Kill My Darlings

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice.

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice.

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice.

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice.

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice.

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your...

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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 [email protected]. Subscribe to Kill My Darlings on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice.

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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 [email protected]. 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

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