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Visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode10 for all you darling-killing needs. This week I’m going to look back on all the past 9 episodes and make some decisions about the way the story is going to move forward, based on all the feedback discussions we’ve had so far! I think this is actually a really important part of the process. I mean, reflection from feedback was kind of one of the main premises of this show in first place. But we’ve spoken a lot about how I could maybe go this way with something or cut that other thing out completely. So, I think in order to move forward, I need to make some actual decisions! If you haven’t listened to all of the episode so far you might get a bit lost so best to keep this one for last! Why now? Well, because this is the last episode of Kill My Darlings for a little while. I started this working on this podcast in July this year and now that it’s mid-November, I think it’s time to take a little break from constant content creation. Firstly, it’ll give me more time to actually write and secondly give me a chance to refocus and figure out where the show goes from here! For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it time you started playing D&D to help your writing? I’ve mentioned its usefulness for writing in previous episodes but let’s break down exactly why. Dungeons and Dragons, commonly referred to as DnD, is a tabletop roleplaying game which was first published in 1974. For those who don’t know, this game is a hybrid between a complex strategy board game, an open-world video game, and dramatic improvisation. A dungeon master builds a world and flexible story for players who build detailed characters to roam and quest. In many ways, a writer takes on all of these roles. They build a world and orchestrate a story but they also ideally embody each character, personalising them and fleshing them out as real people. Since writing and dungeons and dragons have so much in common, it stands to reason the guides given to players can assist writers. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head on over to haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode9 for all your darling killing needs! This week we’re finally talking about schools of magic. What do I mean by that? Well, not schools, as in, education, but, rather, specialisations, or, genres. The different terms and meanings of different kinds of magic. In WIPworld, magic is divided into these schools or types. Each type has a name by which you’d refer to someone who does that kind of magic. I think for me this is one of the major missing pieces left to discuss in the big picture of what magic is in WIPworld. We put these ideas to the test in this week's short story, entitled Potluck. As always you can read this on the blog. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The watchmen, the fuzz, the sheriff and his men, the king’s guard, the empire’s soldiers. Whatever you call it, it’s always been a feature of the fantasy genre. Law enforcement is a central organisation in almost any society, so of course the worlds of fantasy love to reimagine them in varied and interesting ways. Due to the nature of epic struggle, many of these forces can take on a dark, antagonistic role in the plot, working for the status quo which probably needs to be shaken up. In other cases, they are neutral. And sometimes they are allies to our heroes or perhaps even the form of ultimate justice and good in the realm. Let’s take a look at some interesting incarnations of law enforcement in the fantasy genre. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode8 for all your darling-killing needs. In this episode we’re going to be looking at the construction of law enforcement in my novel. We’re talking about the police or whatever system that keeps order or maintains the status quo - specifically looking at the city that I described in Episode 4: Kill My Setting. So, this isn’t necessarily universal. The law and how it's upheld is a big consideration when you’re designing a society. There are always checks and balances in organised, governed society but the long arm of the law takes many forms in different novels and settings. It’s not always obviously labelled as the police and, depending on what goes on in the story, it may not even be actual law enforcement that your characters encounter, but rather another form of organised rule-keeping. They could be on your protagonist’s side and allies. Or, more commonly, an obstacle or antagonistic force that works against your heroes. The short story this week is entitled Compart Five, Carriage Ten. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Magic wands and the fantasy genre are inextricably linked. The wand, as a powerful stick or staff used to wield magic, has been a part of human history for as long as we know. To this day, wands are still used and believed to be powerful for various cultural or religious reasons. Let’s take a look at the ancient roots of the magic wand and how it has influenced modern fantasy literature. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode7 for all you darling-killing needs! This week I'm going to share with you my ideas about wands and the associated wand lore. We have all heard of this most famous of magical tools. Seen in the most wholesome of fairytales to the most serious of fantasy epics. The magic wand. Just saying those words conjures up strong memories and images of fantasy stories and magical realms. Given everything we've spoken about so far you might think this is a fantasy icon that I'd want to avoid. It's been done so many times and I've been trying to avoid cliches. Well, that's true, but the other thing I like to do is put my own spin on things. So that's just what I've done. Just a heads up though, you'll probably want to make sure you've listened to Episode 5: Kill My Spellcasting before you get into this one. The story this week is entitled Runaways and is my first attempt at putting my wand lore into words and seeing what that's like. Remember you can read any episode story on the blog! For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone in the world has some knowledge of Cosmology. What is it? Cosmology is the facts of the universe. Well, the facts as someone believes them. It’s the conception of the cosmos as an organised, structured entity, including its origin, order, meaning and destiny. For instance, the physical cosmology of our universe - that is, the scientific view - is dominated by the Big Bang theory. The universe started from a big bang and expanded and cooled over billions of years to this point. The earth is suspended in space by gravity. There’s not a spiritual or divine aspect to this cosmological model. However, when we look at the various religious beliefs in the world, we start to see a lot of different variations on “the facts”. Different versions of how the universe was created. Different “facts” of how everything is laid out. There’s spiritual beings who influence everything and layers or dimensions like heavens and hells. For a long time, it was the prevailing belief that the world was a flat disc or plane and you could sail too far and fall off the edge. “The facts” were that there was a heaven physically above us and a hell physically below us and to believe otherwise was considered heretical - or anti-Christian. While it has been widely known that the Earth is spherical for millennia, there are still a handful of flat-earth believers today, who have created a new logo and website as recently as 2013. However, while a few Christians have held onto this belief the longest, they weren’t the only group to believe the earth was flat. All cultures had a flat earth theory of some kind - how could we not when we walk on the earth’s surface without falling off and had no concept of gravity. So, what does all of this have to do with writing your fantasy novel or world-building? Listen and find out. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head over to haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode6 for all you darling killing needs. This week we look at the cosmology of WIPworld - well, whatever I have come up with so far. What is cosmology? It’s not as niche or technical as it sounds. Cosmology is a broad term for the nature of the universe. This includes how the world began, how it exists presently, and how it is expected to end. It also includes the spiritual layout of the universe - the heavens, the nine hells, all that stuff. Despite what you might be thinking, there are many examples of cosmology to be found in fantasy novels and in fact can play a big part - just think about the Discworld series or gods in Game of Thrones. So what is the cosmology of WIPworld? Well, this was actually inspired by reading the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the game. The Otherworld. In this model, the Material Plane has a twin realm that fills the role of all the other planes. The Celtic cosmology has an otherworld, called Tír na nÓg, and the cosmologies of some religions inspired by Asian myth have a similar Spirit World. I love the concept of a dual realm, consisting entirely of magical energy. Or maybe it’s just the place it comes from and magic runs wild and free. Perhaps it mirrors the material world or perhaps it is tethered to it and infinitely larger. In particular, this idea of a Spirit World stuck with me, and the possibility of spirits playing a part in the natural world. In a world of magic, I love the idea that there could be a physical side to these spirits - or whatever I decide they should be. And in fact, they would be linked to the energy of magic somehow and its existence in WIPworld. In other parts of the cosmology, an added element I really like is the idea of some sort of in-between place. I couldn’t help but feel it’s connected to dreams. What if dreams were actually a glimpse of this in-between realm. This week’s story is an attempt at just writing anything to do with spirits. I’m not 100% sure of where I’m landing on with a lot of this stuff so this was helpful in just putting any idea into words. It’s entitled: The Spirit Of Truckle Lane. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harry Potter has become a household name, even in households that have never read the books or seen the films. It seems impossible to have missed this world-wide phenomenon. It’s a well publicised fact that in 1990, while Rowling was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry came to her. She often used elements of her own life and experience in her writing. A large part of the charm of the novels is Rowling's twists on the world we know combined with new additions that fill in the gaps. In particular, when creating her version of magic and those who possess it, she borrowed heavily from existing magical lore and culture in Europe. There’s no doubt that the richness and detail of Rowling’s world building is the triumph of the Harry Potter series. She does an exceptional job at creating a highly cohesive, seemingly infinite world which immerses the reader thoroughly. Every chapter of every book reveals new, interesting details about the wizarding world. One of the interesting phenomena of the Harry Potter series, which spans over 10 years, is that Rowling's writing style, themes, and content matures with her adolescent characters. But, more profoundly, with her adolescent audience. Rowling’s technical style has received mixed reviews. Some criticise it for repeated use of favoured sentence structures and an excessive use of adverbs, among other things. Others say the same elements of her writing create an active and lively world and are not overused or at least don’t detract from the storytelling. On the whole though, her prose is obviously very accessible and the success of the franchise speaks to her ability to tell a compelling story, no matter how technically well.   If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast. You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode5 to kill darlings from this episode! This week we are going to be getting into some more magical mechanics in my worldbuilding. Namely, the nitty gritty of how people interact with magic and cast spells.There’s really no one way to cast a spell in the fantasy genre. But there are a few ways that set the standard. It could be through words or it could be silent. It might be through elaborate actions or simple ones. Perhaps you don’t need an action at all. Maybe it’s all about the ingredients, the physical things you put together to create a magical reaction. It’s not even uncommon for it to be a combination of all three! Or any combination really. Using magic, or spellcasting, has been around for all of recorded history in WIPworld but only now are they discovering what that actually means. If our setting is the magical equivalent of the industrial revolution then we are in an era of growth in spellcasting. So, how do you actually cast a spell? I had to start thinking about a mental process that would represent this connection to magic. Basically, I determined that in order to cast a spell, you must have to be able to conjure that effect in your mind’s eye. Then that mental picture could be manifested by magical energy in reality. So, you think it into existence. I also think it’s definitely possible for more than one person to participate in casting a single spell. As in, you could help or join in. I think, given everything we’ve just spoken about, there’d be great cultural implications to spellcasting. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon. Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an appendices episode to Episode 4: Kill My Setting, about the Steampunk subgenre and its impact on fantasy storytelling. Steampunk is considered to be a subgenre of Science Fiction primarily, and a close cousin of retrofuturism, but, as scifi and fantasy are so closely linked, it has leaked into the worlds and settings of fantasy novels. Steampunk could perhaps be described as a cult genre; it’s not widely known, but it has a dedicated following, including an aesthetics and fashion trend. The charm and wonderment of Steampunk comes from its utilisation of anachronism, or, specifically, prochronism. Steampunk, in its purest form, reimagines our timeline using the power of steam and clockwork. It is a genre populated with flying machines, robots, trains, automobiles, and all manner of other devices that run off steam or spring power. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon. Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode blog is at http://haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode4 for all your darling killing needs. This week we spoke about the place in which the novel is probably going to start and the aesthetics I’m thinking about so that you can, hopefully, start to better visualise and understand the world. The fantasy genre has proven it works in just about any time or place so what I’ve done is let the plot and themes speak to me and create a setting where it makes the most sense. It has led me towards a more contemporary feeling world and to explore how far along civilisation is with technology and science. Magic is often assumed, ancient knowledge in fantasy settings. But, what if we had only really scratched the surface? What if society was investing heavily in magical RnD, trying to uncover new ways in which magic can be used? I would call this study magiology. A magic scientist would of course be called a magiologist. Much like the timeline of human industrialisation, there would be a timeline of magical knowledge. In fact, the progress of magic would have a huge effect on the timeline of industry. This has me thinking, how fascinating would it be to set this story during a time of magical progress. Technology is on the rise alongside magical exploration. Inventions - powered by or adapted to a magical environment - are appearing and that same race for exploration has created an inventing boom. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon. Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an appendices episode to Episode 3: Kill My Magical Science about the real-world mythology of magic and its place in the fantasy genre. Magic is at the centre of the fantasy genre. We love it and we have reimagined it in thousands of different ways since the first stories were told. Perhaps the reason it is so popular and exciting is because humans have always believed in magic to some extent. It has been important in human culture for most of recorded history and to this day there are several cultures in which magic plays a role. The wise man or healer, the advisor and the seer; these have all been roles that were and are occupied by humans with magical abilities. Is the reason we are so obsessed with magic because there is a part of us, and a part of our history, that believes that it IS real? The fantastic deeds and spells and powers that we read about actually have a basis in reality. We like to imagine that the impossible can happen. In this episode I cover real magical mythology from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Greco-Roman magic and lore. For the interactive part, visit killmydarlingspodcast.tumblr.com. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head over to http://haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode3 for all your darling killing needs! Here's what was covered: Magic is at the centre of almost any fantasy novel. Our characters use it. Worlds are imbued with it. Creatures are formed by it. It can be a mystical and mysterious force, secret esoteric knowledge for a chosen few, or a commonplace part of everyday life. Let’s talk about what angle I’m going for. I got thinking about the idea of magic and how in most instances it is an unexplained mystical force. It just IS. But, being overly analytical, I decided that I needed to know a little more. And since I’m allegorising the real world for this story, I wondered what fantasy magic would be if it was real. The answer was: energy. We have seen examples of animals that have changed their colour or organs or beaks or shells to better survive. So, it stands to reason that in a world where other creatures and the environment are able to interact with magic, other races such as humans would have biologically attuned in some way to be able to compete. And what about creatures who aren’t able to consciously manipulate magic? They still have to survive in a world where the top of the food chain can use it. So, what do they do about it? Then I read my short story, Lumber Rabbits, that tests the idea of animals that have adapted through magical evolution to better survive. For the interactive part, visit killmydarlingspodcast.tumblr.com. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is arguably the most used character trope in the history of fantasy. Most stories of the genre utilise it in some way. It may be subtle or they might literally be called The Chosen One. To be clear, a chosen one is someone who is selected by a force outside themselves to become the only person who is capable of resolving the plot, usually through some extraordinary circumstance that only they can trigger. Chosen Ones come in many different forms. We touch on some popular examples in the episode, outlining where they may be similar and different. Spoilers: they're almost always orphans. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, prophesied to destroy He Who Must Not Be Named (Voldemort). Lyra Belacqua, a subtle chosen one with subversive abilities and who never knows that the path she forged was destined to change multiple universes. Avatar Aang, a classic chosen one, belonging to a long line of predecessors, able to access enormous power and tasked with the fate of the world. We love a chosen one story and the idea that anyone could be plucked from obscurity and thrust into greatness. But it is also easy to write the trope poorly and create a boring character who is ridiculously skilled for someone who just picked up a sword for the first time. We look at the pitfalls of the trope, where writers get caught, and what we can learn to make the Chosen One trope work for us. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head over to haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode2 for all your darling killing needs! Here's what I covered: I really want to create a super progressive and inclusive fantasy world and steer right away from the white and male heavy fantasy narratives that we're used to. Race is a huge topic of conversation right now and it has really got me thinking about how white traditional fantasy is. But also, how easily it doesn't have to be. I want my main character to be of colour. In fact, I want a lot of the characters to be of colour. So that's my first big question to you: how do you feel about me making my main character a person of colour? And what about multiple main characters? My next big question is about gender and sexuality. I want to make sure I write a character I have the best perspective on - especially if I'm a white person writing a person of colour. So if I make the main character a man, I want to also make him of colour and gay. Representation is nice. I feel like I've waited my whole life for a gay, male fantasy hero. If you know of any out there, let me know! My last question is about the "chosen one" trope. Personally, I often dislike hardcore Chosen One narratives. I don't think I want any sort of prophecy or mystical wellspring of incredible power when it comes to my guy. Maybe you disagree and love chosen ones? Or maybe you think there's more to be gained from exploring the chosen one trope? After that, I read a short story entitled The Walking Chair in which I play with a character like the one we've just described. For the interactive part, visit http://haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for his novels The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, as well as the Silmarillion. The Lord of the Rings had been translated into around 50 different languages and has sold at least 150 million copies worldwide. It's one of the top 10 best-selling books of all time. In this episode, I discuss the writing style, life, and career of J.R.R. Tolkien and explore how his fiction is inspired by who he was - a gifted linguist and anglophile with a passion for writing and legend. As well, I explore the effect that his writings had on the fantasy adventure genre and what lessons his work can teach us. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice. Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Head over to haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlingsblog/episode1 for all your darling killing needs! This is what I spoke about: I want to riff on a lot of the expected elements of the genre but give them my own flavour or outright turn them on their head. But all the while still produce a satisfying fantasy adventure novel. I want to make sure that, in general, I am using as many of my own, unique ideas as possible. I think where a lot of fantasy adventure fans get caught when trying to write is that they don't offer anything new. Something I'm actually really interested in is the noir mystery style and even thriller style and bringing in elements of that genre into the writing. I want to create a really progressive story. Lots of representation of women, differently-abled people, people of colour, and LGBT people. The easiest way to write a progressive character is to write a good character. I want to parallel contemporary issues. I think the things we see in our world today are dramatic and griping. They are also huge issues. And I am kind of hoping that I will be able to shed some light and change some perspectives through fantasy. I think if we can take modern issues and recontextualise them in a fantasy world it could produce a very interesting and relatable look at our own world. For instance, this project has started during the Black Lives Matter movement - in fact, this week the Trump administration has been using a secret police force to kidnap BLM protesters, taking after his pals in Russia. We are also in our ongoing and increasingly terrifying struggle for climate justice as well as increasing corruption and abuse of power within Western "free" governments, and the pacification of the masses through evil media monopolies. If that shouldn't be in a novel I don't know what should. Then I read a short story I'd written - inspired by a random prompt generator - trying to encapsulate as many of these ideas as possible. It's a about an older woman named Agatha who is unbeatable at the card game, Dragon's Gambit. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. If you like the show, please consider becoming a patron of Kill My Darlings on Patreon.   Head to the blog to kill any darlings you'd like to from this episode and sign up for email alerts. Say hi and join the community on Instagram Tumblr, and Facebook under @killmydarlingspodcast, on YouTube at the Kill My Darlings channel, and on Twitter under @KMDpodcast . You can email me on killmydarlingspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on

"What is a darling?" I hear you ask. Or more accurately, "is this guy looking for help killing someone?" No, I'm not! My name is Hayden Rodgers by the way. But, really, a darling isn't a person - well, sometimes it is, but they're not real. It's a part of my fantasy adventure novel that I need to kill! But not kill as in stab gruesomely. Look, I explain it a lot better in this introduction episode so you better just listen to it. For the interactive part, visit haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure loving nerds by following all the accounts and things. Speaking of which: Blog: http://www.haydenrodgers.net/killmydarlings Instagram: @killmydarlingspodcast OR instagram.com/killmydarlingspodcast Facebook: @killmydarlingspodcast OR facebook.com/killmydarlingspodcast Twitter: @KMDPodcast or twitter.com/KMDpodcast Become a Patron of That’s Not Canon Productions at Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.