I’ve been more focused on finishing Kitsune recently (only 1 chapter to go!!) but I’ve also been working on the never-ending Lux jobs, and starting the remaining landlord mysteries, and L’s romance route, which has changed so many times in my mind and is now settling into what I want it to be!
Ko-fi update:
I’m soon going to be starting a new job, so I’ve updated my Ko-fi output to monthly instead of weekly. There are more details on the Ko-fi page (details up above) but for anyone looking for some extra content, Q&As, sneak peeks, and even some character playlists, check it out
Starting a new job meant I didn’t get much writing done at all in January but now I’m starting to get into the new rhythm. Kitsune hit serious writer’s block so to get through it I went back to Lux and continued working on the careers. I’ve now completely finished the scholar path and am working on the finale of the Dagwood Lodge (which I think might be one of my favourites ) The plan is to get Kit finished (for my own sanity) and once that’s done I can dedicate the rest of the year to finishing Lux!
In my opinion your books have among of the best romance on the platform (In my opinion) especially L and D. And other characters like Hayden are among the memorable first encounters I’ve had with any character.
For those of us fledgling lurkers staring down the barrel of big ideas do you have any insights into how makes characters that don’t feel like five or six tropes wearing a trench coat?
First off, thank you so much for saying that! I’m so glad my characters come across that way!!
I find this question really interesting but answering it is pretty difficult. I can definitely share what I do, and hopefully it will help others who are looking for help creating characters. (But please put ‘In my opinion’ in front of everything! )
My Thoughts
Character’s need history. If you know who a character was, you can better write who they are. And the backstory should be something that ties them to the plot, otherwise they’re only there to be romanced, which makes them feel less real.
Similarly, characters need multiple interest and goals. An RO whose only purpose is to be romanced, isn’t a real person and won’t come across like one. What would they do if they weren’t with the MC? Interactive fiction is great because you get to actually write all these what-ifs, and that will help you get to know the character more fully.
Don’t treat the romance like an achievement to be unlocked. Try to avoid making romantic interactions too much about stats or ‘making the right choice’.
Don’t feel the need to tell the reader everything about a character in one go. It’s more fun and more realistic to slowly discover a person over time.
Lastly, and this is my biggest piece of advice - play RPGs. Ideally be a GM, especially if you can find a play group who enjoys the more emotional character driven style of play. This way you can get real-time practice being multiple characters, learning what players look for in an RO, and what sort of dynamic is interesting. I think, if my characters come off as believable and 3-dimensional, I owe all of that to 13+ years of very roleplay heavy D&D!
Thanks for asking the question. I had a lot of fun answering it, and again, these are just the techniques I use. Other people might feel completely differently, and if anything I’ve said doesn’t gel with your style, that’s fine. Part of the fun of writing is coming up with your own rules for translating what’s in your head onto the page
April update! As I mentioned before, I’ve started full time work this year which has meant an adjustment period figuring out schedules and finding time to write.
That said, Lux is making progress. I’ve completed another landlord mystery, another 3 jobs, and the main mystery is basically all done. As always there’s still a lot to do, but I’m having fun so that’s the main thing!
I don’t think I’ve looked forward to any Choice of Games title as much as the Evertree Saga. Your writing is incredible, both with respect to character development and to worldbuilding!
(Is anyone else really curious about the Immortal Emperor? Probably completely unrelated to the main story, but I want to know more about him.)
As an aside, though (honest question, not saying this is necessarily bad): the first two books emphasized solving situations by sticking to your strengths. Is it intentional for the third book to move away from this and create situations where certain playstyles are disadvantaged? Will the fourth book continue to do so?
I’m mostly asking with respect to magic during the Glubjib’s Waste adventure. When the qiatl flies at the MC, the only spell option is lightning, which is an auto-fail. There are other scenarios where magic auto-fails, too, which didn’t seem to be the case in Evertree/Sordwin. The MC also forgot how to fly, which would have been helpful when the qiatl drops you and when you need to scale the cliff. I didn’t buy the climbing gear because I thought magic would cover that lol.
Hello! Thank you so much for your kind words about the saga.
To answer your question, magic is one of the hardest parts of writing the series. Remembering every spell for every occasion and providing enough options is difficult and on the occasions you mentioned, I definitely just didn’t think of it!!
I’ll have a look at the Glubjib mission and might add a spell or two to balance it for magic focused MCs. Thanks for pointing it out!!!
That said, you are correct. Books 3 and 4 are designed differently to 1 and 2. They don’t reflect long term plans for the series but they are intentionally different. To keep my own interest I want to make each adventure different and explore new ways to grow the story.
September update! Very little progress on Lux at the moment as I’m trying to get Kitsune submitted by the end of the year. I will then be dedicating 2025 to getting Lux finished and submitted. I love writing these stories but they take a lot of time to do as a solo endeavor so I really appreciate the patience and support.
I’ve been more focused on finishing Kitsune recently (only 1 chapter to go!!) but I’ve also been working on the never-ending Lux jobs, and starting the remaining landlord mysteries, and L’s romance route, which has changed so many times in my mind and is now settling into what I want it to be!
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