6/30/12

Day 23: Forgetting (Crisis, Part 2)


Today I woke up and forgot almost everything about my story.


I panicked and ran in circles for fifteen minutes.

I'm forgetting everything.

I don't even know where my brain is.


BUT SUDDENLY,

An amazing thing happened.

I was in the shower (that's not the amazing part), and you know how the steam gets on the glass so you're tempted to draw pictures with your finger?

I drew an amazing steam portrait of one of my characters and I remembered the badassery again. 

If only I could have saved it :(

Things are going at a slower-than-normal rate, and I wish I had more inspiration to write. As long as I write something, though, I'll make it through. 

Day 23, over and out.

"Inaction saps the vigor of the mind."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Knights of Kethyria

Day in Progress: 23

Words Achieved: 2,400

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado


6/29/12

Day 22: Genderbent? (Crisis, Part 1)


You all know what genderbending is, right?


Do I really need to explain it?


The technical definition is when 'gender norms are twisted to become the opposite'. But in this case, it's where male characters become females, and vice versa.

It's really popular in fanart and fanfiction. Don't ask how I know that.


Anyway, earlier today I was printing out a thousand pages of something irrelevant, and was doodling to waste my time. Without even thinking about it, I drew a female version of one of the lead characters in my story.

....And it was amazing.

Now I'm having an identity crisis.

Was this meant to be? Should some of my lead characters be the opposite gender?

How do I even know their true names?

Am I dreaming?

Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?

What is love?

Baby don't hurt me...


Don't hurt me....




I need to take a very long, soul-searching nap. 



"Every obstacle yields to stern resolve."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Knights of Kethyria

Day in Progress: 22

Words Achieved: 2,400

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--

6/28/12

Day 21: Study


If there's one thing I noticed about writing a novel,


it's that you have to do a lot of STUDYING.


I love studying! But most times, studying can be rough.

And this is supposed to be for fun?!!?


And also, when anyone else tries to interrupt your study time, it's like "Thanks, but I've got it. Seriously. I've been doing this for four hours. No need to show me up".


Anyway, that's another thing you have to be prepared for when going into a big writing project like this. Whether you want to or not, you're going to be studying.

So make it fun!

I walked to the library today with my books for a change in the setting. It was nice being in a quiet, cool place that smelled like books. Inspiring, you know?

Even when I'm out of school, I'm still in it! :D (that may appear to be a happy face, but I'm slowly crying and dying on the inside.)

*UPDATES:
  • I changed the potential title of my book! :D 
  • That is all.


Toodles for now!


"Shun those studies in which the results of the work die with the worker."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Knights of Kethyria

Day in Progress: 21

Words Achieved: 2,400

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--




6/27/12

Day 20: Life happens


Today wasn't the best of days.


My car started steaming again - that's right, again. It likes to do this thing where it starts steaming and all the coolant spills out the bottom. Looks like I'm on foot from now on.

But that's alright, I like walking anyway. I hate being bound by cars - public transportation is so much better.

Or I can find another means of transportation...



I'm still grateful that nothing worse happened; there was a three-car accident near me when my car was being towed, and I was glad that I wasn't a part of that mess. I guess there's a good side to everything.

Let's talk about milestones. Today is one. Day 20. Only 70 days left to complete my goal. Now, will I actually have a complete first draft in 70 days? Time can only tell. But I'm going to try as hard as I can to get as far as I can.

Progress report:



  • I am still in the first chapter phase. I've written a couple of possible beginnings, so I'm just trying to be content with the ideas I currently have.
  • Every day I get a new idea, and I am inspired to do research to motivate my ideas further. Remember, there's nothing wrong with being influenced by an existing thing.
  • I have over 2000 words written. Now, there's something!

Here's to hoping I can progress a little faster. But at least I'm enjoying my time working on this. Which is all that matters, really.

And now for my Random Fact of the Day:

Not only is Loki the father of a wolf, he is also a mother. 

Hooray for challenging society's pre-conceived notions of family! Mother-dads rock!

See you tomorrow!

"The body that is nearest to the light casts the largest shadow."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 19

Words Achieved: 2,150

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

 




6/26/12

Day 19: Horns


A great idea came upon me.


One of my characters, K'eudas, wields a bow and arrow. He's the one who's kinda like a dark elf, but a lot more badass than any normal elf could be. Oh, and he has horns. Twisted, pointy ram horns. Because he's the leader. And leaders get horns.


His bow is totally awesome, though, because it's made out of horns. That's right, horns, just like his. Only they're not his horns, obviously. They're his ancestor's horns, passed down to the next great leader. Which is him. And his horns.


He has a horn bow.


Horns are awesome. And tusks too. And fangs, and spikes, and scales. Rawr.


I don't have a specific example picture - I'll have to draw it - but here are some other awesome bows that were totally inspiring:


You like? Fanart page coming soon!

See you tomorrow.



"Threats alone are the weapons of the threatened man."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 19

Words Achieved: 2,100

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--








6/25/12

Day 18: Files


My desktop folder is about to explode.


You'd be amazed how many 'rough draft' word files I have in my story's folder. Most of them are named "Outline", "Rough draft", "actual rough draft", "the real rough draft", "prologue", "the actual prologue", "the second draft prologue", "story outline", "actual story outline", "actual story outline 2"....



And I wonder why I can never find the actual for real file I need. -_-




Organization is key. I'm happy that I can at least locate everything to one folder on the desktop, but as soon as I open it everything explodes. WHAT ARE FILES I DON'T EVEN

Anyway, the writing is coming along quite nicely -- what's actually written, of course. Still stringing together the first couple of events, but the vision gets clearer and clearer each day, which I'm grateful for. At least I still remember my main character's name, which, for me, is a big deal.



*UPDATES:


  • I wanted to, once again, thank everyone for following me on this blog and on Twitter. I've gotten so many nice, wonderful supporting comments from fellow (more successful) authors, and I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement. It makes me realize that I really can have a published book one day - but not without your help! So thanks!! :)
  • There will be a fanart tab addition to my blog within the next day or two. When my words can't come out, the drawings do, and I'm excited to share them!!

Now to take a break with video games- I mean more writing!

"The boundaries of bodies are the least of all things."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 18

Words Achieved: 2,100

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--



6/24/12

Day 17: Write, write, write


Remember when I was talking about outlines being the "skeleton"?


Well, it's been over 2 weeks and I'm still trying to construct the skeleton. Not sure if this means I'm behind in reaching my goal, or if I'm doing okay. I'm just going to go one day at a time.

Someone on Twitter gave me great advice: Give yourself a writing goal every day, whether it be a time or word-related goal. For example, my goal is to either write for 2 hours or to write at least 2 pages every day. Sometimes I'm in the "writing mood" but I just look at pictures or outfits that remind me of the setting of my story. Which is good too! I always seem to be stuck in the brainstorm phase, though. When will my thoughts ever manifest?

By writing. Write, write, write. That's really all I can say.

Yesterday I sat down to write, and instead of forming an actual chapter, I wrote a sort of weird timeline - but it ended up filling a page and a half! It was basically the chronological summary of my first chapter. And it helped me realize how the turn of events will take place. So I still count it as a success.

PROGRESS!



And with that I say good day.


"Obstacles cannot crush me."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 16

Words Achieved: 2,100

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--










6/23/12

Day 16: Twitter


I jumped on the bandwagon. Twitter is great.


There have been a lot of social media outlets over the years, and each one provides a really good way to expand your audience and connect with people who can help you along the way.

I have only been on Twitter for a few weeks, but already I've had a great time, and have found many people who are in the same boat as I (unpublished authors and writers seeking advice and wanting to share). It's a really fun way to get to know people.

If you are a reader/writer, here are some awesome people on Twitter I recommend:


@MikeWellsAuthor (Author)

@ImmortalInkPub (Publishing Company)

@Acorok (Billie Jo Williams, author of an awesome new ebook)

@Thefourpartland (Writer/reader)

@NeilGaiman (Author)

And of course, I would be honored if you followed me:


@AvocadoPolymath :)

Thanks for your continued support! All of these people are really great. You won't be disappointed!



"Happy will they be who lend ear to the words of dead."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 16

Words Achieved: 2,100

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

6/22/12

Day 15: Weapons


Weapons are awesome.


They're powerful. Deadly. Sexy.


Weapons hold a lot of significance and personality in stories, especially in the genre I'm writing. In fantasy and science fiction, it is rare that the main character(s) are without weapons.

But it's hard to choose weapons without doing a fair amount of research. Since many of my characters are based in different cultures/historical settings, I feel it's important to accurately represent them through weaponry as well. Their background, fighting style, and even their own characteristics can be reflected through a certain type of weapon. We don't want to give the wizard a broadsword, do we? No, he deserves a staff!

Below are some of the weapons that I've chosen for my characters:


Azhar:














 - A scimitar. Not only does it fit well with his personality and fighting style (up close, using a lot of tricksy and sneaky moves), but it also dawns from the arabic and middle eastern ancient culture.




Evander:






(Image from God of War)










- A shield and spear. Very reminiscent of Spartan culture, this fighting style suits Evander because, well, he basically is an ancient spartan. :)





K'eudas:











- Bow and arrow. This character is inspired both by the fantasy "dark elf" culture as well as Norse mythology. Also, since he is the leader of guild Orvar, which is the Norse word for arrow, I thought it only fitting that arrows be his weapons of choice.


Some of the other weapons in my mighty armory that is my story:






























Doing research is the best! Hopefully these awesome weapons inspire. See you tomorrow!



"Learning never exhausts the mind."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 15

Words Achieved: 1,640

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--

6/20/12

Day 13: Desire and Goal


I've been watching these amazing Creative Writing videos by Youtube's architectus777. In it he mentioned the two most important things when designing a story's structure: Desire and Goal. You can watch the first of his 12-part video series right here, where he'll explain the concept better than I:


Basically, when planning a story, your main character must possess two things: A goal, which is what will or will not be reached by the end of the story, and the desire to achieve it, which is expressed at the story's beginning. Without desire, what will drive your character to action (and your readers to continue on)? And without the goal, how can there be a desire? These two things are interchangeably the most important aspects of the storyline.

Obviously this can't be done without a main character either. :P

I really want to thank the creator of these videos, and the writing books that influenced him, because this simple explanation really helped me get inside my main character's head. A stubborn one, he is. 

Now I have a clear idea of my character's desire and goal. And there can be multiple desires and goals, and each one correlates with the character's attitudes and opinions. Azhar has one main goal driven by a single desire, but those things are manifested by a combination of attitudes, both conscious and sub-conscious urges and feelings that give way to his actions, sparking the adventure.

How exciting! :D

Never stop being creative! It's desires and goals I'm after tonight. Maybe I'll mix some sleep in with this new writing inspiration I have...


"We ought not to desire the impossible."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 13

Words Achieved: 1,570

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado

--



6/19/12

Day 12: Forgotten


Have you ever forgotten a really cool idea you had, and then later you're looking through your computer and find it again?


Apparently it happens to me all the time.

That one little missing piece of your story's puzzle that time forgot, but your hard drive didn't.

This is why I need to be more organized. I have half a dozen files with my current story stuff in it, some is new, some is over 3 years old. Why don't I just make one giant folder, leave it on the desktop, and enlarge it so it's the only thing I see when I turn on the screen?

Or I can get a bigger screen itself. That might help too.

(This guy knows how to do Starbucks right!)

Anyway, I'm trudging along in story-writing land. It's not going terribly, but it's not going super-genius-all-the-ideas-and-writing-skill-in-the-world great. Taking it one day at a time, I guess.

But each day my characters and stories reflect more strongly in my head, so that's a good sign.

I'm working on expanding the overview of what I wrote in Day 10's blog. Already tweaked a few things, but I like the overall progression of it. I'm putting it in the outline. Making it a part of the skeleton. I just want to get to the fleshy bits so bad!

No, no. Patience is a virtue.

I still have 78 days left. I was planning on spending the first couple weeks outlining and planning, anyway. So I still have time.

*Remember, when all seems hopeless, just hug a cute dog!!


Some people have all the luck in the world.

See you tomorrow!

"Many call this useless work..."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 12

Words Achieved: 1,570

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado





6/18/12

Day 11: Skeleton


It's all about outlines. Also known as a 'skeleton', which sounds cooler.


I have a major problem. I have a good idea, write a really great chapter, and then...there is nothing but a vast empty space, void of all idea or hope of continuation. I always get stuck after a writing spell, unsure of where the plot is even going. So I've decided a new method that I have no idea why I didn't try earlier.

Outlining the story.


Which is similar to storyboarding, really. Only outlines are more black and white, whereas storyboards are more fun and filled with pictures which always makes things easier to follow :)

So, along with the storyboard method, I've begun an outline. It's pretty successful so far - I still run into little rutters, not knowing what to do next with my ideas; but at least at this point, if I'm stuck or want to change something, all I have to do is erase a sentence instead of a whole chapter.


Outlines are flexible like that.

Once I've completed the outline, I'll have a much better idea of the plot, characters, geography, and everything in general that is a part of the world I wish to create. One day at a time, I form new ideas. One day at a time, I'm able to flesh out the skeleton. Soon my story will be a full-blown entity with voting rights - just like a corporation!

But unlike a corporation, my story will be more fun and easier to manage. You'll love it.

OR ELSE.


:)

Outlining really is a solid method. The more you add to it, the more the skeleton can be realized into a functioning piece of literary anatomy. Then it can be given flesh, skin, a nice hairdo, and best of all, a personality. Here's to hoping I get that far in the next 80 days.

Until then, stay beautiful!



"Practice must always be based on sound theory."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 10

Words Achieved: 1,570

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado


--







6/17/12

Day 10: Father's Day


Happy Father's Day!


I've learned that a lot of people have mixed feelings when it comes to this holiday. Unfortunately, some people's relationships with their dads aren't all too ideal. But I think we can at least take this holiday and appreciate someone in our lives who've been good role models. I'm grateful to be able to thank my dad for everything he's done for me!

He's a pretty good role model. (T-shirt designed by ramyb)

Also, since we're on the topic, I want to rant about some of the fathers and male figures in my fantasy story. Perhaps the ranting will get more ideas into my head. I was doing pretty well yesterday, but have hit another dry spell. I need to get on it if I plan to succeed this 90-Day Challenge.

There's this evil king, right? The use of Magic is outlawed in this fantasy world, but this evil king can use it. Why? Nobody knows. But no one dares to question him because he's like over a thousand years old and can kill you with a grain of sand. So they sort of just let him take over, y'know? 

Well some people think it's gone too far. Mostly the main character, Azhar, who is the son of this evil king. Having an evil magical dad must be rough. So Azhar is the defiant being who stands up to his father in a way none have before.

But it takes him a while to realize it. At first, he's okay with the way his dad is ruling - at least he doesn't want to defy him. Azhar is the leader of their Guild's army, gets all the benefits of being rich and spoiled, so why ruin that, right? Other than the feeling of being trapped, having no freedom, all of those things that make for a good rebellion.

Well he sudden makes a drastic discovery. You see, the evil king has one son at a time, and forces them to be loyal to the Guild and their kingdom, and eventually they have to make a sacrifice so great that it kills them in the process. So he just has one son after the next, sending them to the grave assembly-line style. So Azhar thinks he's the one and only son, doomed to die, right? WRONG. He's out gallivanting before a big event (women and alcohol highly involved) and he stumbles across the wrong person - his brother. A preceding son, still alive. His name is Kav'eh, and he isn't happy to be discovered.

Not happy at all. Kav'eh had been in hiding for nearly twenty years, planning something big. Azhar, being the stubborn, nosy, I-fight-for-my-father-the-king type of person, demands to know what he was planning. Kav'eh releases some information relating to his Guild that strikes a nerve. Azhar demands in on the plan or he tells his father. (What a tattle tale! What are you, five years old?) Kav'eh dislikes including him, because the plan would have to be changed. But the threat of discovery is too big. Azhar and Kav'eh join up against their father, the Immortal King.

And the revolution begins.

--
That's what I'm planning for Chapter 1, it's better than the last idea I had. Sorry for spilling all of that. I was just on a roll.

Well that was a decently successful Day 10, hope to see you tomorrow for Day 11! Have a good holiday, everyone!

"Shadow is not the absence of light..."

                                                                                            - Leonardo da Vinci


Book Working Title: Azhar, Prince of Red Fire

Day in Progress: 10

Words Achieved: 1,163


Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/90DayAvocado