#ecrid

Blaise

Blaise flew on enchanted wings; the head of the wizard order sped through clouds, holding the magical sword, Caledfwlch, in front of him. He had twenty minutes to reach a small warehouse downtown in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. Fifteen hundred kilometers left.

“Fenri’ri’anae’ona’tamcha!” A hole opened in front of him, a strange entity hanging in the sky. He passed through it, taking him from over coastal India to New Zealand’s eastern tip. Five kilometers left. 

He pushed for more speed. He had gotten the distress sign twenty minutes before from his apprentice, Vilamur. A sonic boom erupted behind him, tracking water droplets from the feet of his cloak. Two kilometers. 

He sensed the screams. Then, he was slowing, crashing through a roof window. His wings dissipated into the air. He landed, his sandaled feet touching the ground. It was dark. 

He raised an arm and tiny orbs entered existence near the roof, casting their light into the warehouse. 

There was Vilamur, crucified. Blood dripped from his right lip, and he caught his master’s eye. Blaise was a wrinkled, tiny man adorned in rags with hair that fell to his feet. ‘Old’ would not account from this man, a spindly stick. “Vilamur, what has happened?” he said quickly, not waiting for nonsense. His voice was the billowing of thunder.

The small, brown man looked up at his master. “I’m sorry, master Blaise. They made me call you,” and before he could say anything else a bullet erupted from the back of Vilamur’s head, its path almost striking the old man. 

Blaise whirled, facing the dark around him. “You kill my order,” he shouted. “You try and trap my might?” The bellows echoed around the warehouse. “Well, come and die!” 

And they did come.

Fifteen men, dressed in body armor and fatigues. Instead of guns they carried swords: rapiers, scimitars, longswords, broadswords, claymores, and some of a make Blaise didn’t recognize. 

“Master Blaise, how nice of you to come,” said one of them. Blaise didn’t care.

“Caledfwlch, burn and prepare for battle,” Blaise said, and the sword gripped in his bony hands caught aflame. Tension and heat brought sweat to his brow. 

This was the fourth apprentice he’d found in such a state in three weeks. 

These, clearly the men responsible. “Who are you?”

“We’re the order of the Grail, master Blaise, and our lady demands the blood of wizards.”

“Morgose,” he hissed. “Very well, I challenge all of you to combat.” Some of the men laughed. They were knights, real knights, each and every one. “State your names, blaggards!”

“You insult us, wizard?” spat a man holding a claymore. “I am sir Delany!”

“Sir Flip.”

“Sir Briant!”

They announced themselves one by one, Blaise barely listening. Finally it came to Blaise.

“I am the Wizard Blaise, first among Mages, carrier of Avalos’s keys, keeper of the Fates, master of the orders. Let us combat, cowards.” His mind saw only Vilamur’s head exploding outward. 

Combat began. 

Blaise charged before they even had a chance to move. One moment he was standing in the glow of werelight, the next everything was pitch black save for the burning sword. 

It lit horrified faces, protruded from jaws and chests, leveled heads from their shoulders. One moment it was so clearly in front of the Knights of the Grail, then it was behind and someone was screaming. 

Swords struck the ground as they’re owners arms were separated from their bodies. You could hear the swish of raggedy robes passing by you, brushing your clothes, and would check to see if you were still breathing. 

I've been getting a lot of questions. So, this is a mix of answering question as well as discussing the future of Arthur: A Serialized Novel (from here on out called AASN). Also, herein lies an explanation of the magic system of AASN. ALSO AN EXPLANATION OF MORIARTY HOLMES: WHY AND WHAT.

Things marked explanation are me explaining things. Things marked question/answer are my answers to actual questions you have asked.

Question: Why haven't you edited that work I sent you?

Answer: The computer on which I did my editing was...yeah. Killed dramatically? I have to redo all that stuff, and I'm getting to it.

Question: What the [flip] is [AASN]?

Answer: This site, aside from my periodic rambling pieces, which are always deleted to leave only canonical work for AASN, is a special kind of Novel. It is released here on this website in readable parts. 

Question (roughly approximated): Why do you write AASN?

Answer: I started writing AASN to practice writing. I am a goal-setter when I work, and to create an environment where this would be viable, so I started AASN. (I'm the kind of guy who says like, "Okay, today I will write 1000 words" and, after I finish, put like a checkmark next to the goal.) So, I needed something that would, as I became a better and better writer, allow me to evolve it in any direction I wanted to. Not in terms of plot, you understand, that is already laid out for the most part.  For example, when I started AASN I viewed my ability to create unique character voices as poor and thus working from first person viewpoints of lots of different characters was what I needed. (That's how I improve by the way, target a weakness and figure out how to systematically practice it, and then do so.) So, the way AASN is written, at least originally, was for me. I never expected this large an audience. Now, on that point - and back to the whole goal-setter thing - I needed an environment that would 1) make the improvement in my work measurable and 2) keep me obligated to keep going. I expected a few friends to read this and that I would keep going so I wouldn't seem like an impulsive ditz. Using Google Analytics I can measure the traffic on my tumblr, and by rarely reblogging I can assume that any change in the amount of traffic to my website (longer than one minute) comes from changes in the quality of my work. As many of you know, I prioritize the enjoyability of reading a piece over its functional value, and this method makes it so that if I don't put out good stuff, I don't see traffic-based improvement. Also there are the likes, but I really don't know how to use those as valid measures. Today, AASN is a living work, and as a result of its popularity (and thus positive feedback from my traffic measures as well as a moral obligation to keep this going for you guys) I've had to change a few things. For example, I had to stop for a month so I could get ahead on the whole thing and actually organize releases. If it were 15 of my friends reading this, I'd be okay working when I could to make high-quality posts and posting stuff whenever. However, now you guys are an audience and I have to change how that works. That means that stuff is prepared way in advance and released on a regular time table. So, that, ladies and gentleman, is the meat of why AASN is.

Question: How many people actually read AASN? You keep talking to 'readers' and [fecal materials], but who the hell are they?

Answer: In terms of follower count, I've stopped writing count announcements, so that may be why you're having trouble. I don't want to give definite numbers any more because it would skew my feedback from traffic. Internet Fact: More Viewers Gets You More Viewers. If I say something like "I have X" many followers or "I get X unique visits a day according to Google Analytics" three things are going to happen. First, a lot of people will think "oh, this must be good if so many people read it." Simultaneously, second, people will say "What a D-Bag announcing how many people he has reading, is he really that insecure?" And it's not that I care what other people think, it's just that to stay true to this project and keep my improvement measurable (getting visits and follows primarily for high quality work and good content), it's not in my best interest to say something like that. And finally, third, people will have negative feelings as a result. Look at it this way, a lot of Tumblr, and let's be honest, is an ocean of really unhappy people looking for a way out of whatever their lives are doing. Let's say for one second that many people you know think that the longer your hair is the better you are as a human being. How are you going to feel if your friend Ecrid, with his enormous, puffy, long hair walks up to you, when you already know he's got that great mop, and starts telling you how long the strands are and how much they grow each night? Life isn't a pissing contest, and if you treat it like one you'll just piss people off. I have no desire to unnecessarily diminish people (and that's natural, not presumptive on my part, that's why we have words in english like jealousy or greed or resentment - because that stuff's common.) So, to answer this question, lots of people read this blog, and, more importantly, it would still be here if they didn't - though perhaps not as motivated.

Question: I just realized that all the events that have taken place so far have occured in less than 36 hours [except the past pieces]. What kind of a story is AASN? 

Answer: Most importantly, AASN is a story. It is a long story that is special because, unlike a novel, it can be told in a very different way and because of the presence of command- (if you're on a mac) or control- (if PC) -F, you can search through it when you forget. The large spacing between events as well as the many different characters makes things hard to follow, which is AASN's primary medium-based weakness. Unlike a web-comic, which AASN models in some ways, you have no visuals to connect to which help to recall the information or events, and thus the complexity of picking up a novel (which you would read in large chunks and several sittings) as well as the memorability that goes along with that kind of readings, is lost. Thus far, reports to me have indicated that re-reading it is the best way to combat this, but this is the internet and this novel uses a unique medium. So, this allows me to combat this logistical problem uniquely. Just as tumblr-noveling has its disadvantages, it also has its advantages.  So here's how I plan to work on "the confusion problem:"

Have a free E-reader release so you can peruse and reference more easily

Update and maintain a reference section which is easy to look through while being spoiler free if your behind (hyperlink in the sidebar)

Include short prior-event summaries in the new sections

Make the characters more contemplative about what's gone on in they're past (a technique you'll be familiar with if you read sequels to books - somewhere first twenty to fifty pages or so always manages to have an overview the events of the last book by using character dialogue).

UPDATE ON A SCHEDULE TO KEEP YOU INTERACTING REGULARLY SO THERE'S LESS OF A GAP IN TIME TO FORGET.

IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE IDEAS TELL ME, BECAUSE I NEED MORE IDEAS. 

Question: I find your world intriguing but the magical system confuses me. What is going on exactly?

Answer: Magic in AASN comes in many different flavors and varieties. The Magical System, for those of you unaware of this lingo, is the basis and rules by which magic operates in the AASN world. Based on my familiarity with fantasy works (don't even get me started - trust me, it's extensive) it is unique and nothing really like has been done before. Let me give you a breakdown and side-bar explanation (which I can do more frequently since the story is period released and thus doing so won't draw you out of the world - although it will undermine my reviewer's ability to judge whether or not I've conveyed something well in my writing, so if you are a reviewer not-privy to advanced knowledge, and you guys know who you are, do not read the below explanation. Honor System.

Explanation: Let's start with the big picture in fancy philosophy talk: Fate V.S. Free Will. There is no answer nor will there ever be in the world of AASN. However, there are aspect of both affecting the world, in other words Free Will to act within certain Fates, where the participants (those who are a part of the Fates) in turn have Free Will that let's them choose different outcomes, which may or may not be predetermined. Okay, let's do the more understandable explanation.

In the AASN world, there are people in the past with the ability to detect future events at what is something like the subconscious level. These futures are highly undetermined, and not even the people with the ability to detect them can transcribe what is literally going to happen. For example, in Legends we see that Sir Thomas Malory wrote a book called Le Morte D'Arthur, and he is described by Merlin as being a balls prophet. Malory could sense that at some future points events similar to the events in Le Morte D'Arthur would occur, but he didn't know it would occur in an age of cars and such and thus wrote a poor approximation of events containing chivalrous medieval knights. Not really what's going one, is it? So, by connecting magically to this sense of the future and writing down his interpretation of it, he's created a magical link which allows for far more variability in the actual events than there would have been otherwise. For example, if you get shot in the chest you die. If I tell you four seconds beforehand that a bullet is going to hit you in the chest, you can change the outcome of events (being shot in the chest) by dodging and maybe getting shot in the leg. That is what the CEO does. His employees use the magic of variation released by Sir Thomas Malory writing down the legend of king Arthur to detect and kill various threats to his existence, as does Morgose. For instance, if there were no King Arthur, anyone it's indicated that he's destined to kill would not necessarily die. Something would interrupt the paths of destiny resulting in a paradox of fate. By messing with the predetermined events, people like Morgose and the CEO hope to gain by making events more predictable and in their favor. 

There's also normal magic. This is the magic of wizards and allegiances and tampering with reality. Magic like when Mrs. Vole blew up a panzer tank or when Hector received tattoos on his arms for choosing his allegiance to Arthur. This is the magic of Excalibur which lets Arthur into Hector's inner most consciousness to cause strange, but real events to unfold. This is the magic of Fated Souls in the wrong bodies, resulting in strange beasts of men, like Rodimer, or the fouling up of Fate causing the Inflicted Man to be unable to die. 

The two different kinds of magic may be summarized as such. The first comes from logically altering the outcomes and destabilizing reality, resulting in strange events to occur out of paradoxes. In addition, working within the parameters of the destined reality can cause predetermined events to be fulfilled, whether or not they are logical, but simply because that is how things, in some cases, must now be. The second is a classical magic, like fireballs. I cannot, at this time, reveal any more other than it is limited and thought through. For now, trust that Mrs. Vole's, Merlin's, and Morgose's sources of magic and the mechanics of their workings do exist. Finally, these two systems are intertwined.

 Yes, I really worked this hard to create something unique.

 Question (and I'm copying this one word for word): What is Moriarty Holmes. I can't tell if this is turning into some BBC fanboy's slash fic or you're actually being really brilliant or what. It's awkward. WTF.

Question (Translated to the best of my ability): Pardon, kind Ecrid, but the presence of Moriarty Holmes in the presence of a King Arthur story confuses me. I cannot tell if 'twas whimsy that made you bring him into the fold, though based on the text I see that hints and logical promises to that event did exist. Seeing as it was not impulse that drew you to his inclusion, I supposition that perhaps you are a fan of Sherlock on the BBC, and are creating a strange sort of homosexual romantic fiction between Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty. Whatever the reason, I feel this detracts from your story, and would like further explanation so I can forgive you and appreciate your reasoning and work to the utmost once more. By fornication, I am confounded.

(See what I did there?)   

Answer/Explanation: As you so adroitly stated, yes, Moriarty Holmes was planned from the very beginning. Sadly, up until the point where I actually wrote and posted the work,  I considered not doing it, changing the plot of the story to get rid of his inclusions. However, I decided that upon a deep examination by the reader, such a presence makes sense. Let me give you my writerly reasons:

AASN uses a magic system that links magical energies to the revelations made in books by prophets. The birth of Moriarty Holmes gave me the opportunity to show how important and powerful the connection between using texts as a focusing point for magic in the AASN world are. It also gave me the opportunity to show that the magic of this world is fallible. Up until this point, the only time we see weakness in terms of magic is Merlin's incompetence during the chase scene where even if he is a great and powerful wizard, he can only do so much at once, i.e. magic rickshaw. His limited knowledge of modern weaponry and habit of being underprepared also contribute to this but overshadow the weakness of magic with their presence; the net effect becomes that magic was not the problem in that scene but the wielder of the magic. While a good scene to introduce human flaw into Merlin's suspicious character, it was only when he absentmindedly allowed Arthur to pick up the wrong book (a fact very underplayed in the scene to lend more focus on the dangers of magic) and draw a destined soul into Gregory's body. That scene, irrelevant of the reader's emotional reaction of introducing a Sherlock/Moriarty character at a time when it's becoming cliche, serves to show the weakness and dangers of magic, that magic tied to destiny can interact outside those bounds, and show that excalibur has more than a few uses. 

AASN primarily, in its heart, is an English Novel by its nature. True, AASN explores themes like Fate V.S. Free Will, Good V.S. Evil, a young man's journey of choices between greatness or survival, or just how powerful the changes in extremely evil people can be when approached with life or death situations or opportunities for a kind of redemption. However, and most important of all, it also explores the interaction of fictional history's impact, in this case quite visibly, on the modern time; how given these fictional events of England's past and myth and legacy would come to bear in a modern view. Things like 'where is the chivalry of knighthood?' and 'what is the price to incite betrayal?' and 'Can friendship so sudden be true and exist and beat all out?' are toyed with and experimented upon. Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty have laid more weight and impact upon the modern day than perhaps any other fictional characters in history, and they're pseudo-inclusion in this story is natural.

Moriarty Holmes also, from a literary standpoint, adds a lot to the narrative. First, the reader is familiar or at least acquainted with the notions of these two characters, which makes the Sherlockian Canon an apt source and superior over other options I might have had, such as Dorian Gray or Oliver Twist or even James Bond. Familiarity is key for enjoyment, after all. The story is hard enough to follower as it is. Next, we have a character about which nothing really is known, outside of the fact that he is a combination of persevering good and insatiable evil, shoved straight into the middle of Arthur's - our main character whom we care about - enclave. It adds the threat of interminable danger. We don't know that the tattoos on his arm would prevent his betrayal or selling Arthur out. Perhaps he wants to manipulate and extort the boy, or steal Merlin's secrets. On the other hand, he may take after his good counterpart, want to do justice, put the world right, help Arthur to defeat the villains who abuse their power and commit terrible crimes. In that sense, he is a ticking time-bomb, waiting to be released. Because of his harsh tones and nature, he may never really be trusted.

Functionality is also important. We have a muscle man/enforcer, Hector, a University Student, Arthur, and a dodgy old wizard, Merlin. This team of rag tags are pitted against an almighty wall of impossibilities trying to kill them with men and women and guns and blades and magic and nearly infinite resources and power to back all that up. There's being an underdog and being an underdog. To get by this spider-web of danger they need a spider, and who better than the aspect of James Moriarty? To help in the fight against this evil this aspect must have a supreme willpower and motivation, the ability, or at least potential, to be a towering pillar of good. Who better than Sherlock Holmes? 

Why not just have Moriarty or Sherlock? Because that is cliche and there are limits on creative borrowing. It makes sense that there are parallels between known fictional historic figures, so it's okay not to make a new character. Arthur Pendragon and Merlin are hardly new ideas, and neither is Sherlock Holmes or Moriarty. However, it's not just that Moriarty Holmes is an aspect of these two fictional behemoths, it's also that they are put into a older-middle-aged man's body. Sherlock's prowess with strength isn't really there as far as we know, and by amalgamating the sleuth with his arch nemesis we are, in fact, actually creating something new, especially in a different body, but with the benefit of true familiarity that the reader can associate strongly with. 

The luscious Word Plant raped the street lamp with its greenish tendrils and yellowed, sun-starved roots. Now that I have your attention, this article will talk about some of the ways to grab and hold a reader’s attention.

When you create a story, whether it’s long or short — and irrelevant of genre — at least one of your goals, (if, you know, you want people to ever read it) is to make it interesting enough to draw a reader in. 

Now, don’t be deceived by my pleasing tone and talk of sexually repressed plants. This doesn’t deal with those loftier goals of writing: achieving a truth out of fiction, making a story good on many levels, or even getting published. It’s not even definitive, but it’s certainly not an opinion. This is a tried and true set of principles meant to guide you through the thought process of writing while also teaching you to improve your work and confidence as a writer. 

Let’s get started. 

Think about reading a story like riding a bike. (I am aware that if you are, in fact, really into writing than some of you are going to stop reading right here at just the mention of outdoor or physical activity, but comfort yourselves; there’s a pop-tart at the end.) As you read you go up hills where it becomes harder to push the pedals. As you go down hills, not only do you rush and love the breeze wafting through your writerly mane of unkempt Neil-Gaiman-Hair, but you also get a brief sensation of why on earth going up that hill was worth it. Sometimes you go over the flats, and then your just merrily going along, maybe not thrilled, but certainly not over-tired. 

Okay, why bikes and hills? Because stories are the same. Everyone wants a payoff, whether it’s periodic jokes throughout the text (see what I did there?) or excitement, strain, and resolution. That’s what keeps a reader reading. 

Ideally, you start your reader going down a hill, filled with the thrill and excitement of motion, which can be analogous to the world you’re building, the characters in it, confusion, desire to understand, jokes, cheekiness, or any other thing that happens to interest people. This draws your readers in. It re-enforces the reader-writer contract that you make whenever you ask anyone to read something you wrote (for a reason other than helping you not cry yourself to sleep with how small your audience is contrasted to how hard you work). This contract says that if the reader reads, they will benefit. It says, “Hey, don’t worry. I know that the text on the back of the book describes a novel in which a teenage girl falls in love with a vampire, but I promise it’s not boring. It’s different and fulfilling and you will be entertained and I’ve worked and slaved for many hours to make it pretty and worth it.” 

That’s the contract. You write it, you tell people to read it, and you damn well promise that it’s worth the read. 

This means that you can’t just have a hill. That first hill is YOUR PROMISE. You don’t promise to make a promise to somebody and have it all end there. With the momentum of that first hill, that first excitement, you lead them up another one. Maybe it’s expository, explaining your world. Maybe we get to find out what the hell just happened. Maybe maybe maybe, but you have a reader now that is invested in what you’ve written, so you don’t rip them off by boring them.

“Boring them!” you exclaim! “Why can’t I just do what you told me and have one giant hill!” Okay, exclamatory reader of this article, pay attention, this is the important bit. 

Let’s look, for example, at this very article. I opened it up with an unrelated sentence that made you go “Wait, I thought this was about writing!” But what that did was make a contract with you, that not only would this article edify but it would also entertain. Then, I went on to establish the bicycling analogy. If I had opened with the bicycling analogy, so that we could confer on a common ground, you would have been like, “Okay, that’s stupid. I’m not reading this. This article said it was about writing.” But I keep you going. I have dialogue with you, I break the fourth wall throughout this piece, I make random references to things that make some sense but shock a smile out of you with how off topic some of the things I’m saying are. 

As you’ve been reading this, you’ve gone up hills, but you’ve also read things that you would never have the patience for if I cut out the entertainment. So, why can’t we just have a long down-hill ride?

Because then this entire piece would be a series a of jokes, which would not have been funny because when you start going down hill, you establish a level of something with your reader. 

It might be a level of humor or seriousness, as in this piece. By changing in and out between the levels of seriousness and humor, I make the jokes pop out more as well as emphasize the quiet, educational elements by adding value to the read. However, what is important is, whether your dealing in levels of tension or fantasy or love, it is by changing them that you generate interest. It is by shifting between these, going slow then fast then normal, or any ordering really, that you can within a story generate a readers interest after the initial promise you make. 

My opening sentence without the follow-up “Now that I have your attention…” would be practically meaningless. Likewise, opening with “Now that I have your attention…” would not have been half as entertaining. By allowing the nonsensical humor and the semi-serious tone to play off one another, I developed contrast. And in that contrast was something interesting, and then you wanted more. You were entertained. 

Are you not entertained? Does this article not please you?

If you keep a story at a level 10-something or other for the entire piece, never contrasting relaxation with adventure, it’s pretty much the same as keeping the story at a level 1-something or other. Without contrast, it doesn’t matter. Here’s an example:

You look down at an article on writing’s example and see about fifty to sixty words of a short piece. You know the piece is only fifty to sixty words. You read this:

With the impact of the hammer fall, Donivon’s head burst into a carbon jelly of brains and blood and strands of hair, squelching into the iron as sudden pressure fracturing ligaments that held his jaw together. “Quickly Sam,” Sophie cried hysterically, still  wielding the murderous hammer. Her crazed face looked this way and that, frantically looking for more hammers. Sam quickly clutched the traumatized murderess’s shoulder, spinning her to face the open entrance. With a single bound, all the while pulling Sophie behind him, he took a great leap out of the aircraft door. The pair fell through the air, leaving the mini-jet spiraling out of control behind them, their worlds turning over and over as they repeated punched and kicked each other as their limits frantically looked for some sort of purchase as they fell. They crashed through trees and branches broke their fall, but they hit the ground running, realizing the pain of many small broken bones as they ran. 

They kept running, hurtling over branch after branch as explosions rocked the earth behind them, making their ears ring and bleed. They were both screaming, stabbing random enemies with serrated combat knives as they sprang from hedges and jumped from trees in the forest undergrowth. Sweat trickled as frequently as blood down their intense faces; everything was chaos. 

Now, that piece has absolutely no contrast. It’s well written and it’s exciting, but how did you feel when it started in open chaotic nonsense and ended the same way? It sucked. That’s right. Do you care about these people? No. I sure don’t. There were at least six opportunities for me to slow things down and then speed them up again, not interrupting the scene, but pacing it with maybe a dab of character development or setting… hell, even context. 

Imagine reading three to six pages of that. It would just start being funny, which is not what the author wanted. And it wouldn’t be funny in the sense that a joke is being told. It would be funny as in, look how badly this was written and it just keeps going. In most cases, you don’t want your readers to find your work funny because it just kept going. 

Arthur

Since four-thirty this morning Arthur had been assaulted by a police officer, kidnapped by a wizard, assaulted again by guns and cars, had a muscle man swear fealty to him, gotten tattoos grafted onto him by ethereal essence, discovered he was a king, though that apparently didn’t mean anything in particular yet, arrived at the seat of his strength, which incidentally was a tenement, fainted, pissed himself, nearly died in a magically propelled rickshaw, and accidentally transferred the idealized soul of a Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty amalgamation into the brain dead body of comatose sixty-year-old, who also decided it was a good idea to swear fealty to him. Now he was sitting at a circular table, surrounded on all sides by these… nutters… in the middle of a dingy kitchen which had, according to an offhand comment he overheard from Merlin, not been used since nineteen-forty-six. On his left was Hector, to his right, Merlin, and directly in front of him was the strange creature, Moriarty Holmes, or Greg — as he apparently liked to be called — looking conspiratorially in all directions and somehow managing to seem far too stimulated to be conspiring with anything at all. Everyone took their queues from Merlin and stared attentively at Arthur. 

After a few minutes of this, he spoke.