Filed under: Rambling | Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Personal, Rambling, Speculative, Writing
Here we are over half way through NaNoWriMo and I’ve barely made a dent in word count, even if I count what I wrote before on the project. Sure, there are some valid reasons but really it comes down to me not putting forth as much effort as I usually do.
In separate news I’ve been having more vivid dreams as of late, which is as scary as it is refreshing for me. I’m going to be keeping a text file with dream logs until I find/buy a journal I like. I’ll probably just go with a comp book again. I’ve got quite the collection started with various notes. Can’t help it, I’m a bit of an organization freak at times. Maybe I already have a blank one. I will just have to see.
There’s nothing else for the moment, thanks for listening to the rambling.
Filed under: Rambling | Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Personal, Rambling, Speculative, Word Count, Writing
So we’re approaching my favorite holiday [go figure, right?] and the first time that the kids are really old enough to enjoy it. We picked up a couple cheap costumes for them that we think we can actually keep on them for the trek through the neighborhood. That is my duty tomorrow night too, while she stays home to pass out candy.
On a personal note, my writing might suffer the next few days between sugar comas and a bit of mail we got. Nothing unexpected, nothing we cant handle, but still not something we were entirely set for. Might alter our Christmas plans as well. I did at least get 395 words the other day so I’m still pushing forward.
NaNoWriMo starts in a couple days time too. Since I’m both a rule breaker and have my head fully in a project already I’m going to push along with it. I’ll still shoot for 50k words written just in November, but since that’s typically too short for a first time novel padding it before and after isn’t so horrid a thing. Completely acceptable in my eyes.
On that note, let me sign off saying good luck to everyone doing NaNo this year.
Filed under: Rambling | Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Links, Personal, Rambling, Speculative, Word Count, Writing
Today is my birthday, number 27, and I’m more than feeling it at times. I’m past my quarter life mark and still, other than wanting to write, I’m unsure what I want to do. I am taking steps though. I’ve started the application process to go back to school. This time it’s into journalism, with a focus on copy editing and multimedia. The decision came after seeking the advice of several friends in various industries. It seems to me to be the best choice, particularly when paired with several classes in studio art I intend to take as that’s been a love of mine as well.
Let me just take a moment to say thanks to Christopher Fletcher [Twiter - @mbranesf], GUD Editor Squirrel [Twitter - @buffysquirrel] and Wendy Gragg [Twiter - @wendydoeswaco] for their advice that led me to deciding that I can still focus on English without sticking strictly to English comp and literature. Thanks also goes to Brigid Ashwood [Twitter - @skwerlgrrl] for the bit of advice that’s leading me to leave my artistic options open and take those studio classes I flip flop about.
In other news I’m still moving along on the first draft. Last night saw another 729 words go down in what is going to be an emotional scene once I get it polished enough. From the few people who have seen scenes or entire chapters its going good thus far which is great! I’m glad I decided to restart from scratch and pick this project as the first.
In closing I just want to say thank you to one more person, without whom none of you would be reading this. My wife [Twitter - @darkfairymomma]. If she didn’t put up with the crap I do you would never hear from me.
Filed under: Rambling, World Building | Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Links, Rambling, Speculative, World Building, Writing
Thanks to a friend on twitter, @mattstaggs, and a link to a story about a Human vs Zombie tag game spreading through colleges I got to wondering what sort of games children in fantasy settings would come up with if surrounded by a particular sort of monster. I mean, we all know ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ and the urban legend that its associated with The Great Plague.
Would children play a similar game with werewolves as the theme? Or a night time version with vampires having to wait to be invited somewhere? In either each kid has a charm they wear openly that wards off the one that’s it if they hold it up like a cleric would a holy symbol, but if they get caught by surprise they can’t use the charm before getting tagged. Now they don’t wear their charm and are on the hunt for others to tag. Maybe each time you tag someone you get their charm so that at the end the last child not tagged or the child with the most charms gets to pick who’s it next.
If there are different sorts of shape-changers in the area maybe half the kids hide ‘treasures’ around town in containers, then hide themselves. The other half go seeking the ‘treasures’ but are out if they open up a container and end up getting tagged by one of the hiding kids. A friend suggested Mimic in the Box.
How about you? Have you made any games up in your stories, monster related or otherwise? Did you think about how the game came to be?
Filed under: Eclipse War, Rambling | Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Rambling, Speculative, Word Count, Writing
I have been writing. Maybe not as regularly as I could, but I’m still 2 chapters and over 4000 words into the first draft of the new Eclipse War. That, paired with all the scenes fully thought out running through my head makes me all the more confident in my decision to revamp this project.
On a side note, I’m at a crossroads that can play out several ways. The two I’m favoring is giving my assassin a religious slant or a sadistic tendency. Either will play out well, it’s just a matter of what feels right for him I guess.
There was no writing tonight though. The net distracted me like some wanton seductress calling out from the fog with that voice. I’ll remedy that tomorrow, maybe not with the same vigor as last night [just over 1000 words not counting varied versions of said formative scene] but it will be done none the less.
