Concerning writing. And little boys.

Last night was a rare night. I was home alone. Now, I know that eventually I'll be home alone more, because that's just the way of the military...however! Last night I was able to do quite a lot of brainstorming! Which is exciting!

I found several very interesting articles on writing fantasy, chock full of lovely advice and tips. Which, I'll have to admit, made me quite happy. Its always good to find blogs from other aspiring writers. Its encouraging.

I read about the importance of a good name, about horses, and about making maps. I read about horrible (and some are, indeed, horrible) fantasy cliches. I even played around with fantasy name generators for fun and found out that my fairy name is:

Moth Willowwand. She is a caster of weird dreams. She lives close to crystal caverns and stalagtite grotto's. She is only seen when the seer holds a four-leafed clover.
She collects crystals to wear on her dresses. She has delicate green coloured wings like a cicada.

Doesn't it sound just like me? ;) I also have Elf, dwarf, and a Hobbit name as well, but those aren't nearly as...colorful.

So! Back to the brainstorming. And...other literary topics.

Normally, during the day (and indeed, right now, as I type this), I can't brainstorm, research, or do any sort of writing. A little (or not so little anymore) toddler boy constantly gets in the way! I'm lucky if I can get in a little reading while he plays with trucks and whatnot. Yesterday happened to be one of those days!

Yesterday I got to sit outside on the porch, in the glorious sunshine, and read!

It was so nice...me and the boyo sat in the sun with our books (to be fair, he had a truck too...) and read together. I read Eragon. He 'read' Peek a Who?. T'was lovely.

I'm hoping to finish Eragon today, during nap time. I've never read it before and am finding it fascinating. I always have a soft spot for a book with Dragons...

Anyway. I need to bid adieu...and keep the Tornado from climbing into the oven. With the broom in tow. Ta, for now!

Eragon

I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I've had this book for a long...long...time. And only just recently found the desire to actually read it. Which is strange for me...Usually when I buy a book, its because I want to read it. For some reason, I bought this one just to have it.

My 13 year old sister will be proud of me for finally picking it up :)

Eragon is a farm boy who lives with his Uncle Garrow and cousin Roran. He has lived with them all his life, never knowing any other family. One winters day, while hunting, Eragon discovers a blue stone, unlike anything he's ever seen before. Unsuccessful in his hunt, he takes the beautiful stone home in hopes of trading it for some meat. When the butcher won't trade him, Eragon brings the stone home, hoping to trade it off at a later time.

Except, of course, it's no stone. With the help of the village storyteller Brom, who is more than he seems, Eragon goes on a journey. Its a journey of discovery, of searching, of fear and of hope. Its full of everything a good adventure should be. Along with Brom and Saphirra, his dragon, Eragon begins to learn what it means to be a Dragon Rider, and a man.

Eragon is a wonderful story, full of good guys, bad guys, swords, elves, myths and dragons. I am quite delighted with it!

I watched the movie first, and LOVED it, and so I knew I would like the book. What a delight to discover new characters! Solembum is definitely one of my new literary favorites! I loved learning the deeper plots and intricacies of the characters. The way they learn together, work together, fight together, and in the case of Eragon and Saphirra, grow together. I can't wait to read book two, Eldest.

On writing a new tale

Oh boy. If only you knew how many times I mean to get on here and write about some exciting, thrilling, wonderful book, and don't...sigh. Anyways, I guess what I mean to say is...I've read a lot of books recently, and haven't blogged about them. There. I've confessed.

However...sadly, some of them I can hardly remember how they ended, so they must not have really stuck out to me. So I'm not gonna sweat the fact that I don't have a review up for every book that I've recently read. Instead, I'm just going to talk about writing this time.

I have been inspired. Again. (Even tried to write a post about it...but the result was...well, less than inspiring.)

Have you ever had an idea pop into your head, and just refuse to leave? I mean, flat out, heels dragging, refusal? That's what this is. I had an idea to write about a girl with an Elemental power. She didn't have a name, didn't have a purpose, didn't have anything. But she wouldn't go away.

I tried to write about her in Victorian London. Got about...oh...two chapters in, and poof. She kind of...disappeared. Apparently it wasn't her place. (Now, I absolutely LOVE the setting, and what I did write...but for some reason, I couldn't write it anymore! Not giving up on Bea though! I love her, and her cat...)

The idea of an Elemental story just won't leave me though. It is constantly germinating in the back of my head. I decided to give it another go, but this time, in a more...medieval-type setting. No knights, or anything like that (at least, not yet...) just a girl named Matilda.

I've been going through the process of developing a main character, and I am quite enjoying it. I love this stage. The inventing of a person. So, that's where I am right now. The developmental stage. Here's one way I found that helps me organize my thoughts during this process.

Ask yourself What If? Any situation that presents itself to you can be augmented by a “What if” question. For example, it the newspaper you read this morning had an article about a comatose woman who was raped by an orderly and got pregnant. Ask yourself: What if the woman’s mother paid the orderly to rape her daughter so she could have a grandchild? (an episode of Law & Order) What if the woman regained consciousness years later to discover she has a 14-year-old son? What if the child decides to find his father? What if the orderly decides to sue for custody and wins? All these questions can lead to very different stories.

For my food taster idea I asked the following “what if” question: Who would choose to become a food taster? My answer was “No one.” So someone would be forced to take the position – who? Not someone loyal to the king/Commander – he wouldn’t want to risk a good man – even though a loyal man might consider the job an honor. There is a good chance the food taster will die – so who would the king/Commander use and not feel bad if the person dies? Someone on death row. She will be executed anyway – her life is forfeit, waiting in the dungeon for execution. But how to keep that person from escaping? Butterfly’s Dust – a poison that stays in the body and if the food taster doesn’t show up for a daily antidote she will die. Great, but why is she in the dungeon? Execution is an extreme punishment – so she had to do something extreme like murder. Why and who does she kill? See how the story is taking shape? And the questions don’t stop until the story is done.

I copied this from Maria V Snyder's website...and I've found it really useful. I'll let you into my head for a few minutes, to see how I use the 'what if' process.

First I came up with my character: Matilda, aka Mat. I knew I wanted her to have an elemental power, and I was leaning towards the element Earth. So I started questioning myself. I knew that I wanted to have my character meet other Elementals, and my first 'scene', if you will, that popped into my head was of Mat, in a field, where, all of a sudden, a guy appears, wounded, and he ends up telling Mat all about her powers.

-Why would Mat be in a field? Well, she could be a 'shepard'.
-Could a shepard have Earth powers? Sure. Plants and animals could be part of Mat's gifts, since both plants and animals need the earth to live.
-Why would someone 'find' Mat, and go to her while wounded? The man also has Earth magic, perhaps he is a powerful Earth mage, and can sense others of the same power.
-Why doesn't Mat already know about her powers? Her mother never told her
-Why not? She is afraid to lose Mat, the same way she lost Mat's father.

See how it works? I could go on and on. These aren't very good questions...I have many, many more. But I don't want to give up too much right now. For me, when a story is in the 'baby' stages, there are really very few details I'll give out. But, hopefully, I'll keep you updated!

Cheers, and Happy writing!

Joust, by Mercedes Lackey

Ah, what a book! I have been waiting for this book for a while. Recently, I bought Robin McKinley's book 'Dragonhaven' and...much to my disappointment, I couldn't read it. (Never fear, though. I'm not giving up yet!) So, to ease my pangs over this book, I checked out 'Joust', another book about Dragons, from another beloved author.

Vetch is a serf. Which is worse than a slave. He is tied to the land that once belonged to his family, bound to serve the owners of the land. He is underfed and over worked. But one day, in the middle of a blazing hot afternoon, his life will change.

The land is protected by Jousters, riders of fierce dragons, loyal to the king. These Jousters fly patrols daily, searching the land and sky. Jouster Ari stops at the small farm where tala is grown specifically for help controlling the dragons one day for a drink of water, where he witnesses Vetch being beaten for something so small as the empty water bucket he had just drained to quench his own thirst. He then decides to take Vetch away, to be his Dragon boy.

Vetch doesn't know what to do with his new life. Compared to his old one, its easy, even though it does include taking care of Ari's dragon. His problem now, is how can he hate the Tians, that are being so kind to him? And how can he manage to get free and go back to his homeland, without feeling like he is betraying the people that are being good to him, and befriending him?

This is JUST the kind of book I have been itching to read. A familiar, beloved author, a beloved subject (I mean, come on. Who doesn't like dragons???) and a good plot, not too deep, but still really enjoyable. I've already checked out book two, 'Alta' and can't wait to get started!

Inkheart

Ahh...Inkheart. Why didn't I read this years ago?? Even if you don't like fantasy...it would be worth reading for all of the good book name-dropping! There are quotes from so many good books...'The Princess Bride' and 'Lord of the Rings'...'Peter Pan' and 'The Sword in the Stone'. Or to read it just to read about Elinor's fabulous library that sends a book worm like me into fits of jealousy :)

Meggie's quiet, book-filled life is disrupted one rainy night by a late night visitor. A strange visitor that fills her with some sort of dread. His name is Dustfinger, and he is there for her father, Mo.

Mo is a chocolate-loving book binder who lives on the run. He is constantly moving Meggie from place to place, trying to escape...escape what, Meggie is unsure. But soon she will know all, for Dustfingers visit is the beginning of an adventure she had only ever read about.

Nine years ago, Mo quit reading outloud. Meggie never thought to ask why, but she will soon learn that it has to do with Dustfinger, and an evil man named Capricorn, and the mother that she can't remember.

A good read! I would (and have) reccommended it to any young person who enjoys reading, and any adult who wants to loose themselves in a book-filled fantasy world :)

Cheers!