atalienart

[atalienart]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! ❤

(I kinda chose one, it's a little bit made up and sounds like a name for a knight dunno. But it has a short version that I like. I'm still not sure about the declination of the short form and whether it appears natural because it's not a Polish name. Still, the spelling is simple and doesn't sound too weird for the Polish ear I guess. It also doesn't seem to be too modern, too ordinary, too posh or too foreign which is great xD)

You know, I wonder how it is for other language speakers but many Polish readers really don't like Polish names in books. And Polish writers would rather move the plot of their books to another country than write about a character with a familiar name. Is it the same for others? Is that why writers come up with Xaveers and Dgekneephers so the names have some unusual flavour? How is it in other countries? I guess the expectations are even higher for fantasy stories and we end up with Bibitybabityboop and Jeff. In my case the name vibes with the story or doesn't and it's hard to explain how I choose them. Some writers really pay attention to the name origins so the world seem structured but idk. How do you choose names?

I'm looking for a name

Do you know any nice names for a guy in a fantasy land (made up world, no strict historical time frame but it's not modern)?

Human. He's one of the brainy ones, curious cat but with a strong sense of duty, soft man but knows how to use a sword, emotionally and spiritually confused, NOT a shadow daddy and NOT a golden retriever boy. Appearance: (very boring) brown, slightly curly hair, hazel eyes, light skin, slender body, clean (as in enjoys a nice bath lol).

[atalienart]

I'm looking for a name

Do you know any nice names for a guy in a fantasy land (made up world, no strict historical time frame but it's not modern)?

Human. He's one of the brainy ones, curious cat but with a strong sense of duty, soft man but knows how to use a sword, emotionally and spiritually confused, NOT a shadow daddy and NOT a golden retriever boy. Appearance: (very boring) brown, slightly curly hair, hazel eyes, light skin, slender body, clean (as in enjoys a nice bath lol).

[atalienart]

Hey, thank you so much for all the help! You guys are really amazing! All the titles and advice were very useful. Now I have more books on my tbr too xD Anyway, I'm not sure how accurate the comparisons I chose are but I'll go for:

Romance in a style of "Pride and Prejudice", magic in a XIX-th century world similar to "Half a Soul" by Olivia Atwater and "Emily Wilde" series by Heather Fawcett, and political intrigues and dangerous mysteries with a vibe of "Sherlock Holmes" in Guy Ritchie's adaptation.

So I have something old, something new and something adapted xD If anything changes (because I haven't read most of the books you mentioned in your comments so I still might find something more suitable among them), then I'll adjust it, but as for now, this is how it looks like. Hope this mix will interest people :)

Thanks again for your help! ❤︎

Help! How do I find comp titles for my own story when I haven't read anything similar. I'm not saying books like that don't exist but I myself don't know any and my beta-readers also couldn't come up with anything. They mentioned the style of the writing reminds them of different classics (probably because I wanted to keep it time appropriate) and there's a depiction of high society and their interactions. The XIX century setting with magic could be similar to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or Six of Crows settings just because there's a XIX century city, and magic, but the plot is completely different and romance is quite important.

Do you know any books with:

XIX century setting (big city)

Mix of magic and science (and gods)

Very P&P-esque slow-burn romance

Political/court intrigue and blackmail

Belle époque balls

A little bit of killing and stuff xD

Soulmates

I'm very, very lost.

[atalienart]

Hi! I elwas wondering, do you sell prints of your work?

I've spent my teenage years adoring your style, especially Lupin (my comfort character), and now I finally have a room of my own to decorate with prints!

At the moment I don't sell any prints, sorry. I had an account on society6 but I really didn't like the changes they introduced into their user policy so I stopped using it. I'm really happy you like my art though, thanks so much for the kind words! Maybe one day I'll try some other site and start selling prints again.

[atalienart]

Oh goodness, is an English version of your book available? I want to read it so so bad

There's not even a Polish version available at this point (yet? xD) That's why I need the comp titles, so the publishers take me somewhat seriously :,) If I make it happen and you don't forget I really hope you read it one day <3

[atalienart]

Help! How do I find comp titles for my own story when I haven't read anything similar. I'm not saying books like that don't exist but I myself don't know any and my beta-readers also couldn't come up with anything. They mentioned the style of the writing reminds them of different classics (probably because I wanted to keep it time appropriate) and there's a depiction of high society and their interactions. The XIX century setting with magic could be similar to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or Six of Crows settings just because there's a XIX century city, and magic, but the plot is completely different and romance is quite important.

Do you know any books with:

XIX century setting (big city)

Mix of magic and science (and gods)

Very P&P-esque slow-burn romance

Political/court intrigue and blackmail

Belle époque balls

A little bit of killing and stuff xD

Soulmates

I'm very, very lost.

[atalienart]

Would love to hear about those other ideas!

One is pretty old. It's a romantic fantasy about a musician who ends up in a magical world where vampires and witches exist. It's a story about finding your people and bravery, fighting monsters and perfectionism, and some romance xD (I have a lot of drawings of Aster and Kornelia - the main characters form this story - here on tumblr.)

And the new one is at the "notes only" stage and i don't want to say too much about it because it's very fresh. But this one's also about magic and some trauma and demons - the real ones and the metaphorical ones. I think about it all the time lol.

These are the ones I'm trying to choose from at the moment. Editing the old one or planning the new one? Hmmm...

[atalienart]

also what did you learn by the end of writing the book that you will now apply to future projects

Weeellll... after writing two stories I know what works for me and that is: notes, plan, writing in order. I edit as I go, otherwise I get anxious and think only about previous chapters and stuff to fix. I need to know the ending so I see the end goal (it always changes but it more or less stays the same too).

I probably need to work more on my character arcs before starting to draft so they are clearer. I have to make sure the emotions I write have resonance - sometimes I don't show people's reactions enough and it seems like I undermine their feelings in particular scenes. I definitely need to make my notes more organised because oh man how I suffer later (I know I won't). And I need to keep an eye on the length of the scenes and chapters because they tend to be a little shorter at the beginning, I guess. I also learnt not to be so afraid to show others my work.

[atalienart]

what did you find easiest to write and what hardest in terms of anything - type of scenes or characters or parts or etc

Dialogues (they go fast) and character thoughts are the easiest to write, also maybe just describing what characters do, so narration. Side characters are very fun to write. The more personality they have and the more characteristic they are, the easier it is to show them. What parts? Perhaps the beginnings? (Even if they are to be scratched and rewritten later.) It's exciting to start a fresh story. Every new chapter I whine it's more and more difficult. Though the endings are pretty chill because I know I'm almost there so I'm happy and whoosh through.

The hardest to write are definitely romantic interactions, kisses, affection, spicy moments. It's because it's hard to find the right words and not repeat them (technical hell), avoid cringe, cheese, clichés, purple prose and vulgarity, and make everything work just right without being self-conscious, and I'm generally kinda lacking in the romance department so it's hard. Magic is another difficult thing to write because it must make sense, have its consequences and restrictions to work. Descriptions are super hard because they need to sound good, so I spend a lot of time on them (but people seem to like them so I guess I manage! :D) Character-wise, dunno, stoic characters are hard to write for me. And I don't like to write climaxes because I always worry whether they have enough emotional impact, enough oomph. But the hardest part in general is choosing main characters' names u_u

[atalienart]

D yu have a fave side character? r d yu like them equal?

Ummm... I like them for different reasons, some more than others. In my first story there's a character named Gustaw and I read a chapter with him lately and just because of how much I like him I feel tempted to go back to that story. In Project Soulmate I like one of my female side characters because of how big of a dreamer she is. I think she has an interesting story, though only a tiny bit of it is shown on the pages. Some side characters are really fun to write because they're even more characteristic and peculiar than the main cast. So yeah, it looks like that :)

[atalienart]

Now that you've finished your story, do you think about your characters from it still? Do you think about what happens to them after the end?

I do. Not only about the main characters but the secondary ones where there's potential for telling their stories in more detail (I even thought about writing a short story with one of the characters I like). When it's about the main couple, I think I closed their little tale in a way that should be satisfying. This book is a stanalone. But yes, sometimes I wonder what would happen to them after the end.

But I also think more about a new idea that came to me not that long ago, which fights with the story I had written earlier (that one waits for huge edits). I want to take care of both so I don't touch any of them -_-

[atalienart]

Oooh I've got one! What's one thing you really want to share with people, you want people to ask about? Also second question, what sparked the idea?

I'd love to share the whole story if I'm being honest xD but overall, the fact that someone's interested in the world that I created or the writing process is the best thing and I'm curious what others find interesting about writing so I'd rather be surprised with questions instead of giving prompts (I'm also really bad at coming up with question prompts :/). Anyway!

What sparked the idea? Funny thing... I really don't like "the mating bond" trope. I think my hatred was so strong that it brought me a dream about two people who run away to be with each other because they weren't soulmates. And I decided this was the sign to write this story xD Project Soulmate isn't about two running individuals but it's about destiny and human choices and it turns the trope around :)

[atalienart]

What tips do you have to a first time writer feeling anxious to start?

This is what I do, so not everyone might like such an approach but it's always good to consider:

Have a notebook or a file to write down the ideas, facts about your world and characters, dialogues or sentences that come to your mind. Also trust me, you'll forget if you don't write it down! (I chose a notebook because sometimes writing with a pen can switch the gears in my brain)

Let the story get ripe. Think about it often, fall in love with it, get obsessed. If you can't wait to write it, it's a good time to start.

Make a plan. (I KNOW GARDENERS! but hear me out) It's easy to get lost. You don't need a detailed plan for each chapter. It can be "Evan finds a sword" or "they meet an elf" or "a ball happens". I know that gardeners plan in their heads anyway but when you write it down you can better see the holes in the story and there's still plenty of things to discover. Also, you don't need to plan everything from beginning to the end, a few chapters ahead is fine, and you can change your plot points at at any time.

Be flexible. (I KNOW ARCHITECTS! but hear me out) No plan is set in stone and that's good. Be open for new ideas, sometimes epiphanies happen in the middle of writing chapter 24 (trust me, I know xD)

Play a scene in your head first. Go for a walk and daydream. It's easier to describe something you've seen instead of sitting in a front of a blank page and forcing your imagination to work.

Write a dialogue first. Sometimes it helps to create a scene around a dialogue.

If you have a scene written earlier, start with reading it to enter your story. (I find it very useful)

Find a ritual that gets you into a writing mood. (For example I either listen to some instrumental music or to journaling asmr, or I go outside and write in my notebook first.)

Remember why you want to write the story, what you love about it. Fun first and foremost!

What are you anxious about? Your writing skills? Without actually writing you'll have none. That your story will suck? Your first story will probably suck but it doesn't matter because it can be fixed with editing. And you still learn a lot by writing it. And you don't even have to show it to anyone if you don't want to, but if you don't write it you won't have anything to show even if you wanted, so just in case it's good to write it ;)

There's probably more but I'm not sure what the anxiety is exactly about. So, hope this helps :)

[atalienart]

What kind of fan ships could you imagine?

Like, in my story? I guess my imagination has no limits so everything's possible xD Taking into consideration it's a story about soulmate bonds and matchmaking I have a lot of pairs but what would a reader ship is a totally different thing. I have a lot of characters you can choose from xD

[atalienart]

Your amazing art inspired me to read the Emily Wilde series. I love it so far! Thank you!

I'm so happy to hear that! I haven't finished the series yet but I really love Emily and Wendell and the world in these books. Let me know what you think when you finish :D

[atalienart]

Your art just looks...so soft...like I could scoop it into my hands...and it would be warm and cinnamon with a hint of vanilla... idk if that makes any sense to anyone outside my brain and I'm just realizing now that I described your art like I would a scented candle (which makes sense I mean I make scented candles) but I needed to say it I love your style and your work <3

Thank you so much! That's such a sweet description❤️ Thanks, really, I'm super happy you like my art :D

[atalienart]

what's your favourite part you wrote and why?

I really like some of the letters I wrote in this story. I think a lot of them are very emotional. There are 22 letters total and some of them show my characters' hearts very deeply. I also like the interactions between Kavar and his friend Matej, their conversations are always a bit explosive but also rather funny :)

What's funny, my betas say they liked the interactions between my main couple a lot but to me they required a lot of effort and I still wonder if they could've been maybe written better. They're the most important element because romance is 50% of the story, 50% is all the other stuff xD so I really care for how I write it and I'm still not entirely satisfied xD But I'm glad it's believable for my readers.