When creating a world of refugees, a lost warrior hell-bent on revenge, or a love so strong even war can’t stop it, words are the way we perceive everything. Each word, chosen with care, devotion, and even a bit of magic should always deepen the storyline of any novel. Writing a dark fantasy novel which draws the reader in, one layer at a time, past their own world, involves dancing and twining words with souls.

Before I was a writer, I was an anthropologist. My first love in school was people—their cultures, their ways of life, their language. If you have read The Songs of Fate, or even glimpsed at its description, you would know Charlie (the main protagonist) is an anthropologist. Yes, I gave her a little bit of myself. As writers, we tend to share a small piece of ourselves, our truth, in the fiction we write. For me, it was easy to make Charlie a character lost in her own mind seeking answers in ruins, texts, and lost cultures.

Charlie would be the first to tell you, the words we use everyday shape our minds and our actions. Before everyone has a panic attack or scoffs at the notion, let me give you a quick lesson in anthropology. Open any linguistic textbook and research linguistic relativity. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis will most likely be at the forefront. In the most basic definition, it means the language a speaker uses, and the structure of that language, influences the way the speaker views their world/reality.

This means every word you say out loud has an impact on your thoughts and the way you see the world around you. For example, you know how people say, “Words are powerful”? Well, they are! In novels, at work, in school, and in all aspects of life.

When writing The Songs of Fate and other novels, the way each charter speaks—their sentence structure, their lack of finesse, or the darkness to their words—is a look inside each character’s mind. It is the same for people in real life. If you spend enough time with someone—a supervisor, a co-worker, a friend, the guy who yells at you from the bus stop—their words will give insights into their way of thinking, their values, and even their deepest beliefs.

Don’t believe me? Try it for a few days. When you are speaking to someone, stop planning what you will say next, or the best way to win the argument. Instead, listen to the words they use, their phrasing. What words do they emphasize in their speech? Do they have euphemisms they always say on repeat?

Your mind will be blown by the amount of information you can learn just by listening to the way someone speaks. Do they curse, prefer to speak of God, use humor when they are uncomfortable? Each word is little bit of their confession to you, rather they know it or not.

People say eyes are the path to the soul. But for me, words are the way to the soul. The words whispered by a lover in the darkness of night can create an extraordinary bond, or turn the night to ash.

When writing characters like Logan, Charlie, and especially Ales, the way they speak is the key to their heart. As you read, you will find the words each person grew-up saying or not knowing shaped their view of The War of Fate, as well as, how they perceive love. No spoilers here… you have to read the novel yourself to find all of the ways words change hearts, minds, and even the fate of the war itself.

How have words changed your life? Do you believe in the hypothesis or would you like to prove me wrong? Either way, I’d love to hear from you.

Happy reading, my friends.