"Magic" System Issues

As I write and flesh out my story I've run into many little problems along the way. Most of them are minor, like I have my main character chasing off in one direction and then he's over there... How did he get there? That was easily fixed by adding in a scene in which I took the opportunity to give more insight into his personality and relationships with those around him.

Unfortunately the issue of how my magic system works has taken a truck hauling monkey wrenches and dumped it on my story. Then for good measure it crashed the truck into the pile and set it on fire.Perhaps it is not that bad, but it has certainly stumped me. Also, I am using "magic" as a generic term since it encompasses all the outside of them norm or "fantastical" system, like technology and powers and magic.

I have set up what the magics of my world are; how they work, their limitations, and other details for how the system interacts with the environment, characters, and story. But then I ran into a wall in the form of a question: Where did this magic come from and why do certain people have them while others do not? I just looked at my computer screen and shrugged, You tell me! Neither my story nor my computer responded, very rude of them both in my opinion.

Where did the magic come from? My story is already set to follow a few years after the end of a war that was started because of the magic, so I have a starting point. The magic came before the war era and other things spawned into existence during the war because of them or to counter them. Something happened (or didn't) and people became special while others did not. This leads to friction and animosity, and ultimately war.

So there is a pretty set when, but still no how. The few ideas I've come up with are: it just is, space stuff, nuclear stuff, genetic engineering, a rift between dimensions, or perhaps different environmental factors that culminated into some people being "lucky" enough to be born with magic. There are a few other ideas, but those are the leaders and each offers some interesting aspects, but the issue of making it believable becomes the new issue. That last one is the easier of solutions I've thought of and I am leaning towards it. On the Pro side, it solves the problem and I my system essentially just-is. On the Con side, at face-value, my system could be interpreted as a Marvel mutants knock-off.

All of the ideas I have come up with so far are definitely workable, but I want it to be more than a footnote that says to the reader "This is how, move along, these aren't the droids you're looking for". I want my system to be fun, entwined in the world and story not simply background, and at the forefront I want it to be believable. I want readers to want to be apart of it too, the same way the books I've read have drawn me in.

Certainly more thought and research is required before I commit to the origin of my system.

-Tony

People Are Funny

Why is it as soon as people hear you are writing something, they say " Oh, put me in your book" and then they list a series of characteristics for their character? It's like they want to become famous by proxy through your writing; "Hey, this character is totally me!" Yes, you and the bazillion other people who have the same personality type/star sign/Chinese zodiac/etc. This is why archetypes and the generalities of horoscopes work so well; people are really similar.


This list they give you is great though, it gives you insight into their minds' inner workings. It shows how they think of themselves (and how they think people perceive them) and can be spot on or so off that you wonder how they got to this point in life not knowing how people perceive them.. they're either lying or they're just plain delusional, me thinks.


My favorite is when I am given a list of characteristics that is supposed to be exaggerated or funny, and it's actually much closer to the truth.


And here's the kicker: If you actually write them in the story, chances are they get all offended!


People are funny.

Barnes & Noble's Dated but Essential Science Fiction Novels

Barnes & Noble posted an article August 12th about 8 novels that are dated but still essential readings. I've read three of them so far, and the ones I've not read all sound appealing, so I will be have to add them to my "to eventually read" list. My favorite of the three I've read is The Foundation series, and I enjoy everything Asimov has written. I've read so many classic and modern science fiction novels, I can't think of who else I might add to this list.


The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Synners by Pat Cadigan
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
The Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee




Enjoy the Article: B&N Link

Newby Trials

Writing is an emotional roller coaster when random people ask about it...


Person X: "Hey, what are you doing?"
Me: "Oh! I'm actually writing a book"
Person X: "What's it about?"


Initial joy and excitement at sharing my tasks and ideas with another person, expecting some minimal amount of excitement on their part.


Person X: "Oh, you can do that? Are you sure?"
Me: "Yes..."
Person X: "So it's more a hobby or some blog stories."
Me: ................. no, it's a novel."


Why the hell did I open my mouth. I understand science fiction isn't for everyone, but wow.


Person X: "Well can I read what you've written?"
Me: "No, I'm still in the planning and outlining phase, and --"
Person X: "Planning? Don't the big names just start writing and whip out a book."
Me: "Some, yes and no. There are different ways to tackle it..."


And I've lost them. What follows is generally "that's nice" or negativity, because lets face it, if they can't do it then how could I. All people are equal in their talents and goals, right?


Can't please them all I suppose.


Anyway, my Outline has morphed into this amazing, I don't know, comprehensive outline? It's definitely NOT a first draft, but I'm getting there, hopefully aiming to start this weekend.

The Omega Project

As promised, or threatened, I've posted one of my old short stories that I had dug up. Feel free to give it quick read and enjoy it for the unedited tragedy it is. After going back over, I see it needs a lot of editing help and I think I will make it a project to work on when I need a break from my book. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Just a quick break...

I'll just take a two minute break, check my garrison missions and... 2 hours later, Damn it!!

Architect? Gardener? Hybrid!

There are two types of writers (thank you google for that information). There are the architects who outline and detail everything before they start the story or until they have a story. The other type is the gardener, who just start writing and let the story grow, like a seed. But chances are anyone reading this already knows that.

During my research I found the lectures of Brandon Sanderson on YouTube and found a third type: the Hybrid! I originally considered myself firmly an architect, but then Brandon was explaining how he architects everything, except his characters, those he lets grow with the story. I don't think he used the word "hybrid", so that's totally mine, I'm copyrighting that awesomeness.

Anyways, that combination of the two types is close to how I prefer two structure things. I outline the hell out of everything, I could probably outline myself right into a complete novel without meaning to. I also create a character sheet for the majority of my characters of basic details. The character sheet look is obviously influenced from my Shadowrun/AD&D RPG days. From there I just flesh them out as it goes.

I've mostly completed my outline and began a draft. Right now I'm just working on getting all the scenes down from the outline, no dialogue or in-depth descriptions except when I think of something noteworthy to toss in to work in later. Once I get it all down, I will go back and flesh everything out.

When I take a break from outlining or writing, I have been working on a logo for the blog and content. So I dug up a few OLD stories I wrote in a another life time. I will be working to transfer those to the computer and get them uploaded for viewing (by the 4-6 people who stop by and for which I am of course grateful).

Until the next update!!

No Power? No Problem!

For the last two days I have been working on my outline for the book. Big shout out to Jenna Moreci (@jennamoreci)  for the index card idea, found in her YouTube video (here). Though to be honest, I may or may not be using them the same way. Her book, Eve:The Awakening comes out August 12th, 2015, check out her site http://jennamoreci.com for details.

Using index cards to organize my ideas, I started with the main events I want to drive the story, tried to separate them into Acts/Sections/whatever I'm new to this, and filled in the blanks. When I got done last night, I believed everything was in a decent initial order. Today as I was making notes on the cards, things changed... Reading through my index cards, testing the flow of events, I ran into problems. It wasn't that the events didn't flow, leading to the next and driving the story, I just woke up and didn't like the story they were telling. Just like that, I tossed out one major event and about ten  minor events. I think the events work better now, but the change is still new, so I am working on filling the holes in. 

And suddenly my power goes. Usually a winter annoyance due to severe snow, this is the second time this summer. No power, no distractions! Then things got crazy... and now I have one helluva index card outline going, 

Power returned after about 2 hours, so updating the blog before transferring this monstrosity to a document.

Speed Bumps

I did some minor edits to my blog; changed some colors and layout so that all the text could be read. I will likely make more changed, images and such, that make it slightly more interesting.

With that completed, I sat down to knock out an initial outline.Geared with the notes from my novel writing research, index cards, pens, and a growing list for my outline, I ran into a speed bump: life. I found many in my research stating that responsibilities really limit the time available for writing. I truly underestimated that advice and will have to make sure to prioritize accordingly.

Life Happens, how true that is. I work full time and I have a family whom I love, so after spending all day at work I spend my time with them. Time is at a premium, and personal time doesn't begin until the kids hit the sack. And as any married person knows, that time between the kids bed time and your own is for your spouse, and maybe some time to catch up on personal emails and such.

I will definitely have to consciously evaluate my after work activities and allot at least an hour in every night to work on stuff related to my book.

Oh look, Blizzard announced the next Warcraft expansion! Guess that gives me a year to get this completed before that addiction hits. :)

So I'm writing a book...

I've decided to actively move forward with writing a book. Writing is something I've enjoyed for many, many years, but have not followed through with beyond a lackluster hobby.  I think this has stemmed from fear of not being good enough, not being confident in my ideas and abilities. This is absolutely ridiculous of course! Over the last few years I've read a few "bad" books and found myself thinking "I could totally have done that better!" and making little notes on how. The it donned on me, not every book is a best seller or Pulitzer prize winner and yet people are still buying these books, enjoying them, and encouraging the writers to release sequels or other novels.


So why not me? I have tons of ideas, many that have been working and growing for years in notes and thoughts. The problem now is how does all this work? How do I get started? Do I just start shoving words on paper (or typing in a doc)? How to I brand myself, get my name out there? Should I self-publish or find a publisher? How do I find out more information? Where to begin?


It's daunting and makes the head swim to consider all the questions and possible risks and obstacles. So I jumped right in and did the logical first step: I started Googling. If my head was swimming before, I think with that I shackled some concrete blocks to my ankles! There is so much information out, everyone is generous with how they did, how they craft their work, what they use, etc. And of course, no one has the same advice. So which advice would be right for me? Weeding through to find the ideas that work or resonate with my personality and work behavior has become the most time consuming task. Luckily, I found a handful of great authors that offer advice that works for me.


I love lists and make checklists of everything, so will likely include many in future blog posts, and I apologize for that beforehand. That said, I've taken the information I have garnered up to this point and made a sort-of to-do list of where to begin this insane journey.


More updates to follow! Along with a blog overhaul I think, eventually, soon? Maybe this month? I'll get to it.


Thanks for stopping by