...Quite frankly, they stink. I'm always busy, so I don't even pause to come up with a good title, even if I'm really only giving you a short summary of what I've been up to, so all the post titles are almost exactly the same, and... you can't really tell them apart unless to read them!
So from now on, I will begin giving you better blog post titles! Ones that are better attention-grabbers. Yes, sir. Or ma'am.
I plan on making this blog more exciting for you. I will be brainstorming, even in the middle of editing my novel (which is going great by the way) so that I can make that happen.
I'm having trouble with creating my cover image since CreateSpace has limited me greatly in doing so. I have to customize my own. I might use Gimp... Artweaver works, too, but Paint, it, um... well, I'm not going to say anything about Paint. :D\
That's all. Pardon me, but I currently don't have a Word Of The Day. I may edit this post and put one in later on.
Wolf
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
"The Dawnwolf" Second Edit (Last Half) + Word Of The Day & Character Of The Week
Things are going really well right now, with the exception of that teeny little plot problem I've mentioned before that I plan to fix ASAP. I've lost a lot of words due to removing multiple scenes, but with my rewriting that should be filled back in soon, I think.
I definitely like the tragic turn of events rather than the comical, happy-go-lucky "oh-well-our-homestead-got-flattened-let's-party-on" attitude that had. What the heck. XD
I'm still exploring my cover image possibilities, but I need to write a summary for the back... Please give me tips on writing a novel summary if you can!
I definitely like the tragic turn of events rather than the comical, happy-go-lucky "oh-well-our-homestead-got-flattened-let's-party-on" attitude that had. What the heck. XD
I'm still exploring my cover image possibilities, but I need to write a summary for the back... Please give me tips on writing a novel summary if you can!
Okay, here's your Word Of The Day:
Malevolent:
Having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
Not me. I'm as sweeeet as pie. >:D
Character Of The Week:
Alphie the Noble and Wise:
Alphie is a peculiar beast indeed. She is quite large, with a furry brown body, a long neck, tufted tail, and the hands, feet and face of a human; almost child-like. She has burgundy eyes and wears bells around her neck, her wrists, ankles and tail, and even as earrings on her long and pointy ears.
She speaks in broken "English", and has a happy, innocent and friendly nature. She is very wise and knowledgeable in the ways of her world. She loves everyone but become shy around some strangers, and while she prefers to hide from humans, she loves their company when they mean well.
She's from the ancient past and appears as a supporting character in the second book of the "Lirin Bahonan" series, "The Legend of Tanakosk".
In case you were wondering, I haven't had any good Writing Tips to give you lately, but I will try and find one soon.
Wolf
Thursday, April 19, 2012
"The Dawnwolf" Second Edit: Back on the Job! + Word Of The Day & Belated Character Of The Week
I'd like a good round of applause, audience. The curtain was closed for some time, but now the performance has been resumed.
Voila-- behold! I overcame the harder, more important writer's block and I'm back on the job! It is ON.
The drawing I've done for the cover image is complete, with the exception of a few touch-ups I may do before uploading it an assembling it. Painting the image was a good idea, but I think I like this better. Painting will be saved for NEXT TIME. Oh, yes; "Noctivagous" will have a creepy painting as the cover image. Yeah, I've decided that "Noctivagous" will be this year's NaNoWriMo novel. It's development has improved, but I will launch into it completely once "The Dawnwolf" is out the door.
Here's a cool fact; the new novel is ever so slightly inspired by the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast" in its own unique way. It's going to be pretty cool, let me tell you.
Well, now that I'm out of the bind, there isn't all that much left to do in this second edit before I move on. I will be, more than likely, sticking with the third person narrative. First person looked too perplexing in the introduction.
Here's your Word Of The Day:
Inscrutable:
Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable.
And, forgive me for almost forgetting this week, the Character Of The Week:
Jonah the Rapucal:
Jonah is a rapucal; an odd, feline-reptile-mixed creature with the body and head of a cat and the legs and tail of a lizard. He in particular has a medium-dark brown coat and green legs and tail and a strong, muscular build.
He is heroic and courageous like every hero, but he really is quite a goof. He's serious one moment and joking the next. He an adult and a prized veteran who works at a place called "The Hero Station" which is, as it suggests, an organization of people and creatures considered as "heroes" who display their heroic acts by taking on rescue missions and the like. Often they are summoned to war.
He is, in fact, one of my first characters. He was the protagonist in many of my first stories, such as "Jonah, Friends & Enemies" (It was originally "Jonah, Frends & Enumes" until I was corrected. Please tell me you've already figured out that I was very young when I first wrote these...)
Ciao!
Wolf
Voila-- behold! I overcame the harder, more important writer's block and I'm back on the job! It is ON.
The drawing I've done for the cover image is complete, with the exception of a few touch-ups I may do before uploading it an assembling it. Painting the image was a good idea, but I think I like this better. Painting will be saved for NEXT TIME. Oh, yes; "Noctivagous" will have a creepy painting as the cover image. Yeah, I've decided that "Noctivagous" will be this year's NaNoWriMo novel. It's development has improved, but I will launch into it completely once "The Dawnwolf" is out the door.
Here's a cool fact; the new novel is ever so slightly inspired by the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast" in its own unique way. It's going to be pretty cool, let me tell you.
Well, now that I'm out of the bind, there isn't all that much left to do in this second edit before I move on. I will be, more than likely, sticking with the third person narrative. First person looked too perplexing in the introduction.
Here's your Word Of The Day:
Inscrutable:
Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable.
And, forgive me for almost forgetting this week, the Character Of The Week:
Jonah the Rapucal:
Jonah is a rapucal; an odd, feline-reptile-mixed creature with the body and head of a cat and the legs and tail of a lizard. He in particular has a medium-dark brown coat and green legs and tail and a strong, muscular build.
He is heroic and courageous like every hero, but he really is quite a goof. He's serious one moment and joking the next. He an adult and a prized veteran who works at a place called "The Hero Station" which is, as it suggests, an organization of people and creatures considered as "heroes" who display their heroic acts by taking on rescue missions and the like. Often they are summoned to war.
He is, in fact, one of my first characters. He was the protagonist in many of my first stories, such as "Jonah, Friends & Enemies" (It was originally "Jonah, Frends & Enumes" until I was corrected. Please tell me you've already figured out that I was very young when I first wrote these...)
Ciao!
Wolf
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Another 7-Day Break! (Day 3): The Lowdown
It has been HECTIC around here lately. I'll give you a brief summary:
I'm debating over first and third person in my novel.
The cover image is ALMOST done.
There's a lot more editing to be done than I had originally thought.
I'm giving myself another week to recuperate and study.
And the deadline has been dropped. Expect to see my novel sometime before June 30th.
That is all. Your Word Of The Day is:
Onomatopoeia:
1. The naming of a thing or action by a vocal intimation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)
2. The use of words whose sound suggests the sense
Wolf
I'm debating over first and third person in my novel.
The cover image is ALMOST done.
There's a lot more editing to be done than I had originally thought.
I'm giving myself another week to recuperate and study.
And the deadline has been dropped. Expect to see my novel sometime before June 30th.
That is all. Your Word Of The Day is:
Onomatopoeia:
1. The naming of a thing or action by a vocal intimation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)
2. The use of words whose sound suggests the sense
Wolf
Monday, April 9, 2012
7-Day Break! (Day 5): Finally, some progress!
Indeed. I've connected all the dots leading up to the final scenes of my novel, but there's just one problem... Well, two: I still need to figure out how all of this happens. As in, what starts the sequence of events I've already laid out. I have a general idea of what I'm going to do but I have two or three choices to choose from...
That, and how they get past the Dusk Forest again. Still.
That probably didn't a whole lot of sense, so I'll give you the simple version; I'm not done yet, but I'm close. The problem is almost solved.
So! Some progress has been made after all... Even though I've mostly been procrastinating and writing other things... Hee-hee...
But! I've been improving my writing skills in the process. Here's your Word Of The Day:
Exuberance:
Joyful enthusiasm
And the Character Of The Week:
Mr. Shay:
...I'm just kidding!!!
Almanzo Woods:
Almanzo is a 16-year-old part-Eldorin elf, part-Fawnui. The Eldorin is dominant in his genes, making him "white" rather than "brown". He has sandy-blonde hair that extends down a little past his ribs and long, pointed ears (like his Eldorin elf father), emerald green eyes (like his Fawnui mother) and somewhat sharp facial features.
He is quite an obnoxious young man, full of sass, sarcasm, rude behavior and little to no regard for others. It takes a great effort to soften his lion-like heart.
He bears an unusual mark on his left hand that grants him various abilities, such as the option to transform into a creature that resembles his heart.
He's the protagonist of the novel "ELDENDOR" (A.K.A "ELDENDOR: The Rise of Dagria").
Wolf
That, and how they get past the Dusk Forest again. Still.
That probably didn't a whole lot of sense, so I'll give you the simple version; I'm not done yet, but I'm close. The problem is almost solved.
So! Some progress has been made after all... Even though I've mostly been procrastinating and writing other things... Hee-hee...
But! I've been improving my writing skills in the process. Here's your Word Of The Day:
Exuberance:
Joyful enthusiasm
And the Character Of The Week:
Mr. Shay:
...I'm just kidding!!!
Almanzo Woods:
Almanzo is a 16-year-old part-Eldorin elf, part-Fawnui. The Eldorin is dominant in his genes, making him "white" rather than "brown". He has sandy-blonde hair that extends down a little past his ribs and long, pointed ears (like his Eldorin elf father), emerald green eyes (like his Fawnui mother) and somewhat sharp facial features.
He is quite an obnoxious young man, full of sass, sarcasm, rude behavior and little to no regard for others. It takes a great effort to soften his lion-like heart.
He bears an unusual mark on his left hand that grants him various abilities, such as the option to transform into a creature that resembles his heart.
He's the protagonist of the novel "ELDENDOR" (A.K.A "ELDENDOR: The Rise of Dagria").
Wolf
Thursday, April 5, 2012
7-Day Break! (Day 1): The Haps
I'm counting today as the first day of my self-appointed and much-needed break. Last night, I write out (by hand) a few plot-direction concepts. That helped a lot, but I still need to work out what happens before those certain events take place. (And also how Albira and the others get back to Kattiro without going through the Dusk Forest again)
I'll also take this time to decide on Luther's new instrument, the renaming of some places, the cover image, and some studying. I'm studying description some more and character emotion; I'm going to take notes like a normal person rather than just reading it over and expecting it to be glued into my mind first thing.
But yes, woe and alas, the release date may very well be put off once again. Could be mid May, late May, or even early June. Early June, I think not, but it depends. No later than that!
Word Of The Day:
Empyrean:
Adj. Belonging to or deriving from heaven.
Noun. 1. Heaven, in particular the highest part of heaven.
2. The visible heavens; the sky
Wolf
I'll also take this time to decide on Luther's new instrument, the renaming of some places, the cover image, and some studying. I'm studying description some more and character emotion; I'm going to take notes like a normal person rather than just reading it over and expecting it to be glued into my mind first thing.
But yes, woe and alas, the release date may very well be put off once again. Could be mid May, late May, or even early June. Early June, I think not, but it depends. No later than that!
Word Of The Day:
Empyrean:
Adj. Belonging to or deriving from heaven.
Noun. 1. Heaven, in particular the highest part of heaven.
2. The visible heavens; the sky
Wolf
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
"The Dawnwolf" Second Edit (Last Half): Plot Holes!
MORE PLOT HOLES... AND WRITER'S BLOCK! You probably know just how irksome and frustrating this is!
That whole chain of events/scenes I mentioned in my previous post are giving me sass, grief, and no kind of relief!
So, let me just vent here a moment:
Either way, my new and old scenes just don't work. There's a huge problem; Mori goes to check up on his family after all this time and there's a tornadic disaster, but I need to get him moving back to the quest without making it too soon or putting it off too long. Both scenes leading up to this have one of these problems.
I could make it so that the twister doesn't come, perhaps, and he just goes and visits and acknowledges the grim conditions everything and everyone is in, but at the same time I don't see a point. However, if I don't make it happen at all, well, it's kind of necessary that I do, let's say, because he can't go the whole journey without at least checking up on the once. But there needs to be something that happens and a darn good reason for it.
I could also just stick to what I'm doing now and have Mori and his friends take the family to a new place for the time being. Or, I could make the tornado rip up other parts of the field (which would scare Mori when he first arrives into thinking his family befell a terrible fate) but when he checks in, he sees the house is still standing. There are multiple possibilities, but all of them have holes somewhere...
I may have to put off the release date again, I'm afraid, because I need to take a break from this novel so that I can restore my motivation and brainstorm outside of it. There's an earlier problem I need to fix, too, which requires some though.
It's all right; I still have until the end of June. I just figured I'd be completely done by May 1st, but, something's come up, so we'll see.
Wolf
That whole chain of events/scenes I mentioned in my previous post are giving me sass, grief, and no kind of relief!
So, let me just vent here a moment:
Either way, my new and old scenes just don't work. There's a huge problem; Mori goes to check up on his family after all this time and there's a tornadic disaster, but I need to get him moving back to the quest without making it too soon or putting it off too long. Both scenes leading up to this have one of these problems.
I could make it so that the twister doesn't come, perhaps, and he just goes and visits and acknowledges the grim conditions everything and everyone is in, but at the same time I don't see a point. However, if I don't make it happen at all, well, it's kind of necessary that I do, let's say, because he can't go the whole journey without at least checking up on the once. But there needs to be something that happens and a darn good reason for it.
I could also just stick to what I'm doing now and have Mori and his friends take the family to a new place for the time being. Or, I could make the tornado rip up other parts of the field (which would scare Mori when he first arrives into thinking his family befell a terrible fate) but when he checks in, he sees the house is still standing. There are multiple possibilities, but all of them have holes somewhere...
I may have to put off the release date again, I'm afraid, because I need to take a break from this novel so that I can restore my motivation and brainstorm outside of it. There's an earlier problem I need to fix, too, which requires some though.
It's all right; I still have until the end of June. I just figured I'd be completely done by May 1st, but, something's come up, so we'll see.
Wolf
"The Dawnwolf" Second Edit (Last Half) + Writing Tip & Word Of The Day
Yesterday, I melted my brain into a puddle and immediately turned it into scrambled eggs-- as disgusting as it sounds.
I had to make a choice between a comical scene or a tragic scene in my novel. The original, comical scene was really, REALLY funny, but the tragic scene I had in mind would really add to the feeling of the story. It was a lot to think about...
Soon, I made up my mind, however; the comical scene leads up to a chain of terribly convenient events, as well a a couple of pointless ones. No feeling; it was almost as if Albira, Mori and Luther were a traveling band of entertainers as oppose to an odd group of three with one goal.
I wanted to add some DRAMA. Well, sort of drama. Not really. Okay, sorry, tragedy... Instead of the house magically standing after the tornado, I'm going to make it damage a lot of the houses and completely collapse it. What then? Where will Mori's sick family live now?
Well, you'll just have to find out, won't you?
At any rate, I'm taking out the comical scenes, putting them in my "Deleted Scenes" document, and replacing them with new ones.
And I really need to hustle with my cover image. I might work on it later today or tonight... I have a painting and a drawing. I'm going to finish both and decide which one I like better and what I'm going to use.
Writing Tip:
I'm quoting something someone said about "Telling" in your writing:
"When our goal is simply to inform, not to persuade or engage, TELLING does the job quite well — particularly if it’s part of an overall strategy."
The same person also said "Show, Don't (Just) Tell". I can agree with that; your whole novel should be engaging, and Showing is what helps with that. However, Showing can also be overdone, and MUST be balanced with Telling. You don't always have to show the character's rage to their full extent; I know I said earlier that you shouldn't just say "So-and-so was angry", but you can still, sometimes, do just that and pull it off. Consider the way you word it; description is required in both Showing and Telling.
I, myself, am still learning on the subject of "Showing and Telling". I find that it's quite important to know, but useless if you don't practice it.
I don't recommend you take all of this particular advice of mine to heart and carry it everywhere you go, as I haven't completely figured it all out myself. But this is "Writing Progress", is it not? Once I dissect the details, I'll share the combination to their full extent.
Word Of The Day:
Advantageous:
Affording advantage; beneficial.
Wolf
I had to make a choice between a comical scene or a tragic scene in my novel. The original, comical scene was really, REALLY funny, but the tragic scene I had in mind would really add to the feeling of the story. It was a lot to think about...
Soon, I made up my mind, however; the comical scene leads up to a chain of terribly convenient events, as well a a couple of pointless ones. No feeling; it was almost as if Albira, Mori and Luther were a traveling band of entertainers as oppose to an odd group of three with one goal.
I wanted to add some DRAMA. Well, sort of drama. Not really. Okay, sorry, tragedy... Instead of the house magically standing after the tornado, I'm going to make it damage a lot of the houses and completely collapse it. What then? Where will Mori's sick family live now?
Well, you'll just have to find out, won't you?
At any rate, I'm taking out the comical scenes, putting them in my "Deleted Scenes" document, and replacing them with new ones.
And I really need to hustle with my cover image. I might work on it later today or tonight... I have a painting and a drawing. I'm going to finish both and decide which one I like better and what I'm going to use.
Writing Tip:
I'm quoting something someone said about "Telling" in your writing:
"When our goal is simply to inform, not to persuade or engage, TELLING does the job quite well — particularly if it’s part of an overall strategy."
The same person also said "Show, Don't (Just) Tell". I can agree with that; your whole novel should be engaging, and Showing is what helps with that. However, Showing can also be overdone, and MUST be balanced with Telling. You don't always have to show the character's rage to their full extent; I know I said earlier that you shouldn't just say "So-and-so was angry", but you can still, sometimes, do just that and pull it off. Consider the way you word it; description is required in both Showing and Telling.
I, myself, am still learning on the subject of "Showing and Telling". I find that it's quite important to know, but useless if you don't practice it.
I don't recommend you take all of this particular advice of mine to heart and carry it everywhere you go, as I haven't completely figured it all out myself. But this is "Writing Progress", is it not? Once I dissect the details, I'll share the combination to their full extent.
Word Of The Day:
Advantageous:
Affording advantage; beneficial.
Wolf
Monday, April 2, 2012
"The Dawnwolf" Second Edit (Last Half) + Word Of The Day & Character Of The Week
The date has been confirmed! "The Dawnwolf" will be published May 1st!
I have one more month to get this novel done. I'm so relieved that it's going to be finished soon... I'm on the last half of my second edit, my cover image is nearly done, and everything is in place.
After this, I'm going to either jump back into the "Lirin Bahonan" series or I'm going to continue/start writing one of my old/new ones... "ELDENDOR"... "The Primal Blue"... maybe something about the Galwyrns... or, perhaps, my latest addition to the Crichianadiie collection: "Noctivagous", set in the dark country of Jadina. Brand new characters will be starring in this one.
I need to decide which one I'm going to do for NaNoWriMo this year. All the ones I listed haven't been fully developed, so once I settle for one, I'll see to it that it's storyline is completed. And not in the last three days of October, mind you...
Anyway! I'm pretty excited! I want to get my LCCN Assignment so that I can get it into the library catalog. By doing it through CreateSpace, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to request it before or after I submit my work, so I'll look into it. Also, it's not guaranteed that my novel will be accepted, but... I still want to be considered at least.
Word Of The Day:
Noctilucous:
Shining at night.
Character Of The Week:
Mr. Shay:
Mr. Shay is an especially stumpy Miniature Schnauzer who goes around walking on his back legs, wearing a plaid vest and, on his own personal special occasions, a black bowler hat.
He carries many bottles and boxes full of suspicious substances that he apparently finds quite handy in his unknown line of work, along with a small scanner-like thing that has infinite uses and capabilities.
He sneaks around, mainly unseen and unheard, and is unbearably mischievous and troublesome. He is terribly obnoxious, nosy, and is quite the busybody. On top of that, he is invincible, though not without a few peculiar weaknesses.
He originated in an old (and very strange) story (of mine) about a world called Dog Earth where canines ruled instead of humans. He was just a side character who gave advice to the protagonist, but in later time, he took off on his own and began his true story elsewhere.
(*Snicker*)
Wolf
I have one more month to get this novel done. I'm so relieved that it's going to be finished soon... I'm on the last half of my second edit, my cover image is nearly done, and everything is in place.
After this, I'm going to either jump back into the "Lirin Bahonan" series or I'm going to continue/start writing one of my old/new ones... "ELDENDOR"... "The Primal Blue"... maybe something about the Galwyrns... or, perhaps, my latest addition to the Crichianadiie collection: "Noctivagous", set in the dark country of Jadina. Brand new characters will be starring in this one.
I need to decide which one I'm going to do for NaNoWriMo this year. All the ones I listed haven't been fully developed, so once I settle for one, I'll see to it that it's storyline is completed. And not in the last three days of October, mind you...
Anyway! I'm pretty excited! I want to get my LCCN Assignment so that I can get it into the library catalog. By doing it through CreateSpace, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to request it before or after I submit my work, so I'll look into it. Also, it's not guaranteed that my novel will be accepted, but... I still want to be considered at least.
Word Of The Day:
Noctilucous:
Shining at night.
Character Of The Week:
Mr. Shay:
Mr. Shay is an especially stumpy Miniature Schnauzer who goes around walking on his back legs, wearing a plaid vest and, on his own personal special occasions, a black bowler hat.
He carries many bottles and boxes full of suspicious substances that he apparently finds quite handy in his unknown line of work, along with a small scanner-like thing that has infinite uses and capabilities.
He sneaks around, mainly unseen and unheard, and is unbearably mischievous and troublesome. He is terribly obnoxious, nosy, and is quite the busybody. On top of that, he is invincible, though not without a few peculiar weaknesses.
He originated in an old (and very strange) story (of mine) about a world called Dog Earth where canines ruled instead of humans. He was just a side character who gave advice to the protagonist, but in later time, he took off on his own and began his true story elsewhere.
(*Snicker*)
Wolf
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