Scene Examination #AtoZChallenge 2025 fantasy

J

[Writing Process post]

For especially troublesome scenes, I have an 8-page checklist. Here's a shorter version. 

Answers in blue.

Scene Examination

Scene One

Establish genre in first 50 words?

Death was first established, so it looks like a tragedy. The first paragraph is 52 words. The jewel is mentioned, which may be an indicator of Fantasy. ✅

Number of NEW names reader must keep up with (characters, places, objects, etc)?

1. Jaildarn
2. Luthais
3. Molingor
4. Belp

It's revealed that there's a birth place, a village of Gold's, and a village of Browns.

What is the active and tangible goal of the scene? 

The story opens with Belp contemplating how mass death started. He flashes back to the day he met Jaildarn. His goal seems to be about connecting those dots.

Which primal urge/s is in that goal-- 

• survival  -- definitely 
• hunger --  maybe?
• sex -- no
• protection of a loved one -- maybe?
• fear of death -- probably

Goal clearly stated in one sentence at the beginning of the scene?

 How did we get to such death? It's clear that Belp is trying to figure out what happened.

Does this scene show the goal by any of these methods:

• Thought about by a character
• Talked about by a character
• Demonstrated by two or more attempts of a character

Thoughts.

Key dramatic question that will take whole story to answer:

Could Belp have prevented all this death, how, and if so-- why didn't he?

And what led Jaildarn to become the cause of such annihilation? 

How is that dramatic question used in this scene?

We learn about the protagonist and antagonist's first meeting. It's obvious that Belp is given love and is valued, while Jaildarn has been raised under opposite circumstances. 

What action in this scene would someone want to watch:

A "cringy" opening featuring a character surrounded by death could draw someone in with curiosity about what happened. 

Someone might enjoy seeing a young boy save another young boy while no one else does anything—a heroic-seeming moment. 

Is the opening of this scene interesting?

I think so.

Real danger pointed at MC or character MC wants to help:

Belp sees that Jaildarn is in real danger of freezing to death, and wants to help him. 

Internal obstacles include worry, fear, or a lack of knowledge, while examples of external obstacles include people or terrain.

Four or more obstacles in this scene (both internal and external) requiring ingenuity to solve:

1. lack of knowledge about the reason for so much death

2. cold weather

3. potential repercussions from the Purples if rules, laws, or customs are broken

4.  the spiritual leader doesn't have enough information

What is the emotional friction between characters who are together?

 

Belp believes an elder should step-up. His spiritual leader suggests that Belp should take the initiative. The gold leader is too indifferent to stop Belp. Jaildarn seems helpless.

Belp is frustrated.

What’s the emotional conflict within the POV character?

Belp's desire to help versus a desire to not get in trouble.

Inner conflict should be a choice the MC would never make if given half a chance.

Give each choice external stakes. That means a physical or shared consequence that affects other characters and the story.

Give each choice internal stakes. That means a personal, emotional consequence that only that character will experience.

For each choice, tie the internal and external together. The external might simply be a symbol for the internal, or the internal might simply be an outcome of the external.

Don’t reassure the character (or the reader) that MC will make the right choice.

Make it unclear what the right choice even IS.

Have the MC make mistakes sometimes.

Belp is a good boy. He wouldn't cause trouble, normally. If he doesn't help Jaildarn, the boy will likely die. If he does help, he might be breaking a rule he hasn't learned yet. Helping could have consequences Belp hasn't considered, which may be why no one else has acted. And now the Purple has shown up.

Did the character:

• Hit an emotional breaking point 
• Feel emotional pressure
• Have a loss of or near loss of self-control

Upon learning that Jaildarn isn't cared for, and is treated as a punishment, Belp decides no one will help. More responsible elders go by and do nothing. Belp losses self-control, gets proper clothing supplies, forces them on Jaildarn, and speaks disrespectfully to a Gold elder. 

What frustrated the MC?

Belp is frustrated by others' inaction.

How was that frustration responded to?

After discussing it with his spiritual leader, Belp finally acts. 

Was at least one of these in the scene

• Anger
• Hurt
• Resignation
• Bitterness
• Fear
• Self-blame
• Blame others
• Sadness/ crying
• Revenge seeking
• Tenderness
• Passion
• Despair
• Determination
• Venting
• Depression
• Prayer/ wishing

Belp is angry and hurt that no one else seems to care. He resigns himself to help. He fears for Jaildarn. He shows determination to save Jaildarn. There is fear when the Purple appears.

What has the character learned or realized because of this scene?

Belp has learned that the Golds have very different values from the Browns. 

Was any other conflict discovered during this scene?

We learn the Golds do not allow the Reds, the spiritual leaders, among them. 

We know that, eventually, there is an annihilation, but we do not know why. 

Was there a power struggle in the scene?

Belp stands up to the elder Gold.

The Purple addresses Belp.

Any small choices that foreshadow a larger choice a character will make later?

We see Belp is willing to act when others are not.

We know the Gold leader does not want Jaildarn to return.

The number of sensory details:

• Touch -- 2
• Taste -- 3
• Hear -- 2
• Smell -- 3
• Visual -- 5

(My counts may be off.)

This scene contributes to the book by: (one or more of the following)

•  enrich character
•  provide necessary info
•  move the plot forward

We're learning about the characters and their society. The plot is being established. 

Events here cause what subsequent events to happen:

We expect to learn what consequences Belp's actions have, and how helping Jaildarn relates to the deaths at the opening. 

Events here have what consequences that carry over into the following scene:

Readers might question how Belp, just a boy himself, expects to be responsible for Jaildarn's care. 

And what will the Purple say or do to Belp?

Events required for MC to achieve end goal:

Belp has to figure out how all the deaths happened, if he could have prevented it, and what he can do about it now. 

Does the scene end with someone or something being different from when it started?

• New information
• Conflict in moral values altered
• Another choice
• New character added
• Problem more complicated
• Course of action is more hopeless
• Other:

Jaildarn is different at the end because Belp has probably saved his life. 

As it is the opening scene, all information is new. 

The moral values conflict was following (known) rules versus acting when others failed to do so.

A complication to the problem is when a Purple appears. 

 

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QUESTION -- Does it seem like I have successfully examined the scene, and the scene is well-written? What might you ask or change? 

---

My A to Z 2025 theme is a fantasy story. (And some of the process of writing it as well.) 🕮

- J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Last day to sign up for this year!!!

Dead #AtoZChallenge 2025 fantasy

Dead


[Story scene post]

Dead bodies surround me. How did we get to such death? Am I the last of my people? I touch the glowing brown jewel at my suprasternal notch. Brown, marking me as a master of the mountains, and still lit, meaning I'm alive. I think back to how this may have started.

I was a young lad, no higher than a boulder, when Jaildarn came to my village. He was the first person I met around my age with a different jewel. A glow of bright gold lit under his jaw, illuminating his neck and brightening his shoulders. Mountain masters like myself wore shirts, vests, and coats when outside, so seeing someone shirtless was incredibly confusing. Rather than approach him, I turned to our village Red, our spiritual leader, Luthais. 

"Why is that Gold wearing so little?" I whispered my question. I wasn't sure why I didn't want to draw attention to the matter, or the fact that I noticed, but a flutter in my stomach warned me against inquiring loudly. 

Luthais knelt beside me. "Golds have different customs and ways. He likely has no more than the tattered cloth you see."

I scratched my head. "He is with a level four Gold, the one speaking with Molingor. Is that elder not charged with his care? Who is keeping him alive? Why isn't someone doing something?"

Jaildarn was shivering, his hands rubbing his scrawny arms as his fingers changed to a sickly color. My whispering had grown louder. He turned toward me, his dark blue eyes wide and pleading. 

"Aren't you someone?" Luthais tilts his head as he proposes the question.

I break eye contact with Jaildarn to stare at Luthais. "Is that allowed? Will a Purple question me about disrupting the peace by disrespecting the Gold customs? I'm not a level four."

Luthais nods and touches his Red jewel. "The Golds allow no Reds among them, so the spirits offer no knowledge or guidance on customs. Have you ever witnessed the Opals go to the birth place?"

I nod.

"Do you recall the joy in the village? How the Browns held a qualification contest and a lottery among the winners to determine who would have the honor and privilege to be a primary caregiver for a level one, should the Opals bring us one?"

I glance at Jaindarn again. He has dropped to his knees by the level four Gold. Dirt shakes from his sandy hair as his head bobs. Molingor, one of our level four Browns who excavated the latest area, waves his hand near his nose and cringes as he steps away from the boy. 

"Yeah, sure. It was a big deal. The five new babies meant my generation moved up to level two."

"The culture of the Golds is not like that. The Opals bring a level one to their village, and they fight over who will be stuck with it. Babies sometimes die waiting for one to accept the responsibility."

"What? That's horrible."

Luthais rubs his chin. "Worse, their leader is known to assign level twos or threes to a level four as a punishment. The elder is then sent on a mission and must take the younger individual along. Very likely, that is what we see here."

"But the level four is charged with the care of the younger one? So that man should be doing something!"

Several villagers glance my way. They're level four Browns on their way up the mountain, pickaxes slung over their shoulders. I bow my head to them before looking again at Luthais.

"The boy is his punishment, not his charge. You have grown up with love; you are valued and adored. This is not the way of the Golds. So few of their kind remain, yet they do little to support or care for each other."

I shake my head as I march toward our level two village boys dwelling. Inside, I tear open a wardrobe and grab a coat. Then I yank open a drawer to take a pair of gloves. I slam it all shut before storming outside. 

"Here!" I shove the items at the boy. The level four Gold looks at me and snarls. 

"I am Belp of the Browns. This is my village. I will not stand by while someone my age freezes to death." 

Several people pause to glance at the interaction. The Gold level four looks at them, crosses his arms, and resumes his conversation with Molingor.

The level two cuddles into the jacket, struggling with the sleeves. He stares at the gloves. 

I grab one and force his dirty hand into it. "These are gloves. It's how we keep our fingers from freezing off. Only Blues can be in this weather without protection. Do you have a name?"

"Jaildarn. I think it means something bad. My people don't like me very much. I was told to go on this mission with him and not to return." He curls into a ball.

"That's settled then. You'll stay here, in our village." The Gold level four turns and glares at me. "Jaildarn was told not to return. Go about your mission; I am taking him for a hot meal. The Colorless prepared a delicious stew."

Molingor looks at me. "What a good boy you are! Yes, feed our young guest. I thought I smelled potatoes and onions roasting earlier. And mouth-watering mushrooms as well." 

I grab Jaildarn by the elbow and haul him to his feet. His odor reminds me of sulfur deposits. "You weigh less than two pick axes. How about a bath before we eat?"

Not even the best rosemary and garlic bread could cover his stink. 

He shrugs. 

"Release the Gold, level two Belp." Like snow rolling down my back, the voice of the Purple freezes me. I release Jaildarn, bow my head, kneel, and raise my arms with my palms open toward the sky. 

---

Key dramatic question that will take whole story to answer:

Could Belp have prevented all this death, how, and if so-- why didn't he?

And what led Jaildarn to become the cause of such annihilation? 

---

QUESTION -- Does this opening intrigue you?

---

My A to Z 2025 theme is a fantasy story. (And some of the process of writing it as well.) 🕮

- J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website.

Character #AtoZChallenge 2025 fantasy

[Writing Process post]

I generally make a character sheet for anyone who isn't a Tertiary character. Though sometimes more elaborate, it basically looks like this:

(Tomorrow, the actual story will begin.)

Character Name:

Nickname:

Character Role:  (https://www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-all-the-types-of-characters-in-literature examples and explanations)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS

Jewel color:  (Vital in this story only.)

Eye & Hair color/ style:

Build:

Style of dress:

Characteristics/ Mannerisms:

PERSONALITY TRAITS:

BACKGROUND:

INTERNAL CONFLICTS:

EXTERNAL CONFLICTS:

OCCUPATION/ EDUCATION:  (mostly irrelevant in this story) 

Personality Contradiction (cruel but funny, sexy celibate) :

MISC NOTES:

---

Key dramatic question that will take whole story to answer:

Could Belp have prevented all this death, how, and if so-- why didn't he?

And what led Jaildarn to become the cause of such annihilation? 

---

QUESTION -- Do you create character sheets when writing? Could you fill such a sheet out for yourself? 

---

My A to Z 2025 theme is a fantasy story. (And some of the process of writing it as well.) 🕮

- J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website.

Background #AtoZChallenge 2025 fantasy and #IWSG

[Writing Process post]

Some of the background information I had to create before I started writing.

Specialties of the Jewels:

Red- Masters of the spiritual  

Pink- Masters of the desert 

Orange- Masters of the jungles and wetlands

Yellow- Masters of the plains and farming

Green- Masters of the forests

Blue- Masters of water (rivers, ice, ocean, etc)

Purple- Masters of societal order 

Brown- Masters of mountains

Colorless- Masters of nutrition and food preparation 

Turquoise- Masters of necessities  

Opal- Masters of new life
Black Onyx- Master healers

Gold- Masters of travel and discovery

Silver- Masters of portals, allegedly 

Darterra is a moon world. Xeata-Lidoffad is the planet it orbits. Ospinevarn is the name of their sun, or nearest star. 

Life-cycle of Darterrans:

Babies are level 1. (They come from the Birth Place. The people are not mammals of live births, nor do they hatch from eggs.)

When there are new babies, the children advance to level 2.

Puberty advances young people to level 3.

Tests allow people to become elders, level 4.

Death moves most people to the spiritual realm, level 5.

---

QUESTION: Do you compile background information before you write?

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InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre!

April 2 question - What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

I'll pick one fantasy book per suggestion from the question, plus a bonus. Click titles for links to books.

1. The Existence series (by J Lenni Dorner) - 🍻 I'd drink beer with Heath.
   
2. Fragile Remedy (by Maria Ingrande Mora) - 💫 I'd quest with Nate.
3. Magic at Midnight (by Ronel Janse van Vuuren) -  💗 I'd fly with Amy and her pegasi
4. The Kingkiller Chronicles (by Patrick Rothfuss) - 🍷 I'd drink wine while Kvothe played 🎻 the "lute."
5.  Red Queen series (by Victoria Aveyard) - 🥊 I'd try to fight Maven. I'd lose, of course, as there's no special power in my blood, but I'd try.

Looking forward to the answers others wrote!

---

My A to Z 2025 theme is a fantasy story. (And some of the process of writing it as well.) 🕮

- J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge

[No one caught my April Fools prank of labeling my posts as "2026"]

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website.

An Idea #AtoZChallenge 2025 fantasy

[Writing Process post] 

I started with an idea. 

Story Idea:

Fantasy story. A world where people are born with a lit jewel at their suprasternal, or jugular, notch. The jewel determines the specialty of the person. Generally, people of the same region have the same color jewel. 

There are exceptions, such as the Purple jewels, which became the specialty known as Order. Long ago, Purples formed societies and created a code of morals and a set of laws. Another exception is the Red jewels, which are connected to the spiritual world. 

The Silvers claim to be masters of portals. They believe they are meant to find portals that allow travel between their moon world of Darterra to Xeata-Lidoffad, the planet it orbits. It is alleged that the first Silver accomplished this but chose not to return. 

New jewels have cropped up. There are now people with multiple colors in their jewels. The world divided over what this means. 

The Golds, masters of travel and discovery,  are adamant that multi-colored jewels are bad and the people must be destroyed. The people of Darterra are being segregated and reduced in numbers. Jaildarn, the current Gold leader, is determined to see the people fight and the population diminish. 

How did Jaildarn get this way? That's the real story. 

Told from the perspective of Belp, a Brown, who was once Jaildarn's friend.

---

Does this story intrigue you? Are you a fan of fantasy stories? 

If you are an author, how often do you begin by having an idea?

---

My A to Z 2025 theme is a fantasy story. (And some of the process of writing it as well.) 🕮

- J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website.