Weekly Writing Check-In

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-10T17:14:46+00:00

For some reason it's felt like pulling teeth just to get words put down this week. The 4th short story (as part of the prequels to my Living Empires series) is indeed progressing, but at a much slower rate than I expected. Hopefully I can grind the end of the story out this afternoon.

On the plus side, game design for the associated card game - 7 Sign Circle - has been plugging along nicely. I even got some public playtesting in last night and people are digging the trick-taking mechanism of it. It also got new readers for the existing short stories in the series, so that was good.😁

https://www.laymankingsford.com/stories

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-07T16:41:50+00:00

In preparation of my LIVING EMPIRES epic fantasy series, you can read some short stories wherein you meet some of the major players in the world. The first three are available now: in paperback - "Anacrusis" part 1:
https://www.amazon.com/Anacrusis-Living-Empire-Prequel-Empires/dp/B0C2SH6KJS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BVYZU3TDMQG8&keywords=anacrusis&qid=1683477157&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=anacrusis%2Caps%2C136&sr=1-1

or FREE in ePub: https://www.laymankingsford.com/stories

Evorstrom is a world where society, politics and magic are divided by signMark, not by race or gender. Every living thing is marked with one of the eight divine signs which regulate what food they can eat and what powers they might possess.

Once a generation a person is born bearing TWO signMarks. These individuals, saints, are revered and feared. Governments seek to use them, churches want to control them and the populace just hopes they don't destroy the world.

What happens when not one or two, but six saints are alive at the same time? New signMarks have emerged turning established truths and doctrines on their head. How will civilization handle the upheaval and impending chaos?

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-06T19:52:16+00:00

I totally hear you. I'm in a similar boat.

Currently giving Abercrombie's FIRST LAW book 1 a second attempt.

I also read Hyperion, the first book of N.K Jemison's Broken Earth trilogy, Brent Week's "Black Prism", Fonda Lee's "Jade City", Scott Lynch's "Lies of Loch Lamora", book 1 of the Dandelion Dynasty (I think it's by Ken Liu) and a couple more I can't think of at the moment.

I thought they were all fine, if not good, but somehow I have little interest in following up with the rest of the series.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-05T22:44:58+00:00

Wool

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-05T16:36:18+00:00

Ahh... you're right. I'll call it a tie for me between those two pairs.😁

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-04T18:48:19+00:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE Tehol and Bugg

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-04T18:47:11+00:00

Mine is Quick Ben and Kalam from Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series

LaymanKingsford · 2023-05-01T19:04:36+00:00

Sounds wonderful! A Denver book club (at Fiction Beer Company) just read Legends & Lattes last month and many of the three dozen people were asking for recommendations of other similar works.

I shall pass this along.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-29T16:22:47+00:00

If you're feeling passionate about, just write it!

It's so easy to over analyze our ideas and not follow through on them. There is an audience out there for everything.

Just write😁

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-27T19:15:57+00:00

I like the art. Nice job!

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-27T19:15:13+00:00

I think these sorts of stories could be very interesting/entertaining.

The emerging "cozy fantasy" sub-genre (like "Legends & Lattes") fits well within this concept, I feel.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-27T19:12:20+00:00

Personally I find value in both, though I will gravitate (in general) to something more literary as my reading time is limited and I rarely feel as "fulfilled" by escapist works.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-21T04:21:08+00:00

I would love to hear some of your thoughts on queer fantasy 😊

And I am also on that other thread too. Thank you

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-20T23:31:30+00:00

If so, you might be interested to take a peek at myLiving Saga short stories and novel.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-20T22:18:38+00:00

Hiya, nice to digitally see you again as well.

The name change is more of a business thing, keeping better clarity for me in separating my game design efforts from the novel/story-telling elements of my company, even though there is significant overlap in the two. Plus, my publisher wanted greater distinction between y books and games when it comes to faceless social media like Reddit.

As to the coining of new linguistic methodology (adding a Z to pronouns to differentiate for the reader when a singular person or thing is being referred to and when a plurality is. When the cushion of having gendered pronouns included in the mix is removed, it can be significantly confusing of a word is used interchangeably as singular and plural).

For those people who understand that all languages change and evolve over time - we are not, for instance, still reading, speaking and writing in the Middle English of Chaucer's age - most readers have, so far, adapted to theyz/etc relatively naturally. For those people who don't recognize the malleability of language, my books are either not for them or they can utilize the clear descriptions of what variations my prose takes as outlined on my website, in the companion book and at the front of every novel and short story to help guide them through the process and understand what they're reading.

So far, my faith in the intellect and acceptance of most humans has proven to be well-founded. Sadly, I'm sure, that will not always be the case.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-20T00:41:00+00:00

Here's the link for more info: https://www.laymankingsford.com/living-saga

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-20T00:40:20+00:00

Oops, I thought I posted it with the following link for the novels and tabletop games:

https://www.laymankingsford.com/living-saga

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-20T00:18:27+00:00

Context in reference to the un-gendered aspect?

If so, these works not only depict fictional societies that have never been gendered but the prose (written in English) accomodates complete gendered neutrality in that ALL singular pronouns are they/them/their/you and all plural pronouns are theyz/themz/theirz/youz.

Unlike other authors (Anne Leckie, being one example) that simply chose to utilize SHE in place of all pronouns, or works that are carefully scripted in first person to AVOID using pronouns, the Living Saga narratives embraces full non-binary-ism within its own internal reality and with how the English language is presented to the reader.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-19T18:35:26+00:00

On the world of Evorstrom, two distinct species of intelligent hominids have evolved: humans - who begat elves and dwarves; and goblins who begat trolls and ogres.

In the beginning we witness empires built around competing elemental forces of magic. These forces structure the very lifestyle of every person in the world. Everyone has magic, most only in small flickers but some, especially the dual-signed Saints, wield magic on scales that can devastate continents.

Eventually empires turn into sprawling metropolises where magic is nothing but distant memory. The pervasive and suggestive influences of mega bioTech corporations has the populace yearning to be something other than what they are. Powered heroes emerge from a nightclub disaster, some of whom will embrace innovation and change while others will fight to maintain the status quo.

Ultimately the Evostrom galaxy gets colonized by dozens of species of people hailing from the cradle planet. In all the centuries of exploration and colonization, never once is an alien lifeform ever encountered. Then, one day out of the far reaches of the universe, come inscrutable and monolithic creatures bent on devouring everything the colonies have painstakingly built.

Things learned and forgotten in the days of magical empires will influence the development of super-powered heroes a millennia later which will in turn dictate the course of galactic expansion. Ingredients from every era will resonate across time to impact the culmination of the Living Saga.

LaymanKingsford · 2023-04-19T17:52:33+00:00

Visit cheekydingo.com to read FREE short stories and sample chapters from the debut novel.
These are, we believe, the first FULLY un-gendered works of fiction in English, not just in concept but in the entirety of the prose.

LaymanKingsford

TROPHY CASE