The Fifth Season is set in the supercontinent of Stillness, where periodic catastrophic events known as Fifth Seasons cause widespread destruction. The story follows three female orogenes: Essun, Damaya, and Syenite, each living in different time periods. Essun, a middle-aged orogene, embarks on a journey to find her daughter after her son is murdered and her daughter is taken away. The novel explores themes of racial and religious intolerance, environmental calamities, and the moral complexities of power and identity. It is the first book in The Broken Earth trilogy, which has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2016.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with N.K. Jemisin to talk about the structures and processes that helped create The Fifth Season. We talk about outlines, multiple plotlines, and planets as characters. Jemisin lets us into her writing process—ranging from the influence of poetry in her work to her process of writing “test chapters.” She also gives us advice on writing multiple POVs, the power of parallelism, and the intersection of mental health and storytelling.
Thing of the Week: Alan Wake II (N.K. Jemisin’s recommendation)
Homework: Imagine you are in a game where you are presented with 3 different attitude-oriented choices. Take your protagonist from your current work in progress and put them through these attitudinal-flavored choices. What happens if you continue your character does the diplomatic thing? What happens if you have them snap? Explore!
Learn more about our retreats:
https://writingexcuses.com/retreats/
Sign up for our newsletter:
https://writingexcuses.com
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. Our guest was P. Djèlí Clark. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Join Our Writing Community!
Patreon
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Our Sponsors:
* Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.com
Support this podcast at —
https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donationsAdvertising Inquiries:
https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out:
https://redcircle.com/privacy
Writing Excuses 