Communication tech in Afalin is limited to paper and ink. There are printing presses, but to send any message long distance is going to require a carriage, train, and/or ship. I might change this later, but for now I'm enjoying the challenge of snail mail. #MayWorldbuilders #indie #WritingCommunity

Sibyl has never left the city of Afalin. Something I'm looking forward to addressing in the next book. #AwesomeCharacters #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

I don't know if I would call her sporty, but Sibyl is certainly athletic. She spends a good amount of the book training for the college's fencing contest. #QueerPrompts #indie #WritingCommunity

Little Bird is very much character driven. #QueerPrompts #indie #WritingCommunity

Trauma is the hardest thing I've written. The challenge isn't just trying to do justice to the weight and emotion surrounding the inciting incident, but capturing how it can cause a mind to unravel and reality to fracture, if only for a moment. #QueerPrompts #indie #WritingCommunity

We are offically a @kickstarter.com 'Project We Love'! Very validating to be recognised for our work, even if it is in a tiny way. Check out @elhark.bsky.social's Little Bird here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/sup... #indiepublishing #booksky #writesky #littlebird

Sibyl, like me, can be diligent to the point of blind obsession. Especially when she feels something is important. Also like me, Sibyl needs a nap. #QueerPrompts #WritingCommunity #indie

Afalin has a couple of broadsheets, which cater to different demographics in the city. As they're are pretty trustworthy, but also have obvious bias towards the institutions of Afalin such as the city guard. #indie #WritingCommunity #MayWorldbuilders

I think the setting was the first thing I came up with. I knew I wanted my book to take place at a sort of arcane university so I started by spending a lot of time thinking about how the university would function. #QueerPrompts #indie #WritingCommunity

At the moment there aren't, but now that I'm thinking about it...maybe someday there will be. I do love a good spy story. #MayWorldbuilders #indie #WritingCommunity

Getting to make an audiobook would be so much fun. A lot of work and a steep learning curve I'm sure, but still fun. #indie #WritingCommunity #booksky

It depends on the villain and the motivation behind their 'evil'. There are some villains where redemption is very statifying, but there are also villains that I love to hate and want to see run over by a bus. #QueerPrompts #indie #WritingCommunity

If you are curious about our stretch goals for our @kickstarter.com of Little Bird by @elhark.bsky.social here they are! Already smashed through seven of the twelve! Let's keep going! #booksky #indiepublishing #writesky

I'm still a bit shocked, but also very excited to get to make books for people other than myself. #indie #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

Drinking? Yes. Eating? Not so much. There are a couple of scenes that take place during meals, but even then the food itself is more of a background detail. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

To celebrate the launch of our @kickstarter.com for Little Bird by @elhark.bsky.social in two hours we will be hosting an AMA with @elhark.bsky.social on our @discord.com! Come join and hang out! Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/sup... Discord: discord.gg/9HTBDkjM

My biggest grammatical quirk is probably that I don't use the word 'no' for the entire book, which was a fun writing challenge that was "entirely necessary" and "never frustrating". #MayWorldbuilders #indie #WritingCommunity

The final Ebook offering for our @kickstarter.com is the Annotated Edition Ebook. This edition offers comments and essays about the process of creating Little Bird directly from @elhark.bsky.social. The Annotated Edition edition will launch on 5 May! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sup...

I haven't actually made up a lot of words or phrases. The closest I get is probably 'Tibi for you' which more or less just means goody for you. #MayWordlbuilders #indie #WritingCommunity

'You alright or what?' which in Afalin is the equivalent of saying 'What's up?'. The Senate is more formal but my first book doesn't spend much time with them. #MayWorldbuilders #indie #WritingCommunity

The exclusive @kickstarter.com Deluxe Edition Ebook cover for Little Bird by @elhark.bsky.social! Includes maps and illustrated section breaks, all of which are done in colour and drawn by @elhark.bsky.social! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sup...

I am very much not a linguist, so I making a language for Little Bird was well outside my wheel house. Instead I use both Welsh and Latin, with Welsh being the official language of the city of Afalin and Latin being the language of the Senate. #MayWorldbuilders #Writingcommunity #indie

The exclusive @kickstarter.com Standard Edition Ebook cover for Little Bird by @elhark.bsky.social. The Standard Edition Ebook will get you the digital edition of Little Bird before anywhere else. Dive in and enjoy! Support us by buying your copy on 5 May. www.kickstarter.com/projects/sup...

A little swordplay? ✅ A little revenge? ✅ A little arcane academia? ✅ And so much more! Come support our our @kickstarter.com for Little Bird! It goes live 5 May, 6 days and counting!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sup... #littlebird #elhark #booksky #writesky #indiepub #publishing

Little Bird's @kickstarter.com launches in a week and co-founder Natalie wanted to share some of her thoughts on the journey so far. #littlebird #indie #writesky #indiepub #superforest

Time to get stuck in and make sure everything is ready before the Kickstarter goes live next week. Step one, make a to-do list. Step two, tea. #indie #WriteSky #booksky

Onwards to publication. #writingcommunity #writesky #booksky

Oh, this is going to be fun. My story has 1 main antagonist, Catrin. There are a few mild antagonist floating around as well. #writesky #indiewriter #writingcommunity #AntagonistApril

We are doing a @kickstarter.com to help launch Little Bird, a debut novel by @elhark.bsky.social! We are so excited! If you don't mind, click the 'notify me on launch button'. It helps the project a lot! #superforest #littlebird #kickstarter #indie #indiepublisher #elhark #fantasy #booksky

A glimpse into the joy and madness of trying to do everything myself. #writtingcommunity #writesky #indie #indiewriter

For the Arcane Families magic has shaped their whole understanding of familial relationships. It determines who remains, who is adopted in, and who is married off or simply cast out. #writingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

Excellent question and one I can't say I've thought a lot about. In general magic is used to enhance things. For example witchcraft is see as a more effective version of medicine. The biggest benefit, however, is that magic is the best weapon and defence against magic. #writingcommunity #writesky

Magic is legal, but regulated. The Senate of Mages is charged with making and upholding Arcane Law. There isn't just forbidden magic, but there are rules about when and how magic can be used and who is allowed to use it. #writingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

I'm still sorting out the exact upper limits of what mortal magic is capable of. The gods, however, are the source of mortal magic and there isn't a limit on what they can do. If they want they can literally tear a person apart and put them back together again. #writtingcommunity #writesky

My book is set at a University so I have literal colleges for studying different types of magic. Broadly magic is divided into either Anima or arcana, which is what is taught at the University. Arcana is then divided into sorcery, enchanting, witchcraft, and arcanology. #writingcommunity #writesky

Consequences of magic is something I'm exploring in the sequel to Little Bird. Using too much magic too often takes a heavy toll on the body causing it to deteriorate and can be fatal in extreme cases. #writingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

Getting to actually hold my book was an incredible experience. Can't wait to actually get it out into the world. #writtingcommunity #writesky

I have a University of Arcane Studies with degrees that similar to Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorates. The Mage degree is my magical PhD and requires an understanding of all the Arcane arts and demonstration of mastery of one of them. The demonstration very much depends on what you're studying

Magic has both physical and mental limitations. Individuals only have so much magic and once it's spent they have to wait for it recover. Burn through your magic too often and your body suffers. Beyond that it's mostly a question of skill and practise. #writtingcommunity #writesky

Strictly speaking, speech and movement are not require. However, I'm operating behind the scenes on the idea that the more a character is into using their magic the better they are at it. So knowing the name of the spell and little movement can help. #writtingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

Not everyone who practises magic uses tools, but those practising arcana do. Arcana utilises runes to enchant objects as well as staves and wands to weave spells. #writingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

Gods. One way or another all mortal magic trickles down from the gods. #writingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

I use magic sparingly in my story so there aren't a lot of impressive examples of magic. This is probably the closest thing I have. #writingcommunity #writesky #Febchantment

I try to use all the senses, but use them to communicate different things. So touch is linked to my protagonist's magical perception and often reflects her inner state. Smell is often linked to memories. Sight and hearing are used to establish an atmosphere. Taste...doesn't get used a lot.

When I started writing I tried to make a magic system that was somehow novel, but didn't really get anywhere. So I pivoted. My foundation of my current magic system is basic, but my hope is that having simple fundamentals will help me make a more complex system in time. #writingcommunity #writesky

There is a baseline genetic factor to my magic system. You have be born with magic, and a certain type of magic, to be able to use it. Beyond that it is all a matter of education. #writingcommunity #writesky

Finally taking my first steps towards publishing. Absolutely terrifying and very exciting. #writingcommunity #writesky

I've divided my system into two types of magic, Arcana and Anima. Arcana refers to using tools and written languages to use magic. Anima refers to freestyling magic, more or less. #writingcommunity #writesky

I don't know if I've ever thought of my magic system as having a central concept. The closest thing is there is a mixture of divinity in the form of creation (specifically the ability to create) and people's sense of self. #writtingcommunity #writesky

I use a mixture of 'hard' and 'soft' magic atm. My goal is to have set rules about what is possible (and when it is possible) and then to be more vibes based on exactly how the magic is depicted. Sort of like describing your character's actions in an TTRPG after a dice roll. #writingcommunity