After the Cataclysm took our magic,
how do we rebuild?

We Built This City

by  Nathan Marchand
May 10, 2013

While Children of the Wells is a character-driven saga, all characters need a world to live in. Last week, my partner in crime, Tim, wrote about how we created the magic system in CotW. But magic is just one part (albeit a big one) of this world.

Once we determined that magic pooled in wells, we realized that civilizations would develop around them, much like cities formed around bodies of water in our world. The larger the wells, the larger the cities. Because of this, we decided to have city-states as opposed to countries, each one with a distinct culture. After much discussion, we settled on having three large wells, which would be the hearts of the three most powerful cities on this continent, all of them warring and/or competing with one another for dominance.

While all the staff members contributed ideas for each city, much credit must go to the writers of our earliest stories for creating the different cities and the characters who inhabit them. (more…)

What Calea and Rumplestiltskin Have in Common

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Not Calea

by Timothy Deal
May 3, 2013

Since we had a request for some spoiler-free insight into the world and magic of Children of the Wells, I will talk a bit about how we developed our system of magic for the series. Of course, if you’ve read the latest chapter, you may think the timing odd, but bear with me. After all, this discussion may shed some light on previous or upcoming flashbacks (hint, hint, tease, tease).

One of the trickiest things when it comes to fantasy world-building is setting up a system of magic. If your world is going to feature magic at all, the writer typically needs to establish some rules for how it will work. Even the TV show Once Upon a Time — which follows fairy tale convention where spells can or can’t do things according to the needs of the plot — always follows at least one underlying principle: in the Enchanted Forest, magic always comes with a price. The price varies according to the power of the spell (and again, the needs of the plot), but the price is always there. Consistently following this rule helps the writers keep the fairy tale magic a bit more grounded and believable within the context of their story. (more…)

Supermom

renBy Natasha Hayden
April 26, 2013

As new writers are added to this project, you may begin to hear from some of them on this blog. After all, there’s only so much we can say about Purpose and Agenda and all that without sounding like a tired, old sermon. Sometimes, when we can (without revealing spoilers), we might talk about the stories themselves, but the best way to understand the stories is to keep reading. So, this blog may also feature some normal, everyday kind of stuff, not to bore you (we hope) but to connect with you on another level. Likely, you and I are made of the same stuff (though some of us may seem to hale from different planets), and we have common experiences to share.

Of course, not all of us have the exact same experiences, but what would be the fun in reading about someone who’s exactly like you? With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this one is for the moms. (more…)

And Then What?

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Nick Hayden

By Nick Hayden
April 19, 2013

Shock. Disaster. The world ending.

And then what?

That was the primary question I had when I started writing The Select’s Bodyguard. In our world-building meetings, we had created the event that demolishes much of Jalseion. But that’s not story. That’s setting. What was the story?

Bron and Calea are the story.

I won’t try to recount how exactly the two came about. (Well, it’s not the first time I’ve written an initially unlikable, domineering woman, oddly enough. Or a somewhat, what shall we say, “single-minded” man.)  In any case, from the beginning they were intertwined, two powerful personalities rotating around each other like binary stars.

The duality of Bron and Calea, in fact, structures the entire novel–the way the chapters jump in time and perspective and tense.

You’ve just started to uncover the details of their relationship with one another. Hopefully you’ve started to love them or hate them or feel something about them. Because, in the end, as much as I love Jalseion and the various aspects of the world, this story is about them.

But they’re fictional. You, dear reader, are not. (I hope.) What questions do you have? What would you like to hear about in these weekly blogs? About the world? The art of creation? Why that fellow Rodion’s name reminds you, somehow, of Greedo from Star Wars?

You’re behind the scenes with the author. What intrigues you?

I mean, besides my handsome face and charming wit, of course.

Agreements, Disagreements, and Rifftrax

nathan-profile

Nathan Marchand

By Nathan Marchand
April 12, 2013

“Novel Concept” was a name Nick—the author of our current Children of the Wells novella, The Select’s Bodyguard—had used for the “publisher” of his self-published books. Then I snagged it for mine. I told him we should make something of this name, though not so much a publishing house as a network for writers to help promote each other and their works.

So, Nick called a meeting in January of 2012, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. He wanted to make Novel Concept into a web serial. We could promote each other while working together to produce new material. Then Nick shared an idea for a fantasy-based serial. I would tell you about it, but as River Song is fond of saying in Doctor Who, “Spoilers!” Regardless, we latched onto his idea and went crazy.

And quickly relearned about the perils of group projects. (more…)

Our Storytelling Philosophy

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Timothy Deal

By Timothy Deal
April 5, 2013

If you’ve been exploring our new website (and if not, we certainly hope you will!), you may have read a bit about our philosophy and reason for creating Children of the Wells on our About Us page. The writer of that page — Nick Hayden, also author of The Select’s Bodyguard  — eloquently describes the sort of stories we hope to share:

Not just fantastic and fantastical stories, but stories rooted in truth and goodness. Stories that are honest about how the world works, but written with the belief that stories are meant to make men better.

(more…)

Welcome!

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Natasha Hayden

By Natasha Hayden
April 1, 2013

Welcome to Children of the Wells! No idea what that is? The best way for you to understand would be to dive right in. Just click on the main page’s book link for The Select’s Bodyguard and start reading.

…But in case you didn’t do that and would prefer to be tortured by boring, informative blogs, here you go:

This is a serialized web fiction site, and every week, there will be new story content up, as well as boring, informative (ahem…fascinating, entertaining) blogs like this one. If you like what you read, subscribe via our email newsletter so you don’t miss a word. (more…)

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Works In Progress

Bron & Calea #5 - Final Draft
40% completed

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