Writing Friends: Elias Alam

Hey everybody! Today, I’m trying out something new. I would love to expand this platform to be able to sit down with other young fantasy writers and get their perspectives on writing in this genre. Today, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Elias Alam. He’s been super active on my Twitter feed since I started the account in February, and he’s super energetic to share what he’s learned about the fantasy genre. Let’s get started!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am Elias Alam, a 17 something writer from the Himalayan mountains of India. From an early age, I have had a deep fascination for the unknown, and from an early age, I have started writing about the various worlds in my mind.

What is your current work in progress?

Currently, I have two main WIPS. The first is Ad Infinitum, which is an epic dark science/fantasy military space opera comic series and the second is Elladia, which is a dark epic high military fantasy novel series.

Tell us a little bit about the world your story is set in.

I am going to go with Elladia since it is way more simpler than Ad Infinitum. The world itself is a planet around the size of Uranus, so it has far more land area than Earth. Four moons orbit it, which form the basis of many calendars in the Planet. Presently, the world is racked by a millennia old war between the two global superpowers: the Sanguine Imperium (consisting of Humans, Undead and some other demi-human races) and the Aegean Empire (consisting of a race of humanoids known as the Argonites). Both sides have been in a deadlock with neither side holding an advantage over the other and locked in an eternal cycle of bloodshed. Unbeknownst to them however, the main antagonist Arkanos is plotting his return in order to subjugate all of Elladia and began his tyrannical rule over the creations of the Gods. This forms the main backdrop of the story.

What’s your writing style like? Are you an outliner or a pantser? How do you draft?

For the prose part, my writing style is a mix between Orwellian and Tolkienian prose. I make a compromise when it comes to that by writing prose which is as simple as possible whilst also trying to emulate the beauty of Tolkenian prose. I would also call myself a die-hard outlinist on every part except for characters, which have to come organically and naturally. For the drafting process, I usually try to get the first draft done as soon as possible, and the later drafts are just mainly for finding plot holes, improving weak story links and fixing other issues.

What do you think is the most difficult part of writing?

Frankly, the most difficult part of writing is the story. It’s just so damn hard to keep the sequence of events interesting. To know how to put which event in which order is a war in itself. It also gets hard for me to advance the story at points where I just don’t know what to write next and what the characters will do in the next chapter.

What is your best advice for writers who are worldbuilding?

Truth be told, even I am still incredibly new to the realm of worldbuilding. But if you want my opinions, then I can say that one should focus on mostly one aspect of worldbuilding at a time and devote most of one’s creative energy on that part. It’s fine to think and write about other aspects as long as you don’t overstretch yourself.

What’s your revising process like?

My revising process mostly focuses on fixing plot holes and strengthening weak story links. Another important part of it is fixing the wording here and there to clear up any confusion the readers would have. For the actual revising process, I go through my manuscript line by line so that even the smallest of mistakes doesn’t go unnoticed.

What are some of your favorite fantasy books?

The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson has got to be, by far, my most favorite fantasy novel series. It was a big source of inspiration for me and part of what inspired my incredibly worldbuilding heavy fiction. Besides that, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, the Malazan series by Steven Erikson and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien are definitely among some of my favorite fantasy novels. A honorable mention should also go to the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin.