. cleansing . breath .

oi, hello

2005-12-05T01:05:19Z

I've decided that there's basically no way I'm going to keep up with a whole bunch of creative journals... one for each original story and one for fanfiction, another for graphics -- no. So I'm just sticking pretty much everything creative in here, and personal rants and the like will go in keptclose.

Not that you really care...

Just got back from a weekend at Aze's, was fun. We're planning an avidgamers site. More on it later, I suppose.

current word count

2005-11-01T06:04:14Z

I'll keep this entry as up-to-date as possible with my word count as I go. It's posted ahead, so check entries below it for other updates since I'll be backdating them.

Title: Somnion Blood Legends (something of a series)
Expected Word Count:
Dragon Scourge: 10 - 12k
On Wings of Eternal Light: 10 - 12k
Dragonsbane: 70 - 120k

Since this is my first real NaNo, I'm going to go with the lowest projected word count as my total.

Total: 90k

Dragon Scourge

15,241 / 10,000
(152.4%)

On Wings of Eternal Light

13,639 / 10,000
(136.4%)

Dragonsbane

61,605 / 70,000
(88.0%)

Total

90,053 / 90,000
(100.1%)

Working on: Dragonsbane
Words Added Today: --
Updated: November 30th @ 23.36

Oh. My. GOD.

I FINISHED.
Okay, so technically I just reached 90k. By Nano's validator. With 30 minutes to spare. I'm not done with Dragonsbane (quite), though I'm very close.

HOLY SHIT, though. IT'S TIME TO FUCKING CELEBRATE, YOU HEAR ME? CELEBRATE!!!

interview for characters

2005-11-01T05:46:28Z

Part of this is already in a friend’s only entry from yesterday, but since this may be useful to others, I’m going to finish it in a public entry. Though I don’t know exactly how useful it will be seeing as NaNo has already begun in some places and is only about two hours away here. I’ll try to get some last minute interviews done with this once I’ve finished typing up the basic interview format, but not telling if I’ll manage it…

Note that this interview is meant to be malleable. If certain questions won’t work right with your characters, modify them a little bit. If you just can’t answer a question at all, you don’t have to, of course. If the answer to one question is also the answer to another, no need to repeat yourself, ‘course.

If it helps, write a little scene in answer to the questions. Even if you don’t think you need to, it’s good practice…

Interview
x SCENARIOS: RELATIONSHIP

The Corrupt Judge
TYPE ONE: One lover is on trial for something. Whether he did it or not is subject to change, and it’d probably be good to have one where he did, one where he didn’t, and one where his lover doesn’t know. The judge goes to the free lover and says that (I’ll say she) will let the imprisoned lover walk if the free lover sleeps with her. What does the free lover choose to do? Give what (I’ll say he) says he would do and what he would actually do, or say that they’re the same.

TYPE TWO: Same scenario as above, but now we’re testing the imprisoned lover. His free lover comes to him and tells him what the judge has offered. Free lover says he’ll sleep with the judge if imprisoned lover wants him to. He wants guidance. Again, what imprisoned lover says he would do and what he would actually do, or say they’re the same.

Try putting each lover in each position. Long ‘question’, I know, but could yield some helpful results.

Unfaithful
Simple one. Lover 1 cheats on lover 2. Just write the scenario of what would happen and stay true to your characters. If you have a character too straight-laced to just cheat, even in a moment of passion, make it an almost, or find a way he/she would do it (Scarlet Letteresque if you must; one lover has been missing for however long and returns shortly after the affair begins/yields results). From now on, this is a given: what the character says he’d do and what he’d really do.

Romeo & Juliet
Someone very important to one or both lovers, or different people important to either lover, strongly object to the relationship to the point of disowning/the equivalent the character(s). If being accepted is very important to the characters, society can disapprove. It can be a whole family, a close relative, or a childhood friend, whatever works for your characters. If possible, make it work with the established storyline.

Unique
Create a situation unique to your lovers but that isn’t something already planned to occur in your storyline. Make it work with your world and characters, like something that would happen if your story veered off on a small alternate tangent, or even something you could include but weren’t already considering/planning to. It should test their relationship, yes, but more importantly each lover’s individual character.

Familial Bonds
Moving out of the romantic/lust relationship and into more platonic ones. This one concerns family, or more specifically the annoying but well-meaning relative. Use any relative you can; if no blood relationships are available, a friend so close he’s practically family will do, or something similar to it. Scenario: your character’s relative (I’ll say aunt for the purposes of this example) has been snooping into your character’s affairs. The character is into something a little too deep, something related to your plot if possible, but won’t admit it. The aunt doesn’t have all the facts and thinks things are even worse than they actually are. When she confronts him, how will he react? How would he react if the situation was reversed and someone he cared about was into something dangerous that he didn’t know all the details about?

The Love ‘Triangle’
You have two characters who are friends. The interviewee is in love/lust with a third character, but the love interest ‘asks out’ the friend (or the equivalent of asking him/her out). When your interviewee’s friend tells him what happened, before (I’ll say she) even tells your interviewee what her response was, how does he react? Explore different sides of the scenario. What if your interviewee were the love interest or the friend instead?

x SCENARIOS: BETRAYAL

The Abandoned Lover
Your character’s lover abandons him, by whichever interpretation you think your character would find most unforgivable… cheating, going to the enemy’s side, turning out a spy. Make it fit with your story if possible. If you want, find out what would make your character betray his lover, as well.

Deserters
One or more of your character’s followers/companions, if he has any, has deserted the group. There’s no evidence that they went to the enemy side; they just couldn’t handle it and backed out or something similar. How does your character handle the situation?

Surprise Twist
Someone your character trusted suddenly turns up fighting against them, perhaps having given the enemy valuable information that put your character in a dangerous situation. What’s your character’s reaction to that first encounter, the first shock? By the same token, your character is the traitor (or isn’t, but is playing it, your choice); what is his reaction then?

Thin Blood
Betrayal by family. Perhaps your character was abused by his family all along but has only now realized it. Or perhaps he has known for a while, but has only now gotten the chance to confront his family (member) about it—by suddenly running into his father in a bar, something like that. How does your character respond? How does the confrontation go? If the father/other family member acts genuinely remorseful, how does that make your character feel?

x SCENARIOS: STRESS/STRAIN

Phobias
What’s your character’s worst fear? The dark? Rejection? Whatever it is, what would he face it for? To save a lost pet? A child’s family? A child’s life? Someone he barely considers a friend, a close friend, his lover? To prevent a fight or a war? How would he handle being face with his fears by choice? What about if someone was using them to torture him, or to get what they wanted? Would he exploit someone else’s fears to get what he wants? An enemy’s, even a friend’s? Would he realize he was doing it?

Exhausted Battle
Your character has been traveling for two days with no sleep when battle threatens, whether from raiding bandits, his enemy, or something else entirely. The weather is horrible. He’s hungry. How does he handle the situation? Assume he’s with a reasonable number of trained fighters, but they’re all similarly exhausted. If your character isn’t the battles and questing sort, adapt it. Maybe he’s a priest just out of an extremely tiring magical rite when he’s called on to attend to an emergency. Make it work for you.

Taking Command
TYPE ONE: For the character who isn’t a leader by nature. Say he’s part of a group when it runs into major trouble, perhaps in the form of a battle or a massive plague he’s helping to find a way to cure. Circumstances force him to act as the group leader in a stressful situation; perhaps the usual leader has been killed or fallen sick. How would he handle himself?

TYPE TWO: For the already leader/born leader—same basic situation, only this time he’s forced to lead a group of people he doesn’t really know or even a group of people who distrust him almost as much as he distrusts them. How would that go? If you really want to shake things up, stick your introvert who isn’t really a leader at all into this situation.

Not Guilty
Your character is on trial for something very serious he didn’t do—or even worse, he’s in the sort of place that doesn’t give trials. If he doesn’t find a surefire way to prove his innocence—and soon—he’s dead. How’s he handling the situation?

x CHARACTER TRAITS

Flaws
TYPE ONE: Pit your character up against his worse flaws. Give a real situation where it’s life or death for him, or at least there will be serious consequences to whatever he does at the time. His flaws should get in the way big-time, either consciously or unconsciously. It’s preferable if you write the scene out.

TYPE TWO: How does your character handle other characters’ major flaws in ordinary situations? In dire situations? Does he recognize others’ flaws easily? How about accurately? Does he tend to over- or under-exaggerate them, or view them realistically?

Trust
Give me a scene that illustrates your character’s relationship with trust. How best to illustrate that will depend on your character, of course… should you show how easily his trust is broken? Show someone managing to gain it? Show someone he trusted too easily betraying him? Maybe he doesn’t realize he can trust anyone until this moment in time.

Faith
Same thing as trust, but with faith. Religion, beliefs… faith in humanity… Write a small scene, or just explain it. Short, I know.

Hatred
Would your character say he hates someone? I’m not talking about joking. Would he really hate someone? Does he hold grudges? What kind of a relationship does he have with love and hate?

Arrogance
What sort of relationship does your character have with other characters? Is he aloof and arrogant, introverted and modest, or somewhere in the middle? How does he think of himself, what kind of ego does he have?

Other
Any other traits of significance?

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for now. I may modify the test later with other stuff… If you have any suggestions or anything, let me know.

NaNoWriMo has begun.

working titles

2005-10-29T06:26:39Z

Choosing working titles so I stop confusing/irritating myself.

FI: Aerlun (Eysuria universe): Inferior
Chars: Aerlun, Silk, Pick, Master Hashid, others to be named

Dragonsblood Legends I: Dragon Scourge
Chars: Delia Smith, Joras Smith, Balor Sworn, Zhon the dragon keeper, minors to be named
Dragonsblood Legends II: Dragon Wars
Chars: Liam Dragonsblood, Joras Smith, Mila Smith, others to be named
Dragonsblood: Dragonsbane
Chars: Kayden Dragonsblood/Harper, Roan "Grey" Steel, Selenas "Lena" Rain, Malakai "Zachariah" Lowe, Laurel Rose ("Rose"); possible others

...Yeah, I guess that's it.

friends-locked entries / current nano planning

2005-10-17T03:53:46Z

I shall friends-lock most of my entries from here on out because most will deal with my writing for NaNo. If you're a NaNoer or just a fellow writer and you want to add me, feel free to do so. Comment here, preferably with a little bit about what you're writing or planning to write, and I'll add you back.

I may not add everything here -- I still have a touch of the writer's paranoia complex (oh no, you're out to steal my work, aren't you?!) -- but I'll still have fun using it to brainstorm.

Currently
I have several novels and short stories planned, some for NaNo and some for afterward (naturally, since there's far too much to write in one month, or even one year). Not all have titles, so in most cases I'll list them by their callnames in my head or 'Untitled' if I don't have an exact callname, maybe with possible titles to the side.

Generally my stories are character driven, but they often spring first from plots and then move to revolve around the characters. Dragonsblood is in that first, plot-important phase; I'm sure it will become more character driven as I plan it out. Eysuria is character driven, I think.

BS = Brief or Basic Summary. Ironic, aye?

For NaNo
Eysuria Universe
First Incarnation
Aerlun: possible titles: Inferior, Obsidian Whips; I'm not entirely sure this will be long enough to constitute an entire book. It may just have to be a part of a later book. MCs Aerlun and Silk; SC(s) Pick. BS: Street thief Aerlun is taken into an underground group known as the Obsidian Whips -- thieves and assassins serving the king's peace by less-than-legal means. He excels, but he is excruciatingly naive and idealistic. He is resented for these qualities, but in an atmosphere where resentment is often hidden, so he doesn't note it as well as he ought; by the end of the story, he'll face exile, and he'll have to grow up awfully quickly.

Dragonsblood
Legend Shorts
Dragon Scourge: almost completely fixed title. MCs Delia ("Lia") and Joras; SCs Balor the dragon slayer and Zhon the dragon keeper. BS: Lia and Joras stumble on a dead dragon's den, and Lia inadvertently inhales the gas that kept the dragon from dying because of its own heat. She falls into a dangerous fever. Her brother takes her to a healer, and from there dragon scourge spreads. Two sorts are attracted by rumors of the plague: Balor, a dragon slayer, and a small group of dragon keepers. Balor wants to stop the plague at all costs. The keepers believe it is a holy cleansing of wickedness and want to stop anyone from preventing it before it has run its course. Lia survives -- she is the first dragon scourge originator to survive the pure strain of the plague, and it changes her. In the end, Lia and Joras are forced to part ways; Lia goes north with the dragon keepers, Joras with Balor.
Untitled: possible titles: Dragon Wars, Dragon Bloodlines. MCs Liam Dragonsblood and Joras; SC(s) Mila, dragon slayer, wife to Joras (??). BS: This is set almost two decades later. Lia married a dragon keeper and had a son; she died during childbirth, and the boy, Liam, was raised by her husband, Zhon. He is a traditional dragon keeper and believes all dragons are good, wrongly persecuted, and must be protected. Joras, on the other hand, has gradually become a dragon slayer. He married Mila and had several children of his own, all of them years younger than Liam. In this story, Liam and Joras come face to face in the dragons' last stand in the Blazing Hills. They're on opposite sides, fierce enemies, and naturally they don't realize they're related. Ends with the last of the dragons killed -- and Joras -- but with a clutch of eggs preserved in a magical state of hibernation.

Novel
Dragonsbane: little more than tentative title. MCs Kayden Dragonsblood and Roan Steel ("Grey"); SC(s) Selenas Rain ("Lena"), Laurel Rose ("Rose") and Malakai Lowe ("Zachariah"). BS: It used to be that Dragonsblood was far more common than Dragonsbane, but over the years that has changed. Children of Dragonsbane have taken it upon themselves to wipe out Dragonsblood so that the dragons can never be resurrected. Kayden is one of the last of Dragonsblood; certainly the last directly descended from Lia, the Mother of Dragonsblood. He heads north to resurrect dragonkind. He is a horrible pacifist -- won't kill to save his own life. If not for an accidental run-in with Grey, he would never survive the trek north, particularly not with Dragonsbane after him. Grey goes with him, mostly out of curiosity. Lena joins up, too, and later Rose and Zachariah. Lena is supposed to kill Kayden, but things end up not working out so well. At the end of the book, Kayden successfully wakes the last dragon eggs.

And then there are random story ideas that aren't for NaNo, but don't belong in my Dragonsblood or Eysuria universes either. They're collected below.

Rough Ideas
x Ellumi, based on an elemental RP of mine.
x Another RP -- slave trader who becomes enslaved himself. Not entirely certain of the plot, just have a character and world.
x Short story I wrote once entitled Plague -- reminiscent of Dragon Scourge, but the plague was created intentionally as an easy means of conquering other nations. I lost the original manuscript, but it would be invaluable.

Status: Summaries complete; updated October 24 2oo5 to take out non-NaNo Eysuria and Dragonsblood content and move it to the proper journals.

first entry

2005-10-04T18:48:01Z

I mostly made this journal for NaNoWriMo -- to join NaNoWriMo communities. I'm sure I'll modify it and sexy up the layout later, but for right now I'm too lazy to do that, and I should be doing schoolwork anyway. So. That'll come later.