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I was tagged by @lady-redshield-writes, thanks hon!Ā š
Rules: Describe your WiP in the way a clueless customer at a bookstore would.Ā Ā
For Eosophobia...
āSo like, itās set after the apocalypse, but like, not everyone died right?Ā And the main character is like, trying to kill his brother, for some good reasons, but like, he totally screws it up and nearly dies for it?Ā And gets saved by this guy thatās like, young Arnold Schwarzenegger?Ā Like heās Terminator but human and gay I guess.Ā And Death is there, but he really just wants to fuck over Giselle Bundchen and eat salt water taffy, and Giselle is hiding the other guyās brother?Ā And thereās like, a depressed Asian.Ā Anyway Death and the depressed guy are like, kind of the same and they kill Giselle or something, so her psycho girlfriend like, goes off I guess.Ā And the main character is trying to kill his brother now that Giselle is out of the way, but heās really bad at killing so he makes Arnold do it, and thereās like, a giant fire, and a lot of people die or something I guess.Ā Also thereās a lot of swearing.Ā Anyway I guess Death gets saltwater taffy in the end so itās like, full circle or whatever.Ā Pretty weird to be honest.āĀ
Tagging (feel free to ignore): @homesteadhorner @muffinswritingblog @taz-writes and anyone else whoād like to join in!
Tagged by a trio of wonderful folks - @taz-writes, @authorisada, andĀ @dreamsofbooksandmonsters. Thank you all so much!Ā
Since I was tagged multiple times, Iāll share multiple sentences. More than three, I think. Have some Resonant Frequency!
āHi, Sal,ā said Eloisia, ever so gentle.
A thin mumble slid between Salvatoreās lips.
āYou talked to Vittoro?ā she prompted.
āYeah,ā said Salvatore in a sandpaper rasp.
āDid it end up okay?ā
āYeah.ā
āDo you want to talk about it?ā
āNo.ā
Pain became breaking, became a sharpened splinter at the center of Orbulonās chest. It was too much. He padded forward,Ā Eloisiaās footsteps echoing his, feeling like he didnāt take up as much space as he had seconds before. Maybe he didnāt. Maybe that was part of loving someone, his space fused with anotherās.Ā
Salvatore stared up at them with glassy eyes, blinking rapidly. So small. They were all so small, the three of them. When had they gotten that way?
Orbulon pointed to the bed. āIs it okay to sit next to you?ā
A nod.
So they did, one on either side of him. Just close enough to feel the warmth radiating from Salvatoreās body. Orbulon closed his eyes and drank it in, reflecting more of it back. He pressed down on the prickling in his chest.
āIs it okay to touch you?ā asked Orbulon.
Another nod.
Orbulon and Eloisia didnāt hug Salvatore so much as drape their arms around him. It wasnāt something any of them had to commit to, no need for tight grips and straining arms. Just a gentle reminder of where they were. The inky muscles in Orbulonās torso slid slowly, quietly, gliding like a nest of snakes beneath his skin. Enough to tell Salvatore where he was. Enough to forget his own shape within his partnersā.
Salvatore shivered. He ducked his head and huddled into their joined grip. For what felt like ages, he just sat there, silent, a heap of amber gone dull. Orbulon couldnāt remember the last time he had been so small.
Tagging: @toboldlywrite, @oheoo, @raiswanson, @ava-burton-writing, @halfbloodlycan, @keycwrites, and @jaimistoryteller. If you have time and would like to do this!
Tagged by the wonderful @taz-writesĀ and the amazing @coda-wolf. Thank you so much! 25 questions - this should be fun!
Answers mostly under the cut to save your dash from endless scrolling.
1. Is there a story youāre holding off on writing for some reason?
Yeah, two actually. I have vague plans for a steampunk story that takes place after a fantasy gray goo scenario, and a fantasy story about people smaller than ants. But I know that if I start too many projects at once, Iāll never finish any of them, so Iām holding off on these two for now.
2. What work of yours, if any, are you embarrassed about existing?
Oh gosh. Iām embarrassed about a lot of my old stories. One in particular. It was basically a Harry Potter ripoff. Iād be mortified if anyone found it.
3. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favorite scenes first? Something else?
I write front of the book to back about 99% of the time. Unless I have a scene I just canāt stop thinking about, in which case Iāll write out at least some of it. That gets me excited about the events leading up to it.
4. Favorite character youāve written?
Thatās a very difficult question! Again: my answer changes every time. Today, my favorite character is Isidor again, for his quiet strength and his massive temper.
5. Character you were most surprised to end up writing?
There are several. Probably the biggest surprise was Lothar Carver of Armored Soul. I originally intended him to appear for a scene and then vanish, but his big personality captured my attention in a way I definitely wasnāt expecting. He became a major character in his own right.
6. Something you would go back and change in your writing that itās too late/complicated to change now.
Iām of the opinion that itās never too late to go back and change something in my writing. Thatās what editing is for, after all! It just hurts to get rid of concepts I particularly like.
7. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?
I used to be really shy about admitting it. Now Iām a lot more confident about my writing, so Iām more confident in saying that I do it.
8. Favorite genre to write.
Fantasy. And science fiction. Science fantasy? Goodness, I blend genres so much...
9. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?
Iāll go for a long walk, read a favorite book, listen to some music and daydream, or play video games. If all else fails, Iām probably hungry. I tend to forget to eat when Iām working.
10. Write in silence or with background music? Alone or with others?
Always with background music! And I really donāt have much experience writing with others. I donāt mind writing in public areas like libraries, though.
11. What aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?
Iād like to think Iāve improved a lot in showing instead of telling. And description! I used to be terrible at describing settings and emotions. Getting more into poetry really helped that.
12. Your weaknesses as an author?
...a lot. Sometimes I think more weaknesses than strengths. My wording can be awkward, I donāt always do a great job with planning, my characters donāt always feel real or they all sound the same, my descriptions get too long...yeah.
13. Your strengths as an author?
I think Iām good at creating clear images. And I can pull a good plot twist or two.
14. Do you make playlists for your work?
Yes, all the time! Iām working on getting them re-organized right now.
15. Why did you start writing?
Because I have so many stories in my head, and I want to tell them, even if the audience is just myself.
16. Are there any characters who haunt you?
Backstory time! I once wrote a story featuring nine characters who each resembled the nine moral alignments. Many of the characters from that story haunt me to this day.
17. If you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?
Donāt set out trying to please someone with your work. Write the sorts of things youād want to read.
18. Were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? What were they?
I might have mentioned this a few dozen times over, but Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is a huge influence on me. It really helped my writing style mature.
19. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, etc.?
I have a set of composition notebooks where I map out everything. Characters, plot twists, scene setups, plot progression - everythingās in there. Having it written down with ink on paper makes it feel more permanent.
20. Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?
Depends on how much time I have! I personally prefer long sit-downs, but my current schedule typically doesnāt allow for that. Any day when I can write for more than an hour is a blessing right now.
21. What do you think when you read over your older work?
ā...wait. This isnāt actually so bad. And I wrote this...six years ago? Have I actually improved at all?ā
22. Are there subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?
Anything sexual. Iām ace, and sexual situations make me seriously uncomfortable. Also, any scene where a character is trapped, confined, or otherwise imprisoned against their will gives me a sour feeling in my stomach.
23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?
Haha! Lots of them! Letās see...thanks to going camping with my family and lots of hiking in my spare time, I know a lot about wilderness survival. My time as a theater club stage hand in high school also taught me a lot about character interactions and scene structure. Being in university in general is an Experience that has inspired/helped many aspects of my writing, too.
24. Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about in order to better a scene or a story?
Yup. I wouldnāt say Iām an expert, but I learned a TON about traditional longsword combat, weapon/armor forging, and battle formations for Armored Soul.
25. Copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph youāre particularly proud of.
Gladly! Hereās a bit from Armored Soul Iām quite proud of.
The Zerissen clanking down the road couldnāt be anyone but Isidor. The zweihander resting on his right pauldron crackled with the brilliant gold flame only he could summon. Even though it was all edged in red, spitting sparks that ate the air, it couldnāt be anyone elseās. And no one was as big as him; he looked even larger with magic pulsing through his plates, making them look like they were being forged all over again.
But at the same time, it could not be him.
Because Isidorās left leg wasnāt a twisted lump of metal, dragging behind him and leaving a screeching trail on the ground. Isidorās right gauntlet wasnāt melted and mangled into a grasping claw, steel fingers still twitching on his zweihanderās hilt. Isidor didnāt have a jagged hole ripped through his chest- and backplates, big enough for Dietlinde to stick her head inside. Isidor didnāt walk like that ā didnāt limp like a wounded dog, swaying lightly back and forth with the nonexistent weight of his metal body. Isidorās armor wasnāt covered in dark stains that looked like a gut-churning combination of ash and blood. It wasnāt nicked and scratched and dented until it was more wear than plate. From his helm did not flow thin streams of magma-hued magic, and from his visorās vents did not billow clouds of heated air punctuated with thick black smoke.
Yet it was this twisted, gore-spattered Zerissen who met Dietlindeās gaze.Ā Her insides flopped until they twisted into knots. She wanted to speak, but could only stare. Could only think of the first moment sheād seen him, so young, so far away.
Tagging @toboldlywrite, @aschenink, and @cog-writes if youāre up for a long set of questions!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
The wonderful @taz-writes tagged me and several others to talk about experiences, places, trips, and other things that inspire us to write. Reading about othersā inspiration has been so interesting and exciting so far. Iād be more than happy to share my own!
The initial inspiration for my entire fantasy world came from my first trip to the American Northwest. I was about eight or nine-ish years old, going on my first airplane flight. I looked out the window and saw my first view of the Rocky Mountains. Keep in mind: Iām from the American Midwest. Iād never seen so much as a large hill prior to this. So the sight of jagged stone peaks piercing the sky, the white of their snowy caps mixing with the white of the clouds, absolutely blew my mind. The cold, craggy desolation of it all...it was love at first sight.
On that same flight, Iād been reading a copy of Readerās Digest my mom had brought along. I saw an ad for dragon-shaped Christmas ornaments, each of them lovingly painted and jeweled. I looked at the ad, out the window at the mountains, and the two clicked together. I asked my mom for a piece of paper and drew my first map of the country I now call Dhragia.
(More below the cut...)
I also have a fascination with severe weather. Iām not sure when it started. I do remember being in the car with my family, driving across the flat grasslands of Oklahoma just as a thunderstorm was rolling in. The storm was massive, consuming the entirety of the sky. Mid-afternoon transformed to midnight in seconds. Rain pelted the windshield, wind howled outside, and lightning burst so bright I thought it would crack open the atmosphere. When we arrived at our hotel for the night, I wrote frantically about giant storm monsters using weather magic to capture prey.
I spent time in Japan as an exchange student as well. That was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The experience of being in a foreign country with just enough grasp of the language to ask where the bathroom was is something that still inspires me.
Family trips across the northern reaches of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan captivated me as well. Camping in the middle of thick forests, hiking through knee-deep snow on snowshoes, swimming in murky lakes - those are all memories I treasure. I...love nature. I love being in it. I love being part of it.
Oddly enough, being a university student inspires me. It sometimes feels like Iām on a huge spaceship, hurtling toward some unknown destination beside my peers. Colleges and universities have such a unique atmosphere, and I often find myself drawing on that atmosphere when I write.
Music is a huge inspiration for me too. I canāt and donāt want to imagine a life without it. Often, Iāll be sitting somewhere listening to a song, and an idea will pop into my head.Ā āHow did you get here?ā Iāll ask. Iāll listen. Iāll shake my head and sigh. Hello, new WIP. :D
The Chronicles of Narnia, Deltora Quest, Guardians of GaāHoole, and the Young Wizards series were some of my original inspirations. Blood Song, The Red Knight, Hope and Red, and The Summer Dragon are all big inspirations for me now. The Fullmetal Alchemist manga also kick-started my imagination and gave me the idea of a magic system essentially grounded in scientific principles. Thatās what inspired the whole idea of enchanting!
I also like to watch documentaries and science shows pretty often. Hearing about a new scientific discovery or development can sometimes get me all excited to start writing.
Also! I play a lot of video games in my spare time. Bloodborne is a HUGE inspiration of mine, as is Dark Souls. The motions of the boss Artorias initially inspired the concept of the Zerissen, warriors who have been resurrected as their armor. Artorias moves in a way that makes it impossible to tell if thereās actually a body inside his armor. I took that concept and ran with it.
Iām not 100% sure where my love of knights comes from, but I loveĀ āem. Maybe itās the ideal of someone who trains to attain both a physical and mental peak, all for the sake of protecting those they love. Same for giant Pacific Rim-style mechas and machines. I loveĀ āem, but Iām not completely sure why. Maybe because I am a small human in a big world, and like the idea of being able to operate something large and powerful.
Anyway...I think thatās enough rambling for now. Iād love to hear all about @oheooās, @byjillianmariaās, @scarvenartistās, @toboldlywriteās, and @brynwritesā inspirations. Zero pressure, of course!
