Let’s not dilly-dally with pleasantries. Instead, let us jump straight into this week’s #AskWatson.
Starting with this one from a recent Patron:
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Hey DJJW,
Been smashing through Tiny Epics – some real gems in there! It got me thinking… does writing something so short and punchy change how you approach writing the much longer Divided Region books? Like, do you find yourself cutting more fat from TDR now, or are they totally separate writing muscles?
Cheers!
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Glad to hear you’re unearthing some gems in Tiny Epics. It warms my cockles to no end.
To your question:
They are different muscles entirely.
If I approached my novels as I do my microfiction, the rhythm of my prose would be stunted and stop-start, which would make for a rather jarring reading experience indeed.
I want my words to grab you by your throat — not shake you to death.
That said, microfiction definitely has made my writing tighter in the sense that it’s easier to identify filler sentences that do nothing for the progression of the chapter or plot.
Hope you find more pearls in Tiny Epics that everyone else can find here:
Who’s next? Let me see.
Ah!
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Hi Daniel,
Hope you’re well. I saw your update that The Great Betrayal is on track for May (finally! 🎉). My question is about the world itself. With each book, we see a bit more of Estos. Are there any specific locations or aspects of the world you particularly enjoyed exploring or expanding on in Book 5 that you can hint at without spoilers? Always hungry for more lore!
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Without giving too much away, we will be revisiting some old haunts and going “deeper” into places we have already journeyed into across the series.
(Did someone utter something about the Forbidden Forest? Lyara — arrest them at once!)
Readers will also meet fresh characters, fauna, and encounter twists that, frankly, not even I planned for in the original outline of the series.
So yeah.
Lots to look forward to, but I will stop there as loose lips sink ships (or, in my case, spew spoilers!).
Last one:
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Loved that story about the crocs inspiring the crocozil! Makes me wonder – are lots of the creatures/places in The Divided Region based on real-world stuff like that?
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Another great question.
And to answer it simply:
YES.
A lot of the fauna in TDR is inspired by real-world beasts. Some are exaggerated to be bigger, meaner, crueller (like the Crocozil and Bloodwolf), while others are almost exclusively fantastical (like the Skarlox and Nightraven).
And it appears I cannot help myself, either.
With each sequel, I am planting more and more into the world. So much so that even my AI series bible tool has a hard time keeping up with all the new additions. 🤣
And The Great Betrayal is no different.
Not only do we meet a couple of new monsters (you might want to keep a light on), we also get up close and maybe a bit too personal with existing ones. Darius has quite the journey ahead of him in this instalment.
Until then?
There’s still time to refresh yourself with the inhabitants, characters, and locations of TDR until Book #5’s publication, so get reading.
And if you’re new around these parts, and cannot tell apart a crocozil from a frog, then you can dive head-first into the Starter Bundle here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
Phew!
That was a solid #AskWatson segment. Three very good questions, indeed.
Remember, if you have anything hanging at the tip of your tongue — no matter how simple, weird, or irrelevant it may seem — send it my way. All names are redacted from the replies to protect your privacy (unless you explicitly state that you don’t mind me using it).
DJJW