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Posted By : jonesha - 9/9/2007 1:36 PM

I've been thinking a lot about world building lately. I'm in the middle of revising a fantasy novel, and am deep in the middle of a Jack Vance series (a recognized master of world building). And then of course I'm regularly turning submissions away from Black Gate that don't show much creative world building. Seems like it's always on my mind.

It dawned on me this morning that Black Gate has some great world builders and some of them hang around here pretty regularly. Peadar Ó Guilín, James Enge, how do you go about creating such fascinating settings? Are there any "steps" you follow to create your societies and critters?

Naturally I'd love to hear from anyone else on this subject as well! A lot of the old Flashing Swords crew were pretty darned good at this kind of thing as well.

Howard

Managing Editor Black Gate

Posted By : peadarog - 9/9/2007 4:15 PM

Thanks for all the flattery, Howard!

I don't claim to be anything special in that regard, but what is true is that one of my main reasons for reading fantasy, SF, historical fiction etc, is that I like my books to take me somewhere I haven't been before. Not only do I want to see new worlds, I want them to be consistent and completely true to themselves. Where other writers look for holes in a plot, I look for holes in a world.

To give one example that I often see in fantasy: if the wizards are so powerful, how come they're not the ones in charge? If that isn't explained for me in some way, I find it hard to suspend my disbelief of anything else that happens in the story either. A writer needs to think through the consequences of certain aspects of his or her world or it will feel false in the same way that an inconsistent character does.

And speaking of characters, they have to inhabit their world completely. And not ours. I think it's safe enough to say that regular readers of BG are all happy enough to read stories set in a pseudo European middle-ages setting. People who live in such a setting do not think like us -- they *can't*. I once saw somebody criticise George R. R. Martin for marrying young girls off at twelve, as if he were some kind of wannabe pedophile. But the fact is, life expectancy was so poor in the middle-ages, that people married as soon as they could, had kids and, presuming they lived so long, were old by the time they hit 40. To wish otherwise, to have your weddings at 18 or older, is a modern way of looking at things and to my mind, poor world-building.

Peadar O Guilin

Available now:
"Twig" From Adventures of Sword and Sorcery #7
"The Bag" in Reckless abandon
"The Mourning Trees" in Black Gate #5
"Fairy Fort" in A Walk on the Darkside
"Hair" in www.feralfiction.com
"Hurdy-Gurdy" in Dark Arts
Coming Soon:
"The Drain" in Weird Tales
"Where Beauty Lies in Wait" in Black Gate

The Inferior from David Fickling Books. Coming 6 September 2007.

Posted By : CharlesRR - 9/9/2007 7:18 PM

On a fairly basic level, a trick I learned from an essay in Imaginary Worlds by the late Lin Carter, was base your fantasy continents on real ones. That way you don't have deserts of jungles where they couldn't exist on an earth-type planet. We've all seen the map of Robert E, Howard's Hyborian age superimposed on a map of Europe. In the past I've used the basic geography of the United Kingdom and of the East Coast of North America. My coastlines and such don't mimic the real thing, but the basic climates, topographical features, etc all have a logical order.
Same thing goes for cities. Do a little historical reading and learn why Babylon, Rome, or London were built where they were. Things like water supply, available farmland, etc, often slip right past in the joy of creating fantastic civilizations. And yes, I know Lin didn't always follow his own rule, but it's still a useful one.

Posted By : tchernabyelo - 9/11/2007 5:00 AM

My world-building tends to borrow a lot from Earth history and culture, because it's a point of familiarity for people (with varying levels of depth). I think it's important to get a real flavour; if I am to immerse myself in a fantasy world, it has to live and breathe, and be full of detail (though that detail should not get in the way of story). I am (as I think many editors are) weary of generic faux-medieval settings, in particular those crafted by people whose only "knowledge" of the medieval era comes from role-playing games or other stories. One thing that always gets me is that everyone's happy to have orders of chivalry, and ranks of nobility, but there never seems to be an economic aspect to these generic worlds. There's no real understanding of trade, and wealth only exists in a meaningful way because of trade. Mercantile adventurism is, for me, far more of an interesting spur to plots than squabbles over which prince gets a throne, or a mismatched band of heroes gathering together against a motiveless dark lord who is evil because the plot requires it.

Sorry, going off at a tangent.

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Posted By : H.P. Lovesauce - 9/11/2007 9:46 AM

Howard, who wrote the story The Nursemaid's Suitor in BG 9? That paid attention to the small--the nursery rhyme about the mammoth--and the large (the social structure of the invading force). That to me is a success.

Posted By : peadarog - 9/11/2007 9:58 AM

"Howard, who wrote the story The Nursemaid's Suitor in BG 9? That paid attention to the small--the nursery rhyme about the mammoth--and the large (the social structure of the invading force). That to me is a success."

Agreed.

Posted By : Rob Santa - 9/11/2007 1:10 PM

Howard, are we talking short stories or are we talking novels?

I feel the short story format doesn't give a lot of room to build worlds. Let's look at it like it was cooking dinner. Start with a roasted chicken; that's the world. The writer then sprinkles the seasoning into it in order to personalize the world. It would take too many words to describe the chicken, thus robbing the story of important pacing. If, as writers, we assume the reader is already familiar with chicken, then all we need to do is emphasize the rosemary infused olive-oil brushed over the skin before roasting, or the garlic and poblanos stuffed inside, or the pulverized croutons that form a crust.

All of which means I agree that as short story writers we should build on familiar territory for the readers so they have something to sink their teeth into on page one. But, if we fail to make that world ours by adding the important story components that give it flavor, it will just taste like chicken.

Rob Santa

Hopelessly Addicted Writer of Speculative Fiction

and CEO of Ricasso Press

Posted By : H.P. Lovesauce - 9/11/2007 1:23 PM

I'm not sure I get your metaphor, Rob, but I sure do want to come to your house for dinner.

And actually, something that informs my developing of places is having played the Civilization games. I have to confess well-done RPG supplements, like Hârn or the conversion of Lankhmar.

Posted By : Matthew Wuertz - 9/11/2007 2:47 PM

H.P. Lovesauce said...
Howard, who wrote the story The Nursemaid's Suitor in BG 9? That paid attention to the small--the nursery rhyme about the mammoth--and the large (the social structure of the invading force). That to me is a success.

You're referring to Charles Coleman Finlay (http://home.earthlink.net/~ccfinlay/). And might I recommend The Prodigal Troll (which contains much of The Nursemaid's Suitor albeit with some differences).

-Matt

Posted By : James Enge - 9/11/2007 5:50 PM

I think we should always give our readers part of an interesting world to chew on, whether it's chicken or Kenni Roi's Kentucki Fried Lizzarde Partes. Since I have no idea what that means, let me try to put it another way: a story set in an imaginary world should justify the setting by using part of that world to tell the story.

There's certainly less space to deploy exposition about the invented world in stories of shorter lengths, but the danger of using the reader's sense of familiarity with certain kinds of environments is that they may have a "Been there, done that" reaction. The more specific and vivid a world-fragment is to a reader, the more it implies a world beyond that bit the reader glimpses.

James Enge

http://jamesenge.com/

"Turn Up This Crooked Way" (selected by Rich Horton for his "Virtual Best" of 2005) in Black Gate 8

"A Covenant with Death" in Flashing Swords 6

"The Red Worm's Way" in Flashing Swords E-Zine Annual

"A Book of Silences" in Black Gate 10

"The Lawless Hours" in Black Gate 11

Posted By : jonesha - 9/11/2007 10:16 PM

I'm enjoying reading the posts. I have much to comment upon, but I've had a long couple of days. I'll try to drop back by Wednesday and toss in my two cents on this and the other thread.

Thanks for joining in -- these are exactly the kinds of discussions I was hoping to have here.

best,
Howard

Managing Editor Black Gate

Posted By : Jason T - 9/12/2007 8:57 AM

Drawing a distinction between world building and world showing--do you all here find it valuable to spend a great deal of time constructing things in your head that only make it to the page in the way they inform your character's perceptions and actions? Or does your world evolve from the

predetermined decisions you've made about the characters? Does this even make sense?

Jason Thummel

"Mortismagus" in Magic and Mechanica, Ricasso Press Fall 2007

Posted By : peadarog - 9/12/2007 9:04 AM

It makes a lot of sense. World-building vs. World-showing is like the difference between ordinary acting and method acting. How deeply do you get into the part?

I think it's very important to think through the background, even if it never comes into the story. Why? Because you are less likely to fall into accidental inconsistencies if your mind already holds a full working model of everything that's waiting just off-stage.

Posted By : John Hocking - 9/12/2007 1:15 PM

Sure, but it's way too easy to take this too far.

You can end up being like the grad student studying endlessly for that thesis. You can always do a little more world-building...

So maybe you end up with a world that has a perfectly imagined solar calandar, plutocratic government and shoe repair industry but no story.

That won't do.

Posted By : Daniel - 9/12/2007 2:42 PM

So maybe you end up with a world that has a perfectly imagined solar calandar, plutocratic government and shoe repair industry but no story.

***

"Art is the celebration of the ego's destruction."

Daniel

Posted By : Dave Hardy - 9/12/2007 3:58 PM

I wonder if maybe there are two types of fantasy world building: the very closely observed, hyperreal ones that make sense through interlocked parts and the insubstantial fantasies that exist to set mood.

The first kind is good, more like historical fiction. I've been reading the third volume of Lamb's Cossack stories, so that's on my mind. A lot of Hard SF likes this style.

The other kind is perhaps more like Dunsany or Lovecraft's Dreamland tales. Things don't need explanations. The world is just mysterious and the reader glimpses the mystery.

It seems so me that the Conan stories veer from one to the other, depending on what REH was going for. "Queen of the Black Coast" has both types in the same story.

Does anyone else see that distinction?

-Dave

Dave Hardy

Fire & Sword
Fire & Sword Blog

Posted By : jonesha - 9/12/2007 3:59 PM

I think a writer should know far more about the world than he or she reveals to the reader, although I think plot should come first. Sometimes, though, if you develop a neat place or scene, it inspires plot.

I enjoy stories that take me to new and interesting places. I'm going to try and touch on that in a blog post soon, if I can steal the time. I think I've said things like it before, though. A writer isn't constrained like a film maker, who must always worry about special effects budget. A writer should take us to new and exciting places and introduce us to new and interesting characters -- at least a writer drafting the kinds of fiction that interests me.

Rob, you asked if I meant novel or short story, and I suppose I was speaking broadly of both. I was thinking of Conan's world, and Lankhmar just as much as I was thinking of Jack Vance or my own settings or, indeed, the same tavern that seems to crop up in a tenth the submissions that cross the editorial desk.

Howard

Managing Editor Black Gate

Posted By : Firlefanz - 9/12/2007 5:19 PM

John Hocking said...

So maybe you end up with a world that has a perfectly imagined solar calandar, plutocratic government and shoe repair industry but no story.

I've seen that happen too often to aspiring writers for it to be really funny. Most never get around to writing the story, because it changes too often and then requires more worldbuilding.

It's sad.

- Call me Firle.

Hannah Steenbock

Mystical Adventures
Beyond Horizons
Sphaira

Posted By : James Enge - 9/12/2007 6:50 PM

John Hocking said...
So maybe you end up with a world that has a perfectly imagined solar calendar, plutocratic government and shoe repair industry but no story.

I know what you mean, and I'm pretty sure I agree: at some point one just has to buckle down and tell the story--sometimes reshape the world to fit the plot. The story's the thing; if it's not there, not much else matters (for genre fiction, anyway).

But worldmaking can also extend the scope of one's storytelling possibilities. I'm thinking: shoemakers in revolt against plutocratic tyranny; in the middle of the climactic battle there's an eclipse of the sun(s)--and while everyone is watching this the Astronomer-Thief is stealing away with the Plutocratic Treasury using Supersonic Slippers (s)he swiped from the Guild of Thrice-Remarkable Cobblers...

Posted By : MichaelEhart - 9/12/2007 7:03 PM

It is essential that the writer know more about the world written in than the reader directly sees. An example for me comes from my Servant of the Manthycore stories--- sorry for the blatant plug, but they are much on my mind lately!--- when the Servant's adopted daughter realizes that she is filthy after a trip through the desert. Did they have soap in Mesopotamia in 1560 BC? What form did it take? Was it a trade item, a luxury or common and therefore homemade? How was it made, and from what? Did it stink of tallow, like some primitive soaps do, or was it fragranced?

Turns out it was a common substance, was sometimes a trade commodity, was made with olive oil, ash and cassia oil. It was more like liquid handsoap, and sometimes was kept in small clay cylinder-pots. Okay, but cassia oil seems familiar, what is that? A cousin of cinnamon, stronger smelling and tasting. Oh wait! They also used cassia oil as a flavoring for beer, as we use hops today. Cool! You could come home from the tavern, and if your wife smelled beer on your breath, you could just tell her you stopped by the public bath, and accidently swallowed some soap!

None of this made it into the story. She was bathed, and when she was done she smelled nice. No need to mention heating water, because unlike tallow-based soaps, oil-based work fine in cold water.

Buy my book!

The Servant of the Manthycore available Nov. 17th from DEP

Illustrated by Rachel Marks, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock

Read me in 2007!

"The View From the Shotglass Floor" Ray Gun Revival, Feb 2007

"Voice of the Spoiler" The Sword Review, June 2007

"Servant of the Manthycore" The Sword Review, July 2007

"Darkling I Listen; and for Many a Time" Fear and Trembling, coming soon!

"Weaving Spiders Come Not Here" The Sword Review, August 2007

"Six Zombies Doing That Mick Jagger Strut" Damned in Dixie, Summer 2007

"Nothing But Our Tears" The Sword Review, September 2007

"Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" Magic and Mechanica, Fall 2007

"The Scarlet Colored Beast" The Sword Review, October 2007

"The Stars by Law, Forbidden" Unparalleled Journeys II, November 2007

"Who Comes for the Mother's Fruit" Every Day Fiction, November 2007

http://mehart.blogspot.com/

Posted By : Nathaniel Morgan - 9/12/2007 10:36 PM

Firlefanz said...

I bet we're thinking of alot of the same people. It is sad because a few are creative individuals. Giving it some thought though, how many of those people spend time writing and submitting short stories, doing exercises, discussing the craft of writing? I think perhaps they are creative individuals who do not have the passion for story telling. If world building fulfills thier needs then it's a good thing. I do have to wonder what they think they will do when all that world building is done (weither you or I think it will be) and discover they don't have the skills to deliver that world to thier readers. What happens when the world is built but no time has been put into developing the craft of writing?

Posted By : Nathaniel Morgan - 9/12/2007 10:57 PM

MichaelEhart said...
It is essential that the writer know more about the world written in than the reader directly sees. An example for me comes from my Servant of the Manthycore stories--- sorry for the blatant plug, but they are much on my mind lately!--- when the Servant's adopted daughter realizes that she is filthy after a trip through the desert. Did they have soap in Mesopotamia in 1560 BC? What form did it take? Was it a trade item, a luxury or common and therefore homemade? How was it made, and from what? Did it stink of tallow, like some primitive soaps do, or was it fragranced?

None of this made it into the story. She was bathed, and when she was done she smelled nice. No need to mention heating water, because unlike tallow-based soaps, oil-based work fine in cold water.

Michael,

I agree within the context of the example you've given. I'm doing similiar things with a current project (such as researching the sadlery and tack used by certain Pre-Roman peoples.)

But both of these examples fall more within the realm of research. The biggest difference being both of our research/world building serves and is determined by the tale we're telling.

Did that make sense? Must be time for bed.

Posted By : Firlefanz - 9/13/2007 5:06 PM

Nathaniel Morgan said...

[...]both of these examples fall more within the realm of research. The biggest difference being both of our research/world building serves and is determined by the tale we're telling.

Did that make sense? Must be time for bed.

It does to me. I believe that world building should indeed serve the story. Even so, not all of the research and world building may make it into the story.

Nathaniel Morgan said...

If world building fulfills their needs then it's a good thing.

That's fine, if it's all they want out of it and if they can let it sit and be happy. However, it's hard to watch those people who agonize over their stories - or even write a brilliant one and never submit it for fear it could "fix" their world in print before they are done with it.

- Call me Firle.

Hannah Steenbock

Mystical Adventures
Beyond Horizons
Sphaira

Posted By : MichaelEhart - 9/13/2007 5:17 PM

One of the best things to happen to my writing was working for a few years as a reporter--- good enough becomes the standard, because there is simply no time for perfect. This freed me from the impossible perfect and let me concentrate on making sure the story was told, not perfectly, but well, in the fashion I wished it.
In fiction, as in so many things, the perfect is the enemy of the good.

Buy my book!

The Servant of the Manthycore available Nov. 17th from DEP

Illustrated by Rachel Marks, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock

Read me in 2007!

"The View From the Shotglass Floor" Ray Gun Revival, Feb 2007

"Voice of the Spoiler" The Sword Review, June 2007

"Servant of the Manthycore" The Sword Review, July 2007

"Darkling I Listen; and for Many a Time" Fear and Trembling, coming soon!

"Weaving Spiders Come Not Here" The Sword Review, August 2007

"Six Zombies Doing That Mick Jagger Strut" Damned in Dixie, Summer 2007

"Nothing But Our Tears" The Sword Review, September 2007

"Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" Magic and Mechanica, Fall 2007

"The Scarlet Colored Beast" The Sword Review, October 2007

"The Stars by Law, Forbidden" Unparalleled Journeys II, November 2007

"Who Comes for the Mother's Fruit" Every Day Fiction, November 2007

http://mehart.blogspot.com/

Posted By : Bill Ward - 9/13/2007 7:51 PM

Absolutely Michael, I've had a similar experience in a job of mine, and in an ongoing work for hire gig, and writing for deadline and learning not to obsess over perfection are of tremendous benefit. Nearly always what you wrote is better than you think, and probably 95 percent as good as if you had taken twice as much time (and risked getting feed up with it and not finishing) to try to make it perfect. One of the reason I admire the pulp writers is that they were jobbing writers with a 'get it done' attitude (most of them, Lovecraft no so much...), and the no nonsense and fast paced approach comes right through in their fiction, which I find inspirational for that reason more than any other.

Posted By : Chris Willrich - 9/15/2007 10:54 AM

Cool discussion. I especially like the term "world showing" that Jason introduced, as contrasted with "world building."

Also, Dave Hardy's point about two different kinds of world building, one realistic, the other more dream-like, makes sense to me.

A couple more examples of that -- The Lord of the Rings has the feel of a lost era of history or folklore that's been uncovered, while the Elric stories read like a series of weird, vivid dreams (to me, anyway.) To get the "historical" feel, Tolkien had to know a lot in advance, but all that planning would probably have just slowed Moorcock down! Both series seem to have the right level of world-building for their moods.

Another thought is that your environment can bring out aspects of your characters, by showing how they react. So, the weird forest in "Turn Up This Wicked Way" shows us something about Morlock, in the way he gravely and matter-of-factly tackles its dangers. The callous ethos of Imaro's people immediately sets up a conflict with him, and sympathy from the reader -- no matter how harsh Imaro's future actions, we know that he's suffered worse. The way Corwin of Amber describes the Shadow worlds lets us know that, no matter how cynical he's become, something in Corwin still responds to wonder and beauty.

Posted By : MichaelEhart - 9/15/2007 1:12 PM

Chris, you should go introduce yourself in the forum near the top!

Buy my book!

The Servant of the Manthycore available Nov. 17th from DEP

Illustrated by Rachel Marks, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock

Read me in 2007!

"The View From the Shotglass Floor" Ray Gun Revival, Feb 2007

"Voice of the Spoiler" The Sword Review, June 2007

"Servant of the Manthycore" The Sword Review, July 2007

"Darkling I Listen; and for Many a Time" Fear and Trembling, coming soon!

"Weaving Spiders Come Not Here" The Sword Review, August 2007

"Six Zombies Doing That Mick Jagger Strut" Damned in Dixie, Summer 2007

"Nothing But Our Tears" The Sword Review, September 2007

"Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" Magic and Mechanica, Fall 2007

"The Scarlet Colored Beast" The Sword Review, October 2007

"The Stars by Law, Forbidden" Unparalleled Journeys II, November 2007

"Who Comes for the Mother's Fruit" Every Day Fiction, November 2007

http://mehart.blogspot.com/

Posted By : James Enge - 9/15/2007 1:59 PM

Chris Willrich said...
Cool discussion. I especially like the term "world showing" that Jason introduced, as contrasted with "world building." Also, Dave Hardy's point about two different kinds of world building, one realistic, the other more dream-like, makes sense to me.

Both seconded--though I'd say the two types of worldmaking can be mixed successfully. Dunsany's pretty good at this.

Chris Willrich also said...
Another thought is that your environment can bring out aspects of your characters, by showing how they react. So, the weird forest in "Turn Up This Wicked Way" shows us something about Morlock, in the way he gravely and matter-of-factly tackles its dangers. The callous ethos of Imaro's people immediately sets up a conflict with him, and sympathy from the reader -- no matter how harsh Imaro's future actions, we know that he's suffered worse. The way Corwin of Amber describes the Shadow worlds lets us know that, no matter how cynical he's become, something in Corwin still responds to wonder and beauty.

I was a little startled to see Morlock in such elevated company, but it was a good startlement--thanks!

Fighting down the ever-present egomania, I'll go on to say that this point is a pretty good one, too. I think that, in fantasy, what happens outside the character is also happening (potentially) inside the character. When Frodo confronts Gollum he is confronting something inside himself--likewise Bilbo (a cunning thief) when he confronts Smaug, Corwin when he confronts Chaos, Imaro when he confronts N'tum-waa.

In realistic fiction the writer can only do this by using the pathetic fallacy--making it rain at a funeral, etc. In fantasy we can shape the world to elicit something from a character.

Posted By : Daniel - 9/15/2007 6:33 PM

When Frodo confronts Gollum he is confronting something inside himself--likewise Bilbo (a cunning thief) when he confronts Smaug, Corwin when he confronts Chaos, Imaro when he confronts N'tum-waa.

***

Quite astute. Somehow through wizadry, the LoTR movie-makers managed to transmit this aspect of life and death conflict in the *combat sequences* on the screen, something I don't personally see in a lot of combat-sequences in movies these days. Contrast the almost poetic imagery of combat in LoTR movies ( I have my reasons for saying "almost") with, say, 300 -- which felt and seemed more "cool" than poetic. More video game than mythical self-confrontation.

Sorry, I wax poetic again!

I am speaking about action scenes specifically, but the insight expressed here by James Enge applies in superlative fiction or movies across the board: conflict in all its aspects not merely physical.

"Art is the celebration of the ego's destruction."

Daniel

Posted By : peadarog - 2/28/2008 3:49 PM

I've just put a short essay about worldbuilding on my livejournal. Feel free to drop by.

Peadar O Guilin

Available now:
"The Mourning Trees" in Black Gate #5
"Fairy Fort" in A Walk on the Darkside
"Hair" in www.feralfiction.com
"Hurdy-Gurdy" in Dark Arts
"The Drain" in Weird Tales
"Where Beauty Lies in Wait" in Black Gate.
Coming Soon:
"The Evil-Eater" in Black Gate.
"The Dowry" in Black Gate

The Inferior from David Fickling Books. Eat or be eaten.
Available in the US and Canada June 2008. Preorder now for the read of your life!

Posted By : darkbow - 2/28/2008 7:01 PM

My world building tends to be sort of all over the place depending on what project I'm working on. For my series of John Dee stories it's pretty simple because the tales happen in our actual history, though I've got to do research whichever era is appearing in a particular tale.

For my fantasy trilogy, my world is very loosely based upon real-world history, but with a few twists here and there and, of course, a different map and different nations, cultures, languages etc. I suppose the trilogy world could be considered a standard fantasy world, which is true for the more populated regions, but the hinterlands are a bit more diverse (I hope).

www.tyjohnston.blogspot.com

http://radiodarkbow.blogspot.com Two songs a day, every day.

"Hot Off the Press" Ray Gun Revival #25, 2007.

"Deep in the Land of the Ice and Snow" in the Flashing Swords anthology, "The Return of the Sword," coming out March 15, 2008.

"Beneath a Persian Sun" upcoming in Carnivah House's "Infinity Swords" anthology.

Posted By : tchernabyelo - 2/29/2008 5:56 AM

peadarog said...
I've just put a short essay about worldbuilding on my livejournal. Feel free to drop by.

Didn't realise you were on LJ too.

Consider yourself friended :)

Brian Dolton

Yi Qin stories:

"The Box Of Beautiful Things" - IGMS#3

"The Man Who Was Never Afraid" - Abyss and Apex #20

"At Blue Crane Falls" - Abyss and Apex #25

"Where No Wind Blows" - Staffs & Starships #2

"What The Sea Refuses" - Black Gate (forthcoming)

"What The Heart Bears" - Black Gate (forthcoming)

"Above The Clouds" - Paper Blossoms, Sharpened Steel (forthcoming)