Tag: Fiction
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The Way of Wuxia
The romance of the jianghu crosses borders and cultures. It is freedom from cultural strictures, skill with martial arts, an iron code of honor. In China, its greatest appeal comes from its sharp contrast with Confucian norms, with its emphasis on rigid social hierarchies and complex etiquettes. The West sees parallels with the knights-errant of…
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Metaphysics and Worldbuilding
Previously, I discussed how I plan to write the gap between East and West in my latest series, Saga of the Swordbreaker. One of the topics I touched upon was the difference in metaphysical paradigms between China and the West. Let’s go into greater detail in metaphysics and worldbuilding. This post isn’t about religion and…
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Writing the Gap Between East and West
Xianxia is a Chinese genre. Cultivation is Western. How do you bridge the gap between East and West?
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Kit Sun Cheah on The Writers Room!
I’ll be appearing on The Writers Room to discuss cyberpunk and related matters with J. Ishiro Finney! You can watch the interview below or on YouTube. To learn more about my current project, SAGA OF THE SWORDBREAKER, click on the link here!
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Writing Gongfu and Cultivation
You can’t have a cultivation story without a cultivation system. Most cultivation fiction use easy systems. Drink a potion, take a pill, practice techniques from a manual, breathe a certain way, then do it enough times and suddenly you become more powerful. But what if your goal isn’t power? The primary purpose of cultivation is…
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Writing A Different Approach to Martial Arts
Most English-speaking readers would be familiar with Western portrayals of martial arts. In movies, television, games and prose, fight scenes are the cornerstone of Western fiction. One commonality I’ve noticed in most Western fight scenes I’ve seen is that they are portrayed as exchanges of force. Every fight scene is presented as a contest of…