Tips For Creative Writers:

12 Writing Tips From Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor was an American author. Here are 12 writing tips from her writings.

On the anniversary of her birthday…

Unleash Your Inner Vampire: Tips for Writing Vampire

1. Study Vampire Legends and Lore: Immerse yourself in vampire mythology and folklore from various cultures. Familiarize yourself with popular vampire tales, historical references, and the diverse interpretations of these immortal creatures.

2. Immortality and Eternal Life: Explore the themes of immortality, longevity, and the consequences that come with eternal life. Delve into the existential questions, moral dilemmas, and emotional complexities that arise from living through the ages.

3. Supernatural Abilities and Weaknesses: Define the unique set of supernatural abilities and weaknesses your vampires possess. Consider powers such as superhuman strength, speed, heightened senses, and the need for blood as sustenance. Establish the vulnerabilities, such as sunlight, garlic, holy symbols, or wooden stakes, that can be used against them.

4. Bloodlust and Temptation: Portray the powerful and primal urge vampires have for blood. Describe the inner struggle to maintain control, resist temptation, and reconcile their predatory nature with their humanity. Explore the psychological and moral conflicts that arise from their insatiable thirst.

5. Immortal Society and Clans: Create a complex social structure and hierarchy within the vampire community. Develop vampire clans or covens, each with their own traditions, rules, and relationships. Explore the dynamics between older, more influential vampires and newly turned ones.

6. Nighttime Environments and Atmosphere: Craft a vivid portrayal of the vampire's nocturnal world. Describe the allure of moonlit nights, mysterious gothic settings, and the ethereal beauty that accompanies their existence in the shadows.

7. Vampire Origins and Transformations: Establish the origins and methods of vampiric transformation in your story. Explore the lore behind their creation, whether through a bite, a curse, or a supernatural event. Consider the physical and emotional changes that occur during the transformation process.

8. Hunting and Feeding Rituals: Delve into the rituals and methods vampires employ when hunting for blood. Describe their seductive charm, mesmerizing allure, and the art of choosing and mesmerizing their prey. Showcase the duality of violence and sensuality that accompanies their feeding.

9. Humanity and Redemption: Allow your vampire characters to grapple with their lost humanity and the possibility of redemption. Explore their desires to reconnect with their past, form meaningful relationships, or find purpose beyond their existence as predators.

10. Vampire Hunters and Threats: Introduce conflicts and adversaries that challenge your vampires' existence. Include vampire hunters, rival factions, or other supernatural creatures that pose a threat to their secrecy and survival.

Remember to infuse your writing with atmospheric descriptions, emotional depth, and explore the complexities of the vampire's existence. Let your imagination soar as you delve into the captivating world of vampires.

Common Occupations in the Middle Ages

Almoners: ensured the poor received alms.

Atilliator: skilled castle worker who made crossbows.

Baliff: in charge of allotting jobs to the peasants, building repair, and repair of tools used by the peasants.

Barber: someone who cut hair. Also served as dentists, surgeons and blood-letters.

Blacksmith: forged and sharpened tools and weapons, beat out dents in armor, made hinges for doors, and window grills. Also referred to as Smiths.

Bottler: in charge of the buttery or bottlery.

Butler: cared for the cellar and was in charge of large butts and little butts (bottles) of wine and beer. Under him a staff of people might consist of brewers, tapsters, cellarers, dispensers, cupbearers and dapifer.

Carder: someone who brushed cloth during its manufacture.

Carpenter: built flooring, roofing, siege engines, furniture, panelling for rooms, and scaffoling for building.

Carters: workmen who brought wood and stone to the site of a castle under construction.

Castellan: resident owner or person in charge of a castle (custodian).

Chamberlain: responsible for the great chamber and for the personal finances of the castellan.

Chaplain: provided spirtual welfare for laborers and the castle garrison. The duties might also include supervising building operations, clerk, and keeping accounts. He also tended to the chapel.

Clerk: a person who checked material costs, wages, and kept accounts.

Constable: a person who took care (the governor or warden) of a castle in the absence of the owner. This was sometimes bestowed upon a great baron as an honor and some royal castles had hereditary constables.

Cook: roasted, broiled, and baked food in the fireplaces and ovens.

Cottars: the lowest of the peasantry. Worked as swine-herds, prison guards, and did odd jobs.

Ditcher: worker who dug moats, vaults, foundations and mines.

Dyer: someone who dyed cloth in huge heated vats during its manufacture.

Ewerer: worker who brought and heated water for the nobles.

Falconer: highly skilled expert responsible for the care and training of hawks for the sport of falconry.

Fuller: worker who shrinks & thickens cloth fibers through wetting & beating the material.

Glaziers: a person who cut and shaped glass.

Gong Farmer: a latrine pit emptier.

Hayward:  someone who tended the hedges.

Herald: knights assistant and an expert advisor on heraldry.

Keeper of the Wardrobe: in charge of the tailors and laundress.

Knight: a professional soldier. This was achieved only after long and arduous training which began in infancy.

Laird: minor baron or small landlord.

Marshal: officer in charge of a household’s horses, carts, wagons, and containers. His staff included farriers, grooms, carters, smiths and clerks. He also oversaw the transporting of goods.

Master Mason: responsible for the designing and overseeing the building of a structure.

Messengers: servants of the lord who carried receipts, letters, and commodities.

Miner: skilled professional who dug tunnels for the purpose of undermining a castle.

Minstrels: part of of the castle staff who provided entertainment in the form of singing and playing musical instruments.

Porter: took care of the doors (janitor), particularly the main entrance. Responsible for the guardrooms. The person also insured that no one entered or left the castle withour permission. Also known as the door-ward.

Reeve: supervised the work on lord’s property. He checked that everyone began and stopped work on time, and insured nothing was stolen. Senior officer of a borough.

Sapper: an unskilled person who dug a mine or approach tunnel.

Scullions: responsible for washing and cleaning in the kitchen.

Shearmen: a person who trimmed the cloth during its manufacture.

Shoemaker: a craftsman who made shoes. Known also as Cordwainers.

Spinster: a name given to a woman who earned her living spinning yarn. Later this was expanded and any unmarried woman was called a spinster.

Steward: took care of the estate and domestic administration. Supervised the household and events in the great hall. Also referred to as a Seneschal.

Squire: attained at the age of 14 while training as a knight. He would be assigned to a knight to carry and care for the weapons and horse.

Watchmen: an official at the castle responsible for security. Assited by lookouts (the garrison).

Weaver: someone who cleaned and compacted cloth, in association with the Walker and Fuller.

Woodworkers: tradesmen called Board-hewers who worked in the forest, producing joists and beams.

Other medieval jobs included:

tanners, soap makers, cask makers, cloth makers, candle makers (chandlers), gold and silver smiths, laundresses, bakers, grooms, pages, huntsmen, doctors, painters, plasterers, and painters, potters, brick and tile makers, glass makers, shipwrights, sailors, butchers, fishmongers, farmers, herdsmen, millers, the clergy, parish priests, members of the monastic orders, innkeepers, roadmenders, woodwards (for the forests). slingers. Other Domestic jobs inside the castle or manor:

Personal atendants- ladies-in-waiting, chamber maids, doctor.

The myriad of people involved in the preparation and serving of meals- brewers, poulterer, fruiterers, slaughterers, dispensers, cooks and the cupbearers.

By Lise Hull READ MORE

Tips for creative writers who want to write about fantasy:

1. Build a rich and immersive world: Create a detailed and imaginative fantasy world with its own history, geography, cultures, and magical systems. Consider the rules and limitations of your world's magic to ensure consistency.

2. Develop unique and compelling characters: Craft memorable characters with distinct personalities, strengths, flaws, and goals. Explore how their backgrounds and abilities shape their experiences and interactions within the fantasy realm.

3. Weave in elements of magic and mythology: Introduce mythical creatures, mystical artifacts, and ancient legends into your storytelling. Use them to add depth, mystery, and wonder to your fantasy world.

4. Embrace world-building details: Pay attention to small but significant details in your world-building, such as food, clothing, customs, and languages. These details will enhance the believability and richness of your fantasy setting.

5. Create a compelling conflict: Develop an engaging conflict or quest that drives your story forward. This conflict could involve a battle between good and evil, a personal journey of self-discovery, or a struggle for power and redemption.

6. Blend familiar and unique elements: Combine familiar fantasy tropes with fresh and inventive ideas to create a unique reading experience. Balance the comfort of the familiar with the excitement of the unknown.

7. Use vivid and descriptive language: Paint a vivid picture with your words, using descriptive language to transport readers into your fantastical world. Engage all the senses to bring your settings, creatures, and magic to life.

8. Establish consistent rules and logic: While fantasy allows for imagination and magic, it's important to establish rules and logic within your world. This will ensure that readers can follow and invest in the story without feeling confused or disconnected.

9. Include themes and depth: Explore deeper themes and messages within your fantasy story. Address topics such as power, identity, morality, and the human condition to add layers of depth and resonance to your narrative.

10. Read widely in the fantasy genre: Immerse yourself in a variety of fantasy novels to familiarize yourself with different styles, world-building techniques, and storytelling approaches. Analyze what works and doesn't work for you as a reader and apply those insights to your own writing.

Remember, fantasy writing is an opportunity to unleash your imagination and transport readers to extraordinary realms. Have fun, be creative, and let your passion for the genre shine through in your storytelling.

Happy writing and happy adventures in the realm of fantasy!

How to finish your novel in 1 year

Writing a full book is a really huge task! Most writers don’t understand how overwhelming it can get until they try it. Here’s my ideal guide of what it would look like to finish your full novel in one year.

Here’s a time-scheduled formula to succeed in finishing your book in just one year.

Spend some time on pre-writing (Month 1)

Take time to plan out all the most important parts of your novel before you jump in! This will keep you grounded and organised, so you don’t lose track of what you’re trying to achieve.

But don’t get stuck in it.

You should know your:

Character goals and story arcs

The thematic question of your story

Your biggest plot points

Don’t wait until you’re confident about everything to start writing!

The first draft (Months 2-7)

Think of your first draft as a chance to tell the story to yourself, and to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Do not think of it as something that needs to be complete on the first go!

The important part here is to just keep writing, even if you make a mess along the way.

A chapter overview (Month 8)

If possible, take a few weeks away from looking at the project before you do this!

Once your first draft is finished is when you should take a step back and make sense of the story again. It’s likely that a lot will have changed by the time you finished it, so creating a bird’s eye overview of your chapters will help you tackle the second draft.

The rewrite (Months 9-12)

Time to jump into that second draft!

This is where your project will come together, so enjoy this part of the process! Dedicate more time to your prose and the details.

And after the second draft is done?

Time to get some other eyes on your manuscript and jump into line and copy edits!

Want to try out for my coaching program? I’m fully booked until October this year, so if you want to get to work with me in 2023, now’s the time to apply!

Otherwise, I have two other amazing coaches you can try.

You can apply through the [link here] or below!

the-plottery.com

1:1 Writer Book Coaching

Power Plotter is a writer's coaching program dedicated to helping you finish writing your book and become an expert in novel plotting! You'l

How to think of a meaningful plot when writing fanfiction?

A lot of advice on plot structure starts with determining an inciting incident or a change to the world, but in a fanfiction context most of that real estate is already spoken for by the canon itself. I've always struggled a lot with finding *things to write about* when I want to go beyond small "plotless"/fluff fics. How do you figure out an original plot that manages to fit "in between" the existing canon in a way that still feels cohesive?

Fan-Fiction: Figuring Out a Plot

If you want to write plot-based fan-fiction of your favorite canon source, there are lots of ways to do that...

1 - Mimic Canon Conflicts - What type of conflicts are at the heart of the canon story? For example, let's say you're writing fan-fiction for your favorite legal drama. Canon conflict probably mostly revolves around trying legal cases. So, creating your own legal case for the team to solve would be a good option.

2 - Explore Off-Screen/Implied Events - Sometimes characters reference events that happened in the past or off-screen. These can be great sources for a conflict. For example, maybe two characters are sent to a prison to interview a potential witness, but this happens off-screen and is only referenced when they return. Maybe someone asks how it went and one of the characters says, "Don't ask." Maybe it's because they didn't get much information, but this could be a fun place to explore something more happening. What if there was a lockdown when they were at the prison? What if their car broke down on the way home and they ended up in a weird situation? What if their interview with the potential witness led them on a wild goose chase to track down another potential witness or some source of information? Lots of possibilities in off-screen/implied events.

3 - Explore Character Backstory/Personal or Professional Life - Characters usually have interesting back stories and sometimes interesting lives beyond what's explored in canon. The team in your favorite legal drama all had lives before they joined that legal team, and they all have personal lives, too. These can be great places to look for potential conflicts/plot ideas.

4 - Explore Character Relationships - Character relationships are a fun source of conflict. Are there two characters who don't get along? Maybe it'd be fun to see what happens if they get snowed in at the office together for a weekend. Are there two characters who have good romantic tension? What happens if they get sent on a dangerous errand together?

5 - Take an AU Approach - Sometimes it's fun to take canon events and flip them upside down as though they occurred in an alternate universe. Maybe there's a high profile case the team almost lost, which would have been disastrous, but they ultimately won. So, explore what would have happened if they'd lost. Or, what happens if a different character led the case? What happens if a character makes a different decision than they did in canon? These are all great possibilities for conflict.

There are lots of other possibilities, of course... crossovers, genre flips, introducing original characters, and so much more. But hopefully this list will give you some good places to start.

Have fun with your story!

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Some quick tips for writing sexual tension in your novel:

1. Establish strong chemistry: Develop the characters' attraction to each other through meaningful interactions, shared interests, or a deep emotional connection. Their chemistry will lay the foundation for the sexual tension to build upon.

2. Use body language and non-verbal cues: Describe subtle gestures, lingering glances, or the way their bodies react in each other's presence. These non-verbal cues can heighten the tension and create a sense of anticipation.

3. Utilize dialogue: Employ flirty banter, double entendres, or suggestive remarks to create verbal sparring between characters. Clever wordplay can add layers of subtext and amplify the sexual tension.

4. Slow down the pace: Build tension by slowing down the pacing of scenes involving the characters. Emphasize their awareness of each other, the anticipation of physical contact, and the longing that grows with every passing moment.

5. Explore internal thoughts and desires: Give readers insight into the characters' internal dialogue, their secret desires, and the fantasies they have about each other. This adds depth and intensifies the sexual tension.

6. Employ the power of touch: Describe the impact of a brief brush of hands, accidental contact, or the lingering sensation left by a gentle touch. These tactile sensations can evoke a heightened sense of awareness and anticipation.

7. Create obstacles and conflicts: Introduce obstacles or conflicts that prevent the characters from acting upon their desires. These challenges can fuel the sexual tension, making the eventual release even more satisfying for both the characters and the readers.

8. Use sensory details: Engage the readers' senses by describing scents, sounds, or textures associated with the characters' proximity or potential intimacy. Sensory details can intensify the atmosphere and enhance the readers' experience of the sexual tension.

9. Play with power dynamics: Explore power dynamics between characters, such as a power imbalance or a push-pull dynamic. This can create a magnetic pull and increase the sexual tension as the characters navigate their desires and boundaries.

10. Employ the element of surprise: Introduce unexpected moments or situations that catch the characters off guard and heighten the sexual tension. These surprises can lead to spontaneous or forbidden encounters, increasing the anticipation and desire.

Remember to balance the sexual tension with the overall tone and genre of your novel, ensuring it aligns with your intended audience and fits organically within the story. With these tips, you'll be able to craft captivating scenes that sizzle with sexual tension, leaving readers eagerly turning the pages for more.

Happy writing!

War, Battles and Sieges: Causes of War

War is a staple of any fantasy or historical book. War is often at centre of plot. So in these set of posts, we will be discussing the different areas and aspects of writing war and battles. (If there are any other areas I do not cover, feel free to send a suggestion to the ask box.)

Wars in any genre must have a starting point and reasons leading up to the initial conflicts. These can be numerous. In this post we’ll discuss the eight accepted reasons for a war. These are as follows:

Economic Gain

Territorial Gain

Religion

Nationalism

Revenge

Civil War

Revolutionary War

Defensive War

1. Economic Gain

Some wars are often fought for money and assets. Really if we would break every war down to basics, money is always a factor. Countries, kingdoms and factions have been battling over gold, cattle and other things that equal wealth for centuries. Even today, wars for wealth and economic gain can be summed up in a single reason: oil.

Examples

First Anglo Dutch War (1652): The English states wanted a greater control their trading routes and their growing colonies. The Dutch wanted to keep control of their ports in and Portugal, allowing them to hold onto their emerging commercial power.

Anglo-Indian Wars (1766-1849) – These wars were were fought between the British East India Company, a trade conglomerate, and different Indian states. These wars were fought to bring India under English rule, to gain the vast wealth of India.

First Opium War (1839-1842) - The British Empire had issue with trade with China as they wanted to import more exotic items such as silk, porcelain and tea which had become more and more on demand and China preferred to keep foreign trade to a minimum. After the East India Company sold off a large amount of Opium to other trade partners, China shut down trade with British Empire including seizing assets and arresting merchants.

Finnish-Soviet War or “The Winter War” (1939-1940) – The Soviets wanted to mine Nickel in Finland, which would turn a profit. However the Finnish refused the offer leading the Soviet Union to declare war.

2. Territorial Gain

Dreams of Empire have long been the aim of many combatants in war. Invasions and Acquisitions are always numbered as the most popular causes of war and conflict.

Examples

Campaign of Gaul (58-50BC): This was the wars fought by Caesar as he invaded Gaul. This war was seen as an “illegal” war as the Senate did not approve of it. The main aim of the war was the acquisition and maintaining of Roman rule in Gaul.

Arab-Israeli War or “Six Day War” (1967-1988) – Israeli invaded the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, taking them from Jordan which led to the lengthy war.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848) – This war began shortly after annexation of Texas, where Mexico was forced to release the state of Texas to American hands. Mexico fought for the return of Texas but were defeated.

World War II (1939-1945): This war might have begun for a number of reasons but the inciting point was Hitler’s invasion of Poland and other surrounding nations.

Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885-1886) – After an act of nature, the river which marked the border between the countries of Bulgaria and Serbia was moved. After this, the two nations went to war over a disputed border town.

3. Religion

Wars have always been fought over who has the “real” god/s and who is in the right when it comes of values and customs. Wars of such have been fought for as long as men first found differences between different religions and believed themselves “righteous”.

Examples

The Crusades (1095-1291) – These wars were sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the middle ages. Popes and Kings alike all dreamed of retaking the Holy Land of Jerusalem. They wished to spread Christianity, destroy Islam and Judaism and win the land they believed theirs. The effects of these brutal wars can be felt today

The Troubles (1968-1998): The Troubles were a series of attacks and skirmishes between Protestants and Catholics in the North of Ireland. The two sides battled bloodily in streets and in attacks, claiming thousands of lives including the innocents.

Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) – The Lebanese Civil War was fought between the Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim and Christian Lebanese populations.

Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) – This war was caused by the predominantly Muslim government imposing sharia law on all residents including those who were non-muslim.

4. Nationalism

Nationalism can be addressed as attempting to prove that your country is the greatest by invasion or harsh subjugation. The war is often a declaration of power, a “look at us, look how strong we are.” Look at the British Empire. Ancient Rome. America.

5. Revenge

This reason often walks hand in hand with Nationalism. Revenge is a common reason for war even if it doesn’t always take the top rung on the ladder of reasons.

Examples

World War II (1939-1945) – The rise of the Nazis and the Germanic invasions of Europe all culminated because of the Treaty of Versailles, which was written in such a way to prevent Germany ever reaching full power which crippled growth and led to a poverty stricken state.

War on Terror (2001- Present) – After the devastating attack on the World Trade Center, President George W. Bush declared war Iraq. These wars, which some argue as pointless, still are being fought.

The Third Punic War (149 BC – 146 BC): The third of these wars was enacted as revenge for the waste that the famous general Hannibal inflicted on Rome during the Second Punic war in retaliation for the First war. The Third however led to the utter destruction of the city of Carthage, ending the cycle of revenge.

Troy vs Greece (Unknown date/undecided reality): Though the famous war between the Trojans and the Greeks is well known, no historian can confirm it happened. The inciting event of this war was the elopement of the Spartan Queen Helen and the Trojan Prince Paris. The Greeks followed them, leading to a 10 year war and the annihilation of Troy.

6. Civil War

Civil wars are fought between two powers of the same land for control over the country. These wars are always the most devastating for the people of the land and often end by planting the seeds for the next conflict.

Examples

American Civil War (1861-1865) - The American Civil War divided America North and South over the issue of slavery. The war was the most bloody in American history, the total of deaths outweighing even the portion of American soldiers that died during WWII.

Russian Civil War (1917-1923) – This war was caused by the successful Russian Revolution. It was fought by the Red Army and the White Army who were battling over the future of Russia and its people.

English Civil War (1642-1651): This war was fought between Parliament and the Crown. The war eventually brought down the Monarchy, lost Charles I his head and left the Purtian Dickhead Oliver Cromwell in charge. (More on this CUNT person later)

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) – The Spanish Civil War was fought by Republicans loyal to the left-leaning Second Spanish Republic, and the Nationalists led by Franco.

Wars of the Roses (1455-1485): After Henry IV lost is mind, Richard of York decided that he would be king. This begun a chain of battles between York and Lancaster which culminated in a victory headed by a rank outsider.

7. Revolutionary War

When a faction rebels against the control of another, we get a revolution. Glorious or not, all revolutions end in in blood and spark major wars. Revolutions are popular in fictional wars and can be set off for many reasons such as tyranny or an excessively harsh ruling class or colonialism.

Examples

Russian Revolution (1917-1918)- After suffering through the harsh WWI and the reign of the well meaning yet incompetent and woefully unprepared Tsar, the people rose and overthrew Tsarist Russia. This revolution claimed the lives of thousands including all of the Tsar’s children, himself and his wife.

Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668) – The Portuguese revolution ended the 60-year rule of Portugal by Spain.

American Revolution (1775-1783) – The American Revolution was incited by sugar taxes laud on by England. The American colonies fought for independence from the British Empire.

French Revolution (1789-1799) – The French Revolution occurred because of another incompetent monarch and a large and lavish aristocracy. The starving underclasses rose up and began slaughtering the rich and the noble and set about building a new France.

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) – This revolution saw slaves rising up against their ruling class and masters and setting the groundwork for the foundations of the first free black republic the world has ever known.

Ireland (1169-Present?): Ireland was invaded by Henry II of England (a douche tho I stan his wife and mom), on invitation from an idiot king. Since then Ireland has been under English rule. Ireland has fought rebellion after rebellion, revolution upon revolution to save the land and her people the invaders who forbade our traditions and killed our language and literally starved half the population to death and forcing us to leave our homes, which we have never recovered from. Some say our rebellions are done, perhaps they are. But the spirit is always there. I think this line sums it up best. For 800 years, we fought you without fear and we’ll fight you for 800 more.

8. Defensive War

A defensive war is a war fought before one can be started by the enemy. Or to put it simple terms: Imma punch that guy sitting over there before he can punch me. This may seem a strange concept. It is.

Examples

Cold War (1947-1991) – This war, if it can be called a war, was fought between Soviet Russia and America over nuclear weapons and where they ought to be placed. The American invasion of Cuba can be classed as a defensive war strategy.

Fantasy Guide to Royal Children - Heirs and Spares

The lives of Princesses and Princes are of interest to most fantasy writers, it's where many of our heroes, side characters and antagonists hail from. But what is there life like? Is it always ballgrowns and servants? Or something more?

A Strict Order of Precedence

The first thing to know about royal children and siblings is that there's a very strict precedence of importance. Is it fair? No. But this is a system, it doesn't have to be fair. The heir comes first without argument. They are the most important child, they are always greeted first, they are the one to stand next to the monarch or their parents at occasions, they literally go first - and this doesn't change with age, if the heir is the youngest, they still have precedence over their siblings. After the heir, order of predence goes by age and the order effects the life of the children. For example, the older sister will marry begore any of her sisters. This order of deference will be so engrained in your character's life that they will believe it the norm and rarely question it, it probably won't spark any in-fighting.

Accommodation & Staff

Royal children are usually raised one of two ways. Either they are raised at court, in the same Palace as their parents or they are raised away from court under the care of trusted servants. Being raised away from their parents isn't a sign of remoteness or dislike or terrible parenting, it was a way of break a child into the constraints of royal life while giving them freedom of scrunity or danger. Usually these children are raised in the countryside for their health, as cities are usually cesspits for disease. Their parents would come to visit them or allow them to visit them at court. Children raised at court are raised with a higher level of scrunity and attention. They will be in the public eye.

Royal children will always be surrounded by staff. There will be nurses to wash and dress them, nannies to discipline and direct them, guards to protect them and usually, a guardian known as a governess to run their household and care for their needs. Staff are not allowed to hit royal children and must obey their commands. Some royal children were very close to their staff:

Kat Ashley and Elizabeth I

Baroness Lehzen and Queen Victoria

Klementy Grigorievich Nagorny and the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich

Lala Bill and Prince John

However, some royal children faced neglect from their staff. George VI was abused by his nanny, who would pinch him during important occasions, openly favour his elder brother over him and deny him food, which many have been a cause of his speech impediment. After the Russian Revolution, another of the Tsarevich's nannies proved less loyal than the other. Andrei Yeremeyevich Derevenko abandoned his charge, but not before ordering the boy around and insulting him.

Day to Day Life

Royal children would be educated withing their home by tutors. They would usually take lessons all together (the heir may take other lessons). A royal child would recieve an education in languages, arithmetic, geography, etiquette, dancing, music, sports such as riding and literature. Sometimes they would even share lessons with the children of trusted nobles or their cousins. Only the heir will be taught statecraft and how to reign. There is no rhyme nor reason a spare would learn how to rule.

Some royal children are taught the value of their position. Many royal children will be raised strictly to adhere to their social standing and their place in it. Some children may be raised in isolation, kept from mingling and raised to think of themselves as higher than those around them. Some royal families preferred to raise their children as "normal" as possible. The last Romanov children slept in camp beds, with no pillows and we're expected to tidy their own rooms and help the servants. They didn't even use their proper titles, they were called by their names and given a tight monthly allowance to spend. Alexandra of Denmark and her sisters used to make their own clothes. Some royal children could even be encouraged to play with the children of servants and staff as well as nobility (Kolya Derevenko and Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Winifred Thomas and Prince John). Companionship was a great honour for noble and common child alike as sometimes, they would be invited to live or be educated alongside by the royal children.

Royal children will not undertake royal duties until they are of age. Younger children be be present for large scale events such as jubilees but would not be expected to partake in any duties themselves. When they are of age, they will usually be granted an annual allowance, be invited to social events, invited to be patrons of charities and participate in royal duties.

Heir Vs Spare

Heirs have more responsibility, all the prestige, more power but they have less freedom, less room to explore their own lives and be expected to always be the epitome of perfect. Heirs will be given responsibilities in government, sitting in on state meetings or undertaking state duties.

Spares have little in the way of real power but have the ability to live less regimental lives and gave more agency in their personal lives. Spares may act as ambassadors to other nations or undertake state visits on behalf of the monarchy or even take positions in the army. Spares are encouraged to find positions to support themselves outside the family, either in a marriage or undertaking some service to the country. Spares who stay in the country, tend to act as unofficial advisers to their sibling when they become monarch.

All Grown Up

When royal children grow up, there are usually certain expectations and limitations.

Heirs will be married quickly, the lineage must be secure. Heirs will usually marry either as part of a political alliance or marry somebody suitable - from a good family, the right background, and able to fit into a certain mould (i.e malleable, amiable and loyal). They will be expected to focus on the country, it's needs and support the monarch at all times. Their social circles will be scruntised, their every move will be noted and remarked upon. Heirs will never gave to worry about funding their lifestyle, the Crown is their job and it supports them.

Spares can marry or remain single if they choose, (but if the monarch instructs them go marry they must). Spares can travel, they can be idle, they can even persue amusements not permitted for the heir. Spares can win glory on the battlefield and mix with all sorts of people. That isn't to say spares are useless, spares often occupy very important spaces in society and government. Spares will usually take these positions not for just status but also for the pay. This is why spares are granted royal titles such as dukedoms (they can make money off the lands, be able to build a dynasty for themselves and their heirs and gain status).

Hello! I have been looking for a word for "grandfather" and "grandmother" in HV, but can't find it. In the 'family tree' there is for cousins but not grandsires :(

Also, I don't know if you have explained, but how does the name change in HV?

Thank you!

So HV has two:

Mumuña = mother's mother

Muñāzma = father's mother

Kekepa = father's father

Kepāzma = mother's father

And I don't know what you mean by your question, I'm afraid. :(