to see if they can be moved in the right direction.

7) Defenses.  This is more for castles and the like, but it is good to know.  How many soldiers are your characters going to have to fight through to get to the next plot point?  What kind of weapons or magic will they encounter?  How will they counter the defenses?  These are all good things that can be figured out in this section.

Happy Writing!

Outlining Your Characters

 When I started taking writing classes to make my writing even better, one of my teachers mentioned having an outline for your character, to not only keep track of what you've done with them, but also to flush them out before you use them, or even as you use them.  Here are some key things I would suggest you should consider having in your outline for your major, (or even minor), characters:

1) Start with a name.  For some people this may or may not be easy.  My husband takes forever to pick a name for his RPG and video game characters, so you may have to come back to this.

2) Background or bibliography.  What do you want your readers to know and what do you need to know to write this character true.

3) Race, Age, Height, Weight, Body type, etc.  I have a long list of characteristics I fill out, but really this is more for your use then reader use.  It helps you keep consistent on how a character looks or talks or acts.  Trust me, with a huge list of main and almost main characters, sometimes you forget what a character looks like or is dressed like.

4) Career.  As obvious as this may seem, sometimes it's a good ideas to just keep a note on this.  Elly, for example, is now a swordswoman, but originally she was a weaver.

5) Prejudices, best and worst qualities, and even weaknesses.  Krom, for example, has the weakness that he always tells the truth.  He is almost incapable of lying.   Sort of important when he is trying to be incognito.

6) Odd talents.  This is more a personality goody, but it does help you fill out a character and make them feel real.  Duncan is a good story teller and his friend Tres the mercenary is an excellent singer.

For those who roleplay and are GMing, this is also a good way to flush out your NPCs for use in your campaign.

Try this out.  Make it as complex or simple as you want, but have fun!

Happy writing.

Familiars for Mages

 If you notice in my story, Duncan doesn't have a familiar like most fantasy mages.  Most of my mages don't.  It's not so much an oversight, but a personal decision.  Familiars need to fit the personality of your mage and most of my mages, and wizards, just don't have the right temperament for a familiar.

For most of my mages I use their staves as their "familiar".  They require the staff for most of the more consuming magics that take great power, but can still cast without the staff.  The same can be said for mages who have familiars.

I'm not against familiars in my world, but here are a few things to think on before giving your PC a familiar if you are playing in my world setting.

1) If a player gains a familiar, make sure they pay attention to it.  My husband off the cuff said if I rolled a 20 on a D20 I could have a pseudodragon for my first ever familiar.  Guess what, I ended up with a pseudodragon.  But he made me pay attention to that little booger. I had to make sure it had gems, plenty of ale and good food, and was pampered.  I paid for that power in spades.

2) Make the familiar a "player character".  The guys I played with would randomly take turns playing my wonderful familiar.  I think I lost more money to my own familiar then I did to paying for my equipment.  The point is to keep the familiar fresh and upfront.  Plus, as a bonus, those players who are not in the scene or actively playing can have something to do.

3) Ask your player what kind of familiar they would like.  This is as personal as making the character and the player should have a say.  But don't let them get wild and crazy.  No dragons, no demigods, no all powerful beings.  If the player can explain a good reason for that werewolf, think about it, but just remember it could unbalance your campaign.

Happy gaming!