Unravel the secrets to crafting a masterful magic system from
best-selling fantasy author Charlie N. Holmberg.
Charlie N. Holmberg’s Book of Magic
By Charlie N. Holmberg
Genre: Speculative Nonfiction, Writing
Self-Help
Unravel the secrets to crafting a masterful magic system
from best-selling fantasy author Charlie N. Holmberg.
*Discuss the schools, laws, and
spectrum of magic
*Learn to
build individual pieces of a magic system
*Dig into magic’s influence on worldbuilding
*Examine different types and styles of
magic
*Develop and polish
original magic systems
Charlie N. Holmberg is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon
Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, including the Paper
Magician series, the Spellbreaker series, and the Whimbrel House series, and
writes contemporary romance under C. N. Holmberg. She is published in over
twenty languages and is a Goodreads Choice Award, ALA, and RITA finalist. Born
in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who
also have boy names. A BYU alumna, she discovered in her thirties that she’s
actually a cat person. She lives with her family in Utah. Visit her at www.charlienholmberg.com<!-
-[endif]-->.
Website
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Goodreads
GUEST POST
Who did the narration on the audiobook and what made you choose them?
Angela Dawe! Angela did a few of my books (The Fifth Doll, Followed by Frost, and The Will and the Wilds). Girl can drop her voice like it’s HOT. I’ve never heard a woman voice men so well before. And while this book isn’t fiction, when my publisher asked me if I had any preferences, I mentioned Angela and she happened to be free!
How many audiobooks do you currently have and are there any more on the horizon?
All 24 of my published novels are available in audio! If you have an Audible subscription, I am happy to take up the next two years of your listening ;)
And yes, all my future contracted books will also be available on audio!
Do you prefer to listen to audiobooks or read a book?
I prefer to read on a Kindle. I can only listen to fiction audiobooks when I’m driving, otherwise my mind wanders. (Though I can listen to nonfiction while I’m at the gym; if I miss a sentence or two there, I don’t feel like I’ve ruined the story, so it’s fine.) And I’m such a princess now that if I have to hold open the covers of a physical book I just can’t even.
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Souless by Gail Carriger
Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
The Dragonsworn Trilogy by Caitlyn McFarland
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
What book do you think everyone should read?
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones. Because it’s delightful.
How long have you been writing?
Overall, 23 years. Professionally, 11.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
The main characters are all on my radar before I start writing; minor characters have a tendency of popping up on their own (and being named Martha, for some reason).
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
Can you write without reading??
Of course! I LOVE romantic fantasy. I am so chuffed that romantasy is a big thing right now because IT IS MY JAM.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I write in silence. Even if I turn music on, my brain blocks it out when I write. I don’t notice what’s playing. I get so absorbed into the scene, you know? That said, I don’t play music because if it doesn’t fit the scene PRECISELY, it makes it harder to get into the zone.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I’m usually only drafting one book at a time, but often I’m brainstorming another, or copyedits may come in for a third. So there’s always more than one story happening in some aspect, but big things like drafting and developmental edits are one-book deals.*
*This is with the exception of The Plastic Magician and The Will and the Wilds, which I drafted at the same time because the first was under contract and the second I was obsessed with.
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?
I mean… I’d happily take credit for The Lord of the Rings series…
Pen or type writer or computer?
While I hand-write all my notes, I type much faster than I pen anything.
Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
I freaking loved Penryn’s mom from the Penryn & The End of Days series by Susan Ee.
What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
I do not have a special book that made me want to be an author; instead, it was an anime that made me want to be a storyteller. At the age of thirteen, my older sister bullied me into watching this new show that had been on Fox Kids but got cancelled, so she purchased the DVDs. It was called The Vision of Escaflowne. I LOVED the story in this. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. All I knew is that I wanted to create stories as masterful as what I saw in that show (and even as an adult, I recommend it to anyone, even non-anime-lovers). I figured I could either draw stories, like in a comic book, or write stories, a la novels. I could objectively tell I was a terrible artist. I could not objectively tell I was a terrible writer, so that’s the path I took!
Advice they would give new authors?
First, do a daily wordcount. Most people who want to write a book never actually finish a book, so if you pen “the end” on something, even if it’s terrible, you’re ahead of the curve. 500 words a day is a professional pace, and that’s roughly ½-1 pages on Microsoft Word.
Second, allow yourself to suck. Be terrible. Don’t edit until the book is done. It’s a rough draft, it’s literally not supposed to be GOOD. Giving yourself permission to not be perfect helps so much in productivity and mental health!
What makes a good story?
There are a lot of things that make a story good. Interesting premise, conflict, likeable characters . . . but the thing I think that really separates amazing writing from just good stories is emotion. Feeling what the characters feel, yearning as they yearn. Books that make me cry? Take my money, please.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I have a hard time staying in the same world for too long (The Whimbrel House series is a fluke). By the time I get to book 3, I’m bored. I want to discover something new! I have several duologies because of this.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I try to lean more original. That said, I notice that if I’m really excited about something, my readers are likely to also be excited about that thing. (Though I admit I have book coming out next year where I swim through favorite reader tropes like I’m Michael Phelps.)
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Yes. In my experience, two things cause writer’s block. The first is disinterest in your story. It’s no longer appealing to you, or you’re bored with your characters or plot. In that case, you need to either revamp what’s happening or work on a new, exciting project. The second is mental health. It’s hard to be creative and to pour yourself into a project when you’re not feeling your best, or you’re suffering from a condition that affects your brain. In that case, you need to address the mental health issue before you can write again.
I’ve experienced both types. Admittedly, the second cause is a lot harder than the first. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other until we reach it <3
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