THE RINGSTETTEN SAGA - CUES FROM WESTEROS

THE RINGSTETTEN SAGA - CUES FROM WESTEROS

1. Don't focus on the obvious choices for leading characters. Take the stance of the Bifauxnen or the Ladette, the Strange Girl or the Perky Female Minion, the Neidermeyer, the Privileged Rival or Bland Perfection, Aloof Ally, Dark Magical Girl, Eccentric Mentor... Bonus points if the character is privileged, cultured, eccentric, and/or detached from society.
2. There are antagonists, but no villains or "bad guys": there's just struggle between different factions.
3. Start by giving your young characters rose-coloured glasses, and let experience gradually strip them off.
4. Throw in some Sacrificial Lions and kill them when the audience least expects it.
5. Do A LOT of worldbuilding.
6. Switch POV regularly to present all sides of the story.
7. Add the phlebotinum little by little, stirring in between.
8. Develop your characters gradually. A Neidermeyer with a streak of Bland Perfection may change due to trauma, and so will a Bifauxnen or a Perky Female Minion, as well as the Aloof Ally and Dark Magical Girl. Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth, as well as Sansa Stark, Loras Tyrell, and Ty Lee, are good examples to follow.
9. Draw from history, mythology, and classical literature.