Introduction to the Apple Hair CANON
Create a Vibrant Story World With Me!
Welcome to the Apple Hair CANON!
Here, I’ll explore creating a fictional universe, and I’m hoping you’ll follow along with your own world. I’m by no means an expert, so let’s discuss how to create a believable, magical, and captivating world. Let’s be storycatchers together!
Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaii.
Welcome to the newsletter, and I’m excited to lay down the foundations of our story worlds together, one word at a time.
When I was creating the world of Apple Hair, I was heavily inspired by my love for boy bands and K-pop. But I wanted to create something with a layer of fantasy. I have always been inspired by the dream world, and I wondered if it can have a stronger tie to reality.
In Apple Hair, I decided to blur the lines and experiment with a bit of magical realism. However, I decided to start with the main characters—Van, Corrin, Kaden, Seiya, and David. I knew I wanted them to be Asian Americans from Hawaii. But I had tons of fun playing with their personalities—from their quirks to how they speak, to their physical characteristics.
I wanted to ask you: what do you start with when creating a story world? Do you start with characters like me? A certain mood or setting?
Because I wanted to set the story world in Hawaii, I knew I could use the foundation of the contemporary real-life world. However, with the addition of a dream world, I had a lot of room to play.
AWE Entertainment was inspired by Korean entertainment companies. I drew from the harsh training and the larger-than-life presence. With AWE, there’s an almost overbearing pressure, like a cloud over the lives of their trainees.
The story begins with a strange day at the company, when what should be a typical day of training turns into what the members call “weird” and “strange.” For instance: a company-wide blackout and seeing a mysterious cat in the mirror. The members chalk it up to sleep deprivation, but could there be a force that is set on opposing their debut and rise?
On this note, I wanted to ask: do you feel more creative when pantsing a story (winging it)? Or do you meticulously outline every point? I like a mix of both, leaning more on the pantsing side.
For my introduction to the CANON, I don’t want to write too much. I’ll come back with a part two!
For my paid subscribers, here’s a link to early access to Debut in Broad Daylight. The link won’t work unless you’re on the paid list! If you recently joined, don’t worry. I’ll get you added ASAP! I appreciate you very much!