Not that there has been anything particularly wrong with this month- just that I seem to have been seriously slacking on the updating-of-the-blog front. And not because post-worthy things (and writings) haven't been happening. No, it's just been one of those months where I think, "Oh that will make a good blog post!" and then I just... don't get around to it.
But check me out, all 'round to it!
I'm feeling more and more comfortable in my role as commuter-cyclist, to the point where I am beginning to acquire paraphernalia. Yep, I took a walk on my lunch break the other day, and ended up lugging a floor pump back to the office, where I cheerfully strapped it to my little rack and took it home. Nathan, who'd had a flat tire, was thrilled with the investment. More evidence of my total assimilation? My holiday-wish-list is starting to become peppered with items like "skirt guard" and "panniers". Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, my bike is more than just a passing craze. (Expense justified! Woo!)
We are making incremental progress on the house: both the ceiling and the walls of the master-bedroom are now painted pale blue and yellow, respectively (although the ceiling-fan remains sitting in its box down in the still-chaotic "crafting-nook"), and we installed the extra shelf in the master-bathroom, so I now have a place to put everything in there without resorting to cardboard boxes. There is still a long, long list of little tweaks and improvements and personalizations, but hey- we've got years.
Speaking of years, it's been eleven months since I first started really writing my "novel" (and I still feel compelled to put it in quotes), and I am in the middle of getting feedback from the second draft. So far it's pretty much looking like I need to just entirely re-write the first section, which is depressing. I hate to admit it, but I'm so sick of the story I just want to burn it.
But I won't.
In happier creative-news, I've gotten about 10,000 words into the Sleeping Beauty book, and I'm liking it just ever so much (we'll see how I feel in about 70,000 more words... although truthfully I think it will end up longer than the Crow book...), and I've been laying some serious ground-work for this year's NaNo book. Expect excerpts...
But back to Home Owner Adventures: our oven sort of semi-imploded the other day, which, let me tell you, was excitement all around. Fortunately a home warranty was part of the deal when we bought this house, so all we had to do was call them up and they'd take care of it.
In their own sweet time, apparently.
The oven did its scary-thing on Sunday, but no one came out to look at it until yesterday (that would be Thursday). And the verdict? Special parts needs must be ordered, so we can fully expect to be without a functioning oven until 10/11. A good sixteen days. Awesome.
Fortunately some wonderful friends had us over for dinner that first night, and we've been relying quite a bit on the grill since then. And no-cook meals, of course, like bread-and-meat-and-cheese-and-fruit platters. And, um, ordering pizza...
Speaking of not cooking (see, so many things to write about!) I've also gotten seriously hooked on green monster smoothies. Holy guacamole, they're delicious! Plus it's fun to experiment with flavors... Possibly I will be rambling on about this subject more in the future (with product-shots, naturally).
And that... ought to cover it for the latter-part-of-September ramblings. I actually do have another post percolating in my brain, but it involves scanning a drawing and that seems like an awful lot of effort at the moment. (What can I say- it's Friday and I'm a bit wiped)
'Til next time, Gentle Readers!
Showing posts with label Crow King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crow King. Show all posts
9.30.2011
6.07.2011
Wishing I Could Be My Own Reader
So I'm up over 73k words, and I've got to say... I'm really, really sick of my story. Isn't that horrible? But I want nothing so much as to take a three-month break from it. I've just been up to my eyeballs in these characters and their exploits for the past six or seven months and... I want to work on other stuff! I want it to be done! But it won't be done until I finish writing it, and if I go wandering off to chase new story seeds I won't get around to finishing it... bleh. The truth is, I'm afraid I've ruined my own story for myself. I'll never ever be able to read it as a reader: for the rest of eternity, no matter how much I refine it, I am certain that I will continue to see ways to make it better. What a horrifying thought. But I suppose it's in no way a unique one: probably most writers get sick of their projects, and rue the fact that they'll never be able to just enjoy them. But I also suppose that makes writers awfully grateful to other writers, who kindly keep providing them with stories that they don't have to do anything to but read.
(At this particular moment I'm feeling said gratitude for Robin McKinley, specifically for The Blue Sword.)
Plus I've also swung away from the, "Hot damn I am such an excellent writer!" end of the spectrum back towards, "No one will ever willingly read this drivel!" which is certainly not helping the process. But I'm pretty sure my upcoming break will fix that (truly, I only have about four more major tweaks that need to happen before I read through it all again- and find more tweaks- and then send it off for Round Two of Feedback). Nothing like stepping away from something for a few months to refresh your perspective on it.
(At this particular moment I'm feeling said gratitude for Robin McKinley, specifically for The Blue Sword.)
Plus I've also swung away from the, "Hot damn I am such an excellent writer!" end of the spectrum back towards, "No one will ever willingly read this drivel!" which is certainly not helping the process. But I'm pretty sure my upcoming break will fix that (truly, I only have about four more major tweaks that need to happen before I read through it all again- and find more tweaks- and then send it off for Round Two of Feedback). Nothing like stepping away from something for a few months to refresh your perspective on it.
5.23.2011
Ripping Out Stitches
I'm at the point in rewrites now where it's mostly come down to a bunch of "expand here" or "fix this". And my absolute most major "fix this" got fixed today, which is really just brilliant. It was a point in the novel where I literally had written a line of dialogue as, "[I don't] know- ask the Author!" because I did not know how I was going to resolve it, and yet I had to just hurry up and get past that part in order to move on with the story. I guess it's sort of a more matter-of-fact version of me using ______ in place of names I've yet to make up. As such, I've been going back through and "ripping out stitches" (ie passages) to work them back in in such a manner that will support the newly discovered solution.
The other point I've gotten to is the "doing actual research" point. There is glassblowing in my story, and although I have a passing familiarity with the craft from my time working at The Museum of Glass (and International Art!), I don't really know enough to write a detailed scene that wouldn't get laughed out of a hot shop. I'll actually probably send my second draft out without said researched details, because I don't think my betas want to wait that long (and really those details won't be necesarry to the story- just to the authenticity of it). What's nice is that I don't have to rely solely on Senor Google, because I've managed to find a place around here where I can go and watch artisans work (and theoretically ask questions), and thereby build up enough lingo to make a respectable showing of myself. Plus, you know, maybe finally scratch my own personal glass-blowing itch via lessons.
In other exciting news, we finally took the inherited bikes down to a local shop to get them up to speed (as it were). We figured even if we don't end up using them for ourselves, we'll have an easier time selling them if they're in tip-top condition. And from the research Nathan's been doing, it seems pretty likely that it actually would cost more to build "my bike" into what I want it to be than it would cost to just buy a new one (it's because I have internal-gear love). Ah well.
The other point I've gotten to is the "doing actual research" point. There is glassblowing in my story, and although I have a passing familiarity with the craft from my time working at The Museum of Glass (and International Art!), I don't really know enough to write a detailed scene that wouldn't get laughed out of a hot shop. I'll actually probably send my second draft out without said researched details, because I don't think my betas want to wait that long (and really those details won't be necesarry to the story- just to the authenticity of it). What's nice is that I don't have to rely solely on Senor Google, because I've managed to find a place around here where I can go and watch artisans work (and theoretically ask questions), and thereby build up enough lingo to make a respectable showing of myself. Plus, you know, maybe finally scratch my own personal glass-blowing itch via lessons.
In other exciting news, we finally took the inherited bikes down to a local shop to get them up to speed (as it were). We figured even if we don't end up using them for ourselves, we'll have an easier time selling them if they're in tip-top condition. And from the research Nathan's been doing, it seems pretty likely that it actually would cost more to build "my bike" into what I want it to be than it would cost to just buy a new one (it's because I have internal-gear love). Ah well.
5.19.2011
Responsible Writing
I may have mentioned this a time or forty, but lately I've been working on rewrites/expansions (with the goal of having my second draft done by July). In fact that's what I'm about to settle in and work on after I finish this blog entry (I've been informed by more than one person that they miss my daily updates- I've made a promise to try and be more consistent). Anyway, as part of the whole "rewrite" process, I'm working from feedback given to me by my beloved Alpha readers, and one of them mentioned that I'd failed to mention any sort of birth control, even tho' I imply that Sexy Times are occurring. Seeing as how I am a Big Fan of representing responsible intercourse (I could have kissed Pat Rothfuss for his portrayal of a male taking responsibility in The Wise Man's Fear), I gave it some thought and figured out how to work in a bit of contraception. I did actually wrestle with whether to go for the tried-and-true-fantasy-trope of hebs, or be bold and go for a barrier method, but since my story is set in a time that more or less equates (technologically) to 18th century western Europe (yes yes, I know- chemical-soaked linens and the like... and yet), I decided to stick with herbs. And made the executive decision that there are no STDs (or are they STIs these days?) in this universe- or, if there are, that the herbs protect against them, too. Not that I mention that aspect in the book... but just so you know for yourselves. (There are certain perks to inventing world whole-cloth, and I intend to take advantage of them.)
My point being, here is the scene I added in an attempt to be a (slightly more) responsible author...
***
“Hold up a moment, will you? I need to dash into the apothecary’s real quick.”
Sera halted Gert and gave Layclin a puzzled look. “Why? Are you sick?”
“Not if I can help it,” snorted the other girl, and dashed into the shop. Sera scowled and hunched up closer to Gert’s warm flank. The rain was bordering on snow, and even a short delay from getting back to the studio was irritating- never mind the trouble they’d be in if Himself heard about them using shop time for personal errands. A few moments later Layclin returned, tucking a small packet into her pocket.
“What’s that?” Sera asked as they started walking again.
“Just some maiden’s root. I was getting low.”
“Maiden’s root?”
“Good grief, girl- I can’t tell if you’re more scandalized or fascinated. Don’t tell me you don’t have your own supply, little miss man-crazy.”
“Of course not! We’re not allowed to be… doing things… like that.”
“Doing things like preventing babes?”
“Doing things that lead to the need to prevent babes!” Sera snapped.
Layclin rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Technically the rule that we’re not to fraternize with our fellow apprentices- which I’m not, thank you very much. Nobody ever said anything about what we should or shouldn’t be doing with journeymen fishers.” She winked at Sera, but then grew sober. “You really ought to have your own supply, Sera. I’ve seen the way Riamac looks at you when he thinks no one else is looking.”
“I think that maiden’s root is making you hallucinate,” Sera muttered, but her face was burning.
***
...aaaaand then later I make mention of Sera making a trip to the apothecary and ta da! No babies.
And now? Back to work. I have to rework bit of scenery, now. Wheee!
PS Thought I might mention that three separate people have walked into my living room and commented on the "red wall", so possibly I'm not as bad a wife as I'd feared.
My point being, here is the scene I added in an attempt to be a (slightly more) responsible author...
***
“Hold up a moment, will you? I need to dash into the apothecary’s real quick.”
Sera halted Gert and gave Layclin a puzzled look. “Why? Are you sick?”
“Not if I can help it,” snorted the other girl, and dashed into the shop. Sera scowled and hunched up closer to Gert’s warm flank. The rain was bordering on snow, and even a short delay from getting back to the studio was irritating- never mind the trouble they’d be in if Himself heard about them using shop time for personal errands. A few moments later Layclin returned, tucking a small packet into her pocket.
“What’s that?” Sera asked as they started walking again.
“Just some maiden’s root. I was getting low.”
“Maiden’s root?”
“Good grief, girl- I can’t tell if you’re more scandalized or fascinated. Don’t tell me you don’t have your own supply, little miss man-crazy.”
“Of course not! We’re not allowed to be… doing things… like that.”
“Doing things like preventing babes?”
“Doing things that lead to the need to prevent babes!” Sera snapped.
Layclin rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Technically the rule that we’re not to fraternize with our fellow apprentices- which I’m not, thank you very much. Nobody ever said anything about what we should or shouldn’t be doing with journeymen fishers.” She winked at Sera, but then grew sober. “You really ought to have your own supply, Sera. I’ve seen the way Riamac looks at you when he thinks no one else is looking.”
“I think that maiden’s root is making you hallucinate,” Sera muttered, but her face was burning.
***
...aaaaand then later I make mention of Sera making a trip to the apothecary and ta da! No babies.
And now? Back to work. I have to rework bit of scenery, now. Wheee!
PS Thought I might mention that three separate people have walked into my living room and commented on the "red wall", so possibly I'm not as bad a wife as I'd feared.
1.06.2011
The Other Side of Writing
So I'm back to working on Crow King again, although not so much in the typing sense. It's been about a month since I last let myself look at it, so yesterday I printed it up and started to read. I'm trying to resist too much editing and instead just focus on the experience of the story- and, of course, making notes of where I need to expand, and where I need to clarify, and where I have used the exact same turn of phrase I used twenty pages ago. I am quite guilty of that last thing- apparently when I like the way something sounds, I want to share it. A lot. ::wry grin::
What's especially neat to me is that it's actually taking me time to get through the darn thing. As in, more than one day. That's a lot of words! So there's a certain warm glow to that little experience. And I can really tell where I hit my stride, because the writing gets, like, exponentially better. Which is both good and bad- good that I have chunks of really solid writing, and bad in that there are chunks that just plain and simple need to be re-written now that I am more familiar with the characters. ::sigh:: Ah well...
I've also done, as part of my daily-doodle business, some costume design. Oh so much fun. And Nathan has even made noises of approval, so that's nice.
And now? Now on to hoop dance class! ^_^
What's especially neat to me is that it's actually taking me time to get through the darn thing. As in, more than one day. That's a lot of words! So there's a certain warm glow to that little experience. And I can really tell where I hit my stride, because the writing gets, like, exponentially better. Which is both good and bad- good that I have chunks of really solid writing, and bad in that there are chunks that just plain and simple need to be re-written now that I am more familiar with the characters. ::sigh:: Ah well...
I've also done, as part of my daily-doodle business, some costume design. Oh so much fun. And Nathan has even made noises of approval, so that's nice.
And now? Now on to hoop dance class! ^_^
11.30.2010
NaNoWriMo No Mo
Well, this is it- the last day of NaNoWriMo. I wrote a few more words this afternoon, bringing the month's total to a little over 51k, but (as I mentioned the other day) there is still a ways to go. Probably another five thousand words or so to reach the (initial) end. So that's pretty good. And here is (possibly) the last excerpt you'll get for a while. Oh! First, a few words of explanation. First, "Storm Petrel" is my place-holder name until I come up with an actual name. Second, "black metal" is to Immortals what iron basically is to faeries. Think watered-down kryptonite. Finally, the "her" in the cage is the seagull that's been following Sera around ever since she ran away from the Welkin Court four years ago.
***
Dramen landed on a thick branch next to her and eyed the cage. If he could get it open he would eventually be able to worry the collar off- but first he had to get into the cage. He was large and powerful in his crow form: a strike of his beak was enough to crack even the toughest shell, so he should be able to break even a sturdy lock. But there was no lock- there was only an elaborate panel across the top of the cage.
***
Dramen landed on a thick branch next to her and eyed the cage. If he could get it open he would eventually be able to worry the collar off- but first he had to get into the cage. He was large and powerful in his crow form: a strike of his beak was enough to crack even the toughest shell, so he should be able to break even a sturdy lock. But there was no lock- there was only an elaborate panel across the top of the cage.
Inlaid in the panel were two discs, and each disc a hand-shaped depression; within the finger-troughs of each was a fine line of raised metal. It appeared that if you placed your hands in the depressions you could press down the metal bits, and then turn the discs, which would open the cage. Simple enough, if you had hands.
Which, of course, he didn’t. He croaked in frustration, and the seagull opened its bill and panted.
A sudden scream caught his attention, and he whirled back toward the beach- Sera and the man were no longer dancing- they were fighting. And running up and down the man’s body was… lightning?
Any moment now, my little storm will manifest itself… Storm Petrel’s words echoed in his mind. Had she truly placed the fury of a storm in a mortal shell? Damen clawed and stabbed fruitlessly at the indentations in the panel- but his crow anatomy was useless against it. He threw himself into the air, determined to drive away Sera’s attacker, only to find himself slammed back to the tree by a mental weight more powerful than any he’d before encountered. More powerful than his sister even, the most powerful of all the Elder Immortals.
**Release me, dark one.** It was a command, and Dramen realized it must be coming from the seagull. **Release me, and I will save her.**
**I cannot!** He didn’t want to spend time arguing with this unknown power, but she held his will so firmly in her own that he could not move.
**You can. Abandon your crow form.**
**You don’t understand! The curse-**
**Now! I will not stay lucid for much longer!** Dramen shuddered, and allowed his body to transform. The seagull would see that he was intangible, and release him- he might still drive off the attacker, give Sera time to seek shelter…
The branch he was crouching on dipped alarmingly beneath his increased weight, and he flung himself on the cage for support. The black metal burned his arms, but he was too shocked to do anything but cling. He was corporeal!
He was corporeal. He shoved his hands into the indentations and twisted, ignoring the pain. The cage sprang open and E’ia let out a shriek of triumph- but the collar still held her fast. Dramen reached in and unbuckled it, but as he did so he felt a sharp, piercing pain in the flesh of his thumb. The seagull launched herself into the air, and toward the struggling pair on the sands- but Dramen did not follow her progress with his eyes. Instead he slumped backward, a curious heaviness having overtaken his limbs. Only one substance in all of the realms would have such an instantaneous effect on an Immortal.
Morrian’s Tears, he thought dully, picturing the small, flowering plant which grew only in the Empyrean realms. They produced a juice toxic to any lesser Immortal- but only if he had first been weakened by black metal. Apparently Storm Petrel wasn’t as cavalier as she’d seemed. As the poison spread through his system he felt himself slipping from his perch in the tree- and he no longer had the capacity to shift himself. As his all-too-solid body began to plummet to toward the ground he realized-
I will die…
…but Sera will live.
He smiled as he fell.
11.22.2010
NaNoWriMo Returns!
(and so does that one guy)
I've broken the 45k wall, and if I push it I can probably finish before the week is up. We shall see.
I'm doing a bit of floundering with my writing right now. It's one of those days that makes me really glad that no one is seeing the vast majority of what I'm churning out. Needless to say, I'll have my work cut out for me when I finally start editing... although something tells me I'll also get a lot of pleasure from finally getting to correct all those things that are driving me crazy...
***
The light turned out to be sunlight reflecting off the bow of a small boat, and before it got close enough for her to make out his face, she knew him by his craft.
I've broken the 45k wall, and if I push it I can probably finish before the week is up. We shall see.
I'm doing a bit of floundering with my writing right now. It's one of those days that makes me really glad that no one is seeing the vast majority of what I'm churning out. Needless to say, I'll have my work cut out for me when I finally start editing... although something tells me I'll also get a lot of pleasure from finally getting to correct all those things that are driving me crazy...
***
The light turned out to be sunlight reflecting off the bow of a small boat, and before it got close enough for her to make out his face, she knew him by his craft.
It was him, the silent, mourning stranger. Sera’s insides knotted up on themselves. For many months after he’d disappeared, she’d occasionally day-dream of his return, of him professing his love for her and them building a life together, as she helped to ease his pain and turned it to joy.
But of course she’d known it would never happen. Never never never. He was just a fleeting moment in her life. An important moment, to be certain, a moment she treasured even as it caused her pain- a moment she didn’t fully understand but didn’t really need to. But moments aren’t supposed to come back.
And yet there he was, jumping out of the boat, pulling it onto the shore, sunlight warm on his golden skin. She was torn between greeting him like an old friend and hiding away in shame. Why she should be ashamed, she did not know- but she felt it burning like a coal in her chest.
11.16.2010
BaNaNoRaMa
Do you know what's just fabulous for bulking up your word-count? Clothing description. Oh hells yes. This is another "gone-back-and-added-in" scene. Originally I had Sera running around in a plain white shift for, like, 3/4 of the novel, but I decided she needs something slightly more sensible. The theory behind this outfit is that Sivon knows what's to come, and wants her to have decent garb to travel in. This thing looks wispy, but it's actually quite tough and- best of all!- totally stain-resistant. Yep, the Immortals have access to some totally awesome fabrics... Also, I just realized I forgot to throw in the description of the shoes, which is thrilling because I can totally use that to help bulk up tomorrow's word count. My goal is to break 40k tomorrow, and it would be really nice if I could hit 41k. I don't expect to be able to do much writing on Thursday or over the weekend, sooo... write while you can!
***
“I have revised my early opinion about your attire,” Sivon said as they moved through the paper-hallways of her home. Sera glanced down at her silk shift, wondering if it was going to be exchanged for a skirt and necklace like Sivon’s. She hoped not.
“That is to say,” Sivon continued, “I retain my opinion that you are lovely just as you are, but I believe that for Court you might feel comfortable in something just a little less unadorned. We Immortals do love to dress up for one another, even as we sacrifice some of our more personal preferences’ for fashion’s sake.” Sera remembered the stiff robe Sivon had briefly appeared in, and how Dramen had suddenly worn a shirt. Apparently one did not go topless at Court, regardless of one’s status or gender.
“As such,” Sivon led her into a brightly-lit room. “I have had something sewn for you, and I would like for you to try it on and either approve or disapprove.”
“Alright,” said Sera, still feeling nervous about what Sivon’s personal taste might put her in. As though she could read her thoughts (and Sera wasn’t entirely certain she couldn’t), Sivon smiled reassuringly and gestured to a servant.
“Here,” she said as the woman stepped forward with a neatly folded bundle of white. “See if this will not suit you.”
Sera took the bundle with a nod of thanks, and retreated behind a screen to change clothing. The new items were made of the same fine material as her shift, which was itself the finest she had ever worn. But these clothes- she stepped out again and found that two servants were holding up a mirror for her to see herself in.
The design for the outfit had obviously had its origins in what she had once worn in her home village: a loose blouse paired with a corset and a long skirt. But there the resemblance ended; rather than the daughter of a prosperous artisan, she looked like a romantic’s concept of a shipwrecked princess. Everything was white on white, right down to the wave-patterned embroidery of the corset, which was really more like an extremely low-cut vest than the simple waist-cincher she was used to. The short sleeves of the blouse had been artfully shredded, so that they did not do much to cover her shoulders, but did float about charmingly with every little breeze. There were two belts that crossed her hips like sword-belts, each sewn with four pouches; the material was very sturdy, like suede, so she knew she could carry heavy things without fear of them tearing off- but she had no idea what she was expected to carry. The skirt was made up of dozens of sheer panels sewn together until mid-thigh, where they suddenly swirled free in a manner that would allow her legs to show when she walked. The skirt, like the sleeves, appeared purposefully and attractively tattered.
The effect was surprisingly ethereal, and Sera stared at her reflection for long moments.
“I should look silly in this,” she finally said, “But I don’t.”
“No, you don’t. You look as though you’ve been cast adrift, which is as I intended. I want those who have not yet chosen a side to feel compassion for the poor, brave mortal, so far out of her element.”
“Brave, am I?” Sera thought of the heaviness that manifested in her belly any time either sibling mentioned the nightingale queen. Sivon looked her in the eye and raised a single brow.
“How many mortals do you know that dare to consort with Immortals? Let alone venture to one of the Sidereal Courts!”
“I suppose that’s true.” Seral looked back at her reflection. She may not feel brave, but at least she could look it. For Dramen she could do anything.
***
“I have revised my early opinion about your attire,” Sivon said as they moved through the paper-hallways of her home. Sera glanced down at her silk shift, wondering if it was going to be exchanged for a skirt and necklace like Sivon’s. She hoped not.
“That is to say,” Sivon continued, “I retain my opinion that you are lovely just as you are, but I believe that for Court you might feel comfortable in something just a little less unadorned. We Immortals do love to dress up for one another, even as we sacrifice some of our more personal preferences’ for fashion’s sake.” Sera remembered the stiff robe Sivon had briefly appeared in, and how Dramen had suddenly worn a shirt. Apparently one did not go topless at Court, regardless of one’s status or gender.
“As such,” Sivon led her into a brightly-lit room. “I have had something sewn for you, and I would like for you to try it on and either approve or disapprove.”
“Alright,” said Sera, still feeling nervous about what Sivon’s personal taste might put her in. As though she could read her thoughts (and Sera wasn’t entirely certain she couldn’t), Sivon smiled reassuringly and gestured to a servant.
“Here,” she said as the woman stepped forward with a neatly folded bundle of white. “See if this will not suit you.”
Sera took the bundle with a nod of thanks, and retreated behind a screen to change clothing. The new items were made of the same fine material as her shift, which was itself the finest she had ever worn. But these clothes- she stepped out again and found that two servants were holding up a mirror for her to see herself in.
The design for the outfit had obviously had its origins in what she had once worn in her home village: a loose blouse paired with a corset and a long skirt. But there the resemblance ended; rather than the daughter of a prosperous artisan, she looked like a romantic’s concept of a shipwrecked princess. Everything was white on white, right down to the wave-patterned embroidery of the corset, which was really more like an extremely low-cut vest than the simple waist-cincher she was used to. The short sleeves of the blouse had been artfully shredded, so that they did not do much to cover her shoulders, but did float about charmingly with every little breeze. There were two belts that crossed her hips like sword-belts, each sewn with four pouches; the material was very sturdy, like suede, so she knew she could carry heavy things without fear of them tearing off- but she had no idea what she was expected to carry. The skirt was made up of dozens of sheer panels sewn together until mid-thigh, where they suddenly swirled free in a manner that would allow her legs to show when she walked. The skirt, like the sleeves, appeared purposefully and attractively tattered.
The effect was surprisingly ethereal, and Sera stared at her reflection for long moments.
“I should look silly in this,” she finally said, “But I don’t.”
“No, you don’t. You look as though you’ve been cast adrift, which is as I intended. I want those who have not yet chosen a side to feel compassion for the poor, brave mortal, so far out of her element.”
“Brave, am I?” Sera thought of the heaviness that manifested in her belly any time either sibling mentioned the nightingale queen. Sivon looked her in the eye and raised a single brow.
“How many mortals do you know that dare to consort with Immortals? Let alone venture to one of the Sidereal Courts!”
“I suppose that’s true.” Seral looked back at her reflection. She may not feel brave, but at least she could look it. For Dramen she could do anything.
11.13.2010
The Rise of NaNoWriMo
Wow, what a great day for writing! Doing that world-building yesterday was just what I needed to release the word-dam, I guess. My official NaNo word count for the day is about 3200, but it's actually closer to about 3600, because I also took out about 400 previously-written words.
I'm doing what I'd mentioned yesterday- working more story back in to the earlier parts of the novel. It's actually pretty fantastic, because I have a better grip on my characters now than I did when I first started, so I think that's why it's flowing easier now. That or the stars have aligned just right, or whatever. Maybe my muse found a hidden stash of chocolate? Anyway I'm taking advantage of it while it's around...
Today's excerpt comes from before Sera even left her village to start her apprenticeship. I wanted to show the reader more examples of the way she was before she ended up a priestess, rather than just relying on the "telling" that I was using before.
PS (It might strike you as inappropriate for a 21-year-old to flirt with a 15-year-old like I show here. To which I say, "Yeah- that's kind of part of the point.")
***
...in the meantime she had a mind to head over to her father’s dye shop and see what was going on there. He had a first-year journeyman named Evern that Sera found particularly intriguing; he had come all the way from the capital to their small village just to study southern dye methods with her father, and he always had wonderful stories to tell. It would be difficult to say if Sera was more fond of his stories or of his dark blue eyes and deep dimple, but she was determined to find out.
Her father was nowhere to be seen when she entered the smelly sanctum of the dye shop, but Evern was up to his elbows in indigo dye- literally. Sera started laughing as soon as she saw him.
“What on earth happened?”
“Sera!” The young man’s expression was rueful. “Just exactly the person I was hoping would catch me looking foolish.” She immediately felt bad for laughing hurried over to him.
“What can I do to help you?”
“Hide me from your father?”
“Evern, if I had any skill at that I wouldn’t have so many memories of a tender posterior!”
“Now there’s an image,” he grinned, and Sera felt herself flush. Evern was much better at flirting than she was- all the more reason to spend time around him.
“Oh hush, or I won’t help you at all.”
“Might be worth it- tell me, when your cheeks flush like that, do they bear any resemblance to-“
“Evern!”
“Sorry, sorry- sometimes I forget how young and innocent you are.” Sera sniffed at this and walked over to a bolt of raw fabric.
“I’m not that young. Or that innocent.”
“Of course you're not, princess. You know how it is, you hit twenty-one and you feel like you’re a jaded old man who’s seen all there is…”
“Old man indeed! You’re absolutely full of silliness this morning. Will this work to soak up some of that dye?” Evern eyed the cloth.
“I was going to experiment on that, but I may as well use it for this.”
“You could always tell father you’re pioneering a new method of dye application.” She cut off a large swath and handed it to him.
“Hand-dying, as it were? Clever girl. I mean, clever young lady!” He winked at her and began wiping off as much of the liquid as he could. Unfortunately it couldn’t do anything for what had already stained his skin. Sera stifled another giggle.
“You look like you got both of your arms trapped in a sheet of ice.”
“Yes it is rather noticeable, isn’t it?” he sighed, scrubbing at his wrist. He held out the cloth and they both considered the oddly patterned smears.
“You could probably make something out of that,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe a panel on a bodice, done with embroidery to highlight the swirls…”
“That’s not such a bad idea,” he said. “I should get you to come to market with us, act as a salesgirl.”
“Oh no,” she laughed. “You’re not tricking me into becoming an apprentice to my father.”
“He’s a good Master,” Evern protested. “And I’m not just saying that because you’re his daughter and might tell on me.”
“I wouldn’t do that!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “I know my father is a good Master- he’s a good father, too- but I’m not apprenticing with him or anyone in this village. If I have my way, I’m going to get as far away from here as possible.”
“Why? What’s so wrong with here?”
“It’s boring here!”
“It is?” He sounded amused.
“Well not to you, obviously- you’ve only been here a few months so things are still new and interesting because they’re so different from your home. But I’ve been here my entire life- and I’m ready for something different!”
“Maybe you’ll go to the capital? I could give you a good word. What do you want to do?” Sera shrugged.
“Your stories of the capital make it sound wonderful but… it’s still too close.”
“Too close? It’s a three week ride!”
“Too close,” she said stubbornly. Evern laughed, and then stepped closer to her, causing her heart to jump.
“When do you turn sixteen, Sera?” His deep blue eyes were suddenly very serious.
“Early summer,” she said, proud that her voice stayed steady.
“And you’ll be off as soon as you may, I assume?” He moved closer still, and she could feel his warm breath on her skin.
“Yes,” it came out a whisper. Her heart was racing faster than a bird’s.
“Well then I’d better do this before I lose my chance.” He leaned forward and she tilted her mouth up to meet his. Her blood felt like it was boiling, and when their lips touched it exploded in her veins.
“A-hem.” Sera stepped back quickly, her face bright red. One of the second-year apprentices was standing in the doorway with a pail. It was Fenna, and she looked rather amused.
“Good thing I’m not the Master,” the older girl said with a raised eyebrow. “Because I can’t imagine what would make him angrier- the waste of good indigo dye, or the liberties being taken with his daughter.”
“He didn’t take any liberties!” snapped Sera, her blood now boiling for an entirely different reason. “If anything I took liberties from him!”
Fenna laughed. “Is that so? Well good for you, then, sweetie. Now, why don’t you run along before you get poor Evern thrown out in the streets for idleness.”
“Father wouldn’t get rid of Evern!” Sera said, but she took another step away from him. He, in turn, had grown a little pale, although the grin he gave her was as charming as ever.
“Of course he wouldn’t, Sera. But all the same…”
“I was going anyway,” she sniffed with a glance toward Fenna. “I’m sorry about your liberties,” she said to Evern.
“I’m not,” he whispered, and winked.
Sera left the dye shop with a smile.
I'm doing what I'd mentioned yesterday- working more story back in to the earlier parts of the novel. It's actually pretty fantastic, because I have a better grip on my characters now than I did when I first started, so I think that's why it's flowing easier now. That or the stars have aligned just right, or whatever. Maybe my muse found a hidden stash of chocolate? Anyway I'm taking advantage of it while it's around...
Today's excerpt comes from before Sera even left her village to start her apprenticeship. I wanted to show the reader more examples of the way she was before she ended up a priestess, rather than just relying on the "telling" that I was using before.
PS (It might strike you as inappropriate for a 21-year-old to flirt with a 15-year-old like I show here. To which I say, "Yeah- that's kind of part of the point.")
***
...in the meantime she had a mind to head over to her father’s dye shop and see what was going on there. He had a first-year journeyman named Evern that Sera found particularly intriguing; he had come all the way from the capital to their small village just to study southern dye methods with her father, and he always had wonderful stories to tell. It would be difficult to say if Sera was more fond of his stories or of his dark blue eyes and deep dimple, but she was determined to find out.
Her father was nowhere to be seen when she entered the smelly sanctum of the dye shop, but Evern was up to his elbows in indigo dye- literally. Sera started laughing as soon as she saw him.
“What on earth happened?”
“Sera!” The young man’s expression was rueful. “Just exactly the person I was hoping would catch me looking foolish.” She immediately felt bad for laughing hurried over to him.
“What can I do to help you?”
“Hide me from your father?”
“Evern, if I had any skill at that I wouldn’t have so many memories of a tender posterior!”
“Now there’s an image,” he grinned, and Sera felt herself flush. Evern was much better at flirting than she was- all the more reason to spend time around him.
“Oh hush, or I won’t help you at all.”
“Might be worth it- tell me, when your cheeks flush like that, do they bear any resemblance to-“
“Evern!”
“Sorry, sorry- sometimes I forget how young and innocent you are.” Sera sniffed at this and walked over to a bolt of raw fabric.
“I’m not that young. Or that innocent.”
“Of course you're not, princess. You know how it is, you hit twenty-one and you feel like you’re a jaded old man who’s seen all there is…”
“Old man indeed! You’re absolutely full of silliness this morning. Will this work to soak up some of that dye?” Evern eyed the cloth.
“I was going to experiment on that, but I may as well use it for this.”
“You could always tell father you’re pioneering a new method of dye application.” She cut off a large swath and handed it to him.
“Hand-dying, as it were? Clever girl. I mean, clever young lady!” He winked at her and began wiping off as much of the liquid as he could. Unfortunately it couldn’t do anything for what had already stained his skin. Sera stifled another giggle.
“You look like you got both of your arms trapped in a sheet of ice.”
“Yes it is rather noticeable, isn’t it?” he sighed, scrubbing at his wrist. He held out the cloth and they both considered the oddly patterned smears.
“You could probably make something out of that,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe a panel on a bodice, done with embroidery to highlight the swirls…”
“That’s not such a bad idea,” he said. “I should get you to come to market with us, act as a salesgirl.”
“Oh no,” she laughed. “You’re not tricking me into becoming an apprentice to my father.”
“He’s a good Master,” Evern protested. “And I’m not just saying that because you’re his daughter and might tell on me.”
“I wouldn’t do that!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “I know my father is a good Master- he’s a good father, too- but I’m not apprenticing with him or anyone in this village. If I have my way, I’m going to get as far away from here as possible.”
“Why? What’s so wrong with here?”
“It’s boring here!”
“It is?” He sounded amused.
“Well not to you, obviously- you’ve only been here a few months so things are still new and interesting because they’re so different from your home. But I’ve been here my entire life- and I’m ready for something different!”
“Maybe you’ll go to the capital? I could give you a good word. What do you want to do?” Sera shrugged.
“Your stories of the capital make it sound wonderful but… it’s still too close.”
“Too close? It’s a three week ride!”
“Too close,” she said stubbornly. Evern laughed, and then stepped closer to her, causing her heart to jump.
“When do you turn sixteen, Sera?” His deep blue eyes were suddenly very serious.
“Early summer,” she said, proud that her voice stayed steady.
“And you’ll be off as soon as you may, I assume?” He moved closer still, and she could feel his warm breath on her skin.
“Yes,” it came out a whisper. Her heart was racing faster than a bird’s.
“Well then I’d better do this before I lose my chance.” He leaned forward and she tilted her mouth up to meet his. Her blood felt like it was boiling, and when their lips touched it exploded in her veins.
“A-hem.” Sera stepped back quickly, her face bright red. One of the second-year apprentices was standing in the doorway with a pail. It was Fenna, and she looked rather amused.
“Good thing I’m not the Master,” the older girl said with a raised eyebrow. “Because I can’t imagine what would make him angrier- the waste of good indigo dye, or the liberties being taken with his daughter.”
“He didn’t take any liberties!” snapped Sera, her blood now boiling for an entirely different reason. “If anything I took liberties from him!”
Fenna laughed. “Is that so? Well good for you, then, sweetie. Now, why don’t you run along before you get poor Evern thrown out in the streets for idleness.”
“Father wouldn’t get rid of Evern!” Sera said, but she took another step away from him. He, in turn, had grown a little pale, although the grin he gave her was as charming as ever.
“Of course he wouldn’t, Sera. But all the same…”
“I was going anyway,” she sniffed with a glance toward Fenna. “I’m sorry about your liberties,” she said to Evern.
“I’m not,” he whispered, and winked.
Sera left the dye shop with a smile.
11.12.2010
The Bridge to NaNoWriMo
Let's talk world-building, peeps.
Last night as Nathan and I were driving down for our friend's 30th birthday party I started grousing about my novel. Primarily I was complaining that I need more excitement, because right now it's mostly about feelings and as we all know, feelings are boring.
No, seriously- feelings are important and yes this is meant to be a book about the emotional maturation of my characters but still- feelings without adventure are boooooring. Or at the very least not the sort of book I would want to read, so why subject my readers to it? Not to mention the fact that if I ever want Nathan to actually read it, I have to provide some entertaining action. Which I feel is fair.
Anyway I was saying that the main problem was that I needed to put Sera into a life-threatening situation, but I didn't want it to be something stupid like a natural disaster; I wanted it to be someone trying to kill her, but I have no conflict! Nooo conflict, gentle readers. Beyond the feelings. No wonder there was boredom on the horizon!
So Nathan combined his giant brain with my brain concentrate, and we sparked up a few ideas about the conflict coming from my already handily-established Immortals. And today I sat down and pounded out about 1500 words of getting-it-straight-in-my-head, which I have streamlined for your reading convenience! I also wrote about 800 words on the novel, but honestly I've gotten to a point where I need to go back and rewrite/expand large swaths before I can go forward any more. Seriously- I have to incorporate what I figured out today in terms of EXCITING CONFLICT! before I can go anywhere else.
I asked my writer's group if they thought it would be fair to count my world-building as part of my word-count for the day, and was told (paraphrased) "Absolutely yes!" "Absolutely no!" "That's your call!" Ah, my helpful compatriots... in the end I'm opting not to use it, because I'm just kind of strict with myself that way. I do feel that I could use it- I wouldn't fault anyone for doing so- but I'm far enough ahead that it'll be okay even if I don't. And if I manage to refine it enough to work into my story over the next few days then it won't really matter, anyway, because those words will be in there, one way or another.
Now, as promised, the streamlined version of what I came up with:
(PS Spoilers, obviously)
***
The Celestial Courts consist of Four Courts, roughly aligned with the elements:
(in descending age/order of power)
Empyrean (Fire/"Radiant Court")- mythological creatures, Dragon Regents
Welkin (Air/"Feathered Court")- birds, Phoenix Regents
Hyetal (Water/"Court of Scales")- fish, Sea Serpent Regents
Alluvium (Earth/"Court of Skins")- land-bound animals, Unicorn Regents
(There are some monarchs that cross between courts [bats , dolphins, etc].)
The gods are never seen in the story- they are not prone to blatant interference the way Immortals are, preferring to subtly manipulate natural events and seeming coincidence- but the immortals are aware and afraid of them, for they are their makers and their power absolute.
Most of the Immortals have “gifts” unique to them (ie Sivon’s ability to See truth, Dramen’s manipulation of perception, Aniqi’s luck) in addition to the standard immortal powers (telepathy, teleportation, agelessness, command of their animal subjects).
***
Unnamed gods create the world, and then the Empyrean Court (sets of mated twins) to watch over it. An epoch goes by and the Empyrean Court is super-bored with looking after the world, so they create the Elder Immortals of the three lesser Courts (Welkin, Hyetal, Alluvium) to correspond with various mortal creatures. They, too, are created in mated pairs, but not twinned. Some of the Elder Immortals get pissed off that they’re just expected to do the Empyreans’ work for them, so they rebel, lose, and are cast down to become mortal humans. One of them is the oldest of the Welkin Court, the Seagull King, and when he falls his mate (the Seagull Queen) goes mad with grief and follows him to the mortal realms. The remaining Elder Immortals set about creating the Younger Immortals from their own essence (hence Dramen is Sivon’s “younger brother”) to replace those who fell (replace their numbers, not their roles). The Younger Immortals are created singley, without mates. The Empyrean-natured rotate stints as Regents for each of the Lesser Courts (hence the Phoenix Regents currently rule over the Welkin Court) to keep the Lesser Immortals in line. In a bit of known-only-to-them-logic, they use a bit of the mad Seagull Queen to create a Lesser Immortal in place of her and her husband (Storm Petrel).
Because Petrel was made from a flawed source, rather than being most powerful of the Lesser Immortals (as she should be as eldest of eldest), she is much diminished in powers and a bit cracked mentally, to boot. Her lack of power makes her insanely jealous of all the other Younger Immortals- especially Dramen, whom she feels has usurped her rightful place as first among the Younger Immortals, and who doesn’t display any sort of gratitude for his gifts. She becomes a mage in an attempt to augment her powers, and when Dramen breaks Nightingale’s heart she helps Nightingale craft the curse that will essentially rob Dramen of his power and influence.
Eventually Dramen brings Sera (a mortal descendent of the Seagull King) to the Welkin Court, which attracts the attention of the mad Seagull Queen (in permanent bird form). When Sera flees the court and is caught in a killing storm of Petral’s creation, SQ rescues her and takes her back to the mortal realms, where she remains as her companion (because being around Sera helps SQ feel better). Eventually SQ regains enough sanity to want to transfer her essence to Sera- essentially killing herself, but leaving someone whole and sane to watch over her people as a new, Elevated Immortal.
In the meantime Sera and Dramen are beginning to fall really and truly in love, which will break Dramen’s curse. So Dramen is on the verge of getting his powers back and there is a potential Elevated in the lineup- someone to receive the power Petrel believes is hers by right. This infuriates her, and because she doesn’t understand the nature of love (that it is not dependent upon being alive) she looks to kill two birds with one stone (hah!) by killing Sera.
What’s up Conflict.
***
So, one last time, to clarify- the older the Immortal, the closer in essence they are to the gods, and therefore the more powerful they are. (Also the less concerned with the doings of the mortal realms.) So, in descending order of power (with helpful "class labels"!)
Empyrean Court (Oro/Ara)
Elder Immortals (Sivon and her mate Irroc)
Younger Immortals (Dramen)
Mortals (descendants of fallen Elder Immortals)
Then there are the wild-cards, the Elevated Immortals (Robin). By and large they are the least powerful of all the Immortals, because they are formerly-human rather than created.
Last night as Nathan and I were driving down for our friend's 30th birthday party I started grousing about my novel. Primarily I was complaining that I need more excitement, because right now it's mostly about feelings and as we all know, feelings are boring.
No, seriously- feelings are important and yes this is meant to be a book about the emotional maturation of my characters but still- feelings without adventure are boooooring. Or at the very least not the sort of book I would want to read, so why subject my readers to it? Not to mention the fact that if I ever want Nathan to actually read it, I have to provide some entertaining action. Which I feel is fair.
Anyway I was saying that the main problem was that I needed to put Sera into a life-threatening situation, but I didn't want it to be something stupid like a natural disaster; I wanted it to be someone trying to kill her, but I have no conflict! Nooo conflict, gentle readers. Beyond the feelings. No wonder there was boredom on the horizon!
So Nathan combined his giant brain with my brain concentrate, and we sparked up a few ideas about the conflict coming from my already handily-established Immortals. And today I sat down and pounded out about 1500 words of getting-it-straight-in-my-head, which I have streamlined for your reading convenience! I also wrote about 800 words on the novel, but honestly I've gotten to a point where I need to go back and rewrite/expand large swaths before I can go forward any more. Seriously- I have to incorporate what I figured out today in terms of EXCITING CONFLICT! before I can go anywhere else.
I asked my writer's group if they thought it would be fair to count my world-building as part of my word-count for the day, and was told (paraphrased) "Absolutely yes!" "Absolutely no!" "That's your call!" Ah, my helpful compatriots... in the end I'm opting not to use it, because I'm just kind of strict with myself that way. I do feel that I could use it- I wouldn't fault anyone for doing so- but I'm far enough ahead that it'll be okay even if I don't. And if I manage to refine it enough to work into my story over the next few days then it won't really matter, anyway, because those words will be in there, one way or another.
Now, as promised, the streamlined version of what I came up with:
(PS Spoilers, obviously)
***
The Celestial Courts consist of Four Courts, roughly aligned with the elements:
(in descending age/order of power)
Empyrean (Fire/"Radiant Court")- mythological creatures, Dragon Regents
Welkin (Air/"Feathered Court")- birds, Phoenix Regents
Hyetal (Water/"Court of Scales")- fish, Sea Serpent Regents
Alluvium (Earth/"Court of Skins")- land-bound animals, Unicorn Regents
(There are some monarchs that cross between courts [bats , dolphins, etc].)
The gods are never seen in the story- they are not prone to blatant interference the way Immortals are, preferring to subtly manipulate natural events and seeming coincidence- but the immortals are aware and afraid of them, for they are their makers and their power absolute.
Most of the Immortals have “gifts” unique to them (ie Sivon’s ability to See truth, Dramen’s manipulation of perception, Aniqi’s luck) in addition to the standard immortal powers (telepathy, teleportation, agelessness, command of their animal subjects).
***
Unnamed gods create the world, and then the Empyrean Court (sets of mated twins) to watch over it. An epoch goes by and the Empyrean Court is super-bored with looking after the world, so they create the Elder Immortals of the three lesser Courts (Welkin, Hyetal, Alluvium) to correspond with various mortal creatures. They, too, are created in mated pairs, but not twinned. Some of the Elder Immortals get pissed off that they’re just expected to do the Empyreans’ work for them, so they rebel, lose, and are cast down to become mortal humans. One of them is the oldest of the Welkin Court, the Seagull King, and when he falls his mate (the Seagull Queen) goes mad with grief and follows him to the mortal realms. The remaining Elder Immortals set about creating the Younger Immortals from their own essence (hence Dramen is Sivon’s “younger brother”) to replace those who fell (replace their numbers, not their roles). The Younger Immortals are created singley, without mates. The Empyrean-natured rotate stints as Regents for each of the Lesser Courts (hence the Phoenix Regents currently rule over the Welkin Court) to keep the Lesser Immortals in line. In a bit of known-only-to-them-logic, they use a bit of the mad Seagull Queen to create a Lesser Immortal in place of her and her husband (Storm Petrel).
Because Petrel was made from a flawed source, rather than being most powerful of the Lesser Immortals (as she should be as eldest of eldest), she is much diminished in powers and a bit cracked mentally, to boot. Her lack of power makes her insanely jealous of all the other Younger Immortals- especially Dramen, whom she feels has usurped her rightful place as first among the Younger Immortals, and who doesn’t display any sort of gratitude for his gifts. She becomes a mage in an attempt to augment her powers, and when Dramen breaks Nightingale’s heart she helps Nightingale craft the curse that will essentially rob Dramen of his power and influence.
Eventually Dramen brings Sera (a mortal descendent of the Seagull King) to the Welkin Court, which attracts the attention of the mad Seagull Queen (in permanent bird form). When Sera flees the court and is caught in a killing storm of Petral’s creation, SQ rescues her and takes her back to the mortal realms, where she remains as her companion (because being around Sera helps SQ feel better). Eventually SQ regains enough sanity to want to transfer her essence to Sera- essentially killing herself, but leaving someone whole and sane to watch over her people as a new, Elevated Immortal.
In the meantime Sera and Dramen are beginning to fall really and truly in love, which will break Dramen’s curse. So Dramen is on the verge of getting his powers back and there is a potential Elevated in the lineup- someone to receive the power Petrel believes is hers by right. This infuriates her, and because she doesn’t understand the nature of love (that it is not dependent upon being alive) she looks to kill two birds with one stone (hah!) by killing Sera.
What’s up Conflict.
***
So, one last time, to clarify- the older the Immortal, the closer in essence they are to the gods, and therefore the more powerful they are. (Also the less concerned with the doings of the mortal realms.) So, in descending order of power (with helpful "class labels"!)
Empyrean Court (Oro/Ara)
Elder Immortals (Sivon and her mate Irroc)
Younger Immortals (Dramen)
Mortals (descendants of fallen Elder Immortals)
Then there are the wild-cards, the Elevated Immortals (Robin). By and large they are the least powerful of all the Immortals, because they are formerly-human rather than created.
11.11.2010
NaNoWriMo and a Half
I am grumpy this evening because I went to go update my word-count on the NanoSite (broke 30k tonight) but apparently I was set on Eastern time, so it was showing me as having written five-hundred words "today" (that being tomorrow). Well I got huffy (I like my charts and graphs!) so I went in and updated my time zone to the correct Central time (now that I think about it, I think the damn thing just didn't switch over for daylight savings) and now it's just sort of eaten my word count! Oh, it still says I'm over 30k on my little banner, but my "NaNo Stats" graph is stubbornly staying on the last number I entered this afternoon (which was embarrassingly below the daily minimum). Grrrr! I demand accuracy!
Anyway.
I'm up waaaaay too late. But Nathan is home, so it's all going to be okay.
***
“Sera, I’m still cursed.” He said it aloud, trying it out. “Sera, the curse was never broken. I’ve never found true love.” He dropped into a crouch and put his head in his hands.
“Maybe I’ll never find true love.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” said Sivon. He lifted his face to look up at his sister, who was wearing an expression he could not read. He was in too much turmoil to yell at her for intruding- and what’s more, he didn’t even know that he actually wanted to. It was… good to see her again.
“Will you tell me what you’ve seen?” He knew he sounded pitiful, pleading- but he did not care. Sivon smiled and lowered herself in a graceful seat next to him.
“I have seen a king who has been taking a much-needed break from his relentless pursuit of love. And I have seen him smile, which I have not seen in far too long.”
“That’s not what I meant,”
“I know.”
“Of course you do.” Dramen sighed and lay back until he was propped up on his elbows.
“Dramen- I think it is good for you to spend time in the temple by the sea.”
“But it’s not doing me any good in terms of finding my true love.”
“I think it is helping to turn you into someone who can find true love.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means forget about true love for a while, Dramen." She gestured at him with an elegant hand and continued, "How long have you stalked it like a starving wolf, hoping to force it out of hiding with your howling? That is not how love works; you cannot compel it to do anything, much less appear. I would have thought you’d have learned that lesson four years ago.”
Dramen felt himself flush, but he remembered the calm acceptance he saw on Sera’s face, and bit back angry words.
“Maybe a more intelligent person would have learned it at the time," he admitted, "but I guess it just takes longer for things to sink into my skull.” Sivon reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.
“Listen to me, little brother. Go back to the temple and just be for a while.”
“But Sera…” he trailed off, not certain how to explain.
“Has become your friend.”
“…yes, I suppose she has.”
“And you feel bad lying to her.”
“Exactly!”
“So tell her the truth.”
“All of it?”
“As much as is appropriate.”
“And how much is that?”
“That I cannot tell you that; every person must work that balance out for themselves.”
Anyway.
I'm up waaaaay too late. But Nathan is home, so it's all going to be okay.
***
“Sera, I’m still cursed.” He said it aloud, trying it out. “Sera, the curse was never broken. I’ve never found true love.” He dropped into a crouch and put his head in his hands.
“Maybe I’ll never find true love.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” said Sivon. He lifted his face to look up at his sister, who was wearing an expression he could not read. He was in too much turmoil to yell at her for intruding- and what’s more, he didn’t even know that he actually wanted to. It was… good to see her again.
“Will you tell me what you’ve seen?” He knew he sounded pitiful, pleading- but he did not care. Sivon smiled and lowered herself in a graceful seat next to him.
“I have seen a king who has been taking a much-needed break from his relentless pursuit of love. And I have seen him smile, which I have not seen in far too long.”
“That’s not what I meant,”
“I know.”
“Of course you do.” Dramen sighed and lay back until he was propped up on his elbows.
“Dramen- I think it is good for you to spend time in the temple by the sea.”
“But it’s not doing me any good in terms of finding my true love.”
“I think it is helping to turn you into someone who can find true love.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means forget about true love for a while, Dramen." She gestured at him with an elegant hand and continued, "How long have you stalked it like a starving wolf, hoping to force it out of hiding with your howling? That is not how love works; you cannot compel it to do anything, much less appear. I would have thought you’d have learned that lesson four years ago.”
Dramen felt himself flush, but he remembered the calm acceptance he saw on Sera’s face, and bit back angry words.
“Maybe a more intelligent person would have learned it at the time," he admitted, "but I guess it just takes longer for things to sink into my skull.” Sivon reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.
“Listen to me, little brother. Go back to the temple and just be for a while.”
“But Sera…” he trailed off, not certain how to explain.
“Has become your friend.”
“…yes, I suppose she has.”
“And you feel bad lying to her.”
“Exactly!”
“So tell her the truth.”
“All of it?”
“As much as is appropriate.”
“And how much is that?”
“That I cannot tell you that; every person must work that balance out for themselves.”
11.10.2010
NaNoWriMo and the Quest for the Goblet of Doom
I have been queasy off and on all day. Bleh. On the upside, I dyed my hair this evening, so that should be a pleasant surprise for Nathan when he gets home tomorrow morning. Speaking of my handsome husband, check out his picture for today: Middle America. I like it!
I'm about a hair's breadth over 28,000 words now, and I have to say- I have no idea where on earth I'm going to get enough words to get me to 50,000. I think I am going to have to go back and bulk up scenes I've already written.
Wait, have I already talked about that on here? Ugh, I don't know. All this writing is starting to blend together in my brain...
(this excerpt takes place years after the last one, so don't imagine it's like the next morning or something...)
***
A few days later, when Sera left the temple to greet the rising sun, she found Dramen standing next to a pile of sticks.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Firewood. I noticed you were running low.”
“Well… thank you, Dramen. That’s actually very thoughtful of you.”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” he said dryly.
“Sorry. I guess it’s not fair of me to expect that I’m the only one who’s changed.”
“What do you mean by that?” He followed her as she grabbed an armful of the sticks and began to climb the spiraling steps up the side of her little light tower. “I brought you gifts when we were together!”
“Well yes, you did,” she said slowly, “but they tended to be more the sort of gifts that made you look like a generous giver. You never, ever would have brought me something so unglamorous as sticks.”
“You don’t like them?” he sounded wounded. She shook her head as they reached the top platform, where she threw the sticks down next to the fire pit.
“It’s not about whether or not I like them, Dramen- I needed them. And you saw that, and you brought them to me. Which is what makes them a much nicer gift than, say, a gold bracelet.”
“Oh.”
“It’s a change for the better, Dramen,” she smiled at him before turning to face the east. “Be glad."
I'm about a hair's breadth over 28,000 words now, and I have to say- I have no idea where on earth I'm going to get enough words to get me to 50,000. I think I am going to have to go back and bulk up scenes I've already written.
Wait, have I already talked about that on here? Ugh, I don't know. All this writing is starting to blend together in my brain...
(this excerpt takes place years after the last one, so don't imagine it's like the next morning or something...)
***
A few days later, when Sera left the temple to greet the rising sun, she found Dramen standing next to a pile of sticks.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Firewood. I noticed you were running low.”
“Well… thank you, Dramen. That’s actually very thoughtful of you.”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” he said dryly.
“Sorry. I guess it’s not fair of me to expect that I’m the only one who’s changed.”
“What do you mean by that?” He followed her as she grabbed an armful of the sticks and began to climb the spiraling steps up the side of her little light tower. “I brought you gifts when we were together!”
“Well yes, you did,” she said slowly, “but they tended to be more the sort of gifts that made you look like a generous giver. You never, ever would have brought me something so unglamorous as sticks.”
“You don’t like them?” he sounded wounded. She shook her head as they reached the top platform, where she threw the sticks down next to the fire pit.
“It’s not about whether or not I like them, Dramen- I needed them. And you saw that, and you brought them to me. Which is what makes them a much nicer gift than, say, a gold bracelet.”
“Oh.”
“It’s a change for the better, Dramen,” she smiled at him before turning to face the east. “Be glad."
11.09.2010
Return to NaNoWriMo!
This is a portion of the story I did not know existed until yesterday. And yesterday I didn't even know what the story was, just that the stranger had shown up. I argued with him- I pointed out that there was no need for him, and I didn't even know what he was up to, and probably I should just erase that introductory scene- but he didn't care. He needed to be there, doing whatever the hell it was he was doing to the tree (we argued about that, too). So I left him, and today I discovered a portion of his story.
This passage is very important, I think, although I'm still not entirely certain why. And I know in my bones that the stranger will pop back up later in the novel; his influence on events is not complete. And I feel it is fairly likely that I will write his story at a later date- although I will probably not put it in the novel. Not everything has to be, you know. Anyway, I hope you like this, because I actually do...
***
One evening a young man appeared, barefoot, at her temple; he was very good looking, with skin darkened and hair lightened by the sun. He had very white teeth, and freckles, but he didn’t look as cheerful as the lighter lines around his hazel eyes suggested he was. Sera felt a flutter deep in her belly that she had not felt in a long time.
Like the first pilgrim that had come, the man said nothing, but walked up to the altar and placed a small bundle there. Then he went out on the sand, laid down, and went to sleep. Sera thought sadly that it would be a shame when he went away in the morning. He was very nice to look at.
But he didn’t go away in the morning. When Sera woke not long after dawn she found him dragging a large tree from the woods down to the beach. Curious, she walked over to him and watched in silence as he began stripping it of its foliage. Still he said nothing, and for some reason, neither did she. Finally she turned and walked back to the temple. People had their own reasons for what they did. If his demons wanted him to denude a tree on the beach, and it wasn’t harming her or anyone else, who was she to interfere?
She brought him baked fish for lunch.
***
As it turned out, he wasn’t just destroying trees- he was carving a boat. At first Sera just sat and watched, but eventually her desire to contribute overcame her, and, with a questioning look, she picked up one of the metal chisels he had and began helping him carve out the interior. Still he did not speak- but he also did not stop her. Days went by with the two of them sitting side by side in silence, slowly bringing the boat into existence.
Once the vessel’s rough shape had taken form, the stranger began using more delicate tools, finer strokes. Sera did not feel qualified to help with this, so instead she began weaving together a great long garland of sea glass and rope, to decorate the sides of the boat. It was intricate work, and she finished about the same time he did, so that when he began to smooth the entire thing with sand, she was able to help once more.
It was a gorgeous thing, when it was finished- dark umber and gleaming in the setting sun. Sera carefully attached her creation to the prow and felt satisfied with the contrast. She turned toward the temple, but was halted by the sound of a splash. When she looked back, the stranger was starting to push the boat into the water.
She didn’t know what to do- what to say. She hadn’t spoken a single word to him this entire time- what right had she to do so now? But she wanted him to stay.
As though he could feel her eyes on him, the stranger paused. The boat was still grounded; he walked away from it and back toward Sera. They stared into one another’s eyes for a long time, and Sera thought that for the first time he looked as though he might have found some peace. He laid a rough hand on her cheek and smiled.
“Thank you, Lady,” he said, and kissed her very softly on the mouth. Then he returned to his boat, and pushed it into the surf.
Numb, Sera returned to the temple. She sat in front of the altar for a long time, staring at the little flame she worked so hard to keep lit. Finally, she noticed the little cloth bundle the stranger had brought when he first arrived, all those days ago. Not caring if it was sacrilege, Sera reached forward and removed it from the altar.
The material was very soft, and very fine, the sort of thing a woman might use for her wedding dress. As Sera unwound it and discovered a bit of traditional fertility embroidery, she felt certain that is what the length had originally been part of. Finally the fabric was laid open, and she could see what it had protected.
It was a pair of carefully knitted boots, each no longer than Sera’s thumb.
She covered her face and wept.
This passage is very important, I think, although I'm still not entirely certain why. And I know in my bones that the stranger will pop back up later in the novel; his influence on events is not complete. And I feel it is fairly likely that I will write his story at a later date- although I will probably not put it in the novel. Not everything has to be, you know. Anyway, I hope you like this, because I actually do...
***
One evening a young man appeared, barefoot, at her temple; he was very good looking, with skin darkened and hair lightened by the sun. He had very white teeth, and freckles, but he didn’t look as cheerful as the lighter lines around his hazel eyes suggested he was. Sera felt a flutter deep in her belly that she had not felt in a long time.
Like the first pilgrim that had come, the man said nothing, but walked up to the altar and placed a small bundle there. Then he went out on the sand, laid down, and went to sleep. Sera thought sadly that it would be a shame when he went away in the morning. He was very nice to look at.
But he didn’t go away in the morning. When Sera woke not long after dawn she found him dragging a large tree from the woods down to the beach. Curious, she walked over to him and watched in silence as he began stripping it of its foliage. Still he said nothing, and for some reason, neither did she. Finally she turned and walked back to the temple. People had their own reasons for what they did. If his demons wanted him to denude a tree on the beach, and it wasn’t harming her or anyone else, who was she to interfere?
She brought him baked fish for lunch.
***
As it turned out, he wasn’t just destroying trees- he was carving a boat. At first Sera just sat and watched, but eventually her desire to contribute overcame her, and, with a questioning look, she picked up one of the metal chisels he had and began helping him carve out the interior. Still he did not speak- but he also did not stop her. Days went by with the two of them sitting side by side in silence, slowly bringing the boat into existence.
Once the vessel’s rough shape had taken form, the stranger began using more delicate tools, finer strokes. Sera did not feel qualified to help with this, so instead she began weaving together a great long garland of sea glass and rope, to decorate the sides of the boat. It was intricate work, and she finished about the same time he did, so that when he began to smooth the entire thing with sand, she was able to help once more.
It was a gorgeous thing, when it was finished- dark umber and gleaming in the setting sun. Sera carefully attached her creation to the prow and felt satisfied with the contrast. She turned toward the temple, but was halted by the sound of a splash. When she looked back, the stranger was starting to push the boat into the water.
She didn’t know what to do- what to say. She hadn’t spoken a single word to him this entire time- what right had she to do so now? But she wanted him to stay.
As though he could feel her eyes on him, the stranger paused. The boat was still grounded; he walked away from it and back toward Sera. They stared into one another’s eyes for a long time, and Sera thought that for the first time he looked as though he might have found some peace. He laid a rough hand on her cheek and smiled.
“Thank you, Lady,” he said, and kissed her very softly on the mouth. Then he returned to his boat, and pushed it into the surf.
Numb, Sera returned to the temple. She sat in front of the altar for a long time, staring at the little flame she worked so hard to keep lit. Finally, she noticed the little cloth bundle the stranger had brought when he first arrived, all those days ago. Not caring if it was sacrilege, Sera reached forward and removed it from the altar.
The material was very soft, and very fine, the sort of thing a woman might use for her wedding dress. As Sera unwound it and discovered a bit of traditional fertility embroidery, she felt certain that is what the length had originally been part of. Finally the fabric was laid open, and she could see what it had protected.
It was a pair of carefully knitted boots, each no longer than Sera’s thumb.
She covered her face and wept.
11.07.2010
NaNoWriMo Writes Again!
I buckled down and churned out a little over 4000 words today, which brings my total up over 22k. Keep on truckin', right? Right. My shoulder hurts...
Anyway the best part of today's writing was the introduction of a new character I didn't even realize existed: the fox queen. But she does exist, and she's terribly fun to write, and I'm glad she decided to make herself known. And I think it likely she will shove her way back into the story at a later point, as well... so there's that to look forward to, if nothing else.
***
The food arrived and Aniqi plucked a few grapes and began walking them over and under her fingers, a look of consideration on her face. Finally she flicked them into her mouth, one after another.
Anyway the best part of today's writing was the introduction of a new character I didn't even realize existed: the fox queen. But she does exist, and she's terribly fun to write, and I'm glad she decided to make herself known. And I think it likely she will shove her way back into the story at a later point, as well... so there's that to look forward to, if nothing else.
***
The food arrived and Aniqi plucked a few grapes and began walking them over and under her fingers, a look of consideration on her face. Finally she flicked them into her mouth, one after another.
“Alright, Dramen. I am going to save us a bit of bother. You want something from me, and as much as I’d enjoy making you squirm for it, or laugh while you fail to steal it, I’m actually in the middle of a crisis amongst my people, and I don’t have time for games. So why don’t you tell me what it is you want, and I’ll tell you whether or not you can have it, and we will play our games another time.”
Dramen sucked in a breath. This was entirely unlike Aniqi. She never did anything straightforward that she could come at from the side. It made him highly suspicious, and for a moment he considered telling her he wanted something completely unrelated to the ring. Aniqi smiled at him as though she could read his thoughts. Damn her, thought Dramen. If I tell her something else she’s sure to give that to me, just to be perverse. Better to take the chance she’s being sincere, and just come back and steal it later, if I have to.
“A ring,” he said at last. “I believe you have a ring that I would like to borrow.”
“A ring?” she sounded delighted. “Dramen, I never knew you shared your people’s affection for shiny objects!”
“This ring has… powers,” he said. “It would let my spirit walk free from my corporeal body.”
“Ah,” suddenly her eyes narrowed and looked cunning. “A spirit you could shape as you willed, and speak through. Such a ring would allow you to… bend the conditions of your curse.”
“Perhaps to the breaking point,” Dramen said grimly.
“Yesss…” Aniqi bared her pointed teeth. “A cheat! Oh my old friend, I will certainly help you cheat.” She snapped her fingers and a servant appeared.
“Bring me my jewelry box,” she said, and the man bowed and walked out.
“I am not giving you this thing for free, mind you,” she warned Dramen. “You will owe me a boon.”
“Of course,” Dramen inclined his head, trying to hide his excitement. “A cheat for a cheat, perhaps?”
“Perhaps. It will take time to think up an appropriate payment, I think. But I have faith you will give value for value. Ah, here we are!” the servant had returned with a plain wooden box. No- not plain… Dramen looked more closely at it and realized it was inlayed with thousands of tiny pieces of wood, laid out in such a way as to appear like a larger grain. It was breathtaking. Aniqi stuck her hand in the box and rummaged for a big.
“Hmmm… no, no, no… maybe… possibly… definitely not…” and finally pulled out three different rings.
“It’s one of these,” she said carelessly, “But for the life of me I can’t remember which one. Maybe you can figure it out.”
Dramen stared at the rings in her palm, knowing this was actually a test. Aniqi would certainly agree with whatever he chose, regardless of truth, just to be difficult. One was made of gold and silver woven together, the next of carved jade, and the final was the gaudiest, ugliest thing he’d ever seen, covered in a variety of bright, cheap gemstones. It looked like the sort of thing a child might build for himself from tin scraps. Dramen sighed and reached for that one. Aniqi laughed.
“King of crows indeed!” she said.
“I just have the feeling that somewhere is a god or a mage laughing about how some fool is going to have to wear this monstrously ugly thing in order to take advantage of its powers. It’s something I would do.”
“As would I- that’s how I knew to steal it from the mortal I acquired it from. No thief in their right mind would have stolen such a cheap-looking thing.”
“Good thing you’re not in your right mind then, eh?”
“Indeed.”11.05.2010
A NaNo Bit of This, A NaNo Bit of That
Let's do things a little backward today, and start out with a photo:
(Followed?)
If this were any other month, I would totally bust out a narrative for that. But it's not any other month, it's this month, and even tho I only did about 2200 words on the story today, that's all I have in me (aside from this stream-of-consciousness stuff, obviously).
You'll be pleased to hear that Kahnji is settling in nicely- he is now officially a certifiably healthy "it", and moreover is apparently loving the new digs. Yay, I did a thing that didn't suck!
I'm hoping I'll pump the word count back up this weekend- but here is a small smackeral of what I did today...
(Oh, just to clarify that I'm not getting crazy with the typos, Oro and Ara are twins, male and female respectively.)
***
“Nightingale,” said Oro sternly. “Here is Dramen with his true love, just as you required of him. Will you not break the curse?”
(Followed?)
If this were any other month, I would totally bust out a narrative for that. But it's not any other month, it's this month, and even tho I only did about 2200 words on the story today, that's all I have in me (aside from this stream-of-consciousness stuff, obviously).
You'll be pleased to hear that Kahnji is settling in nicely- he is now officially a certifiably healthy "it", and moreover is apparently loving the new digs. Yay, I did a thing that didn't suck!
I'm hoping I'll pump the word count back up this weekend- but here is a small smackeral of what I did today...
(Oh, just to clarify that I'm not getting crazy with the typos, Oro and Ara are twins, male and female respectively.)
***
“Nightingale,” said Oro sternly. “Here is Dramen with his true love, just as you required of him. Will you not break the curse?”
“There is no need for me to break the curse,” Nightingale said, eyes glinting in a way that made Sera want to hide. “It will break itself when the conditions are met.”
“They are met!” cried Sera. “I love him, and he loves me, and we are here before the Court, declaring it!”
“See, Nightingale,” said Ara approvingly. “True love. Most wonderful.”
“Dramen has always been a liar,” spat Nightingale. “Even to himself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Demanded Dramen. Sera dug her nails into the palm of her hand to keep from striking out at the mage.
“It means love is not so easily recognized as we might wish it. It is a deceiver, just like Dramen has always been. It means maybe we should ask the only one among us with clear vision what the truth is.”
Oro turned his gaze to Sivon, whose face had gone still as a mask.
“Well, raven queen? What is the truth? Are they in love? True love?”
Sivon gave Sera look of sorrow, and Sera felt her blood run cold. Finally Sivon turned away from them all and said in a wooden voice.
“They are not.”
“What?” choked Dramen, whirling to face his sister.
“It is infatuation,” Sivon said clearly, still avoiding her brother’s eyes. “For the both of them. A very strong infatuation, but… it is not true love.” And she vanished.
Sera had never felt so betrayed in her life.11.03.2010
Son of NaNoWriMo!
Day three. I'm up over 10k words now, which is nice. I'm thinking that if I can keep this pace up, I'll maybe let myself go back in and do some editing after week two, just to keep from dying from personal shame... we'll see. In the meantime: excerpt! Woo!
***
"...Shall I tell you my story?”
***
"...Shall I tell you my story?”
“Please do.” She reached out to hold his hand as he began speaking.
“When the world was much younger, and the gods were choosing who would rule in the Sidereal Courts, I was made crow king. This is when the crows were still a beloved people, admired for their beauty and wit. Those were glorious days- full of fun and laughter, and so much love. Everyone loved us, from the young to the old, mortals and immortals alike.
“And therein lay the problem; some loved us too much. Or rather, loved me to much.
“There was a powerful mage- the nightingale queen- who fell so in love with me she would have no other. But when I could not return her love she grew angry, and in her anger she decided to punish me. She worked a magic that keeps me in my crow form whenever I leave the Sidereal Realms, and turned the Court against me. That I might have born- but she also cursed my crows. She turned the hearts and minds of mankind against them, so that all mortals hate and fear my people unjustly. It is for their sake, if not my own, that I have longed to find and be found by my true love.
“And now you have come at last,” he smiled at her.
11.02.2010
NaNoWriMo Continues
Day two of NaNoWriMo- I've bled out about 2600 words today, hiking the total up to just over 7200. I'm definitely getting a good backlog built up- I'm sure I'll thank myself later. ^_^ I'll probably write some more before bed (as I did last night), but in the meantime, here's this evening's (painfully unedited) excerpt...
***
On their way back to the dorm, Sera caught sight of a single crow winging its way across the bay. His reflection mirrored him in the waters below, and she thought wistfully to herself that it was a shame she seemed to be the only person in the world capable of seeing them for the beautiful creatures they were. Her eyes fell back down to the street in front of her- and there was another rose!
***
On their way back to the dorm, Sera caught sight of a single crow winging its way across the bay. His reflection mirrored him in the waters below, and she thought wistfully to herself that it was a shame she seemed to be the only person in the world capable of seeing them for the beautiful creatures they were. Her eyes fell back down to the street in front of her- and there was another rose!
“Oh,” she said, and stooped to pick it up. It was a perfect match for the one that was now wilting in her hair. Layclin turned to see what had caught her attention.
“Another one? Good grief, somewhere in this town is a gardener with a very careless apprentice.”
“Oh hush,” said Sera, twirling the bloom against her cheek and smiling. “It was very obviously left specifically for me. Nothing careless about it at all.”
“Oh really?” laughed Layclin. “So now a gardener’s apprentice is in love with you, and hoping you’ll be won over by randomly dropped blossoms?”
“Of course not. Nothing so mundane as that.”
“Oh, of course nothing mundane. A mysterious prince, then? Just passing through Portmont, and utterly taken by the beauty of your finely-stitched cuffs?”
“No, better than a prince. A king.”
“A king?”
“Yes, definitely a king. In fact, I’d say it’s fairly obvious that it’s the crow king himself that’s in love with me.” She wasn’t certain where this pronouncement came from- she was only being silly- but the moment she said it, it felt right.
“The crow king? Sera, you have some seriously weird fantasies. Nobody in their right mind wants the crow king’s attention. May as well kill yourself if you catch that one’s fancy: the end result’s the same.”
Sera just smiled, and tucked the new flower behind her other ear.11.01.2010
NaNoWriMo Begins
NaNoWriMo is off to a brilliant start- I churned out a little over 3000 words today, with the idea that if I build up a backlog while I'm feeling the Muse, it won't cause me a panic attack if I don't feel like writing later on. Anyway, when I sat down to do tonight's blog entry Nathan looked at me like I was crazy and said, "You've already written so much! Just post an excerpt!"
So I am.
(Keep in mind this is totally unedited- the only way I can turn out the high word count necessary for this project is to refrain from going back for any reason. Yeah, we'll see how well that works out...)
***
Serenity often thought she had been misnamed, which was a large reason why she preferred to be called Sera. She wasn’t entirely certain what her parents had had in mind when they’d burdened her with a name that meant “calm”- if they’d hoped that she would be calm, or that she would bring calm to those around her- but whatever the intention had been, she was pretty sure it had failed. Because if there was anything that Sera embodied, it was restlessness. Which is why when it came for her Apprenticeship Years she had no difficulty choosing to go away for them. It’s true she was a little sad to leave her many friends in the village- but she wasn’t too sad, because deep in her soul she knew it was time and past time for her to move on.
So I am.
(Keep in mind this is totally unedited- the only way I can turn out the high word count necessary for this project is to refrain from going back for any reason. Yeah, we'll see how well that works out...)
***
Serenity often thought she had been misnamed, which was a large reason why she preferred to be called Sera. She wasn’t entirely certain what her parents had had in mind when they’d burdened her with a name that meant “calm”- if they’d hoped that she would be calm, or that she would bring calm to those around her- but whatever the intention had been, she was pretty sure it had failed. Because if there was anything that Sera embodied, it was restlessness. Which is why when it came for her Apprenticeship Years she had no difficulty choosing to go away for them. It’s true she was a little sad to leave her many friends in the village- but she wasn’t too sad, because deep in her soul she knew it was time and past time for her to move on.
Not that she had any real idea where she was to move on to, or even what. But she knew things would work out. They always did, for her. She had never met a stranger- everyone loved Sera, and she loved everyone. Most of the time. Usually. Anyway everyone was always kind to her and always helped her out, and as such she had a particularly benevolent view of the way the world worked.
Sera never stopped to ponder why people were drawn to her- she just accepted it as her due. But the truth is that while she was pretty enough with her clear skin, wide gray-blue eyes, and dark blonde hair she kept cropped at her chin- she was not, strictly speaking, a great beauty. Her nose was too long and her mouth too wide, her torso too short and her hips too narrow- but some sort of inner force came manifested itself in her smile, in her laugh, and people fell all over themselves to be close to her in a way that they did not for some of the more traditionally beautiful girls. Sera was just- charming. And she was charming with very little effort on her part.
10.28.2010
Workshopping
So I guess this is where you really get to see some of my Process. I'm not allowed to start officially writing on my NaNoWriMo story until 11/01, but it's totally within the rules to work on outlines, character development, etc. So that's what I was doing with my spare time today, which means that is what I am submitting for tonight's entry, which means you basically get a hodge-podge of what is the equivalent of doodling-with-words, brief sketches of ideas and concepts that may or may not make it to the final cut. If you're wary of spoilers, there are lots here. Probably. I mean basically this is my story in a nutshell (unless I change my mind). So, you know... you've been warned.
To start things off I laid out a rough outline. I tend to do my outlines in time-line form, because I'm anal retentive that way. And because it keeps me on-track and helps me avoid temporal inconsistencies- although that shouldn't be such a problem with this book, since, as I discovered, the main story is apparently not going to cover more than about six years, four of which won't even be on the page (see! Outlining is important because you learn things you didn't even know about your story...). I'll refine and expand this as I get further into it, but this is how things stand for now:
Backstory
So there's that. Now, the second thing I worked on today was the beginnings of my character sketches. To be fair it's not really the beginnings, since these are characters that have been drifting around in my brain in one form or another for ten years. But for the purposes of this incarnation, I needed to get something written down, that I could come back to and reference. Just like with the outline, these will become refined and expanded as the mood strikes- but for the time being, this is what I'm working with:
Dramen- Crow King. Once beloved by the Court and the world at large. His people were revered, and he was devastatingly charming and clever. Thoughtlessly self-absorbed, regularly broke hearts. After he was cursed by the Nightingale Queen he fell completely from grace: mortals turned from him and his people, their reactions ranging from annoyance to loathing. Dramen became depressed and prone to brooding as he realized people were no longer dazzled by him. Takes himself way too seriously when at the beginning of the book.
So there you have some of the main players, and a few of the supporting. There will be others, doubtless, but I haven't met them yet, and thus have not had to figure out anything about them.
Finally, I worked on writing blurbs, because the NaNoWriMo asks for a brief synopsis of your novel. I am going to save a tiny smidge of my dignity by only showing you the one I ended up using. The others... well, let's just say I will probably not be able to write book blurbs for a living. Especially not for books I haven't actually entirely figured out yet...
To start things off I laid out a rough outline. I tend to do my outlines in time-line form, because I'm anal retentive that way. And because it keeps me on-track and helps me avoid temporal inconsistencies- although that shouldn't be such a problem with this book, since, as I discovered, the main story is apparently not going to cover more than about six years, four of which won't even be on the page (see! Outlining is important because you learn things you didn't even know about your story...). I'll refine and expand this as I get further into it, but this is how things stand for now:
Backstory
Dramen beloved by people and Court, crows revered
-22 Dramen and Magician become lovers
-20 Dramen breaks M’s heart
-20 M curses Dramen (to be broken by true love), crows become despised
Dramen mopes. Like, a lot. No mortal will have anything to do with him: curse looks hopeless.
00 Serenity (Sera) born
08 Sera finds wounded crow, nurses it back to health
09 Crows begin to follow her around without D’s knowledge
15 D notices Sera’s affinity for his people, decides she will be the one to break the curse
Novel Begins
16 Sera leaves home
16 D courts Sera (roses)
16 Sera discovers D’s true identity, returns his affections
16 Sera goes to Court, meets Sivon and the Phoenixes, etc
16 It is revealed that D and Sera are not actually in love: just infatuation. Curse remains.
16 Sera, horrified at herself, goes back out into the world for some soul-searching
Part Two
20 D attempts more romances, finds them unsatisfying- goes to Sera to bitch
20 They become actual friends
21 They fall in love without knowing it
22 Some sort of crisis reveals it
22 Curse broken, crows restored.
Happily Ever After. Hooray!
So there's that. Now, the second thing I worked on today was the beginnings of my character sketches. To be fair it's not really the beginnings, since these are characters that have been drifting around in my brain in one form or another for ten years. But for the purposes of this incarnation, I needed to get something written down, that I could come back to and reference. Just like with the outline, these will become refined and expanded as the mood strikes- but for the time being, this is what I'm working with:
Dramen- Crow King. Once beloved by the Court and the world at large. His people were revered, and he was devastatingly charming and clever. Thoughtlessly self-absorbed, regularly broke hearts. After he was cursed by the Nightingale Queen he fell completely from grace: mortals turned from him and his people, their reactions ranging from annoyance to loathing. Dramen became depressed and prone to brooding as he realized people were no longer dazzled by him. Takes himself way too seriously when at the beginning of the book.
The curse has layers. The first is that he’s stuck in crow form any time he visits the mortal realm. The second is that it turned mortal hearts (in general) against crows, while at the same time robbing Dramen of much of his natural charm/dazzle. It can only be broken by true love.
Sera (Serenity)- mortal girl that loves crows. She, too, is amazingly charming and thoughtlessly self-absorbed. People are naturally attracted to her, and as such are more tolerant of the crows when she’s around. She is sweet and fun and not very serious at the beginning of the book- although prone to drama and bursts of temper. When it is revealed that their “true love” is merely infatuation (along with a display of her past behavior regarding people’s hearts) she sobers considerably and goes out to find a higher purpose.
Sivon- Raven Queen, older sister to Dramen. She is the possessor of True Vision, which combined with her long life makes her very wise. She has little patience for her brother’s dramatics, and is herself very good-natured and practical. Her husband is a true raven.
______- Nightingale Queen, former lover of Dramen. Very beautiful and powerful (but highly temperamental) mage. Curses him when he thoughtlessly breaks her heart.
______- Phoenix Emperor and Empress- they rule over the Welkin Court (/Feathered Court)
So there you have some of the main players, and a few of the supporting. There will be others, doubtless, but I haven't met them yet, and thus have not had to figure out anything about them.
Finally, I worked on writing blurbs, because the NaNoWriMo asks for a brief synopsis of your novel. I am going to save a tiny smidge of my dignity by only showing you the one I ended up using. The others... well, let's just say I will probably not be able to write book blurbs for a living. Especially not for books I haven't actually entirely figured out yet...
Everyone loves Sera- whether she wants them to or not. Animal or human, young or old, male or female- everyone finds her charming, delightful, and all but impossible to say ‘no’ to. The people of her village even indulge her strange affection for those filthy birds of ill-omen, crows. As she grows older, Sera begins to capture the romantic interest of boys and men at an alarming rate: even, it seems, that of the cursed Crow King himself.
Reading that gives you a little further insight into what I will be doing with the character of Sera- which I didn't actually realize at the beginning of this day. And of course there is loads more still locked in my brain- stuff that I may never write down, but that it's important for me to know to write this story. Because I, unlike Tolkien, don't think you actually want to hear about ever single political intrigue that has ever arisen in the Welkin Court (or the Empyrean Court, for that matter- what's that? What is the Empyrean Court? Never you mind! Because it's not friggin' pertinent!). And if you do care about that sort of thing... then get lots of people to buy my book, so that I'll be compelled to write a sequel. You know, when I publish it. Someday.
::cough::
EDIT: I did a quick word-count on this, and it came out to about 1150. In order to meet my goal of 50,000 words in 30 days, I will need to average 1667 words per day. So about half again as much as I threw down for this.
Oh boy.
10.26.2010
Digging Myself Deeper
Well Ladies and Gents, here we are again, home in Birmingham. You might notice that as of the writing of this particular entry, I have not yet updated the "travelogue". And to be frank, it's just not going to happen until tomorrow (sorry, Mom). I'd planned to do it this evening after my flight landed, but then we ended up heading out to celebrate a family birthday, and now I'm full of headache and a desire to sleep in my own bed.
But I figure now is as good a time as any to let you guys in on my latest Queen Sized Endeavor (QSE being reference to the time I decided to learn how to quilt, and rather than start with a nice sampler or baby quilt I jumped right in with a- you guessed it- queen sized quilt. I have a habit of doing this with my creative projects... all or nothing, that's me...): I (along with a handful of similarly insane friends) will be participating in National Write a Novel Month, better known as NaNoWriMo (even better known as NANOMO! in my brain, because it sounds more hilarious). If you don't feel like going and reading all about it, here is the Need to Know part: I will be writing a 50,000 word novel from scratch in the month of November.
The "from scratch" part means that I can't use anything I've already written, which rules out quite a bit (::coughcoughPahlain::). As such, I'm diving back into my past to revive a story that puttered around in my brain for a long time but never really came to much. The tentative working title is The Fall of the Crow King, and it hearkens all the way back to my freshman year at college (that would be over ten years ago, now. Oi.) So we shall see how that goes. In the meantime, Nathan took a lovely image of me today that I thought would work really well as a mock novel cover (cart, then horse- heck yeah). If you want to follow my progress on this ridiculous project, here's my official page. Not that you'll be able to read what I'm churning out, but you'll at least be able to see the word count. Never fear, however- if you really want to read it, chances are quite good that more than a bit of it will end up on here anyway (completely unedited, so be kind) since in order to make the goal of 50k words in a month I'll need to be averaging about 1700 words a day- and I don't know that I'll always feel like doing that on top of my regular posts.
Again I say oi. November is going to be a jam-packed month.
But I figure now is as good a time as any to let you guys in on my latest Queen Sized Endeavor (QSE being reference to the time I decided to learn how to quilt, and rather than start with a nice sampler or baby quilt I jumped right in with a- you guessed it- queen sized quilt. I have a habit of doing this with my creative projects... all or nothing, that's me...): I (along with a handful of similarly insane friends) will be participating in National Write a Novel Month, better known as NaNoWriMo (even better known as NANOMO! in my brain, because it sounds more hilarious). If you don't feel like going and reading all about it, here is the Need to Know part: I will be writing a 50,000 word novel from scratch in the month of November.
The "from scratch" part means that I can't use anything I've already written, which rules out quite a bit (::coughcoughPahlain::). As such, I'm diving back into my past to revive a story that puttered around in my brain for a long time but never really came to much. The tentative working title is The Fall of the Crow King, and it hearkens all the way back to my freshman year at college (that would be over ten years ago, now. Oi.) So we shall see how that goes. In the meantime, Nathan took a lovely image of me today that I thought would work really well as a mock novel cover (cart, then horse- heck yeah). If you want to follow my progress on this ridiculous project, here's my official page. Not that you'll be able to read what I'm churning out, but you'll at least be able to see the word count. Never fear, however- if you really want to read it, chances are quite good that more than a bit of it will end up on here anyway (completely unedited, so be kind) since in order to make the goal of 50k words in a month I'll need to be averaging about 1700 words a day- and I don't know that I'll always feel like doing that on top of my regular posts.
Again I say oi. November is going to be a jam-packed month.
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