Unraveling History

Or how I came up with another possible series when researching a side character.  

I have a serious problem. And I love it. New stories never stop popping up in my mind, urged on my the strangest questions. I now either have a new prequel trilogy or a slew of short stories about a character appearing in two chapters of book two of my monster hunting books.

It all started when I just wanted to make sure a building in Romania existed for the short story I'm writing now. That turned into reading about the Russo - Turkish war and getting drawn into the rich history of that entire area. I knew I had to write more than I already planned.

When I first started writing this series, I wanted it to start in England, Germany, or Russia. I really wanted to avoid the stereotype of British run steampunk, but at the same time I wanted to play with the imperialist attitude of England. Having their fingers in every pie, as the saying goes. Plus, I needed certain historical events for the series.  

I knew when I started, this was not going to be just five books. The short stories were to allow me to tell the original stories that grew in my head before coming up with the frame of the major conflict. I can travel all over time and space in them! At the same time, they are giving me more and more ideas that can't always be expressed in 10,000 words or less. 

Bryan and Esther's travels before the first book take them through half of Europe. He makes it as far as Poland during his studies before family calls him home. Esther sets out on her own adventures much earlier, for reason's you'll see in the book, and she makes it to the coast of the Black Sea. Poor Thomas is stuck in England with his books. The more my trio explore, the more I want to dig into the history. I have notes for stories about their families and even people they pass in the street. It just doesn't end. 

For now, I jot down the new ideas in my trusty notebook. I'll have to let them simmer before seeing if I can make a solid novel out of them or just short stories. That and I really need to work on the approaching deadlines. 

I really hope people don't get sick of this alternate world of mine. At this rate, I'll be pumping out its history until I die. Then, like Tolkien, my heirs will have the task of assembling posthumous publications.  

Falling Behind

I cannot stand getting behind schedule.  It's not totally my fault since I've been sick and bed ridden the past week. Lying in bed with a fever doesn't always make for the best writing sessions. I ended up reading and watching a lot of TV. Which is looking like I might only finish two of the three stories due by March 1st.

It's better than nothing I suppose. Or maybe my foggy head will allow some burst of writing genius to come forth. That would be nice. For now,  I'll keep plugging along and drinking my tea.

I really hate the winter.

An Escape

Most people would describe fiction as a method of escapism. Reading, watching a movie, playing a video game takes us out of our own world and into different one. Let's be honest, the real world isn't always the best place to be. Every person has hardships, and we have different methods of coping. I'm sure it's obvious that mine heavily relies on writing.

Cleaning out some old boxes this weekend uncovered a short story I wrote after my first breakup. A young couple is on their first date when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. It's all very sweet until they are being directly attacked by a horde. The young man throws the girl out of the way to save himself, but ends up dying after all. She is then left to survive on her own. It's admittedly not my best work, written as a freshman in college and still learning a few tricks. But the emotion is so strong in it. Reading just the first pages brought me back to that time when joy shifts into pain within a few split seconds. I will probably never publish that piece though. It would need an immense amount of refining, and I really don't feel inspired by zombies anymore.

My writing has this odd blend of things that I wish that would happen and things that did happen to me. Traces of my friends, family, and people I really can't stand end up in these characters. Thomas and Colby both share some traits with boyfriends, but I never try to completely imitate real people. Then it wouldn't be an escape.

Now, I'm not saying that I feel at home surrounded by dead bodies. I just love the art of deduction and the flair of the past. It can feel so foreign and so welcoming. I wouldn't want to live in a world without the internet, but I wouldn't mind the elaborate dresses and magic.

So I'll throw myself into this world I'm writing. It helps me cope with the real one.

My First Inspiration

I can't believe I've gone this long without mentioning my all time favorite book. Well, books.

The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion. Anything touched by J.R.R. Tolkien. I bleed for Middle-Earth.

Anyone who knows me in real life, would be able to tell you that in a second. When I was in high school, someone found a lost copy of The Two Towers and every single person thought it was mine. It wasn't--mine was from the paperback box set issued before the Fellowship of the Ring movie and this one was from the box set issued before The Two Towers-- but not a single person believed me. My parents introduced me after I read through the entire Chronicles of Narnia in one day. My mother told me all about how they were friends and writing buddies. I was instantly captivated, borrowing the books constantly from the library.

When the movies came out, it was amazing. The books were everywhere, and my Christmases were filled with more books. My parents gave me The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales that year. I used all the money to buy whatever books in the History of Middle-Earth I could find. It was a rough quest, which I actually completed last year. The return of Middle-Earth to the big screen was incredible and brought back my favorite books to the front of bookstores.

Middle-Earth has always felt like my home. In a way, I struggle with writing high fantasy because I know it won't be as good. By blending it with murder mysteries, I can make it more my own. Tolkien's ability to craft this world with its own language and history always awed and inspired me. That's when I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to explore the vast unknown regions of Elsewhere. 

Is Multitasking Good or Bad?

I've started up on a writing habit I had when I first started trying to get short stories published. Simultaneously writing several things at once. While my brain always has different ideas spinning around, I have been trying to write them down as notes while focusing on the big project at hand. With four things due by March 1st, I thought I would give multitasking a try again.

My main reason for this is that I keep stumbling into holes where I don't quite know what will happen next. So instead of puttering around, I will work on one of the other stories. It tends to work very well in the beginning for me. I just have to make sure I'm focused on the right plot at the right time.

When I last tried this a few months ago, I ended up writing a story where the fantasy world of Esther, Bryan, and Thomas clashed with the historical world of Scarlet and Colby. In my opinion, it's a fun bit and maybe a good extra to throw into one of the published books or post here one of these days. However, it doesn't really help me get anything done with the pressing deadlines.

Most of the time, I end up mixing up the names of people and locations. It's not the worst thing in the world, but I have to be careful about fixing it. People's genders tend to change too. If it proves too troublesome, I'll go back to writing one thing at a time.

I still have a the list of projects prioritized. It might make me sound stingy, but I want to make sure the stories that will pay hundreds get sent before the ones that pay twenty. Yes, I want to get all of them finished and published everywhere. Sometimes though, you need to stop yourself from getting too overworked. I have not been very good at that so far.  

Winter is the time for Writing

At least, that is what editors seem to think. My pile of future submissions keeps growing and growing and growing! There is too much to do and too little time. Being so short, February is less than helpful in trying to budget my time.

As of right now, I can do it all. Editing "At the Water's Edge" has taken up a bit too much time since I went 2,000 words over the limit. Oops. But this is the first time that's happened in a while. It's not the end of the world, but I really want to write something instead of cutting out words!

Today's plan is to edit a little bit more, and then start outlining the next three projects. Two are half outlined already, so it's not too much work to do. Three day weekend helps too, along with these new stories being less than 8,000 each.

And if I don't make the deadline, it's not the end of the world. I'll finish it and submit elsewhere. Stress is not going to wear me down anymore. So back to writing!

Procrastination or Research?

One of my top ways to ease Writer's Block is research. It helps spark ideas, but also creates distractions. Instead of writing, I'm reading about all the various chemicals used in Victorian laundry. Yes, I ended up coming with a series of murder based off this, but I didn't do more than scribble a few lines. However, my worst form of "helpful research" comes in the form of video games.

The Sims. My best and worst tool. It provides a great visual reference and I love watching my creations run amok. However, it drains so much time as you perfect each detail. Especially when trying to get the Sims to act the way I want. I spent a good deal of time recently with my Hunters in their "University". It's hard enough getting them to keep on track with their Sim Needs along with my Writing Needs. Bryan should be painting, but chatting online. Thomas should be reading, not playing pool. Riley should be working, not playing his guitar at 4 AM. Ugh. For some reason, the ladies always tend to go about their business the proper way. Nerina enjoys her time in the pool, while Esther is quite studious.

One of the massive problems is how easy it is to loose track of time. Last week, I spent so much time trying to get Riley and Nerina to kiss, that I didn't actually write the scene until the next day.

I can only hope the Muse doesn't get angry with me. Maybe she should wake up...

Ahead of Schedule!

What glorious news! Such glorious news! I finished writing my short short two weeks ahead of schedule! Thank you Muse!

Yes, there is still editing to be done on "At the Water's Edge" and "Still Needs Title". I expect that won't take too long, but it doesn't take away from how proud I am of myself. Remember how I boasted of 2,000 words a day? It's been 3-4,000 words a day lately. When the Muse is happy, I am happy.

But I fear the Muse is off to take a nap. All she has provided for the next project is "Thomas is told to read through a box of scrolls." Very helpful. I can only hope she thinks of some more details before these edits are done.

Blessings of the Muse

Oh, the Muse is kind when she gets her way. A little too kind...

2015 has begun with writing over 2,000 a words a day so far. Except for today, but we should not despair! I have a good excuse for the slight delay.

The Muse decided I needed to be woken up at 1 AM so she can share her new thoughts on my short story. She provided my sleep addled mind with a soul wrenching ending, and a fix for my slow beginning. Not wanting to lose this gem, I scrambled out of bed to snatch the nearest scrap of paper. My fingers flew to capture each thought. When I finished filling five pages, I collapsed onto my pillow. Sore eyes and sore fingers caused a bit of a delay in falling off to sleep. However, I was ecstatic with my sudden progress.

Until I finally took a look at my notes. Those who know me can instantly verify my handwriting is not the clearest. It's honestly a miracle I can read most of these words. The issue is they are all over the place in every sense. The outline is not chronological at all. Words scribble in every other direction, and not all of them are complete. I can only thank God I remember most of what happened
last night.

So my first task for the day is to reassemble this outline. Hopefully that doesn't take all day since I do want to actually write at some point.

Spoilers!

As an author trying to compose a history of my fantasy universe, I keep finding myself struggling with the fine line between foreshadowing and spoiling the ending. I originally intended to keep my steampunk stories set before Resurrected Thief to help prevent that. Esther's origins are not the most helpful in doing so, but I haven't given away any major secrets yet. But as I keep coming up with new ideas, I'm teased by the idea of writing more outside of Bryan and Esther.

I am working on a submission for an anthology exploring the difficulties between human and inhuman relationships. My Muse shouts "This is perfect for Riley Cooper and Nerina!" Slight pause for a history lesson: Riley and Nerina were the characters of the short story that first birthed this fantasy universe. He's a struggling constable and she's a mermaid living in the Thames. Eventually, that short story turned into Volume Two of the Hunter's series. Despite the demotion to side characters helping Bryan and Esther, I still adore those two. I always planned on writing more with just them...but perhaps after the book was actually finished. The Muse doesn't seem to care about that anymore.

The plot I have in mind will take place several months after Book Two. It has no spoilers other than Cooper and Nerina are together. GASP. But is that too much of a spoiler in itself? A good part of Book Two is them meeting and falling in love. When I look at the outlines and scrambled drafts, it seems obvious from the beginning they are meant to be. They are sweethearts and serve as a great contrast to the mystery and issues growing within our group of Hunters.

I'm simply stumped how to proceed. Any other idea I come up with just doesn't have the same feeling. I scribbled out ideas for Human/Elf and Human/Goblin, but both swiftly fell flat. I thought perhaps I could write out the original story, but with different characters. That vanished when the Muse commented I might appear redundant and unoriginal.

The Muse refuses to cooperate unless I follow her plans. In her own helpful way, she gave me the spark to finish my other short story two weeks in advance...but whispered new ideas into my ear the entire time.

She isn't going to let me write anything else, so I should probably just get to work.