My stories usually begin with the characters and some elements of how power (personal, political, magical) functions in the world. The rest develops as I write, and research helps a great deal with that. If you're going to write about an agrarian economy, research agrarian economies. If your main character is starving, then you should know what it means for a malnourished body to break down.

I'm perfectly capable of being stupid on my own.

Yuyeh sesh. Despise your heart. Ni weh sesh. I have no heart.

The ox feels the yoke, but does the bird feel the weight of its wings?

Oh, and the easiest way to make someone furious is to tell her to calm down.

There was something soothing about the crackle of paper, the smell of ink, and the soft scratching of nibs and brushes.

I wanted to believe anything so that I wouldn’t have to face the future alone. The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.