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Rebecca Alasdair
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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Music, art & literature in the world of your WIP

    Rebecca Alasdair / 7 August 2020 / No Comments

    Music, art and literature are three of the “cultural universals” found in every society, so they ought to be considered when world-building for a fantasy WIP. In today’s Playing God post, I explore each of these aspects in some detail, and give a sneak peek at the music, art and literature in my own fantasy world!! →

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  • on writing

    How to be a productive writer while stuck at home

    Rebecca Alasdair / 21 July 2020 / No Comments

    Since the end of March, I’ve been working from home while chipping away at all my writing projects. I’ve had to adjust to this new routine, but have learned some valuable lessons, and today I share some of the strategies I’ve used to maintain my productivity. I’d love to hear about yours! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: The language of your fantasy world

    Rebecca Alasdair / 12 June 2020 / No Comments

    Language is how we communicate, an inextricable part of our everyday lives, and an important consideration when creating a fantasy world. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the significance of language, how to shape vernacular and new phrases, and give a sneak peek at the language in my own fantasy WIP!! →

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  • on blogging

    How to find ideas for your writing blog

    Rebecca Alasdair / 14 May 2020 / No Comments

    When I sat down to decide what I was going to blog about this week, I found myself drawing a blank. It can be a real challenge to keep those ideas coming, so today I thought I’d share the key sources and categories from which I find inspiration. Writers and bloggers, come forth and share where you get your post…

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Shaping race and culture in your fantasy WIP

    Rebecca Alasdair / 24 April 2020 / No Comments

    Race and culture have a vital role in shaping society and human identity, so in turn they deserve careful shaping when world-building for a fantasy WIP. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the definitions and significance of race and culture, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at these concepts in my own fantasy world! →

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  • on reading

    What to do when your bookshelf overflows

    Rebecca Alasdair / 9 April 2020 / No Comments

    SOS! Send help! My bookshelf is about to overflow! Said every bookworm ever as they despaired over where to store their “excess” books. I’ve done a little searching online, and today I present a few different options for when your space is running out. If you have any unique ideas or experiences, I’d love to hear all about them! →

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  • on writing

    Conceptualising a story idea with the 5W1H method

    Rebecca Alasdair / 11 March 2020 / No Comments

    There are many different ways in which a writer may conceptualise a story idea, and half the time we don’t even realise we’re doing it. But in this post I share one method of bringing order to the chaos…by asking yourself six key questions about your story concept! →

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  • excerpts,  graceborn

    GRACEBORN: NaNoWriMo + next steps + book 2 reveal!

    Rebecca Alasdair / 3 December 2019 / No Comments

    Did you participate in NaNoWriMo 2019? I did, and I finally finished the draft of the first book in my fantasy series Graceborn! Woohoo! Come and check out the details, featuring some exciting SNIPPETS from the book, what I plan to do next, and the reveal of the title and mock cover for book two!! →

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  • on writing

    Plans & preparation for NaNoWriMo 2019

    Rebecca Alasdair / 24 October 2019 / No Comments

    NaNoWriMo 2019 is just around the corner! I plan to use this challenge to work on the final part of Blood of Old, the first book in my WIP fantasy series Graceborn. Come and learn the details of my goals and preparations, and tell me about your own NaNo project!! →

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  • fantasy fridays

    Playing God: Making history in your WIP’s world

    Rebecca Alasdair / 20 September 2019 / No Comments

    History is an often-underrated element of world-building, and one which can add incredible depth and detail to a fantasy novel. In today’s Playing God post, I explore the reasons you need to know your world’s history, some important considerations, and give a sneak peek at the world history in my own fantasy WIP! →

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Welcome! I'm Rebecca Alasdair, an Australian indie author whose one true love is fantasy—the more epic, the better.

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Look, I'm sure it feels great to have your book hi Look, I'm sure it feels great to have your book hit a bestseller list, but there's something to be said for the quiet achievements.

"Success" in writing and publishing looks different for everyone, and it's not all about the number of copies sold. I would LOVE for my upcoming epic fantasy series to do well, but as I work through my line edits, I feel pretty damn proud of the story I've told. And that's worth celebrating. 😊

What do you think?

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#writingquotes #writinginspiration #writersofig #authorsofig #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #writerslife #authorlife
Line edits are in! Wish me luck as I dive into the Line edits are in! Wish me luck as I dive into them over the next few weeks and polish this book off. 😅

There's still plenty of work to do to get it ready for publication, but it finally feels like I'm creeping closer!

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#amediting #bookedits #writerslife #authorlife #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasyseries #gracebornseries
Happy 1st birthday to the bestest writing buddy a Happy 1st birthday to the bestest writing buddy a girl could ask for 💜🥳

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#birthdaygirl #birthdaydog #dogsofinstagram #minischnauzer #writingbuddy #writerslife #writersofig #indieauthor
Say hello to Tora Kolmarden, a key character in th Say hello to Tora Kolmarden, a key character in the #GracebornSeries...

...or don't. You might want to run and hide, actually. Most people do when they hear Tora's name. She's something of an enforcer for the Council of Eight: cold, ruthless to the point of cruelty, and her tongue is as sharp as her blades.

But this death-wielding warrior has her reasons. She has her secrets, her hidden dreams. And her arc throughout the series is not what you might expect. I can't wait for you to meet her in book 1, "Blood of Old", in (hopefully) 2026!

Another big thank you to the talented @sophielouisedraws for capturing Tora so perfectly!! 🤩

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#characterart #characterartwork #artreveal #digitalart #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy
Are you ready? There's only one more sleep until m Are you ready? There's only one more sleep until my next piece of character art is revealed! 😱

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#characterart #characterartwork #artreveal #digitalart #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #gracebornseries
Q is for qava! 👇 In today's post on the A to Q is for qava! 👇 

In today's post on the A to Z of worldbuilding elements in the #GracebornSeries, I wanted to talk about food and drink in fantasy novels.

Do you enjoy seeing new types of food or drink—or even new names for known types of food or drink—in the books you read? I find it adds a certain richness and depth to the worldbuilding in fantasy fiction.

I haven't been all that creative in my own epic fantasy series, but I have come up with a drink called "qava", which you may note bears a striking resemblance to coffee... 🤣☕️

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#worldbuilding #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #fantasywriter #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #writersofig
I love these two, and we all have my beta readers I love these two, and we all have my beta readers to thank for this particular exchange 😁

Tora and Kael from the #GracebornSeries are like ice and fire personality-wise, but deep down, where it matters most, they have very similar values. Beta reader feedback on book 1 indicated I needed to flesh out their relationship more, which has led to a new scene featuring my favourite interaction between the two.

I can't wait to see what future readers think of these two! In some ways, they had my betas divided 😂

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#fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy #fantasywriter #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #bookquote #bookteaser
Do you want to be the first to see my next piece o Do you want to be the first to see my next piece of character art?

I am so excited to share the incredible job @sophielouisedraws has done to bring a key secondary character from the #GracebornSeries to life! But you'll have to wait a few more weeks 😉

If you want to skip the queue, sign up to my author newsletter (link in bio) before next Tuesday because my subscribers will get an exclusive sneak preview!!

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#characterart #characterartwork #artreveal #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #fantasyseries #epicfantasy

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