2011A8-25-L029
Silvone E. Elestahr

I did not ever really rewrite the Refugee scene. I kind of stopped writing for a bit altogether. But, after the hiatus, I realized that at this point in time it is really a waste of my time to focus on perfecting a scene. I have some characters that I can use, and I can always come back later. What I need to focus on is moving the story forward. That, however, is the next problem. I am really unsure of what I should do now. I have one idea, but there is so much I can do with it that I'm not sure what to do with it.

I have been considering taking a different route, perhaps starting with a new character and telling a new part of the story, or maybe writing the backstory of some of the characters I have introduced. I also need to fill in some details; for example, the main protagonist at this point is a group of people, yet I don't even have a name for this group. There are so many details that it lacks that it makes it hard to refer to them in the story. A lot of this needs to be fleshed out sooner or later, but either way I need to have my focus back before the beginning of November.

I might just have to start writing and let the ideas travel through my fingertips. That method usually works the best for me, but sometimes it doesn't. I would like to have most of November planned out so that I don't have this problem when I really need to get the words out. That, in fact, is why NaNoWriMo says not to use existing stories, but whatever. It is a waste of effort otherwise (for me).

I have so many ideas for this story, just floating around in my head. Most of it is for random parts of the story, near and far from my current point. I should try and focus on those, so I can get a hint of where the story is going. Everyone tells me that I should do that, start in the middle somewhere, or even the end. I've never liked that method though. I feel like I need to start at the beginning, and end at the end. But I am slowly learning that that might not be the easiest or most productive method.

In other news, I've been itching to write more on the norjick story that I had abandoned. I'm getting fresh ideas for it, and I think I might actually be able to salvage some of it. The problem now is that I don't have time for it. I can't really write two novels at the same time, as much as I want to. I think it will just have to continue sitting on the back burner until I have some free time again. Its nice to know that all that time and effort wasn't completely wasted though!

2012J1-14-L030
Silvone E. Elestahr

Writing this scene was incredibly difficult for me. The content was quite a bit more complex than what I have written so far, and I think it was fear that was holding me back. What I have written is really nothing more than an outline. There is very little in the way of dialogue, very little actual descriptions of the people or the buildings. Nothing to describe culture at all. I made some notations of stuff that I would like to add in, but I don't think that I will do that now. I need to move on again.

The most important part of this scene was using the setting and the events, not to advance the story, really, but to have a lasting impact on the main character. What happens here isn't really important to the overall story, but it sends a message to the character that she can't ignore, and it will change who she is throughout the rest of the story.
I also used this scene to create a character that I've been excited about creating since I started. His name is Ysopet, and he is a storyteller (in a sense). He knows all of the fables, he is a fact hoarder, and he always has a good, relevent story to tell just when the time is right. My inspiration for him, obviously, is Aesop, from Aesop's Fables. He will be a very important character for the story, but more in terms of group interactions than major events. All in all, this scene was a major stepping stone for a lot of my ideas, which is why I was so afraid of writing it. As much as I manged to screw it up, there is nothing that can't be fixed, and now I can move on.

As for moving on, I'm not sure where to go at this point. I have three completed chapters and 20,000 words. But I don't want this book to be exclusively from the point of view of a single character. I need new characters to provide new POV's. I just don't really know who, or where to place them. I could continue with Alys's story, and add in new POV's later, but I think that doing so now will provide me with some fresh ideas and inspiration. I will do some brainstorming, and if nothing pans I will just continue with what I have.

2012J1-18-L031
Silvone E. Elestahr

Servant-Soldiers was kind of a rushed scene. I knew, in a small sense, where I wanted it to go, but not really the best way to get there. When I started I was not even sure which character's point of view I wanted to use. I decided on the character that had a more prominent part rather than one I had recently introduced (who will have a very prominent part later). I came to that decision because of the conflict from the previous scene. Conflict is what drives the story, and there was not really anything interesting with the other character I was contemplating using. So I think I made the correct decision in that case.

When it came to actually writing the scene, I believe I kind of rushed it. But that could be said with all that I have written so far, particularly the scene Betrayal. However, I did get the scene where I wanted it go without feeling like I need to rewrite the whole thing. The problem is... well, I suck with dialogue. And this scene is entirely dialogue. I think it might be wise for me to read up on how to write good dialogue scenes. So far I have found all of mine particularly lacking.

So far I've been happy with dialogue in most of my role-plays, but I just can't achieve that same level of satisfaction with my actual novel. I think that might be because I don't have the same connection with the characters. In my role-plays, I focus on a single character. In Sephiris, I have many more, but Barthon is The main character for me. In my novels, there are several main characters. I need to know all of them and focus on each of them. Until I have proper character sheets (and I only just finished the character sheet for the current main character...), and perhaps a bit more details about their lives and the world they live in, I think that their dialogue will continue to be a bit lousy.

The greatest achievement with this scene is the fact that I finished it so fast. I doubled my word requirement, and I actually made some decisions. Normally I get derailed when I need to make those kinds of decisions, so I think I might have actually passed a barrier. The next few scenes will continue to be challengine, so hopefully I can keep up with the progress.

2012J1-27-L032
Silvone E. Elestahr

Ysopet was quite a bit more of a success than Servant-Soldiers. I used quite a bit of dialogue in this one as well, but I also had more of a setting to work with. The characters moved around for a little bit, so that helped. Toward the end I used a few setting details, though it feels a little forced. I will smooth everything out in future edits though. The problem I am currently facing is that my next planned scene is also a dialogue scene. That makes for three lengthy dialogue scenes in a row. It certainly seems necessary to me, but I know that dialogue scenes can be rather boring to read through. Perhaps in the future, when I have multiple characters going, I can break it up so that it isn't so boring... I don't know yet. For now though, I just need to write it out.

The character I introduced in this scene is, of course, Ysopet. I have wanted him in this story since its conception because I knew that he would be an ideal way to reveal much of the history of at least a part of the world. The kingdom of Tyronir is what the first part of the book centers on. Being the homeland of the main character, it will remain an important place throughout the entire story. Ysopet is very knowledgeable of the kingdom as a whole, and he is also a wonderful storyteller. In this scene, he tells one fable, and references another. In future edits, when I have some more ideas to work with, I am going to have to change the fables to reflect the world it takes place in. I currently just have the fables I want copied and pasted into it. The effect is still there, I suppose, but there is no uniqueness to it. No flare. That, of couse, will have to wait as well.

Overall, I would regard this scene as a success. I got my ideas out, I improved on my dialogue writing technique, and my gears are still turning. That is always a good sign. The next scene will contain more dialogue... well, monologue, really. After that I will be able to get back into the action.

I've been thinking a lot about what this story needs still. Gadreille is encouraging me to hurry up and write and get it published, but I have my doubts. Well, more than that, I have a picture in my head of what I want it to be when completed; I don't know if I can give it up before that picture is completed. Reading other novels that are similar to what I am trying to write (far too similar for comfort, unfortunately ((damn you, Brandon Sanderson))), I am seeing what I am lacking, both in skill and details. This book will be a very long-term project, both as a way of building up my skill and because of what I want it to contain. Perhaps it will never be finished.

2012J1-31-L033
Silvone E. Elestahr

This is not an update for progress, but rather for an abrupt change in my methods. While working on the next scene, I decided I would try simply skipping it, as the dialogue was not essential to the progress of the current plot. But then, while planning on the next scene, I realized that my current ideas were quite inadequate and not something I could really work with. There are too many things that need to be changed. For one, the small town I was placing it in just won't work. It needs to be a city, even a small one. This works in the long term, however, because it gives my story something to focus on. As it was, I was just writing to see where it led me. I had no idea where the book might end. Now I do have an idea of where it can end, and that will help me focus my writing.

I have decided that the end of this chapter, which will also mark the end of a significant part of the story, lets say Part 1, will mark the end of my forward progress. I may even neglect the end of the chapter for now. What I need to focus on is increasing and improving what I already have. The time for the dreaded editing has arrived. Chapter 4 will obviously need some significant work. The heart of what I have is still good, but there are so many details that need to change that it isn't really worth keeping what I already have written.

Chapter 1 will also need some significant revisions. Again, what I have is good, but there simply is not enough. I have a feeling that once I actually start rewriting it, I will completely redo what I already have anyway. Chapter 2 really needs some editing. There are so many possibilities with that chapter, and I really just skimmed over it. I have ideas already floating through my head for it. And then, Chapter 3 feels like filler. Important events don't necessarily need to happen in every chapter, however something does need to happen here. Again, I have an idea or two, revolving around an item she finds in Chapter 2, but I'm not exactly sure how that will play out yet.

Anyway, in short, forward writing has ended and I have decided that it is time to start reworking what I already have. I know that this will help me in future chapters as well, because I've already seen it when I was trying to figure out what to do with Chapter 4. I will increase the depth of the story, its background, and that will inevitably lead me to new and better ideas. I'd rather have the focus change on Chapter 4 rather than Chapter 40.

Also, as I've been writing I have been trying to get each chapter up to 5,000 words. They have all exceeded that mark by a thousand or so. I would like to change that goal as I rewrite it. Each chapter is broken up into a number of scenes, and I would like each of those scenes to approach the mark of 4-6k words. That will be a challenge in itself, and I realize that not every scene has material that can be stretched that far. There will be exceptions. However, if I can make it grow by that amount, I will have the beginnings of a real book, something that I can work with and eventually make into something worth other people's time.

2012F2-15-L034
Silvone E. Elestahr

After much brainstorming and despair, I finally managed to come up with a few ideas to change around the first two scenes. I decided to combine them, since the first part was really short and led so naturally into the second. It was, as I've been warned my whole life, very hard to throw away something I had already completed. It wasn't that I had fallen in love with my writing, because I knew it sucked and needed to go. It was hard because that was what I had written, and therefore that is the way it happened. Hopefully breaking past that once will make it easier in the future... unfortunately I doubt that will be the case.

While I have outlined how I wish this revised scene to go, I have not yet written it. I plan to start tonight. However, in the meantime, I would like to post the very first part of my story. It is still not the final version, though I am not sure how much this part of it will change in the future. But it is certainly as solid as any of the story could be at this point. Unless, of course, I trash it and start over.

---

Alys stared through the filthy window at the black-clad soldiers marching in the streets below her. Though the streets were wide, they were packed full with the dark procession, an even bleaker reflection of the cloud-filled sky above. Many buildings towered around the street: palaces and cathedrals, museums and libraries, all built of wood and beautifully carved stone. Most of it was beginning to show signs of decay, and the source of that decay was the army marching through the streets several floors below Alys. The Darkbringers had conquered the city from within its walls, a city that had been designed never to be taken from an outside force. Those soldiers, the Darkbringers, symbolized the cancer that had turned the people of the city against each other. Alys clenched her fists as she watched. That cancer had taken everything from her family, everything from her future. She was forced to live in hiding, learning from her parents what she would one day need if ever the cancer could be purged. Tironyr, rightfully her kingdom, had not seen a king or queen in over sixty years.

Alys let her gaze drift from the soldiers in the streets to her own reflection in the dirt-stained window: a small girl with large blue eyes and a small nose, and long red hair with a braid over her left ear and shoulder. She glared just as strongly at her reflection as she had the soldiers in the street. After sixteen years, Alys was beginning to lose hope that she would ever actually look like a queen rather than some street rat. Her face was still round, though also haggard looking. She knew the rest of her body looked just as gaunt; with little food and even less sunlight, a princess was the last thing anyone would think when they saw her. That was the point, of course, but it did not make it easier for her to bear.

“Alys,” said a soft voice from behind her. “It is time, dear. We must hurry.” Alys looked one last time at the city beyond the window, a once beautiful place. The tall buildings and even taller towers showed the neglect that they had suffered. Some of the towers had been broken near their tops, leaving a ring of jagged stone like teeth in the maw of a monster from beneath the city. Many windows were shattered, and only a few of those were covered with boards or blankets. Rain and dirt had erased much of the paint on the walls of the buildings. Alys thought that the whole city looked like it had been through a war despite the fact that it had somehow managed to avoid one. With a regretful sigh, Alys turned away from the window. The room she occupied was not a better sight. It was only sparsely furnished. A rickety wooden table occupied the corner of the room to her left, and a pile of blankets were on the floor to her right. The light blue wallpaper was peeling, revealing gray stone beneath. The room was small, but it was all Alys had. It was also cold, and spring was still a few months away. Alys did not think she would mind leaving the place behind forever.

Her mother Fyrna, her father Gekryng, and one of their servant-soldiers, Heizym, stood at the entrance to the room. Fyrna's hands were clasped at her stomach. Her beautiful, diamond-shaped face was framed by red wavy hair. Fyrna was both regal and delicate looking at the same time, with large blue eyes, a small nose, and very full lips. Her skin was still unmarred by lines and her hair showed not a strand of gray. Alys’s mother was still in the prime of her life, though that had no meaning to her. Fyrna wore a look that Alys had not seen in years: fear.

Gekryng stood by her, one arm over her shoulders. He was taller than Alys’s mother, and strongly built. Gekryng was almost the opposite of Fyrna in terms of looks; where the queen was perhaps the most beautiful women in the kingdom, as Alys believed she should be, Gekryng was far from pleasing to look at. A square black beard tried unsuccessfully to cover his scarred chin, and his dark eyes were obscured by a permanent squint. Or glare… Alys wasn’t really sure. From what the servant-soldiers had whispered when they thought Alys wasn’t listening in on them was that Fyrna had chosen Gekryng simply because he was her most loyal servant-soldier, as well as the most capable of protecting her. Alys liked to believe that they were actually in love, and her parents certainly acted like they were. But she couldn’t fool herself that the story had no truth to it. Her parents were both trying to smile at her, but she could see fear in both of their faces. It dampened her own anger and made her wonder about all of the things that might go wrong.

---

Feel free to comment here, or PM me, to share any thoughts you have.

2012F2-20-L035
Silvone E. Elestahr

Using real people as inspiration for fictional characters is, I would imagine, a common practice for many writers. Our experience and knowledge of people comes from our own experience throughout our lives, specifically our interactions with others. We develop a generalization as well as categories to define these people. But using real people is more than just transfering personality attributes and traits to a new name and face. That lacks creativity and, in the end, will result in rather stagnant and uninteresting characters. The most important function a character has in a story is driving the plot forward and becoming an anchor for the reader. A majority of readers will finish a book not because they are in love with the plot line (though that can be the case, and has been once or twice for me), but because they are in love with the characters.

Most certainly, many characters are beloved because they have desireable attributes and characteristics. Readers become attached to these characters and look forward to reading the next scene they take part in. It helps drive the reader forward, toward the end of the book. However, having those characteristics alone does not make a character what it is. Everyone has a unique effect on the people and events in their lives. That is what keeps people from becoming stagnant. There are many people in my own life who have had a wide variety of impacts on my path and mentality. Some have not been so good; others have been life-saving. When I use these people in my stories, I usually don't transfer anything that makes them who they are except for the impacts that they have had in my life.

My interactions with these people are what make them dear to me, and its those feelings I associate with them that I want to transfer to my characters. That is, I believe, what the readers crave. The romance and the tragedy, the hatred and loathing, the adoration and the guilt; those are all things that people need in some sense. They are things that drive us as human beings, our emotions. I can take a relationship I have with a person and completely mix it up, using two people who are completely unlike us, and yet travel down a relatively similar path. The emotions they feel and the trials that they go through will be the legacy of the people I used as inspiration. My story, Project Alys (not the final name, of course), is a story of human nature. How can this not be what I focus on? Emotions drive human beings. They define the core of who we are as individuals. This is the essential ingredient to my story.

Fortunately I have a very rich crop to harvest, though one individual stands out particularly strong. It is a relationship that I would never truly want to change as the course of it has strongly affected who I am. If not for this person, I might not still be married. I don't want an exact replica in my story, but I strive to take what I have gotten from her and give those emotions, as strong and heartbreaking as they are, to the readers. These emotions are my nature, and they are something I would like to share with the world.

2012F2-21-L036
Silvone E. Elestahr

I did it! I successfully performed the first edit of my first two (now combined) scenes, just about doubling the word length and changing the scene considerably yet not at all. In order to make the scene longer, and better, I needed to find a way to add to it. I could not just add in details and flowery wording; something in the scene needed to be changed. So I took out the middle ground, between point A and point B, and I changed it completely. The characters travel a completely different path. It is now longer and gives me more time to add to each of the characters as well as their setting.

The fact that I accomplished this first edit, while reaching my word count goal, is astonishing. I have certainly discovered a few things about myself, my writing, and my characters that should help me make even more progress. First of all, making edits helps you outline areas that still need work. But even during these edits, you are realizing that you need still more edits, though the story is not quite ready for them. There are several parts in this scene that I know I can add to, though I would prefer to wait until I have more information for the story, or at least a better sense of the plot line. As of now, that is still in the rough planning stages. But knowing that I can still make it better, and how, is a relief. I know that as it stands now, it simply isn't good enough to call finished.

By the end of this chapter, I fully expect to have 25,000 - 30,000 words. That is more than all four chapters combined right now. Wish me luck!

2012M3-14-L037
Silvone E. Elestahr

It was impossible to make the next two parts, even combined, reach 5,000 words. I am fine with that, since I still managed to make a quality scene that still has room for improvement. I like knowing that I can still make something better, because I know that I still have to... Nearly 2,500 words is close enough, since it is based mostly on action. The next parts should be easier to reach the 5,000 word mark, or even longer.

It took a long time for me to rewrite this scene because I knew that it was going to be difficult. I have a problem with overcoming those challenging scenes until a month later. While sitting in my car at work, on my lunch hour, I leaned my seat back with my laptop on my lap, closed my eyes, and just typed what I saw in my head. I have not reread it yet, or fixed the very numerous mistakes that I made, but I know that if I managed to portray what I saw in my head, then I did the scene justice. I also managed to make a new character (from an already existing one, but now a major character with actual details, a name, and a history).

Say hello to Lukion Durkheim, an officer in the army of Alys's enemy. Every good man does what he believes in his heart is best, even if the rest of the world believes that it is evil. Lukion is convinced that preparing the way for The Coming will save those who welcomed it with open arms. And bloodied swords. He is not likely to change his mind. I think inspiration for this character came from Benjamin Linus from the television series LOST. Ben is a good man with a wrong view of the world. In the world of Project Alys, who can say which perspective is right, and which is wrong? It always ends the same way.

I am definitely seeing the quality of my writing improve over the previous drafts, and I am finding myself able to focus more on the smaller details. That is obviously because the outline of the scenes are finished and I have a broader scope now than I did before. But I think my concistency with it is helping me as well. I have never put so much work into a story before, and this is just the beginning of it. I have so much planned... I really don't want to get ahead of myself this time.

With luck, the 5th and 6th scenes will be finished before the end of March.

2012A4-13-L038
Silvone E. Elestahr

The scene Chase has been incredibly hard for me to rewrite. I know that most of what I have so far is not nearly what I want it to be in its completed form. In my notes I have ideas that I want to get across that I just don't think are there in what I have written. But I can't get stuck here rewriting it over and over again. A couple of times I've deleted a paragraph or two to rewrite them, and they did improve. For now that will have to be enough.

I did manage to include a scenario that I had not imagined before, and I am quite happy with it. I was just writing, adding in a few things here and there. Those additions eventually led to more additions, and finally to the spot where I left off during my last bit of writing. It all started out with a simple dagger, and that dagger will end up having a very symbolic importance in Alys's life after her escape from Khyamadus. She may lose the dagger eventually, of course, or simply replace it. But what it has become, what it has enabled her to become, will never be lost.

I've almost finished with Chase, and then I will be moving on to Procession. I don't really have a lot of ideas for that yet, but I'm sure that they will come. Outlines of it are running through my head, and I'm sure they will expand into something better once I get there.

2012A4-15-L039
Silvone E. Elestahr

I've come across two photographs of red-headed girls with braids that I think come pretty close to how I imagined Alys to look. Neither of them are spot on; I think Alys would fall neatly somewhere in the middle of the two. Of course, that is how she would look on one of her better days, after her escape from Khyamadus.

2012M5-08-L040
Silvone E. Elestahr

I've finally created the second of three arcs for this story. Alys is the first main character, covering the first, and probably primary, arc. The character I've just made covers the second arc. While it will originally follow a path far separate from what Alys goes through, they will eventually meet, and their arcs will merge into one. The character is currently unnamed, though he has the temporary name of Marcus Mumford, named after another inspirational song, Dust Bowl Dance.

I have the entire origin arc for this character lined out in my head, though I am sure that as I write there will be significant changes. What I am attempting with this character is a style of writing far different than what I am used to. There is very little action or drama until much later, probably towards the second half of this book. Up until then I have to set up the story, and that will require a lot of patience for me. I need to really establish the characters and the setting, or what he goes through near the end will be meaningless.

Currently, I don't know how I will introduce each of these arcs, and switch between the two of them. For now, this arc will take place in Chapter 5, though I can guarantee that will change once I get everything more established. In fact, all of the chapters as I have them are likely to change significantly. More on that later.

This arc was introduced with Marcus and his farther discovering and examining an item that will not be seen again until later in the book, but will have a very significant part in Marcus's life and character. It was fun writing it, and it was satisfying to finally bring this character to life. I've been wanting to make him for a few months now, but I kept putting it off to focus on what I'd already been writing. Well, when you go a month with no progress, its time for a fresh start.