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Welcome to the Writing Life! (Read 1170 times)

Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #600 - Mar 11^th, 2015 at 7:04pm	Print Post
	I've currently added six major races to Samgara's population most recently a race of blue-skinned healers and a race descended from birds. The former has white hair and blue skin and the latter have feathers on their heads and vestigial feathers on their forearms -- which will give any cosplayer or larper who decides to be that character a real challenge -- and in the case of a "throwback" the forearms will be completely feathered and "winglike" but incapable of flight. Facial features may require beaks. I still have a lot a "fleshing out" to do in terms of appearance, culture and abilities but at least I know what the different species look like and I've already figured out that the Catkin and the "Avians" (whatever I end up calling them) probably don't get along all that well for obvious reasons. The "Avians" ancestors were likely some sort of predator bird which means they won't be easily intimidated by a Catkin. I'm also fleshing out a group mentioned in the books -- the Wanderers -- but never really described. I've decided to make them unmatched merchants and caravaners who are constantly on the move and like as not know everything about what everyone of consequence is doing -- which will be useful when I need to get some vital clue into someone's hands....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #601 - Mar 12^th, 2015 at 4:50am	Print Post
	I have species names for all but two of the new additions and I've decided that the "Avians" are egg laying mammals. I haven't worked out all the particulars of their reproductive habits but I won't have to be too "detailed" about it. I'm thinking that larpers or cosplayers could use reasonably realistic bird/feather masks (without beaks) to simulate the appearance of the Avians. The mechanics of an avian race with beaks speaking a human language would likely be too involved so I'll probably go with a race that resembles the Shi'ar of the Marvel Universe -- which provided the inspiration. The Green Orion/Vulcans need a name too and I'm throwing syllables together to see what sounds good. And then Googling it to be sure it hasn't been used before.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #602 - Mar 17^th, 2015 at 4:02am	Print Post
	All the new races have names, how they look has been nailed down and I'm working on their cultures and what sets them apart from humans aside from strange skin and/or hair colors. I've filled out the entry for the Wanderers and I'm thinking about the cultures of the human ethnic groups that I've mentioned but haven't talked about a lot. I want to go against the stereotypes and that will take some thought.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #603 - Mar 20^th, 2015 at 4:57am	Print Post
	Finished one of the books I'm studying on "outlining" tonight. There's a workbook that goes with it and I'll be starting that next. And Scrivener's User Manual is sitting here waiting for me to start on it. I may do that Monday....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #604 - Mar 20^th, 2015 at 6:12pm	Print Post
	I was flipping through the workbook after we got back from town and I think I'm going to need to print out some worksheets so I don't have to write in the book. I'm going to use Book Four for this "learning process" and my larp rulebook for learning Scrivener since I figure that the rulebook is about half to three quarters finished -- how "finished" it is will depend on how much of it I end up keeping in the core book. As far as Book 4 is concerned, I've figured out the "how" of one sticking point but not yet the "who" and the outlining process should help with that. Lots of "study" in my future. sigh


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #605 - Mar 21^st, 2015 at 1:12am	Print Post
	I've pulled out Book 4 and am going over it. My eyes are burning and watering but I'm persevering. sigh It's obvious to me that I'm not going to get any serious work done until I get new glasses. Skywise will be seeing his ophthalmologist on Monday and we'll be making an appointment for me then. Hopefully, it won't be long and I'll be able to get my new glasses before the end of April. THEN maybe I can get back to work.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #606 - Mar 26^th, 2015 at 4:44am	Print Post
	Quote: "You don't understand. You never did. Skill in magick and raw power are useful in a Keyholder but they are not what the Castle looks for when choosing one. A Keyholder must love this world enough to die for it without hesitation because that sacrifice is ultimately required of us all. You love nothing and no one but yourself. You will never be Keyholder." I know who that statement is made to. Someday, I will write the book and find the place in it where it is said.�
	« Last Edit: Mar 26^th, 2015 at 4:45am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #607 - Mar 26^th, 2015 at 11:09pm	Print Post
	This critter would make a great beastie for Samgara. All I have to do is figure out the particulars, including how big it is what what it likes to eat. Which may be "people" but that isn't decided yet....

	10671499_917986901563081_8035721893139322442_n.jpg ( 37 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #608 - Mar 26^th, 2015 at 11:10pm	Print Post
	This would make a good "swamp creature" since the fossils that picture is based on put it at about 13 feet/2 meters long....
	« Last Edit: Mar 26^th, 2015 at 11:11pm by Penthesilea »
	Metoposaurus_algarvensis.png ( 167 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #609 - Mar 27^th, 2015 at 10:24pm	Print Post
	Penthesilea wrote on Mar 17^th, 2015 at 4:02am: All the new races have names, how they look has been nailed down and I'm working on their cultures and what sets them apart from humans aside from strange skin and/or hair colors. I've filled out the entry for the Wanderers and I'm thinking about the cultures of the human ethnic groups that I've mentioned but haven't talked about a lot. I want to go against the stereotypes and that will take some thought. I'm making headway on this. I'm at least coming up with enough to give a larper something to work with as well as the little ol' writer -- me -- an idea about where I'd want to go when I eventually use the new species in a story. I'm still working on the human "sub-cultures" 'cause let's face it -- avoiding stereotypes is gonna be damned hard.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #610 - Mar 27^th, 2015 at 11:53pm	Print Post
	I'm gonna need to add an island to the Samgara map. And an underground city. And maybe "mountain city" for the "bird people".


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #611 - Mar 28^th, 2015 at 1:46am	Print Post
	I am pleased. The page count on the larp rulebook was up to 385 pages It is now 363 pages. I was going through a section of the character creation chapter and decided to cut out some suggestions for each "profession" which took a HUGE bite out of the page count and eliminated the need for ME to come up with the "suggestions." I tightened things up in a few other places and now the page count isn't quite so intimidating! I expect a further reduction in the page count once I have all the "professions package deals" filled in and the extra lines in the tables taken out. This thing may be a manageable size yet!�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #612 - Mar 28^th, 2015 at 5:31am	Print Post
	Now down to 360 but that will likely change as I get more tables filled in.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #613 - Apr 23^rd, 2015 at 5:59am	Print Post
	"The servants know everything." That statement has been a truism for as long as there has been "nobility" who have "servants" to wait on them. That fact has given me a way to solve a problem -- one of them anyway -- with Book 4. Basically, how does Our Heroine find out what she needs to know in time to act on it? "Service personnel" tend to be unnoticed if they look like they "belong" and are doing what is expected. Now all I need to work out is the who, the how and the where..... On another Samgara topic, this critter (known at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis as Super Croc) would be a "nice" (figuratively speaking) addition to Samgara's catalog of wildlife, especially around the Southern Continent. Kinda like a Saltwater Crocodile on steroids.....
	« Last Edit: Apr 23^rd, 2015 at 6:02am by Penthesilea »
	Sarcosuchus_the_Prehistoric_ancestor_of_today_crocodile_large_detail.png ( 1126 KB \| Downloads )
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #614 - Apr 25^th, 2015 at 4:13am	Print Post
	Well.... Tomorrow I'm supposed to get my "reading" glasses. Hopefully, they will work better than the bifocals which are driving me crazy and giving me headaches to boot. Skywise is not happy with the way I get when I'm trying to shop and everything is slightly out of focus. He's only slightly less aggravated by the fact that we've paid nearly $425 for glasses that don't improve my vision except to make things "brighter." I can do without "brighter". What I need is for things to be in focus and they aren't. Not at any distance.... I've written a full length novel in longhand and then typed it up once before but I'd rather not have to do that again but if I can't get glasses that will let me work for more that a few minutes that's how I'll have to write Book 4.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #615 - Apr 30^th, 2015 at 3:00am	Print Post
	We picked up my "computer reading" glasses as scheduled and they work no better than the bifocals. In the course of our visit it was discovered that the left lens in my bifocals was weaker than the prescription it replaced. No wonder I couldn't see! To make matters worse, when we got home and I was able to thoroughly test the single lens glasses, they had the same problem. EyeGlass World was supposed to contact my doctor on Monday and find out how that happened but we haven't heard anything from them. If we still haven't heard anything by Saturday morning, we'll drop in and see what the situation is. As it is, I'm about ready to start writing in longhand. I'm going crazy with boredom and the only cure is to write.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #616 - May 4^th, 2015 at 3:13am	Print Post
	The rulebook is down to 345 pages. I decided to take some of the "Professional Package Deals" out and put them in a supplement to be made available separately. I may do the same with the "Weapons" section. I'm going to need the space for the new pantheons I'm going to need to create and the rest of the info on the new species of humanoids I added. I still intend to use the rulebook to learn Scrivener once I can see at least a little better than I can now although at the moment, I'm not optimistic about putting in 8 to 10 hour writing days until I have these cataracts out and have at least the potential to have my vision corrected to 20/20. sigh At least this situation is "not forever" and if I still need glasses afterward for computer and other close work, I'm okay with that. The important thing is to be able to see....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #617 - Jun 5^th, 2015 at 1:17am	Print Post
	I got an idea for a lead in for something I'd already written for Book 4 and I got it written down despite the Queen deciding to park herself in my lap! There is still a lot that needs to be written to close the gap between it and the "old stuff" but I have the start and that's the main thing. Getting a certain font of negativity, stress, pressure and generally unhelpful "advice" out of my life seems to have helped. I'm no longer under pressure to "perform" or meet the� standards/expectations of someone else. Especially when that "someone else" is in no position to provide constructive critiques or much of anything else other than unrelenting pressure to "perform." I'd reached the point where writing no longer made me happy and that is probably a big reason why my creativity dried up. It happened once before (on the original thread) when someone else -- whose contributions to the castle have since been cut -- made something that was supposed to be voluntary and fun into an obligation and work. I write for "escape." I write books I want to read. I'm not back to where I was -- finding fulfillment, joy� and escape in writing -- but I think I'm on my way. I really hope I've "learned the lesson" this time 'cause I really don't want to go through this a third time! Post # 35,454
	« Last Edit: Jun 5^th, 2015 at 1:19am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #618 - Jun 7^th, 2015 at 1:29am	Print Post
	In regards to the above mentioned idea, I'm now trying to figure out how Our Heroine contrives for Our Hero to find out what she's up to so he can react to it and make it believable. Does she straight up tell him? Or does she arrange for him to "accidentally" hear about it? When the "old scene" opens, she knows that he may or may not react the way she wants him to but there's no clue as to how he knows where she is. The scene appeared pretty much completely in my head when I wrote it. I didn't have a clue exactly where in the timeline it would occur, only that certain events had to precede it. I'll probably have to tweak it a bit once the whole scene and those preceding it are written but I think it will stand "as is" for the most part. I think it's time to pick up some sewing or crochet to occupy my fingers while my mind chews over this problem.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #619 - Jul 9^th, 2015 at 3:54am	Print Post
	I've been working on reference material today. In addition to writing entries for some of the mage schools and guilds which are "thumbnails" for the most part since the guilds/schools themselves don't play a major role in the novels -- at least not yet -- I still have to recreate a bunch of new Gods, fill in the blanks about Gods that are being "transplanted" from Earth-like (but not identical to) cultures, create and locate on the map a fairly good sized island for one of the races I created and write at least a "thumbnail" each for every city-state that I've so far created. "World building" is time consuming even if you are just hitting the "high points".


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #620 - Jul 12^th, 2015 at 1:45am	Print Post
	I've worked on the book the last couple of nights around dishes, laundry and other "exciting" stuff. I don't know if I'll write tonight or not. I'm feeling a bit blue with periods of "weepy" and I've already written the "weepy" parts of this book so I'm probably not in the right headspace to write what needs to be written tonight. I may go through and edit or work on the reference material or a short story.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #621 - Jul 16^th, 2015 at 3:18am	Print Post
	I have two "group" handfastings to write for Book 4, one for two women and one man and one for two men and one woman. I'm currently mulling over ideas how to do them. One will incorporate a "bonding" ritual of some sort for the same sex participants while the other won't so I have to figure that out too. And if I'm being vague it is because I don't want to give away anything prematurely! These two events will DEFINITELY happen and be done "on stage" and there really isn't a lot of reference material out there. In twenty years or so after polyamorous unions are legal and have been around for a while, yeah, but I need it NOW and it occurs to me that what I put in this book could very well be used by strictly heterosexual triads/vees for their "real life" ceremony so I want to get it right.� I may have to get some "actors" out of my Barbie collection to work out some of the "logistics" -- who stands where, the processionals and such like things.�I already have some "inspirational" music in a playlist... �
	« Last Edit: Jul 16^th, 2015 at 3:42am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #622 - Jul 16^th, 2015 at 5:09pm	Print Post
	I did a little online research last night and it turns out that I already have most of the available research/examples of group handfastings in my library. Definitely gonna be winging it. I'll probably be doing research while "prone" today.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #623 - Jul 30^th, 2015 at 3:53am	Print Post
	I have just written the "happily ever after" for what will be the end of Book 4 or Book 5 -- depending on whether or not the final story needs to be split into two books. There will be other stories and other trials, most likely but the main story about Our Heroine and Her Beloved will be satisfactorily completed even if I never mention them again. I will, of course, but you get the idea. There have been times when I didn't know if they would have a "happy ending", I simply couldn't see it but considering what I've put them through, what I still have to put them through (Book 4/5 is still being written ya know!) they deserve a happy ending� -- with a big black bow on it! And that's what I've given them. Now to write "the rest of the story...."


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #624 - Aug 12^th, 2015 at 3:23am	Print Post
	Dinner is cooking and I've been listening to music and writing. I haven't added a whole lot but I have added new material that gives me a starting point when I come back to that particular section. I've been working on multiple sections tonight as insights on where I should go with a particular scene come to me. Book 4's manuscript is pretty choppy but smoothing off the rough edges is what editing/rewriting is for. I've resigned myself to working in fits and starts until I have my cataracts out and I can work for more than half an hour without having to stop and rest my eyes. Once I can actually see again, I want to have a solid base to work with.


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