WTF Is Goin On Around Here?!?!

To Do List:

Remove progress bars from blog ...... check
Rip up and burn every word written on both idle (former current) WIP's so as to remove all evidence of such horrid writing......... check
Take slow, deep breaths
Remind self that giving up is not an option
Repeat following lines until you have convinced yourself: I can be a writer, I can be a writer, I can be a writer, I can be a writer

...
Um yeah, sorry about that but I had to do it. It's been a weird couple of months to be sure. I haven't had a whole lot of time for writing and it's become very frustrating. There are multiple reasons for this, but the main one would be that even when I do get the chance to write, it's nothing but junk. Oh and I really mean uberjunk!! Like a grade school child is trying to write a novel, that's what it ends up like. That's even worse than normal for me. I can generally make it seem like I am mildly intelligent with good ideas, someone who needs help here and there with their writing, but still has potential. Not so much lately though. I spent some time today editing the little bit of work that I have been able to do on my Fantasy WIP, a big mistake as anyone who knows me will tell you (I don't self edit, I murder my work. If I don't pass it along to someone else to do that job, it all goes in the trash.) So when I started I was expecting the usual battle of whether or not to trash every single word I've written, save a few witty remarks here and there, but there was no battle this time. I hung my head in defeat and said goodbye to possibly the worst writing I have ever done in my life.

When I first started on that particular story I was writing between 2k and 7k a day. Over the past few months I haven't even written 3k. Freaking ridiculous! I love the story idea and I have lots of scenes in my head, but they are just not coming together properly when I try and put them down on paper. And yes, that is exactly what I do. First draft is always longhand. I just write better that way... well, normally I write better that way. In this case I have even tried doing the first draft on my trusty laptop, but to no avail. The biggest problem is that I don't really get to devote the amount of time I want to the story. A few minutes here and there just isn't going to cut it for me. Thank goodness for my notebook cus I'd be in a big ole mess without it. There I can jot down the ideas when I can't get them into the story and go back to them later. Sort of anyway.

I'm also experiencing the issue of not only that story idea floating around in my head, but yet another one that's screaming to be let out. Of course it's another Fantasy one, but it's a bit different than what I would normally do. Generally I keep my character list light, but for this one I'm thinking it should involve a whole group of people. Not really sure on the number yet because every time I think I've completed the circle so to speak, another one pops up that fits right in. Oh and usually I have female MC's, but not this time. I am seriously infatuated with one particular guy in my head right now. I'd love to get him down on paper and see how he turns out because for me they never turn out the way I originally intend them to. I don't know how many times I've said it, but the story goes where it wants and all I do is follow along like I know what's going on. I'm ok with that though. As far as I'm concerned that's the way it should be. Let it do what it will and never mind what you think or want. 'Cus it's not about you. It's about these people, or just person, that you're letting come through you. I've never had control over any of my stories and nor would I want to. I tried to force a story into a different direction than what it seemed to be going one time. That didn't turn out well at all. Suffice it to say that one was never even see by anyone else, that's how badly I jacked it up. But I learned my lesson long ago not to mess with a good thing.

And this story in my head seems like such a good thing. It seems so wasteful to me to just let it roam around up there, or rather scream around because that's what it's doing, and not let it out at least a little at a time. I'm only afraid that if I do it a little at a time I'll lose something of the story that makes it so special. I have a thing about writing when I get the chance to do it. I want to do it nonstop. I want to sit in a comfortable spot and write until my hand is cramped and then write even more. I want to be able to spend all night long just whipping out words on what these people are about to go through and how they come out of it in the end. I want to...but I can't. School alone can keep me busy enough on most days that by the time I sit down to write I feel like my brain is nothing but a pile of mush sloppin around in my skull. I mean, I know that right at this moment while I'm typing this I could instead be writing my story, but I'm not in the right frame of mind at the moment. Everything is too jumbled and chaotic at this hour of the night and I know what kind of things I write when that's the case. *shudders* No, I'll save it for when I put a coherent thought or two down without being sidetracked five seconds later by another one that's equally interesting to me. Sometimes I'm just too easily distracted, that's all there is to it. :)

So, ok, now that I've rambled and vented a bit it's time to see what I can make of this group of chosen few on earth who possess these strange and unknown powers. ;-)


P.S.
*kicks self for going so long without even writing so much as a blog post*

Writing a Fantasy Novel

I love writing in the Fantasy genre. There's so much room to move around and play. My favorite part about it, and also the most troublesome, is that you get to make new worlds if you want ,or just revamp our existing one. Either way you do it, it's always good fun, and when done properly a great read. My reasoning for all this can be broken down into three simple sections; the worlds created and/or changed, the powers given to characters, and the plots of the stories.

The Worlds:
Let's take a look at the world part of the story first. It could be the world we know and are familiar with, only with magic behind the scenes (or not), or it could be something completely new, created from scratch by the author. One of my favorite examples of this is, that I've read recently anyway, (of course) the Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams. (Forgive me talking about him so much in these posts, I just really like his books. *shrugs*). He started from scratch and made up, not only a kingdom, but a whole world filled with gods and demigods, human characters, and various forms of magical/mythical beings. Writers who create new worlds go through quite a bit of work to make it happen. I for one love to do it. I have created new worlds multiple times in my WIPs. It can be daunting and sometimes hard to figure out all the details needed, but in the end it's always worth it. To me anyway... When a writer creates a new world they have the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries set for them by the world we live in. There are limits, of sorts, that come with writing about our world. But when you create a new one, there are no restraints. Granted, it has to be somewhat plausible, but there is far more room to move when you can create everything down to the tiniest detail; make it all your own design.

Shadowmarch Castle

Another thing I love about the world aspect is jumping back and forth. In Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, he has his own little world, or rather ours but one that has "moved on". But, Roland, the MC, travels from Mid-World to our world... a few times actually, and he's not the only one. By means of portals and doorways they are transported to different times and places in our world. (Insert King into his own work during two of these excursions, which some people think is arrogant, but I adore. He did it quite well IMHO.) Other characters are transported in different ways, in some cases death, from our world to Mid-World. Being able to see a character go back and forth between the two worlds allows you to see not only their world, but to see ours from a perspective we have never had. Things that are commonplace to us are alien to them, and would be the same if we were to travel to their world. That's what does it for me, right there. To be able to not only jump into a place I've never been before, but to know what our world looks like to an outsider, is what appeals to me.

The Powers:

Another thing I adore about writing in Fantasy is the power aspect. Call them powers, gifts, abilities, whatever you want. The point is, they're fun to play with and enormous fun to dole out IMHO. For example; I have one MC who can do multiple things like control the elements, telekinesis, telepathy, etc. (the girl is a veritable fortress of power), and then I have some with only one or two powers. FYI: pretty much all of my MC's are witches, and female ones at that. I do have some that aren't strictly witches and some that are male, but for the most part, that's what I write. The one male I am truly in love with, and he stars in three of my WIPs, is simple really; he has only two powers and he kicks major ass with them, so I don't find it necessary to give him more. As for the one with multiple powers, she has to have them, it's all part and parcel of the life she's living inside my head. She also kicks major ass. ;-)

 

But when you start to look at all of the possibilities for powers out there, you'll find a very wide range. I'd be surprised to find there are limits to what you can make your characters do. I suppose I should allow that some people will say there are limits, but not for me, not in my work. I mean, think about it. You can make a character so powerful that he/she can wipe out an entire legion of evil beings with the swipe of their hand. Or you can just keep it simple, give the MC just the basics and watch them tear the world apart. ;-)

The Plots:
Ah, now here's where I really get long-winded and rambly. The plots, the plots, the plots. Love 'em. Not always mind you, there are some books I've read that I wished I'd never even heard of, but for the most part I do love them. Of course the plot is essential to any story, that's just a given. But what I'm referring to is the fact that pretty much every story has been told by now, it's the ways they are reinvented that really excite me. Who hasn't read various "chosen one" scenarios or the whole apocalypse idea over and over again? But why do we keep reading these stories that, at the core, are all the same? We do it because the author has the ability to make their story different from all the other ones out there. We do it because the author is able to take an old idea and put a new twist on it. Let's talk Harry Potter for a moment. Another "chosen one" situation, but done different than the rest by the tiniest details that make up the characters, the setting, the trials, etc. Inevitably one side is going to win in these battles, and it's not always the good side either. In my reading experiences, which admittedly is much less than many people I associate with, I have found that I like these chosen one stories that deal with the younger generation. Depending on how long these things go on for, years in the case of HP, we may get to see the character grow and develop, either into who everyone thinks they should, or into the polar opposite of that. After all, the chosen one doesn't always turn out good... or even begin that way. Watching how the character deals with the burden on their shoulders is also another appealing thing to me. It makes me wonder how I would cope if I were ever in the same situation. Though, I will say, it wouldn't be nearly as well as they do. :-D

How many times have we read a book where the fate of the world rested on the MC's, and possibly supporting character's, shoulders? I have done this a few times myself. The appeal for the end of the world scenario, to me anyway, is to see how the MC overcomes it all to win in the end....or not. There's a 50-50 chance that things will not go the way they should, i.e. HEA or at least the best HEA possible.

There's also a chance the world will crumble and fall, taking every inhabitant along with it. Don't ya just love it? There is also to consider, if the apocalypse is averted, the aftermath of such a battle. What does it do to our everyday lives? What does it do to those who, thinking magic is nothing but fairy tale and legend, see it firsthand and must live with the knowledge of something they've never faced before? Not only that, but let's say the MC survives the whole ordeal, how do they go on afterward? What do they do now that, in some cases, their destiny or purpose is complete?

Now, I know you don't always get the answers to every question you have when you read a book. Sometimes you're left scratching your head and wanting to give anything just to get more information. But that's the beauty of it. If a story can leave you wanting more it's more than worth it in the end. You may be frustrated with the way the story ends, you may not agree with what happens, but that's just the way it goes. If with your story you can manage to bring your reader into your world, make them feel like they are living through the same experiences as your MC, and sometimes even make them want to be your MC, then IMHO you've written an excellent Fantasy story. Even if your preferred genre is not Fantasy, I would recommend giving it a shot at least once. You never know what's going to come of it.

Stretching or Merging?

My stories I mean. There's two that I'm currently working on. And yes, I'm aware I haven't owned up to the other one yet, but I am now. One, as you already know, is in the Fantasy genre, the other is Erotica. The reason I bring it up now is because over the past few nights I've had more idea for the Erotica novel than the Fantasy one. But something odd happened last night, or rather at around 3 o'clock this morning, while I was writing. My stories began to merge.

Let me explain. The fantasy novel, Immortal, contains a character in a supporting role that I really like, but we don't hear too much about in the story, not in regards to her past and such. The erotica novel, Games (tentative title),  deals with her in the past, before she meets the MC of Immortal. Now, while I was writing it, little things here and there were coming into the light for me about how I can link the two stories. Not necessarily change it completely so that the MC of Immortal gets pushed to the side. I like her far too much to do that. But just give a bit more history and depth to the story. Plus, a bit more depth and knowledge of a character which in the fantasy novel you hear all about her powers and that whole side of her, but nothing more.

She's a vindictive little wench, I'll tell you that. In Games you see a completely different side of her than you do in Immortal. But that's the beauty of the story to me. That I get the chance to explore areas of her that were unknown until now is the fun. The especially cool thing about Games, for me anyway, is the dynamic she has with another female. It's a love you, hate you, can't live without you, let's see how many people we can screw (and screw with) and how many ways we can do it, kind of relationship.

So is this stupidity on my part? Trying to link these two stories, no matter how tentative that link? I don't think it is. In fact, I think it's rather fun. Pulling out the erotica novel again, which I haven't touched in a very long time, was a good idea and I don't plan on shelving it again anytime soon. Especially not the way things are going.

I swear, one day that genre will be my bread and butter. ;-)