In our continuing exploration of aesthetic and its interplay with worldbuilding, we're thinking about one spectrum with labels that often get applied to fantasy novels: the darkness and the light. Guest M.J. Kuhn joins us to discuss the societal components and cultural standards that can make a world feel further toward one end or the other of that continuum.
What's the difference between a dark world and a dark story? How much do the characters' attitudes and the writer's narrative voice shape the reader's experience of a book as either light or dark? Does a high body count automatically make a book dark? We explore these considerations and the craft of shaping these elements.
We also want to remind you that our Kickstarter for Traveling Light, the Magical Nude Gate anthology, is ongoing! As of time of posting, we're about one-third of the way to our goal, which is an awesome start. This anthology will only happen if we get fully funded, though, so if you want to see the amazing stories emerging, buck-nekkid, from the MNG, then become a backer and persuade your friends to do the same!
[Transcript TK]
Our Guest: M.J. Kuhn is a fantasy writer by night and a mild-mannered marketing employee by day. She lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Ryan, a dog named Wrex, and the very spoiled cat Thorin Oakenshield.
Episode 10: Death Becomes Us
Episode 9: Picking the Ties that Bind (with guest star RJ Theodore)
Episode 8: A Trip Over the Tongue
Episode 7: Just Shake and Add Magic
Episode 6: An Interlude with Spreadsheets (with guest star Jenn Lyons!)
Episode 5: People in a Petri Dish
Episode 4: Civilization and You! (with guest star Fonda Lee!)
Episode 3: As Narrated by David Attenborough
Episode 2: Terra Firma and the Firmament
Episode 1: Playing God In Your Spare Time
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