New Release: Ember of War - by Daniel Dickinson

Find it on Amazon HERE

 

Three heroic tales from the Kingdom of Xonthian.

Ember of War

Life was complicated, but Korrith had the love of his life by his side. Together, they thought they would be safe from the growing hatred that Mages faced on a daily basis. When Korrith takes a supposedly easy job with his friend Edrin, it turns out to be far more insidious than they had imagined. Now, they are thrust into a fight for their lives as tensions between Clerics, Mages, and Kingdoms flare. Can love survive? Or will they become pawns in a much larger scheme?

Voyage of Tears

With the Mages now struggling to survive, the kingdom of Xonthian has taken a stand. Cain, a soldier in the Swords of Justice, is tasked with exiling them to the Fire Isles, a harsh, unforgiving chain of land. What should be a simple voyage turns into discovery, tolerance, and purpose. But will Cain and his crew make it back home? Or is something waiting for them in the waters?

Battle of Smoke and Fire

Driven by the thrill of life, Roaric teams up with a motley crew of rebels intent on saving Mages from being exiles to the Fire Isle. Their goal is simple, to cause as much terror against the Clerics of Gate'har and rescue as many mages as they can. Can they save themselves and the prisoners, or will they be caught and executed?

Daniel Dickinsons’ writing first appeared in an annual publication with his short story “Escape from Ogre Island.” He has self-published two other stories “Gathering Tide” and the newly released "Aggression Factor." He is a frequent contributor to the Arizona Author Association's quarterly newsletter.

At the age of ten, he began creating a realistic realm, Xonthian, in which his characters come to life, allowing the reader to become a part of that diverse world. Xonthian continues to evolve. The heroes Tiger and Bree, begin their sagas alone until circumstances bring them together. Future projects include a weird wild west tale, set in the world of Xonthian, and a novel featuring the titular heroes Tiger and Bree.

Daniel is a proud father with a beautiful wife. He enjoys traveling and photography, as well as food and art. One of his many hobbies is taking his daughter and grandkids camping at least twice a year.

Building a Galaxy - Part III - by Daniel Dickinson

 

PART 3: Dickinson’s Domains

Having compared two approaches to building a fictional multi-verse or microcosm, we can see strengths and weaknesses between them. Tolkien was focused, drawn down, and stylish, with painstaking attention to details of individual objects as his characters discovered them in a scene. Gaimen allows the alternate worlds and their accompanying distortions of time not only to become integral parts of the story but, sometimes, to dictate the narrative. When I began writing the world my characters would one day inhabit, I made the conscious effort to create a domain that could live and breathe without the interference of my characters.

I set off on my journey into that world when I was twelve years old, typing away on the family computer. The atmosphere generated in the monochrome, Lotus 1-2-3 lighting began to fill with character descriptions—their likes and dislikes materialized next to height, weight, and weapon of choice. I wrote their names for the first time, solidifying them in a reality all their own. A cosmos born from a single spark of my young imagination flowered into a galaxy-spanning universe full of diverse life, waiting to be discovered. My willingness to write down every detail gave me freedom to explore the crevices of the universe I had germinated and gave me license to move about unhindered by research of histories, religions, governments, and cultures.

With each new layer I was compelled to ask a greater scope of questions. How had this world come into being? Who or what did the denizens worship, where had their gods come from, how did time work? Did it matter if I answered those questions? Absolutely not! Should it matter to you? Your call.

There is no wrong way to accomplish world-building. For example, in my alternate world are gods and goddesses, as well as eldritch gods—gods beyond the perception of time and space. Here is an illustration from Chapter 52 of my upcoming novel, The Apostate Jester:

“Her mind focused on the missing piece of her soul that was dedicated to the goddess; and, with stark realization she knew that above all else, this was the one thing she needed. She was taught in the seminary that there were gods of good, pure light—kind, giving. And there were gods of darkness—vile, corrupt. But to have them come together in truce while facing something foreign, like a malignant tumor in the void of some distant, forgotten space, was something new. It was hard for her to comprehend. It made her question the balance of everything, her faith in the divine order of things, good versus evil, right versus wrong.” 

At the beginning of this series, I offered the likeliest issue most fiction writers grapple with: “Where do I start?” If size seems daunting, start small: As Tolkien did, focus in on the characters and unfold the world around them as they, themselves, discover it for the first time. Or go Gaimen-wild: Build a galaxy of information inhabited by dozens of worlds, each waiting to be written about. Or begin with your own experience, expand on it, use the knowledge you gain every day to build a fictional realm within the tangible world you live in.

But start with a question. Any question. You can focus on a grain of sand: What color is it? Is it coarse or smooth? Does it belong on a beach somewhere or a desert? Does that beach have rocks? Are there cliffs nearby? Then ask the next question: Is this where your character starts his journey, or might it be the beginning of a world that suddenly blossoms into something greater? Eventually, you may find yourself in an enigmatic realm like the Space Between:

“It was hard to let his guard down anymore. Leo wondered if he would ever be able to let go, should they finally make it out of this situation. Everything he had ever known about the world seemed somehow insignificant while they traversed the Space Between. Every shadow held dangers; and since entering the monstrous tower, he felt even more on edge—as if millions of eyes were watching them” (Chapter 52 - The Apostate Jester).

There were no epiphanies during the process; however, I experienced an overwhelming sense of accomplishment as I added layer upon layer into the world I began to craft. I felt eager to jump in and cultivate that domain. Land masses shifted to make room for more islands and continents. Peoples, monsters, magics, gods, bloomed into entire gardens of lore and resources I could pull from.

Of course there were setbacks: hard drives fail, files become corrupted, whole sections are lost. But each time, I found it easier and easier to replace the missing portions because the world had already come alive—it could even mend itself whenever my meddling grew too destructive.

The process was not effortless. There were times when I had to step away to contemplate a particular need for a section of lore. And sometimes I forgot the brilliant idea by the time I sat down to type it out. Don’t let the frustrations of the process overwhelm you. Every step forward is an accomplishment. 

As a rule, I would never suggest taking notes—it interrupts the creative flow. But it can be very useful during world building. Keep a small note pad with you and jot down ideas as they come to you, to be fleshed out later. Create a wiki page, or a compendium of your world. 

 Making manifestly untrue things believable and deep is a process that involves burrowing into your imagination. Be aware of your daydreams and use them to develop and expand the invented world you’re building. By expanding or contracting the boundaries of the cosmos your characters inhabit, you can choose the right size for yourself and your narrative. Let mistakes happen. Don’t be afraid to tear a world down and start over, keeping what you like. Imagination has no limits. Ask your own questions, expand on those I’ve provided. And in a galaxy that has no constant, realize that time is relative, there is no end. 

Relax and enjoy the journey. 

WORLD ARCHITECTS

Building Fantasy Worlds Workshop

Presented by Daniel Dickinson Zoom Workshop

Saturday, August 17, 2024 10:00 AM MST

Contact arizonaauthorsassociation@gmail.com to Register 

Take a captivating journey of creativity and imagination in the Arizona Author’s Association Workshop on world-building, designed for writers, storytellers, and enthusiasts eager to craft rich and detailed fictional worlds. Throughout the workshop, participants will delve into the fundamental elements of world-building, exploring intricate aspects such as geography, cultures, history, politics, and magic systems. 

Engaging discussions and hands-on exercises will guide attendees in shaping unique and believable realms, fostering a deep understanding of the interconnected elements that breathe life into a fictional universe. Join us and unlock the building blocks to creating immersive and unforgettable fictional spaces.

Beginning at the age of ten, Arizona native Daniel Dickinson has spent a lifetime inventing realistic realms for his fictional characters. His fantasy world, Xonthian—created during his teen years—is an entire domain that allows his characters’ journeys to unfold in a diverse setting. He enjoys giving educational presentations about world-building and fantasy genres, in general. Daniel’s published works include the short story, Escape from Ogre Island; a two-story horror book, Don’t Close Your Eyes: Two Thrilling Tales of Terror; Aggression Factor; and Gathering Tide. Upcoming: The Apostate Jester. https://www.tigerforce.net/ https://www.amazon.com/author/ddickinson W

rite to Daniel at: danield@tigerforce.net 

Building a Galaxy by Daniel Dickinson

 

PART 2: Gaiman’s Galaxies

“If you like fantasy and you want to be the next Tolkien, don’t read big Tolkienesque fantasies—Tolkien didn’t read big Tolkienesque fantasies, he read books on Finnish philology. Go and read outside of your comfort zone, go and learn stuff.” – Neil Gaiman

In contrast to Tolkien’s lush but laser-focused realm of Middle Earth stand the vast worlds and dimensions of Neil Gaiman. A “feral child who was raised in libraries,” as he calls himself, the award-winning author of Stardust, American Gods, and Coraline among others, uses broad paint strokes to create a larger-than-life world where mythology and denizens of alternate dimensions play a key part in expanding the borders of reality. Deep, dark, and dreary, Gaiman’s strange domains are equally as vibrant as Tolkien’s. Where the two authors differ substantially is in their approach to world-building.

Where Tolkien’s Middle Earth emerges of necessity as his characters move through their journey, Gaiman’s alternate realities play an integral part in his stories. For example, American Gods uses gods, themselves, as characters— diving deep into their milieu to drive the narrative. Thus, although the story takes place in a recognizable U.S., the Old and New Gods’ otherworldly mythology is very present.

Here is an example from Chapter 6 of American Gods to illustrate: “When the people came to America they brought us with them. They brought me, and Loki and Thor, Anansi and the Lion-God, Leprechauns and Kobolds and Banshees, Kubera and Frau Holle and Ashtaroth, and they brought you. We rode here in their minds, and we took root. We traveled with the settlers to the new lands across the ocean. The land is vast. Soon enough, our people abandoned us, remembered us only as creatures of the old land, as things that had not come with them to the new. Our true believers passed on, or stopped believing, and we were left, lost and scared and dispossessed, only what little smidgens of worship or belief we could find. And to get by as best we could."

Giving these unearthly characters the freedom to roam both current and past timelines of a familiar quasi-reality instantly expands the scope in which he’s writing. Gaiman’s skill is such that he accomplishes this feat without its ever feeling heavy handed or out of place. As he explains, “When you start writing you’re in a profession which involves making stuff up and inventing stuff. You’re making up people, you’re making up places; you’re talking about things that manifestly aren’t true.“

As in American Gods, the title character of Coraline dives into an alternate dimension of her world. Dark and twisted, it has its own set of rules that govern reality as she moves through it. In one world she finds herself ignored and alone; in the other she is the concentrated focus of attention and is given everything she ever wanted. Gaiman economically presents the “through-the-looking-glass” dimension in this excerpt from Chapter 10:

"Stay here with us," said the voice from the figure at the end of the room. "We will listen to you and play with you and laugh with you. Your other mother will build whole worlds for you to explore, and tear them down every night when you are done. Every day will be better and brighter than the one that went before. Remember the toybox? How much better would a world be built just like that, and all for you?"

Gaiman plays a multiverse of realities to great effect in most of his books. Typically, several realities simultaneously exist within his novels. Even if only briefly hinted at, like those in American Gods, these multiple existences expand time and space and give the reader a sense of grand scale. “Everybody has a secret world inside of them,” he says. “I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world—I mean everybody—no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.” 

Like Coraline, some of Gaiman’s stories focus solely on one or two dimensions; however, the presence of a greater cosmos outside the characters purview is there, ever-present in the shadows of the story. His novel, Stardust, unfolds in a multiverse: The star that fell had to come from somewhere. As readers, we have previous knowledge regarding time and space of real-world, earthly England situated in the Milky Way; in another dimension, we also have Stormhold and its galaxy. By using his readers’ prior knowledge and understanding of how the world works, and their preconceived notions of time and space, Gaiman has freed himself from the necessity of writing minutely detailed descriptions—as Tolkien was obliged to write of Middle Earth. 

While the multiverse of his stories is expansive, he tethers an alternate reality to a character’s story arc in a way that makes it relatable to a reader. Gaiman uses the established notion of mythology as a springboard for the metaphors distinguishing many of his stories. Threads of this can be seen around the religious aspects of Gaimen’s world-building: He uses various spiritual beliefs and deities to bring together a greater diversity of thoughts and imaginations.

“Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all,” he says. “God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you—even, perhaps against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition.” 

Gaiman’s approach can seem daunting if you’re just beginning. However, as I previously mentioned, it has one major advantage: You don’t need to build what you already have. Almost everyone knows what a stop sign is, understands a gas station, or can imagine a certain American or British town or city. Thus, by utilizing a story set in a world that you, as an author, already inhabit, you put much of the world-building into the hands of your reader.

You may run into issues when the world you’re building becomes fantastical, or rockets through space at near lightspeed, and you suddenly find yourself responsible for an entire cosmos of information, history, conflict, and environments. But that’s where the real fun begin

Beginning at the age of ten, Arizona native Daniel Dickinson has spent a lifetime inventing realistic realms for his fictional characters. His fantasy world, Xonthian— created during his teen years—is an entire domain that allows his characters’ journeys to unfold in a diverse setting. He enjoys giving educational presentations about world-building and fantasy genres, in general. Daniel’s published works include the short story, Escape from Ogre Island; a two-story horror book, Don’t Close Your Eyes: Two Thrilling Tales of Terror; Aggression Factor; and Gathering Tide. More about Daniel at https://www.tigerforce.net/ and https://shoutoutarizona.com/meet-daniel-dickinson-author/ 

New Release: Aggression Factor - by Daniel Dickinson

 

Find it on Amazon Here

The Horde sweeps across the Earth, an unstoppable force with advanced technology. The desperate human nations fight a losing battle, facing destruction as the best defenses they can muster fall before the relentless advance of the enemy. They must find a way to defeat the invaders or face destruction.

Experience the strife and sacrifice, the fear and heroism of the human race in their battle against the invading Horde, in four stories:

Fallen Iron – Seen as inferior and outdated, Mike and his squadron of A-10 pilots have one more trick up their sleeves.

Ellie – When the Horde strikes at the heart of the Arizona desert, Ellie and her father flee the last bastion of civilization.

Three of Spades – A routine scouting mission escalates into a fight for survival in the foothills of the Rockies as the Horde advances.

Losses – Ellie made a new home in Vegas, but when the Horde arrives at her doorstep, she's unprepared for what happens next. Can she pull the trigger and end the war?

Daniel Dickinson was first published in an annual publication with the short story “Escape from Ogre Island.” He is also self-published with the short story horror book, Don’t Close Your Eyes: Two Thrilling Tales of Terror, as well as Gathering Tide and the newly released Aggression Factor. His writing is based upon a lifetime of creating a realistic realm in which his characters come to life, allowing the reader to become a part of that world. 

Daniel has a wonderful family and is a proud father with a beautiful wife. He enjoys traveling and photography, as well as food and art. One of his many hobbies is taking his daughter and grandkids camping at least twice a year. He currently lives in the greater Phoenix Area, surviving in the grind and writing when he can. He enjoys giving presentations about creating worlds and fantasy genres in general. He looks forward to the challenges of growing as a writer and continuing the adventure that is life. Find out more about Daniel on his website Daniel Dickinson, Author, Adventurer, Artist (tigerforce.net)