I feel like I had a pretty mediocre week. I have been brainstorming, but not very efficiently it would seem, about the religious beliefs of my island dwellers. I think they tend toward an animistic worldview, but I don't want to copy existing practices and ideas. There must be some overlap, of course, but I haven't found what makes the beliefs unique to this people.

I have also been pondering whether or not to give more info on how the magic in this world works. One of my POV characters is actually attending a class, but I had previously written it in a way where she got in trouble and kicked out of class before any real information was exchanged. I then got to thinking that a) this messes up my timing [something else is happening simultaneously, and if she gets kicked out too early, it can't plausibly effect the other event]; b) I was not taking advantage of an opportunity to bring the world more fully to life.

What are your thoughts? Do you like to see/learn how magic works in fantasy stories?

Anyhow, this is a rough little snippet that assumes Lelo stays in class long enough to learn a little something:

“One piece of feldspar is not necessarily like another. Your eye may not see these differences, but your ear must hear them. With your songsacs will come this ability. When you sing to the land, it is best to have some idea of what will answer you. This shows respect to the earth’s spirit, but it also keeps you safe.”

Here it comes, Lelo thought, another lecture about the dangers of sresoqo. But instead of telling her favorite story of how an iasree had sung a chasm open beneath her own feet and plummeted into the bowels of the earth, never to be found again, Elamie pulled something out of a pouch tied at her waist.