Paul Briggs

@paulgbriggs

Author of the Locksmith Trilogy, Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise, and The Dead Skunk (don't ask).

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Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· 2h

#TimeTravelAuthors “What, did you think I couldn’t tell?” said Mom. “You have any idea how many lying bastards I’ve grilled on the witness stand? How many times I’ve had someone sitting right in front of me, trying to think up a story?”

19. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: many)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· 25d

#TimeTravelAuthors Lock couldn’t get around the fact that the world was full of people who were, if not basically good, at least okay. Somehow, when they got together into countries and businesses and armies, all that… okayness… got lost and they ended up killing and polluting and…

25. Saturday excerpt (optional word: unite/together)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jul 3

#JulyWorldbuilders Zochei has a kind of sumptuary law. Their castes are called "silkwearers," "cottonwearers," "woolwearers" and "hempwearers." Linen is universal. Some cultures have gendered clothing expectations…

“Among my people, only little girls wear pink.”
“Among my people, no one wears gray unless they’re in mourning.”
“Seriously? I show up in a blood-soaked apron, and that’s what you notice?”
“No, I noticed that too. I thought, ‘Oh, no wonder she’s in mourning. She just killed somebody.’”
“What? Why would I be in mourning for somebody I just killed?”
Rhadmin folded his hands, leaned in and looked her in the eyes. “Because I believe that deep inside you, there is still some good.”
“I like this one,” said Arkhöa as soon as she was done laughing. “Let’s keep him.”

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jun 28

#TimeTravelAuthors “He was your father — he could have been a coward and you’d have loved him anyway. But… weren’t you proud of him? At least, at one time? Knowing how brave and selfless he was?”

27. Saturday excerpt (optional word: proud)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jun 21

Likewise.

Shou Tucker, a character in "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood," posing with his daughter under the words "Happy Father's Day." If you watch Episode 4 of Season 1, you'll appreciate the irony here. If you don't watch Episode 4 of Season 1, on the other hand, you might actually have a good night's sleep.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jun 10

#JuneWorldbuilders As it happens, my MC is a composer. His works are well-received, if sometimes misunderstood. His first musical composition was inspired by his own losses and the destruction he'd seen in the Northern Marches War.

“Lonotun Gray Porpoise-137 Cheūi is one of our more promising young composers, but his skill at creating musical composition is not matched by his skill at naming them. His first work, a collection of short, sorrowful pieces for string quartet, was first performed at the Dark Owl Theater on 30 Cooling 3327. He entitled this collection What the World Lost, even though any fool could find it sitting right there on the music stand. This year he has given us his magnificent Symphony No. 1, which he calls the ‘Mutilated Symphony’ when it seems to us to be perfectly whole and complete.”
-someone who has really missed the point, Grand Harbor Review of Music, 7th 3330

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jun 10

#JuneWorldbuilders Some of my characters learn a lot about the nation of Kuvra by reading the Song of Amvora, a 4000-year-old epic about the hero Amvora who defeated the river goddess Wahal with the help of his army.

One man alone is not enough,
Ten men are also not enough,
A hundred men are not enough,
A thousand men are not enough,
So it’s a good thing we brought ten thousand!

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· May 26

#TimeTravelAuthors The artificial gemstones created in a better (now inaccessible) future in Book 1.

25. Something pretty/beautiful in your story

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· May 3

#MayWorldbuilders Kuvran, Zocheian, Inamese, Aulmish, Khürish. I can't possibly conlang them all before I die—I'm trying to get their phonetic inventories done so they don't all sound the same.

35 Thawing 3322
Umbirui School of War, Zochei
There was a word in Zocheian that didn’t translate well into any other language. That word was tōm, and this morning Lonotun Charkun Gray Porpoise-131 Cheūi was feeling more tōm than he had ever felt in his sixteen years of life.
Tōm was usually translated as “serious” or “solemn,” but that didn’t come close to doing it justice. It could be accompanied by intense sorrow, such as at the bedside of a dying loved one—but it could also be a joyous feeling, seeing something extraordinarily beautiful or listening to some sublime piece of music. “Awestruck” or “reverent” were closer to its true meaning. It was an immense and overwhelming earnestness that swept away all jokes, sarcasm, minor complaints, and petty grudges as if they were dust and cobwebs, unworthy of attention.

What was strange was the language he was singing in. It was Kuvran, but the oldest known form of it—a form older than the Scholars’ Calendar, a form Attam had studied for one semester in Ancient History at the Academy and could only just barely follow:
If just one [raindrop?] hit the ground,
Who would know? Who would care?
If juat one [snowflake?] [fell? flew?] down,
Who would know? Who would care?
So when they come, they come in numbers
That no [person?] may [ignore? defy? disregard?].
They come in numbers that [cover? darken?] the sky.
Behold the [deeds? power?] of a [mighty? worthy? awesome?] dragon!
And so it is with us.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Apr 30

#TimeTravelAuthors Search the overgrown ruins of the future. Find out what happened to humanity. Stop it from happening. www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3315STN

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Apr 28

#TimeTravelAuthors Don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't be afraid to go it alone. (Look, I never claimed to be a fountain of wisdom.)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Apr 24

I have been testing the theoretical limits of how many chips can be put in a batch of cookies.

A tupperware container full of cookies made with double the usual number of chocolate chips, plus a bag of caramel chips. Also rolled in sugar before baking.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Apr 2

#AprilWorldbuilders Gotta go with Grand Harbor. At 2.5 million people, it's the greatest and most diverse city beneath the arch. It's actually a city-state with several municipalities. It is the headquarters of the Grand Coalition, a multinational alliance opposed to the Black Banner.

A still-under-construction map of Grand Harbor, showing several different cities like the boroughs of New York. The latitude and longitude lines are 30°N and the prime meridian. The climate is similar to Malta or Gibraltar, but with more frequent fogs rolling in from the west throughout the year. (Since it's a big, complex harbor that often gets fogged over, no surprise that it was a pirate haven for a long time.)

The flag of the Republic of Grand Harbor, consisting of a deep purple flower with a gold and white center on a light blue field. Their national symbol is the flower known as the purple starheart, which grows abundantly in the area, having a high tolerance for salt and (alas) pollution.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Mar 29

#TimeTravelAuthors Lock - light brown, like his mother Gary - light blue Brandon - dark brown, can't remember if I specified Tara - green Lucy - green-brown Rikki - electric blue

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Feb 25

#TimeTravelAuthors One of them — a white horse, so pale it seemed to glow — reared up on its hind legs, its hooves flailing perilously close to Lock’s head. As he stepped back, he saw the wound on one of its front legs, as if something with massive jaws had tried to grab it there.

25. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: glow)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Feb 3

#FebruaryWorldbuilders I've got altitude, climate, and biome (I couldn't manage the geology) maps inspired by the lessons of @madelinejames.bsky.social. I'm working on maps of Grand Harbor and what is either the United Republic of Kuvra or the kingdoms occupied by the Black Banner (opinions differ).

An altitude map of the World Beneath the Arch. Largest features — the supercontinent of the Vastlands, the tropical continent of the Swelterlands, and the small island continent of Byrex's Land.

A climate map of the World Beneath the Arch. I was surprised at how little desert there was. Like, most of the land north of the Seawall Mountains in the eastern hemisphere should probably be cold desert. I think I screwed up on the aridity.

A biomes map of TWBTA. Note the preponderance of steppe and prairie in the Vastlands. That was deliberate. There have always been lots of steppe nomad cultures in this world, and some civilizations have repeatedly gotten the Khwarizm treatment.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jan 31

#TimeTravelAuthors LOCKSMITH'S CLOSET - Locksmith finds a portal to the future. LOCKSMITH'S JOURNEYS - Lock discovers what causes the end of the human race. LOCKSMITH'S WAR - Now it's time to stop it from happening. www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3315STN

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jan 29

#TimeTravelAuthors Parental loss, blood, bullying, betrayal, discussion of suicide, hand injuries, big angry dogs, rats, shovel fights, midair disasters, disease, psychological torture, torch fights, gunfire, death

29. What trigger warnings would you give

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jan 1

I got it too!

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Dec 29

#TimeTravelAuthors As Gary puts in in Book 1, “Well, the good news is, we don’t have to worry about our grandkids coming along and shooting us just to see what’ll happen…”

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Dec 19

I hit a new personal low today. I bought somebody socks for #Christmas. Good socks, but still, socks.

A pair of Ralph Lauren winter socks in charcoal and beige.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Nov 27

#TimeTravelAuthors Book 1: About this time he realized he was doing something really stupid. Book 2: "The fate of the world is too much to put on any one man… or any two boys." Book 3: One thing the kidnappers hadn't noticed was that June's cell phone was in the front pocket of her pajamas.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Nov 1

#TimeTravelAuthors How about a scary moment for Halloween? www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3315STN

The town hall was still standing. The door had been left propped open with a doorstop, but Gary still needed the crowbar to open it wide enough. Inside, it was almost as dark as night and filled with a strange rustling noise and an unpleasant ammonia smell.
“You know what we should’ve thought of?” said Gary.
“A flashlight?”
“Great minds think alike. I’ve been in here before… the directory should be over… over that way.”
“Over that way” turned out to be a patch of near-total darkness. Lock felt his way around the wall until his fingers hit something that felt right. In the gloom he could just barely make out the white plastic letters on the ridged black surface. Now, if only he could read them…
If only he could read them, then what? If they found a room labeled “RECORDS” and the records were actually still intact, how would they find what they were looking for in the dark? They’d planned this whole thing out so carefully, but just because it was daytime, they hadn’t thought of a flashlight… and either Lock’s hearing had gotten better, or the rustling noise had gotten a lot louder.
No, it was definitely the noise.
“Gary?”
“Yeah?”
“I think we better go.”
“Why?” The pattering noises were getting closer.
“I actually think we better go… now.”

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Oct 29

#TimeTravelAuthors “This meeting of the… Save-the-World Committee… will now come to order.” “Oh crap, we’re a committee now?” said Rikki.

29. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: now)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Sep 19

#TimeTravelAuthors No. I used Narnia references instead.

19. Any reference to other time travel works in your story?

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Aug 28

#TimeTravelAuthors “Let me clue you in on something,” she said. “We’re all very grateful to you and Gary for finding the portal, but this isn’t some boys’ adventure. This is a job, and not a very safe one.” “I know,” said Lock. If anything, he knew more about the danger than she did.

27. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: adventure)

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Aug 2

#AugustWorldbuilders Depends where you are. In Kuvra and some of the richer countries, schooling is mandatory. Elsewhere it's only available for those who are rich, upper class, or both.

1. Can everyone attend schools in your setting?

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jul 31

This is why I do #worldbuilding. Not because the readers care, and not… just… because of my inner autistic child demanding that my work be absolutely complete and consistent or else it's WRONG. Because it can be a great source of inspiration. (End thread.)

A rough diagram of what they still call the Arch of Heaven even though by now everyone knows they're planetary rings. I use this to get a sense of what it looks like from a given latitude.

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jul 31

I picked Byrex’s Land. I got as far as “major rock distribution,” mapping the oil and coal deposits, and thinking about where to put a Wits-style gold mine. Then I got to thinking. If the mine were near one of those archons north of the mountains, in the middle of the desert where nobody goes…

Byrex’s Land, the smallest continent. Any smaller and it’d get Plutoed down into the category of “island with delusions of grandeur.”

Paul Briggs@paulgbriggs· Jul 31

Then it hit me—why not have the river where Kuvran civilization is born be the tributary of a much larger river that flows out of the icecap? That would explain a lot about the resulting civilization.