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Building a Fantasy World
I have decided to take a break from Hive for five - six months to focus on other writing.
This is not a decision that I have taken lightly, but one that is necessary.
Due to the pressures of health issues, freelance writing deadlines and other commitments that pay the bills, I have realized that the time commitments of running a hive community has been destroying my quality of life. The constant pressure to produce content for my blog, and a community page, were exacerbating my health issues and leaving me no energy for anything else.
I left university in 2007 with a 2/1 (69% mark, one percent shy of a first class degree) in imaginative writing. My dream was to write a gritty fantasy trilogy. The core concepts of the fantasy setting are already solidified. In my sub-creation notes I have the two main characters detailed, a unique setting mapped out, a brief history of the three nations where the story is set, political climate and a twist on magic that hasn't been seen in the fantasy genre before.
Planning and writing a fantasy trilogy means immersing yourself totally in the world you're creating. The constant pull on my attention that blogging brings constitutes a huge distraction from entering that place of focus. Some people might have the time and energy to do both, but I certainly don't with the health issues I have to deal with. Multitasking was never my strong suit 😂
After halting my blogging activities three weeks ago I've written 30000 words, mainly solidifying the sub-creation and world building behind the three nations where the story is set. Maps, family trees, world history, political climate, details of magic system, creatures, races and monsters etc. There is so much sub-creation work before the actual chapter writing that you can get lost in it if you're not careful. In addition to all this I've planned out the rise and fall of the actions/circumstances that drive the main plot for the first novel and where the main characters will fit into all this based on key crisis points in the narrative.
This level of sub-creation may sound like procrastination to some people, but in the case of fantasy fiction this level of planning is essential to create a vivid and believable fantasy world. It is impossible to fly by the seat of your pants... unless you have an eidetic memory 😉
All in all it is starting to come together and I'm approaching the point where I am ready to get started on the first chapter. Wish me luck, as I will be entering into the world I have created fully and may not emerge for some time.
For anyone who is interested in fantasy fiction, I have written a few stories on steem/hive set in my fantasy world. The first of the three linked below is the most complete and tells the origin story of one of the main characters in my novel. Check them out if you want a sneak peak into the rich fantasy world I am creating.
Click image to visit The Ink Well community page
The Ink Well - The Beating Heart of Creative Writing on Hive
In January 2020 I started The Ink Well creative writing community as a dedicated place for rewarding high quality fiction and poetry. After a lot of hard work networking I secured curation from the two major guilds on hive, @curie and @ocd.
However, I've struggled with keeping the content flowing from The Ink Well community account over the past three months as chronic health issues, along with fighting off Corona Virus, have knocked me completely out of commission. This chronic health condition, SIBO, remains a constant issue in my life and after recovering from CV the intensity of the symptoms from SIBO have become worse.
It is for these reasons, as well as financial concerns, that I need to step away from Hive. May 2020 was the first time I have struggled to fulfill important (IRL) freelance writing deadlines that make up a large part of my monthly living expenses. If I had lost these commissions I wouldn't have been able to pay my rent, and would have been out on the streets.
The truth is that it is extremely time consuming running a community like The Ink Well, and I had to make the difficult decision to prioritize my work outside of Hive along with my health and greater writing goals for the future.
But there is no need to despair.
The Ink Well hasn't gone anywhere 😉
Three weeks ago, when I took the decision that I needed to leave hive and give up managing The Ink Well, I spent a week networking and found the perfect replacement for the active admin role at the head of a small team of four. This transition has ensured that the community will move from strength to strength.
@shanibeer has done an exceptional job as @theinkwell admin, working alongside @stormlight24 @jayna and @carolkean. Together they have set up a summer program of weekly creative prompts for both poetry and fiction, as well as more clearly defining the curation criteria for the community.
Shani is a long term contributor on steem/hive, a great creative writer and has been involved in literary projects outside of this blockchain. Throughout the process of organizing this transition, I've come to realize how lucky I've been to find someone who holds very similar visions and goals as I do for The Ink Well.
My intentions in setting up this community were all about encouraging/rewarding high quality creative writing on Hive, and engaging with the wider writing community to help grow this platform.
Just in case anyone is concerned about the community curation model, I can reassure you all that The Ink Well remains a @curie supported community. Both me and @stormlight24 are curie curators, so @stormlight24 has ensured that the community remains supported by @curie.
The Ink Well summer prompt posts now fully explain how the community assesses creative writing, both poetry and fiction. These criteria provide clear and concise explanation as to how poems and stories are judged/rewarded. These were formulated by Shani, and all of the team have approved them, including myself. In reviewing the curation criteria I am certain that they represent a high standard of creative writing based upon my knowledge and experience completing a university degree in the subject.
Yesterday I filled a 24 week dlease for 10000 HP from my account to @curie curation guild to ensure that my Hive power goes toward rewarding high quality content. This lease will also allow me to keep supporting great content in The Ink Well community through our proxy curie curation.
I hope you have enjoyed the creative prompts and engagement initiatives I have put out during my time as administrator at The Ink Well. I have enjoyed reading the fantastic poetry and short stories that the community have written.
I hope to return to Hive in the future when/if my health improves. Hopefully as a published author promoting my book and creative writing in general.
Many thanks for reading.
I would like to invite any lovers of poetry and short stories to visit the new hive community started by @raj808, run by @shanibeer & @stormlight24 called The Ink Well.
Also, with the advent of https://hive.vote/ it is now possible to follow The Ink Well curation trail on Hive blockchain. It works just the same as steemauto; simply navigate to the curation trail section and search for theinkwell (all one word with no @ symbol) and our trail will pop up as an option.
Similarly delegations are possible on Hive using the fantastic https://peakd.com/ Hive Blockchain front end. If you wish to delegate to @theinkwell that supports creative writing on Hive by voting all of our contributors, you can do this from the wallet section of https://peakd.com/
A big thank you to all delegators:
@felt.buzz @iamraincrystal @kaelci @riverflows @shanibeer @trucklife-family
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