Necia's Writerly Rambling

I finished the Island Fluff Story #1. And I realized I left stuff, important stuff out of it. **headwalling repeatedly** Only like that majority of the plotline! **sigh**

I am re-working the Bastard Prince Outline. I find myself doing plot arcs for each chapter and other structural stuff that has eluded me in the past.

I finished, in a period of a few weeks 2 short stories.
I am muy happy with myself about this, even though there are problems.
ok now I am rambling. on to finish BP's outline.

Japan


Oh my heart weeps for Japan. At the same time, they have known and prepared for "the big one" for years. Because of that preparation the casualties are not as great as they might have been. I take heart in knowing that.

I have always loved Japanese culture. I am trying to learn Japanese and it is slow going. Someday I hope to visit Tokyo. Watching the Tsunamis as they rolled in left me breathless. Beautiful and deadly. I know I'm going to use Tsunamis in my stories.

---

I am almost done with the Island fluff story and am preparing to re-tackle BP. I am slowly putting together maps, battle plans, structure of the Rahaun people and a whole assortment cultural stuff that I should have worked out sooner.

will put up a meter or three in a bit once I have RL house stuff taken care of.

I just got busy. I got a couple crits back on the vampire thing and I know what needs to be done to "fix" it. queenoftheskies I know life has blown up on you, don't stress about it, seriously. Ok? And here are some more hugs {{{{{huggleglomps}}}}

I have another story idea thing I'm dubbing Roommates. I've got some written on it but it needs to marinate a bit more.

the main projects;

BP is sitting at the same place it was before. I know why, I know what I need to do. Believe it or not the thing holding me back is the need for a god damn pencil sharpener. The electric one busted and the little manual ones have vanished. I swear I have like ten of them but we can't friken find them. I need to do maps, figure out the war side of things and the campaigns that the characters are involved in. BP is, after all, about a soldier and his buddies.

The Island Fluff Stuff

Story 1 is progressing. I like what is happening with that story, I love the fact I am very confident in this story. I know I can do it justice. I am leaving the other stories alone until I finish the first story. I would like a proper title for it, but so far I am drawing a blank.
I went through the story and decided to adjust wordcount. I am not including all the miscel scenes and whatnot I wrote, there's something like 13k or so. Although those words helped me pull together who and what the characters are they weren't in the actual story if you know what I mean. So the count looks lower, but it is much more accurate.

Story 1


now to grab breakfast and decide if I am going to read or write some more.

What is on the agenda for you folks today?

Been a few days since I posted here. RL has a habit of rearing up like this.

So the projects...

I took a few days off due to the RL stuff. As I was nearing sleep the other day I scribbled down a lil idea that has exploded into a larger scene. It is not what I usually write. It is first person present tense which, I admit, I hate reading. I am not having trouble writing it. It is almost finished. I think another 1500 words or so and I can call it done and ready for Beta Readers. I think I have three betas. I might want a couple more I don't know. I have a couple markets in my submit it to list.

My Madonna



Bastard Prince is being poked at. I am going over the outline again because I deviated. Again. Ahh this is going to be a long time project for me. Ahh well.**throws hands up in the air**



Island Story 1 I am going back over my outline. I think I figured out my MC's motives which has been giving me massive headaches. I do love my is;and stories. So light and fluffy. Like well cooked scrambled eggs.
Please, don't ask why that even fits. It just does damnit!


Island Story 2, tentative title The Forbidden Island previously known as NaNo Thing 2009. I haven't really done much with this one just yet. Some editing here and there, and re-reading for the sheer fun of it. I enjoy it. I think this is a good thing.


Windwalkers Oh gosh this is a pretty one. Nice and shiny.


Editing:

I am attempting to edit the Harp Story. Again. I have my eye on the L. Ron Hubbard's Writer's of the Future contest. I don't have anything to lose.

This is a writer ramble. Be aware it may not make sense.

Writing is done in a number of ways. For some reason some people have this idea that writers who are successful live in bubblebaths composing their tales with a martini in one hand and a caviar covered cracker in the other. Dictating it to a faceless assistant with a tape recorder...

...I will give my fellow authors a moment so they can giggle it out....

Done, better? Now for the bitter truth.

The reality of the matter is that writing is hard, often thankless work*. It is not common to write a first book and wind up with the notoriety of Rollings or Meyers. And even their seemingly overnight successes are actually the result of years of hard work. Whatever you feel about their books, they worked hard for the successes they garnered.

Writing is hard work.

Let me say that again. Writing is hard work. The attitude that some people have about writing being a lazy man's job or that it is easy is ignorant. Try writing for hours on end. Most can't. Try having an army of characters in your head all vying for valuable "screen time".

Try this. Try writing about your day. Capture the emotion. Make it interesting and make me want to read more. Make me sympathetic to you.

It is hard. Many people don't get it.

They don't understand how we can sit, day in and day out pounding away at the computer trying to elicit an emotional response from readers. Trying to remember the rules, trying to find our voice.

And then to send a story to someone to shred it and return it after putting heart and soul into it. After trying so hard only to discover... well shit I need to get this right, I need to do a better time showing that. The internet is full of stories of writers who couldn't take a crit. Who couldn't take a sour opinion of their "baby".

My darling friends are convinced that all I need is to sell one book and I will be living the high life. I appreciate the vote of confidence, however it isn't going to work that way. I know this.

I will write the best story I can. Then I will make it better.


*I almost put down like parenthood but I get tons of love and kisses from my munchkins so that isn't correct.

---

I am writing scenes backwards.
For instance in Bastard Prince three scenes that stand out are 1)The Torture Scene, 2)The Escape Scene 3)The rescue Scene.

I tried writing it 1, 2, 3. but it was sticking. instead I wrote it 4(I know 4 isn't listed, neither is 5), 5, 3, 1, 2.

When writing in the Island Novellas I have begun writing the end of the story, the HEA (yes suelder they are HEA.) then backing up, scene by scene, figuring out what went where when and how. I am not writing it ABC more like QWDSCA....

I have also discovered myself writing with my eyes closed.

Joy of Joys! I can type well enough to type with my eyes closed and not have too many typos. (unless of course my fingers are positioned wrong from the outset, that then presents a slight dilemma of translating...)

---

I wrote a bit today, not as much as I was shooting for but I am tired and sore and it is late. I need to start linking things here. I need to remember to do that. But it is late.

I wrote about 1028 words on Bastard Prince Monday. Nothing today(tuesday). The torture scenes have been roughly written and I am mid rescue.


Did about 1325 on this Islander novella thingy. I am having lots of fun with these.

As of last night my totals were:







Bastard Prince





Unnamed




I will write more tonight.

The goal was to write 2k on one of the projects.

so far I've done 1199 on Bastard Prince. I had to stop. Mid book, which is where I am right now, is an intense, emotionally draining torture sequence.

I am teh ebil author, but it got to be too much. I am going to work on the Island Stories this afternoon and get to bed somewhat on time.

Here is a darling though:

"Zander, a gorgeous glowing blond, like out of some perverted dream just appeared and picked the locks on your shackles before vanishing. I highly doubt anything you could say about where she came from would shock us." Hayner pointed out.

So, writing.

I took a couple days off of the Zander project for editing and "playing" with a just for me set of stories. These are ones which are written for my own enjoyment. Stories which follow my own formula. Stories that are upbeat and not as much as an emotional struggle.

Zander's story is pretty much hit after hit emotionally. I put the dude through pure hell. I need something to fall back on that isn't so intense.

anyways here are some meters, more for my own info than anything else

Bastard Prince




These are novellas I am dabbling with. Again since they are for me I am not sure I will ever try to pub these... then again...

Unnamed Island Story 1


The Forbidden Island This is my Editing project. I'm not certain it won't shoot past 30k then again it might stay lower, I don't know. I'm not really stressing about it.


Windwalkers This story is so damn FUN! The mc, Nami, just rocks. She's a strong female character who is strong without being a bitch. I look forward to working more on this particular story



Today I am pretty much cleaning and hopefully writing. All depends on life stuff. Know what I mean?

So what are you folks planning on doing today?

well now. I wrote a few scenes with Talia today. Not as much writing as RL needed me more.

I am beat, ready to sleep. I found myself writing the last couple of paragraphs with my eyes closed. To my amazement, I didn't have any typos... well that I can see.


I seem to be doing a lot of exploring. Re-examining the story, the characters. I am certain that Bastard Prince is really two books. I do believe I have said it before.

The first half is the hell Zander went through. The second half is almost a redemption of sorts.

I did 2032 words tonight including a sex scene which... I'll look it over in a few weeks just to make sure everything **ahem** fits nicely. :P If you know what I mean.



Snippity:
"We can't let the Guild fly apart just yet." Talia said.

"How are we going to head off something like this?" Kyri gripped her arm. "You aren't ruthless enough to take on the Guild."

"No. I'm not. But the Lordkiller is."


Goodnight LJ & FB.

Well then...

I have passed 50k on Bastard Prince. This new writing style is really helping me I think.

I am having fun at least :P.

51,888 / 150,000 (34.6%)

and on top of this I have a couple darlings. One might sound a bit dorky but I liked it:

Talia frowned. She couldn't force him to let her help. But he was refusing to listen to the long term effects of what Sorsha did. What was it Merdoc told her? Get his attention? How? She took a deep breath, moving around to his side of the table took his head in her hands. When he looked up she straddled his legs and kissed him. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, just enough to startle him. When she finally pulled away she struggled to breathe. That hadn't gone quite as planned but he was certainly looking at her. A mixture of shock, desire written on his face.

"Do I have your attention?" She asked.

"My complete attention." He sounded as breathless as she felt. He dropped his hand, but didn't look away. His arm still around her waist.

Score for me. She thought smugly.


hehehe I thought it was funny.

then there is this which is the last line I wrote tonight:

"Our mother is a dark immortal, Talia. Now what do we do?"


goodnight peeps. I hope you all rest well.

edited because I posted instead of previewed. oops.

Yesterday was the day of the migraine.

We are snowed in here and so I figured I would take the time to write. Unfortunately I was also fighting a migraine. The day went write, sleep, write, sleep.

By bedtime I figured that I hadn't gotten many words in. Then I tallied it up.... o.O a grand total of 4409 words.

Go me. 2200 of that was in BP


the other words were from dabbling in a few other stories which are officially lining up to be worked on AFTER Bastard Prince is finished. Err, d1 is finished.

The words are not my best, though there are a few pretty lines but I can't find them right now. I might snip later. Or I might not. We'll see.

Anyways, I love this progress I am making.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the characters that when I hit an emotional tough bit, I cry.

Guess what I did tonight?

Yeah



here is the precious:

Ivona wanted him to live. For her, he would do his best.


psst... Ivona is his daughter. just fyi.... :P

I'm playing, I'll admit it. I started that other scene earlier and then today I was playing with this new set of scenes. I have reached 40k on BP.

I am pleased. Very very pleased. I didn't realize I had gotten so far.

Quick context;
This is from Lillian's POV. Lillian is one of Zander's lovers towards the end of Bastard Prince. The more I write her, the more I think that, had they met under different circumstances they would have ended up together 'forever'. But yeah. :P Zander in this scene has just survived a torture chamber.

Rough Snip:

A few well placed magic heating stones along the sides of the large bathing room made it warm and the hot water; steamy . He sighed, pure pleasure on his face as he sank to the bench.

"Gods I could live here."

Lillian laughed going over to him and pulling up his shirt.

"Lilly..." it was a protest, a warning.

"You have been through hell." she said glancing at him then carefully unbuttoning the shirt. "You deserve to be pampered."

He stood pulling the tunic off and hissing in pain, his arms unable to move right. She saw the problem, gently took the one side of the shirt off and helped him out of the other sleeve. She stared at his back and slowly went around him taking in his back and then his chest, shaking her head as she did. There was not a single patch of skin un bruised nor scarred. Whips? Knives? She wasn't sure. He cupped her face forcing her to look at him.

"Lilly don't cry, please." Pleading, his voice cracking.



good night lj

I realized what I needed to do to tie the front and back of the first half of the book together. I also realized that some of the things that happen that I assumed were unnecessary to plot... actually are VERY necessary to plot and if not for those things part two and Crossroads and several other stories down the road wouldn't happen otherwise.

Whoa. Maybe I'm getting this down a bit.

I think one problem is I am a lazy person at heart. :P Now that I think I have figured some of this stuff out I am going to have to write it down.

I am also writing down the scenes that have come to mind. as they come to mind. Which so far isn't too far off of the chronological order. My OCD however is having fits.

But getting it down is the important part. Anyways, here is a snip. This is just about where shit hits the fan.

( A couple bad words, just so you know. )

I know, it is out of context and you don't know who the heck anyone is but I am very proud of that piece. :P

oh, and Merdoc? Well the dude in my icon looks how I've imagined Merdoc.

Ok so I was happily going along with Zander's story and then I hit the slow years. Plotwise nothing much happens, except for the training and the two love affairs, one helps shape his outlook on life the other makes him quite wary and produces his daughter.

I don't know that I really want to go into a lot of detail of the training itself, I've always thought of just skipping over that part. It would bog things down. The two love affairs.... The one takes place near the end of training, the other a couple years before shit hits the fan.

In all there is this 10 year or so span where aside from mini missions and the romance it drags. And this is where I'd end up losing half the readers unless I pull some sort of something to thread it together. So far I am having issues finding that thread.

Mind you I may be avoiding here. The one romance, which produces his daughter, that one is one that hurts him, deeply.

Oh great am I avoiding cause I want to spare the poor guy pain? For crying out loud I am the ebil writer! I put him through hell as it is. Meh.

I bet you that is it.

**headdesking**

So anyways pal in chat suggested I write that part of Zander's life (basically pre hell-breaks-loose aka 90% of Bastard Prince) as a collection of shorts, like the Conan the Barbarian stories. At which a light-bulb **insert Gru's voice here** went off and the writing just exploded.

I wrote 2k in a little over an hour at the point where things start to pick back up after the lull.

I got to write Trisha again. **squees** I adore that character almost as much as I adore writing Zander. As I told glassquill Trisha is just about as fun as Zander, without the mental instability. :P



so have a taste of my alter ego, just remember this is very rough:

( hidden to spare the flist )

I've always 'heard' her speaking in a very cultured British accent. Zander's is rough, accented similarly to Antonio Banderas btw. Just in case you were wondering. :D

This is not the best scene I've done but it has the makings of a great one
And I should say this is RAWRAWRAW writing. This will not be the final version of this scene.


( Snippity Snip )

:D

Writing is a process. A process that is different for each writer, and I might add, for each story. Bastard Prince has been a hellova process. I have learned so much about writing by pounding away at the keyboard day after day working on this thing.

My process has changed over time. I was once a pantser I guess you could say. Outlines gave me headaches. They confused me (blame it on ignoring my English classes in HS). My stories are complex. And I realized recently that there is no way I can keep it all straight without an outline. It took me six years of trial and error to figure this out.

Thats not to say that everyone needs to outline, for me, for MY style of writing, I NEED an outline or else I get lost, bored and sidetracked.

Bastard Prince has had several incarnations. And there is some damn good writing which, well I really don't want to lose it so I have copied, pasted, tweaked several scenes to fit into the new version. It is giving me practice with editing.

I really love this story. I think that I am doing it justice this time around.

There was more but RL just got busy

---

ohohohoh

If you have been following the flooding in Australia you will know that is is AWFUL. qldfloodauction has an auction going over here. Please go check it out and spread the word if nothing else.

The past three days have been good writing wise for me. I have managed to average a little over 2000 words each day. I am shooting for that today too.
Yesterday was actually a bit more because I moved words from eh old version of Bastard Prince to the new version and did editing on that to make it fit.

I love this story, have I said that before? I love the fact that I think I may actually be able to do it justice.

The mind does weird things. I set aside writing for a couple years, except for nano, because I wasn't good enough to tell the stories I wanted to tell. I was advised by someone I highly respect to shelve this story indefinitely because I needed to improve my writing.

My desire to write vanished when I accepted her suggestion. It occurred to me yesterday as I edited the scenes that needed editing to fit with this new version that accepting her suggestion was the first mistake. I stopped writing, I lost the desire to write, to create because the story of my heart was waiting.

I'm not writing it to get rich and famous. I'm not writing it because of other people. I'm writing it because I love the story. I love the characters, I love the fact that when I am writing Zander's story I am happy.

But the bottom line of all of this? If you don't write, you won't improve.

I am thick skulled, yes. Sometimes it takes a while to get through all that bone to the brain but it does eventually get through.

I don't know how big the project will be. I am writing it as 1 book which will probably be split into two, so I am guestimating here. We shall see.

Bastard Prince is coming along slowly for some reason. Three songs have been playing almost repeatedly in my head that seem to capture the feel for BP Snuff by Slipknot, Feel Good Drag by Anberlin and Undisclosed Desires by Muse (oh god that song is SEXAY!!!) Snuff especially, if not the lyrics the voice of the singer and the music just punches hard.

Jade of Tiesk which happens parallel to the last half of BP is coming along quickly. Thats one I've tossed around mentally for years.

So I am doing roughly 500 words per project per day, give or take.

Short Story written, then eaten by the computer. Not a happy camper.


On my writing agenda;
~Re-write the story the computer ate.
~ Chapter 2 & possibly 3 on Bastard Prince
~Finish outline for Jade
~Finish Jade's scene.


Possible if time and RL allow for it:

~Write up outline for Lady of the Light


I know that there will be family members and friends who will not like the storylines. This saddens me. But since I can't please everyone I'm trying not to worry about it too much.

So what are your goals for today?


Edited to add videos

Undisclosed Desires (SEXAY SONG OMG)


Snuff (This song is so Zander it is scary)


Feel Good Drag describes several of Zander's relationships... hehe

I finished the outline for Bastard Prince, though I am certain I'll have a few tweaks later on.

I love this story all the more, seeing it laid out so to speak. I hope I do it justice. Starting on it now.

I have an idea for the short too. :P But it is late and I have to go to bed as soon as this first scene is written.

Good night lj.

I have never been great at outlines. Until now. I used LSB to get the prework done on Bastard Prince. I am amazed. It is exactly what I needed, seriously.

So I outlined Bastard Prince then decided, because I could, to go ahead and outline Crossroads as the second half of Bastard Prince.

I am having fun.

I haven't yet started on the story a month thing. I want to have d1 done by the end of this next week though.

Not sure what the story will be about either...

but it is time to go to bed. Goodnight LJ

Reading over the current versions of BP & Crossroads and I am struck with the realization that maybe a full re-write isn't necisarry. Perhaps I can salvage the better bits and write new bits to fix the issues at hand.


Then I found myself crying when I got to the part where Zander visits his mother's grave. Closure for the character, it needs work, oh great gods it needs work HOWEVER it isn't that bad.

I can do this. I really can.

Mythbusters tested a myth that the Chinese back in the 4th centuary had a early detection system at their city walls. By setting 200 Liter pots )with skins stretched over them to make a drum) in holes and setting a person in said hole to 'man' the drums they could hear the approach of a tunneling army.


People watch this episode it is really awesome.


Idea; a wall defense system in areas of Avaria; the world BP is set in.

used in;

The Rahaun lands?
Pearthea?
Aquilla no
Southern Nations

"There's trouble... fighting in the south."

"Baragas there's always fighting in the south."


:D

**files it away for when brain is able to focus on story**

The UF ground to a screeching halt. Why? I'm not sure honestly. The idea is there, I think I am missing something in the translation between brain and computer though.

It is marinating and I have taken BP off the shelf and poked at it a bit. After some poking and realizing a few things I also realized something else. I am truly LOVING BP.

So I've decided while I let my subconscious work on the UF idea I'll do some editing/rewriting of BP because at this point, when I haven't written much since the move I just want to work on something. Moving takes a lot out of you you know?

Something that needs to be fixed with bp is the emotion. The darker the story gets the more detached I seem to be from the mc. A scene which should have been heart-wrenching fell very flat due to lack of emotion.

Definitely need to work on that.

So as of right now BP is sitting at 60,974. I feel like I'm missing part of it but I don't know where it might have vanished too. I thought it was at least twice this size.

In other words I am still here. busy as heck and still determined to get this book written.

I also need to find some BP friendly icons :P