Hello airport. Hello internet. I’d like to say it’s been too long, but…
I sit here in Toronto staring out at the tiny people on the tarmac, as they rush around like ants trying desperately to keep the machine that is the airport well oiled and moving. It is here that I finally realise I have a few hours, might as well write something.
It has been awhile since I blogged, or written for that matter, and it feels good to pound on this keyboard of the thousand dollar machine I had hoped would help me write more often and be more organised. I had brought it along for this entire two week trip, and I turned it on for roughly ten minutes at my mother’s house to show her how cool technology is. Now though, I am excited about one fact and one fact alone. Forced writing time.
When I was visiting my best friend in Edmonton, we came to the conclusion we are both absolutely terrible at finishing things. Even if we do, we move on as if we ran it over in a Ferrari. I finished my novel and my lovely girlfriend is still working on the edit. I started the second book, but have finished a single chapter. I have probably planned more of book three than of book two. This aside, he and I discussed the very problem we have and came to a conclusion: We have a problem and we need to fix it. Then we went our separate ways. Now I am emailing him almost every second day bouncing ideas off him and stirring his creative pot. The problem is even with my trilogy a third of the way to completion, I have begun building a new world around the collection of all of my ideas. Not one. Not two. But all!
The concept had come to me awhile ago when I began to get fed up with coming up with new ideas. New stories would present themselves, new characters would interrupt dialogue and new worlds would stand at the end of a pier waiting to be explored. Now, to counteract this rampant idea generation, I’ve begun changing my science fiction ideas into a fantasy setting. I have intertwined stories into lore. Characters have begun interacting with each other instead of existing in totally separate worlds. Now I have a world that gets richer every time I have a new idea. Not only that, but I have managed to tie it into my current trilogy. What this means however, is despite the world being similar to ours, now it is becoming a monster in its own right. Jefferson and crew are now building lore into the world that has apparently been brewing in my head for years. It finally feels like everything is coming home.
Jefferson and the Magician’s Curse will happen centuries before the story I will set in the created world. This has lead me to consider abandoning Jefferson (for now) in the hope that I can use the points I am aware of now to build the lore for the new world. Jefferson and Gabriel will live on as some of the first magic users (especially powerful ones) which opened up the doors for cults, schools, and the whole basis for magic in the future. Not only this but there are ramifications from their actions that still reverberate centuries later, without people realising it. Also the way that magic works in my world has distinct consequences in the Jefferson trilogy that will be branched out upon as newer forms of magic and different schools come into light. In case you didn’t notice, I’m a bit excited!
I often wonder how long it took to build consistent worlds like those experienced in Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter and how long I should work on my own before writing the story in it. I suppose as with anything it will be finished when it is finished, much to my dismay. For the meantime, I will get back into it so that I can smash that NaNoWriMo target. I am unsure as to which story to contribute to or which lore to write exactly. Something tells me if I start working on that world, fifty thousand words will be achieved within the time frame. The thing will be, forcing myself to make the time.
Until next time lovely ladies and gents! Happy writing!
Also touch base guys! Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? What are you working on? Are you in the same boat as me? Anyone want to get back in touch for some writing updates!? I did enjoy keeping up with those of you who were interested! Talk to you soon!
Hi TJ! I’m not quite in the same boat, but I am stalled out a bit right now – I have one story I wanted to finish before NaNo, and I’m not sure that’ll happen. I’m just not getting anywhere with it right now. But I am going to do NaNo again, to write a story about a murder that takes place at a hotel convention center.
Your idea for combining your streams of ideas into one world sounds great. Isn’t it wonderful when one idea gets the creativity flowing again? 🙂
Stalled? Get back into it! What’s got you stumped? Maybe try and change the current part you’re at to take it in a different direction. That’s one thing I’ve always enjoyed about the Game of Thrones books, most of the time you expect one thing, and another happens!
Also be careful with that idea, don’t want to hear about them raiding your house on the news over a well written story. Stranger things have happened!
Crossing the streams (even though the Ghostbusters told me not to) has been one of my best ideas yet. It gave my current world a depth it was lacking and suddenly the world was populated with people from entirely different backgrounds. Now all new ideas are simply incorporated into the one world to rule them all and there has been much rejoicing! Now, I just have to get back into blogging on a routine and continue on with my writing!
Thanks, TJ! I shared the stalled story with a couple of people and they gave me some great ideas, so I’m about to get rolling again. Sometimes a little break is all one needs, I think. 🙂
You’re not wrong there… and sometimes that break is longer than other times :S Also, my video game obsession does not help my productivity (Just spent two days hunting Uruks in Middle Earth @_@)
Ha! 🙂
TJ! Glad to hear you’re writing, even if it’s just a little. 🙂 I will be braving NaNo again this year, with a book about a Knight of the Round Table cursed to immortality (more on that on my blog, and to come). My plan is to not only win again, but to write the whole thing including the end! That’s a big step for me, and here’s hoping.
I’m lucky enough to have a local writing buddy, and we meet at least once a month – or every week if we can swing it in October to NaNo Prep – so even if I’m not noveling, I’m writing something. Yay!
I am fearful of NaNoWriMo. It gathered me the followers I have today, but that fear of failure is hard to deal with. Like every year, there will be thousands of poor newbies with hope in their eyes and passion in their hearts. Those poor fellows simply have no idea. I’m cheering for you from my side and I know you’ll win! You’re determined! I’m envious of your writing buddy. No one I’ve found here shares my passion for the craft, at least that I could find. I found more people to do Movember with than NaNoWriMo.
On the note of a Knight of the Round Table cursed to Immortality, that sounds AWESOME. I imagine him being the sole guardian of the holy grail or something, and despite the gift of immortality being bestowed upon him, the burden of his task being what tears at him. He could be a lone wanderer or maybe he is tied up in history (Templars? Freemasons?!) Oh my, I will have to visit your blog… I must know more!
Congrats to you and I look forward to seeing how that pans out! (And if you need any readers… Ahem, I volunteer as Tribute.) Good luck with NaNo!
I first used NNWM as a way for me to push on with that first novel of mine (I still haven’t finished it if I’m being honest), and I did that for years. I didn’t worry about meeting a word count, or validating it, or any of that. I simply used it to get me writing as much as I could. It’s probably the one time I myself didn’t fear failing. Last year when I hit the word count, even though the story itself was barely started, it felt fabulous. I still have hopes I can write the whole thing in 50k, and if I don’t that’s okay because I really like the ideas the story is creating and I’m curious to see how it all comes out on paper.
I found my writing buddy at a local NaNo write in, are there any in your area? i think you can find them on the official site. That might be a great place to start. My friend and I literally did the hi-goodbye thing as we passed while I left and she entered that first year, until the following year when it all clicked and we’ve written side by side since.
My knight switches between thinking his immortality is either a gift or a curse, and although he’s fought in basically every war since the 6th century, he’s on his own. I’m still working out the details, but he’s had his brushes with history over the centuries. 🙂