Okay, I know I'm in school, but my friend and I just wrote the most interesting, stupid, random, clashing multi-fanfiction ever.
Here is is:
There is a wind that kills. It kisses your cheeks with the softness of linen, but its touch is deathly cold. An icy hand that decapitates your soul and pulls you under to the never ending hole of killer rabid bunnies who eat cad berry eggs, andgnaw on the knuckles of humans and their spindly blood pink tinted pineapple of joy! Then the mangos come to life and devour the left over finger nails with their sharp seed-like teeth. You cry out in agony, reaching towards a fate that will never rescue you from the gore that blinds you.
There is a chain saw. It is not your friend. No, not your friend, never your friend. Your lover, amigo, playmate, chain saw buddy of death!
Then Edward comes and calls you “love.” With his sparkling hands he carries you out of this pit of despair and into the sunset.
Bella is not happy. Because he got her a dandy lion instead of a rose. Grrrrrrrrr
Jacob and Renesmee are playing in the park together. Then harry potter shows up! Woah, JACOB JUST IMPRINTED ON HARRY POTTER!
“NO . . . I wants Harry Potter. Harry Potter is mine!” says Smeagle.
Smeagle lunges towards harry leaving the ring abandoned on the ground. Taking out riptide Percy Jackson cuts the melon in half and they all freeze. It was silent until baby renesmee whispered the words that would change all of their lives . . . “Cotton candy.”
Dun. . . dun . . . dun . . .
Hidden behind a large oak tree on the edge of the park, Peeta grabs Katniss’s hand, steadying the taught bowstring.
“You know, we don’t have to shoot them.”
“Of course we do! We’re all in the Games now. It’s the rules.”
Taking the berries out of her pocket she chucked them into the clearing. Everybody dived even president Lincoln and they all scrambled to get the obviously poisonous berries into their mouth.
Renesmee got there first. With a gasp, she fell to the ground, her normally speedy heart rate steadying.
All at once, the rabid bunnies and mangos tore from the ground and tore her body apart, dismembering it within seconds.
Okay, call me crazy, but I must be going through some sort of "writers' growth spurt;" or something. I'm feeling an immense sense of self-confliction at the moment. I won't give you all the details. But some events occurred that have taken the paradigm of my world and yanked into what I feel is the optimal position. Just know that there will be some fairly major changes to everything to do with my life and my writing. I will not announce them until my mind has made a concrete decision. (i.e. not very many updates writing wise).
All I can hope is that you'll be gracious enough to wait it out and bear with me as I decide which path to take. I know, it sounds extremely cliche; but I'm being serious.
Well, it seems I've made it to 550 views! Good job, everyone! And thanks. But, we have just over a week to get up to 750. Think we can do it! I do. And, nine followers. All I can say is, nice. Just one more follower and we'll have reached the subgoal! Make sure to tell your friends. Remember, my first attempt at writing a novel, and, or a sneak peek at TIME LOCK.
In other news, I am currently reading The Savage Grace by Bree Despain. Excellent book, and extremely satisfying end to a wonderful trilogy!
If you haven't visited Bree's blogyet, I suggest you do. =D She's hosting quite a large contest at the moment, so make sure you stop by and vote for your favorite! My entry is titled SECOND CHANCE, and on the second page of the fan fiction entries.
I think that sums up this week's update. Have a good week, everyone!
For the last three days (the ninth to the eleventh) Jackson, Matt and I have been a quite awesome conference at UVU called LTUE; or, Life, the Universe and Everything. While there, we ate lots of food, met lots of authors, burned holes in our pockets, learned about writing, and exhausted ourselves in every way possible. In one simple word: fun. The best part was the book signing. Jackson, Matt, and I got awesome birthmarks that looked suspiciously like a very awesome YA novel, Everneath by Brodi Ashton.
We talked to Bree Despain for a good half hour and were also fortunate enough to be gifted with ARC's of The Savage Grace. *happy . . .
On Saturday, I got to meet Natalie Whipple! Yes! Glad she showed up, I've been wanting to meet her for months. Her YA novel, Transparent will be out summer of 2013. She has a very fun blog, complete with an abundance of advice for aspiring authors.
In other news, I am diving headfirst into the Triage of LUX (heaven help me). I have pulled the scenes apart, rearranged, cut, pasted, added and demolished everything, and now I think I'm ready for the real rewrites. Wish me luck!
Bree Despain, author of The Dark Divine trilogy is holding a contest that is open for all writers and artists until the 17th of February. Check it out here.
Kiersten White (the goddess of teenage paranormal fiction --- sorry, Stephanie) is holding a contest on her blogfor those interested in reading the end of the Paranormalcy trilogy six months in advance. Just sayin'. . . .
The Help was an excellent book, and I recently watched the movie --- which, I have to say, was an immensely satisfying adaption. But, I think it's time for a new book of the week. Namely, Everneath, by the lovely Brodi Ashton.
Isn't it a beautiful cover!? *sigh . . .
Anyway, here's a brief synopsis and Brodi's blog:
Last
spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the
Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans.
Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before
being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.
She
has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for
good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption,
if it exists.
Nikki
longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the
one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole,
the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has
followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to
bring her back- this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from
her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a
way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the
Everneath and become Cole's...
"I was pulled under by this bittersweet, beautiful retelling of the Persephone myth. Wonderful!"
As a final note, I am going to hold a contest. If I can reach 750 views and ten followers by the 6th of March, I'll give a sneak peek of TIME LOCK, and or a page of the first book I ever tried to write when I was ten years old. Deal? Alright. So tell your friends, spread the news!
I know I haven't done a song of the week in forever and, like, twenty-one days, and I hope you'll forgive me for that; I've had some technical issues. But I feel I must blog about this song. It's just so . . . so darn addicting. It's a little song called Paradise by a band you probably won't know called Coldplay *wink, wink.*
Okay, guys, you're going to have to forgive me. I had a brain surgury a couple months back, and until my mom told me about my blog last week, I had no clue I had one. Well, no, not really. Truth is, I've been procrastinating. A lot. As you can probably see.
But, that doesn't really matter right not, does it? Because the fact still remains that I haven't blogged for three months. Sorry . . . ?
Anyway, updates! First off, I've officially started revisions on LUX and should be done completely within the next few months; at which I'm going to attempt to get an agent. I know. No one gets their first book published, but do I care? No. Not really. I've decided that there's absolutely no harm in trying, you know? I might as well try; see if I don't get any nibbles. If I don't, then oh well. No big deal. I'll move on ---
which brings me to item number two: my new project. You've probably been wondering what I've been doing for the past two months, yeah? Well, school and four straight seasons of Stargate: Atlantis aside, I've started a new novel. It's (as of yet) titled TIME LOCK. I'm not going to give many details on it at the moment, other than: the idea is a hell of a lot more original than my first book, it's a Science Fiction novel, it's going to be approximately going to bee 120 K words long, and it's fraking amazing (well, to me, anyway). From the day I finished the first draft of LUX I've been plotting --- it's got 13 subplots, BTW --- world building, character building, and just plain thinking. I'm about 14 K words into it, and it's going fabulously. For now, however, it's going to take a back seat as I revisit my first book with a fresh look and try to make it as good, clean, crisp, and heart-wrenching as possible.
In addition, to keep my writing juices flowing --- and I don't want to work on TIME LOCK at the moment because of the magnitude of the project --- I've got a really good idea for a Science Fiction short story that I'm going to try and get published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction .
Also, in almost exactly a week is an even that I've been waiting for almost a year. It's Life the Universe and Everything and Utah Valley University in Orem!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't freaking wait. Can you tell? Can you tell I'm excited? Probably not . . . AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, that's enough. But, yeah, it's a three week writing conference at UVU (though usually at BYU) and some of my favorite authors in the world are going to be there. Will definitely be blogging about it.
What's next, you ask? Why, book of the week (or would it be month? Year? IDK)! The book of the week is The Help by Kathryn Stocket.
And if you don't know what the hell that is I'm going to smack you. On the off chance that you don't, however, here's the synopsis:
Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
I don't normally read realistic/historical fiction, but this is just such a damn good book! If you've seen my twitter lately, you'll see that I'm "addicted to it." Highly recommended! Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a debut novel this good --- well, with the exception of Harry Potter, of course.
Sorry, I haven't blogged in, like, forever and twenty one days, but here I am! I'M ALIVE! (Happy [late, I guess] Halloween!) Unfortunately, this will be a rather short blog post. I will not be posting a book of the week or a song, it is simply being dedicated to the completion of my first novel.
Okay, guys! Light and Lividity Book One: Lux first draft is now complete at 63,855 glorious painstakingly written words! Thank you, Jackson and Matt, for providing encouragement and advice! It is currently with my critique partners, Sadie, Matt, and Jackson. I am "anxiously awaiting their response(s);" and maybe in a couple days to my totally awesome Novels and Publication teacher, Mrs. Pullman. Until then, I will be starting a new project which I am very excited about, however, I will not be revealing any information about it at the moment. I'm shooting for over 100K words. Wish me luck. Oh, beloved yet simultaneously cursed pacing; be warned, I will conquer you yet!!!
I have learned so much from writing this book. Honestly, when I heard other published authors say that there's no better way to learn how to write than to actually write and finish a book, I didn't believe them. Well, guess what? I must now wear the Cone of Shame, for their advice is invaluable. First: Pacing. I have only scratched the surface of that concept, but the more I write the more it makes sense. Sadly, when I first began to discover it, I was over halfway done with Lux and therefore, I feel that my understanding of it will grow more fully with my next project. Second: I can actually do it. I can legitimately finish an entire novel. I cannot begin to describe my happiness about this topic. I have been trying to finish a book since I was ten. Ten. And, finally, four years later, I've done just that. Third: Writing isn't always easy. In fact, half of this book was written when the last thing I wanted to do was write. Sometimes you just have to buckle down and do it. BICHOK (But In Chair, Hands On Keyboard). The only way to be a writer, is to write. It's as simple as that. It's also not this fun enjoyable thing everybody talks about. It's also not always necessarily happy. You know the moments I'm talking about. Obviously these aren't the only things I learned, but these are the really big, big ones. I mean, you take this virtual wealth of knowledge and try to condense it down into three. =)
To tell you the truth, the emotions I felt while writing the end were something like: "Really? These scenes that I've been imagining for an entire year, the ones I seriously never thought I'd reach . . . these are the scenes I'm writing right now? Is this for real?" But it was really fun. I really got to make the characters go through a world of hurt (I know, I know, that sounds creepy), but they've progressed so much mentally that I felt almost like a proud parent! And then there was the: "Will this ever end! Will I ever write the epilogue? Just stop, already, yeesh!"
For those who don't know, I got the idea for this book the middle of November of last year. I was sitting in sacrament meeting (IKR? Horrible me, but it's the truth), when this image of a beautiful teenage girl in a flowing white dress, brown hair, and pale green eyes walking through a sunny garden popped into my mind. She walked to a gazebo and sat down. Suddenly a force overtook her and the sun disappeared. Then she blacked out. I was so caught by this, that I took a piece of paper out of and wrote down the scene. This became the beginning of the first chapter. It eventually got cut completely as I started over from scratch, but I still have that piece of paper, and looking back on it, I can see just how much my writing has improved. Seriously, it's like the difference between night and day.
I actually gave up on this book and started a different one. I hated it so much. But then a sudden wave of inspiration started me writing again, and on July 4th of this year, I write the current first words: The demon-like man standing in front of me was nothing like I'd ever seen before . . . So it's taken me almost a year to go through the entire process, but only four months for the first draft. And, given that I took a four month break from the book, only eight months. Anyone wanna bet that my next book will take even less time? But I guess, all in all, an entire year from idea to first draft.
I'm going to start on my new project while I wait for feedback, then comes the revising and editing, revising, and editing, revising and editing, revising and editing . . . . and on and on and on. . . . Then maybe I'll consider submitting to agents. 99.99999999999999% chance I won't get picked up, but might as well try, right? Besides, on my next book, I'll have had practice on querying and I'll probably do better later on.
Well, that's about all for this week.
Till next time! Or next month, whichever comes first. (Only kidding, Matt.)
Okay, this will probably be a relatively short post, as I am considerably lacking on things to say. Of what I can think to say, however, I will now tell you.
First off, Of Light and Lividity Book One: Lux currently stands at 42,000k words. Slowly but surely creeping toward the end. And I'mREALLY excited 'cause I'm about twenty/thirty pages away from the point at which the cart tips over the top of the roller-coaster, and barrels toward the end. =)
In my novels and publication class, we had the most genius and inspired lesson EVER on revision. Most off the information --- as we listened to it in class --- was retrieved from the Writing Excuses podcast featuring Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal. One of the best podcasts for writing I've ever seen (and, no, it's not just because one of my favorite authors ever co-hosts). You can check out this link to visit the page and listen to the podcast. And/or, you can stick around and read my notes from class --- which, BTW, was a lot more helpful. Though, I'd recommend both.
Six Step Editing System
“The first draft is for what you want to say; the final draft is how you want to say it”
3)3)Quality Edit (Poetic Value). > The similes, the metaphors, depth of characters’ observation, poetic elements.
4)4) Syllabic Edit (literary quality). > Words, syllables (is there a different way I can say this?), sentences sentence fluency, can I combine them? Can I shorten them? Etc.) “Finally,” conjunctions, “then.”
5)5)Shotgun Edit. Any and everything all at once. > Make a to do list of things to fix as you read through . . . again . . .
6)Line Edit. Go over grammar and punctuation. Proofread. > Print it in a new typeface, a bigger font, and then sit down and read aloud.
This week, I went to a book signing at the Provo, Utah Public Library featuring: Becca Fitzpatrick (author of the Hush, Hush series), Elana Johnson (Can't wait to read her book Possession, it should be appearing on the blog soon.), Michelle Hodkin (Her book: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer should also appear in the near future), and Moira Young (author of The Blood Red Road), really, really fun. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
Since right now I'm currently reading The Lost Saint by Bree Despain, and I've already plugged and rated that particular series, I am going to promote one of my favorite books EVER; well, granted I have a lot of "favorite books EVER"s, but you'll let it slide this once, right? So, the New York Times best-seller: Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I've actually met Beth, and she is hilarious and funny, not to mention a ginormous Harry Potter fan . . . just like me. The second book: A Million Suns comes out next January and I CAN'T wait!
This week instead of a song, how about a little inspiration from Beth Revis herself? In case you haven't been paying attention, she wrote Across the Universe. Just a little heads up . . . =) P.S. If you look at Beth's bookshelf, you can see all the Harry Potter books . . . AAHH! Sorry. Just watch the video.
Okay, I probably shouldn't leave in the dark like this much longer, right? Right. (No? Well, then you're just a moron). So, I've been feeling that throughout my entire books, the scenes are really short and choppy, and though it seems to propel one through the story, it propels you at thirty million light years per millisecond. Almost exactly like Witch and Wizard. Except maybe a bit worse. Now, don't get me wrong, I love fast paced books, but they're books like Percy Jackson, and The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan (amazing books, BTW). Somehow during the second Kane Chronicles book, The Throne of Fire took place in five days, you almost never stopped to breath, and yet it worked extremely well and seemed to fill five hundred pages. Something that my novels and publication teacher, Mrs. Pullman, told me when I proposed this problem to her a couple days ago was this (Note: This is not verbatim): "If you're books take place within a short period of time, time needs to move slowly; if you're book takes place during a long period of time, time needs to speed up." Starting to make sense? Well, it didn't at all for me, until yesterday when I realized that the level to which that theory goes is not completely architecturally, but rather sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, page by page et cetera. It's a really difficult concept to put into words, it's simply something you have to discover as you practice the awesome craft of writing.
I was really worried that my book would be so short I'd end up having to call it a novella instead, but this new concept has just revealed a whole new world for me. This past week and a half I've been stuck in one heck of a writing slum. I knew exactly what was supposed to come next, I just couldn't seem to get there --- oh the joyous woes of first drafting --- and I realized it was because of the lack of this concept. Of Light and Lividity Book One: Lux currently stands at 36 K words. (Shut up, matt =D)
Right now I'm reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini, but I you're not really going to make me blog about that are you? That one's almost as obvious of its awesomeness as Harry Potter. OMZ, guys, I just wrote "awesomeness" and it didn't put a red squiggly line under it; that means it's a real word! Sorry. Random outburst of ecstasy. He,he . . .
So instead, I'm going to promo a book that I LOVE! The Red Pyramid Book one of The Kane Chronicles! Rick Riordan also writes awesome --- hmm, maybe I'm overusing that word a little . . . sorry, AMAZING Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson. The Son of Neptune here I come!
Can I just mention again how freaking awesome these are!!!!! If you have any interest in Egyptian mythology, Gods, magic, and or adventure, you NEED to read this book! Five, out of Five stars! (Of course, everyone saw that coming). Due to the fact that I found an awesome video of the sypnosis with Rick Riordan narrating, I'll just give you that instead of some lame link. Hey, an alliteration. Sorry. Here it is.
And since I am not going to give an excerpt of my book, I'll give you a sample of this totally awesome filled one! Take a listen! I solemnly promise you will not be disappointed; I'll even make the unbreakable vow if I have to!
Here's Rick Riordan's website where you can check out awesome facts and other fun stuff about all his books!!! Just follow this link.
Song this week by Adele. Set Fire to the Rain . . .
I have been exceedingly lacking in writing time, and even though it's been two weeks since my last post, I have only written four-thousand words. =) Though, this low number is not only due to time, but to the fact that my book has now surpassed midpoint; I am stuck in the middle of one of the slowest parts of Act II. Yuck. However, as soon as I am over the slow bits, it should go fairly fast to the end. I can't wait! My first book! Of Light and Lividity Book One: Lux, currently stands at 33k words.
“Jonathan,” Samantha said urgently.
I whipped my head around. She stood rigid and alert, and though I couldn’t see her face, her tone was tainted with fear. It didn’t take long to find out why. Raquel’s body was steaming, emitting tendrils of sizzling smoke. Slowly, her skin began to peel away from her body, sagging down to the asphalt in bloody strips. There were few Dark Ones that could posses a human body without killing them, and sadly they were the most powerful.
“No – no, NO, NO!” I jumped up, stepping in front of Samantha. She was shaking violently.
“J-Jonathan, w-what’s going on?”
What was I thinking? Daniel had been attacked by a Dark One; it wouldn’t abandon the scene like that. How had I been so careless?
“She’s the Dark One!” I said.
“Wha –”
“Samantha, stay behind me!”
Raquel’s skin lay in a heap on the dirty ground, and a beautiful, pale figure stood in her place, her black hair rolling like smoke down her back.
“Adriaal,” I breathed. I felt a torrent of fear crash over me. I’d never actually fought a Dark One before, what was I to her? She was so much more powerful, even being around her I felt as if I should just give up while I was still alive. But no, losing your soul was so much worse. I had only to look at Adriaal to know that I had to keep fighting
“Jonathan, dear boy, you look scared. Is something wrong?” Adriaal asked, her voice mocking.
“Adriaal, what did they do to you?” I said, trying my best to avert my eyes from the bloody, misshapen mass that used to be Raquel’s body.
“They made me better. They perfected me.”
This morning I went to Barnes & Noble (Sadly, not to buy more reading books. Believe me, no one is more disapointed by that fact than I) and bought a non-fiction book on writing for the first time. The book is called: The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing: Everything you Need to Know About Creating and Selling Your Work, by the editors of Writer's Digest. Of the little I've read of it, it's been very useful, and I would recommend it to any and all the aspiring authors out there! http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-complete-handbook-of-novel-writing-writers-digest-books-editors/1029663345?ean=9781582979588&itm=8&usri=the%2bwriter27s%2bdigest
In The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, 2nd Edition, you’ll learn from the invaluable advice of established writers. Discover new ways to generate ideas, implement intriguing techniques, and find the inspiration you need to finish your work. This fully-revised edition includes a revamped marketing section that covers the unique challenges of today’s publishing market and the boundless opportunities of online promotion.
Inside you’ll find expert advice from dozens of bestselling authors and publishing professionals on how to:
· Master the elements of fiction, from plot and characters to dialogue and point of view
· Develop a unique voice and sensibility in your writing
· Manage the practical aspects of writing, from overcoming writer’s block to revising your work
· Determine what elements your story needs to succeed in a particular genre—science fiction, fantasy, mystery, suspense, inspirational, romance (mainstream and Christian), or historical fiction
· Find an agent, market your work, and get published—or self-publish—successfully
You’ll also find interviews with some of the world’s finest writers, including Margaret Atwood, Tom Clancy, Brock Clarke, Cory Doctorow, Dave Eggers, Elizabeth George, Jerry Jenkins, Stephen King, Megan McCafferty, Audrey Niffenegger, Joyce Carol Oates, Chuck Palahniuk, James Patterson, Richard Russo, Anne Tyler, John Updike, and Kurt Vonnegut. Their words will provide you with the guidance and encouragement of your very own writing mentor. The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is your one-stop resource for everything you need to know about the craft and business of creating a bestseller.
Book of the week! Okay, I'm still on Eye of the World, BUT that is only because I left it at someones house, and it was a week before I got it back. However, in the meantime I read a book called Witch and Wizard by James Patterson, and honestly the only reason I'm bothering to tell you about it, is to inform you of what a waste of time reading it is. The characterization was horrible, and there really is no plot line. Talk about a bad read. For example, in The Eye of the World (spoiler alert), when they're being Rand and his father are being chased by Trollocs, I'm so scared that my heart is pumping a rhythmic tattoo against my chest and I'm scared for the characters' lives; however, in Witch and Wizard they got sentenced to death and I'm, like, "don't care." But besides that, really no arch to the story line, and even though they did some cool stuff, it's never going to compensate. That is when I decided to make my characters as round, three-dimensional, deep, realistic, non-stereotypical, and above all loveable as humanly possible. Yeah, Witch and Wizard was on the New York Times best-seller list, but even if my book was a best-seller, I wouldn't care if it was as bad as that book was. So one out of five stars.
This song was the inspiration for a book that I will someday write.
Have I ever mentioned how freaking awesome Lord of the Rings is?
That's all for this week.
~Jared
P.S. My good friend Matt Hayes (one of the followers of this blog) recently completed writing his latest book: The Vault and is now in the process of revisions. Congratulations!
Okay, I've never liked epic fantasy. Don't ask me why, it just didn't appeal to me. But for some reason, known only to the universe, this year I've really gotten into it. I can now say that it will be forever and always my favorite genre -- I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd enjoy it this much. Well, I guess it makes sense; I mean I read Harry Potter, like, five times, Eragon was the first book series I was a ever a fan of, and I don't read any contemporary books (with maybe the exception of Nicholas Sparks), so it all fits. I just never had the nerve to try any of the real, thick, masterfully constructed masterpieces that grace the fantasy genre.
Anyway, enough with my rambling. Writing. The real reason I got a blog in the first place. Only nine thousand words this week; which I guess isn't that bad. I'd liked to have written more, however, but school, sleep, and those darn good epic fantasy books keep interfering. It's down to a minimum of one thousand words a night, and as I might have mentioned, I write kinda slow. Also, I changed the all-too cheesy title to something of the lesser degree of cheesiness. Of Light and Lividity Book One: Lux Huh, I feel as if I should give an excerpt, but what . . . Ah ha!
Cautiously, I walked out of the car and up to meet Jonathan. As soon as I was out of the car, I was hit with a crashing wave of claustrophobia. It was so minute a space.
“Samantha,” Jonathan said, looking me square in the face. “I’m going to try something, but I’m going to need you to trust me first.”
I shuffled my feet. Could I trust him? He’d hidden so many things from me, but, then again, had he told me the truth when we’d first met, I probably would have deemed him crazy; over-the-top insane, even! He’d been honest enough with me, though the past couple days. Yes.
I took a deep breath, the air smelling like soot and decomposing fruit.
Jonathan held his hand out imploringly to me. “Samantha, trust me?”
I nodded, and then took his hand. They burst into flame. No, no! This isn’t what I signed up for! I struggled, trying to pry my fingers away from Jonathan’s strong grip.
“Samantha, calm down.” He said, looking amazed at the infernos connection between us.
Well, I certainly was not amazed. My freaking hand was on fire! I repeat: on fire!
“It’s okay. It’s working. Stop worrying about your hand. It’s fine. Look at it.”
I did. It wasn’t burning. The fire didn’t even seem to be affecting it.
“Wha –” I muttered. “What’s going on?” I was beginning to get over my initial panic, and curiosity replaced my horror. I flexed my fingers, wiggling them around as best I could in Jonathan’s grip. The flames licking at my hands felt warm, comfortable even. And they smelled like honeysuckle and citrus.
“Samantha, take a deep breath. I’m going to try something else.”
I took a deep breath but didn’t concede just yet. I looked at Jonathan’s car. I could turn around right now, go back to Dad and pretend like nothing ever happened. Or I could stay here with Jonathan, and find out why I could do these things when no one else could. Dare I?
I nodded. Jonathan smiled, but I couldn’t push away the fact that he looked somewhat uncertain.
“Jonathan, what are you going to do?”
He looked a little uncomfortable as he answered. “I’m going to try and Transport.”
“What’s –”
But before I could finish asking my question, Jonathan’s body became a roaring furnace of energy. So that’s why he brought me here. He wasn’t a sicko, it just seemed that he wanted answers . . . just like me.
I looked apprehensively at what he’d called his “immortal essence”. And suddenly felt fear crash down in my stomach. I didn’t want to go with him. This new world – him; it was just all too scary. I remembered the Dark One at the Fuscus Regnum. She was real. She could hurt me.
I turned, ready to leave, but a voice in my head stopped me.
Samantha, you must do this. It is your calling. It is what you are. Look inside yourself, Samantha. Find your soul.
I stopped in my tracks, my mouth hanging open slightly. It was that man, that man in my dreams. “Find your soul”? What did that mean?
Concentrate on Jonathan. The rest will simply come. Look. Find yourself through him.
I looked wanly into Jonathan’s eyes. The inferno seemed so familiar, like something from a lost memory. Look inside yourself, Samantha . . .
I focused on the flame on my hand, the heat of it. I closed my eyes. At first I saw nothing, but as zoned in on the sensations – the familiarity, the light scent of honeysuckle, and . . . a face, the most beautiful face I’d ever seen. Her image seemed to float in front of me, though my eyes were shut, her placid smile and jet black hair gleaming in the ambient mist that surrounded her. I knew her. I’d never seen her before in my life, yet I knew her.
She nodded, her hazel eyes twinkling.
Then I saw it. Never once in my seventeen years had I noticed it, but there it was, near my heart. A flowing force of energy supplying my life. It was warm, just like the flames, and it seemed to go on forever.
You’re doing great, Samantha, now grab hold of it and don’t let go.
I reached out and let it fill me. At once a rushing sense of emotion and images came rushing toward my mind. A snow white house in the middle of a wheat field, eyes like that of a Dark One, and a scream; a cry for the loss of someone . . .
“No way!” Jonathan’s voice snapped me back to reality and I opened my eyes. He wasn’t burning anymore. Instead, he stared at me, a look of shock plastered on his face.
I looked at my hand. It was still blazing, as was the rest of me. I was a swirling mass of white-hot flame.
“But –” I stopped. Though I moved my mouth, the voice didn’t sound at all like mine. It was too melodious, too pure, like several perfect notes struck on a tuning fork. It rang through the alley, reverberating off the weathered walls. “But, how . . . ? I’m just a junior trying to get into Yale! This . . . can’t be happening!” It isn’t possible! Yet there was no denying the absolute truth.
I backed away in, letting go of my soul – or was it my immortal essence? I didn’t care. I couldn’t be a lux. Jonathan was a lux; not me.
“What’s the matter?” Jonathan asked. “This is great!”
“Great? Great!? You call your entire life being ruined great?”
He shrugged. “If it means finding out I was a lux, then yeah.”
“Well, maybe I don’t want to be! Besides, how do you even know I am? That was nothing! That was just . . .” Just what? I didn’t know. “Take me home please. I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m not an angel – lux, whatever.”
“Why are you so angry? Don’t you want to find out more? Like why you had no idea you were a lux? Why don’t the Ancients know about you . . . ?” He trailed off, seeming to talk more to himself than to me.
The truth was, now that he brought it up I sort of did. But, no. I was going home.
“Jonathan, take me home.”
A flicker of a figure in my peripheral vision caught my eye. Jonathan seemed to sense it too, he suddenly became rigid and alert; a scared look on his face. Someone was watching us.
“Oh, crap.” I whispered.
“Samantha,” he said in a low voice, not taking his eyes off the corner. “Get in the car.”
I didn’t hesitate.
The second Jonathan had started the car we were off, speeding down the street at a million miles an hour.
“Jonathan, slow down!”
He didn’t. His face was that of stony concentration, his lips pursed, his eyes focused yet seemingly terrified.
Someone stepped in front of the car and Jonathan slammed on the brakes, skidding to an abrupt halt. Lucky for us we were in one of the smaller parts of the city and there weren’t many cars around.
I soon realized that the person standing in front of us was Raquel; she was in my English class. I’d really only known her name from roll call, and occasionally we’d swap an amiable smile in the halls but our relationship didn’t go much farther than that.
Jonathan sighed in relief. Who did he think it was that was following us? An image of a decrepit woman and a handsome man with multicolored eyes popped into my head, but I suppressed them.
Jonathan jumped out of the car and ran to her, and only upon proper observation could I see why: Raquel’s cheeks were pale, tears running down them continually; her blond hair was a mess, and she could barely breath for the sobbing.
“Raquel?” I asked getting out, too, running to her. “Raquel, what’s wrong?”
She didn’t speak, she only pointed to her right. I looked, but my view was obstructed slightly; Jonathan was crouched down over something.
“Jonathan, what’s . . . ?”
He moved to the side – however reluctantly – and gave me a full outlook of the scene.
What I saw made my stomach turn over.
Book of the week this week is . . .(Drum roll please): The Wheel of Time Book One: The Eye of the World by the late Robert Jordan. As I might have mentioned earlier in the post, epic fantasy rocks!
In case, by sheer unhealthy and unlucky happenstance you haven't heard of The Wheel of Time . . . Well, all I can say is READ IT! READ IT, NOW! Drop everything and go, no joke.
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
It is SO freaking amazing! I really don't know what else to say about it. It's just so good. I know I give everything five stars, and maybe I shouldn't because that doesn't help anybody, but The Wheel of Time fully deserves it. It's probably one of the biggest epic fantasy series, and mostly widely known, since Lord of the Rings. In fact . . .
"Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal."
-- The New York Times
Since the series is so widely known, I'm not going to go into much more detail than that.
Go music!
These three songs are fully responsible for the ultimate climax of my book. I love you Hans Zimmer, you always provide such awesome writing music.
However, no matter how many awesome movies I see, for me, at least, Batman will always have the best music. ~Jared
However, the writing part of the writing is not going very well. I realized a few days ago that the novel was going in completely the wrong direction. Like, as in opposite direction. I know you're really not supposed to edit when you're trying to truck through your first draft, but it just could not go on like this; especially since I knew that it was all wrong. So (Okay, I know you're going to cringe 'cause I am) I sort of deleted six thousand words. *hides in corner out of shame.* And for the past week or so, I've been trying to decide what to replace it with. And a couple of days ago it came to me. Note: I do not recommend doing this! I just couldn't finish the book knowing that seventy-five percent of it was wrong.
But, on a slightly happier note, I will most likely be writing a bit more now that I have an entire computer to myself! I'm so ecstatic, can you tell?! =)
Here's a little piece from the novel. Hope you like it! However, please keep in mind that this is a first draft, people.
Chapter Five
Ulysses #
The gates to the Fuscus Regnum rose in front of me, tall, majestic and spider-like. They were draped in opaque, black smoke that wound themselves around the virtual iron like hungry vines.
I ran a hand through my thick, black hair, sighing. I had been waiting there for hours. The girl I was watching was an absolute mess, but she wasn’t to the stage of susceptibility just yet. I was a patient woman, and therefore the task was slightly easier than it would have been for any other of my kind, but still, the task needed to be completed quickly, and I was starting to get apprehensive.
I watched the woman through the gates carefully. Being a Dark One, I could see strait through them, though she couldn’t, and would have no idea that I was waiting on the other side.
Suddenly, the woman stirred and fell to her knees. Her shoulders moved up and down with her hysteria and she clawed at the earth with her bare hands, as if she could dig her lover from his grave. I could never understand it; why people loved. It was a pointless waste of precious time.
The girl was ready.
I morphed into a more suitable form – an old woman with kind eyes and a tattered shawl – and stepped through the gates. I set my hands on her shoulders, and flinched slightly. It was against my nature to show any sign of affection, a façade or not, and I would have liked to tear her apart limb by limb, but that could wait for later. The girl looked up, her tear stained eyes red against her glowing complexion. It took all my will-power not to retch at the sight of her flawless, vivacious face.
“What is your name, child?” I asked, hoping I sounded friendly.
The girl paused for a minute, and then sniffled. “Adriaal,”
“You have lost the one you love most dear.” I tried to lace my words with sympathy, but I didn’t know how to do that, and it might have come out wrong. She didn’t seem to notice, though.
“Yes . . . how did you know?” she wiped a tear from her eye.
“Oh, I know lots of things about you, my dear. How you would like to avenge your beloved Victor by killing the Dark One responsible for the deed. How you blame the Ancients for the happening, and how you would do anything – even if it meant taking your own life – to get him back.”
Adriaal looked aghast. She stepped back from me in fear.
“No need to be afraid, darling.” I assured her. It was working; I could feel it, all the emotion writhing up inside her until she would come to the point when it would be out of control. I smiled.
I quickly slammed my palm hard against her helmeted forehead, then, trying my best to ignore the searing pain flaring up on my skin from the Ethereal Gold, ripped out her soul and all human emotion with it. Adriaal screamed as the fire that I remembered so vividly spread through her, burning out any human or angelic nature that hadn’t been clinging to her soul.
I morphed back into my regular from and grabbed her wrist. Then, with Adriaal screaming and changing at record rate, I dragged her into the Fuscus Regnum. I threw her onto the ground and stood there, waiting for the internal fire to run out of fuel.
It took hours, what with all that emotion boiling inside her, but when it did stop, Adriaal coughed out a miniscule wisp of luminous smoke and stood up. Her eyes now swam with a million colors. Her pupils were slits, and her hair black as night. Of course she would still remember everything from her previous life; she just would give a damn.
There was a sizzling sound coming from her skin: the Ethereal Gold. How had I been so careless? I threw the expressionless girl a gray robe and she quickly changed.
“Now,” I said. “I have a job for you.” I opened a small hole in the fabric of the Regnums to gaze through. Inside was a boy of about seventeen, with platinum blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. “I need you to kill the boy.”
“But why me? What happened to the one you already sent out?”
I felt a flare of hate rear up inside me. “He was disobedient, and his recklessness and lust could have cost us the entire operation. If you come across him, make sure he doesn’t come back alive. Leave him to the dogs.”
She nodded.
The image of the young man flickered, like there was a bad signal and the picture of a girl appeared in his place. She had brown hair and pale, green eyes.
“No,” I gasped. “It can’t be.” She couldn’t be alive. . . .
The image flickered again then turned back to the boy. Adriaal looked confused.
“It is nothing,” I assured her. “Stick with the plan and assassinate the boy. I will await your return. Now go, I have nothing more to say to you.”
I waved her away and she obeyed. I sealed up the fabric and stared at the spot where it had just vanished. No, it was a mistake and nothing more. I told myself. But I never made mistakes. I pushed it out of my mind and dwelt on it no more. But for the first time in millennium, I had felt uncertain.
Okay, book of the week. This week's book is one that is filled with awesomeness! Any guesses? No? All right.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I love this book! I'm currently on the second book (anyone seeing continuity?) in the trilogy: The Well of Ascension. The third book is: The Hero of Ages.
Follow this link if you want to see sample chapters et cetera. Go here to see a synopsis and reviews. I give this book twenty-five stars! I know, that's not technically legal, but guess who doesn't car? It's just that good!
For those who don't know Brandon Sanderson, he's an acclaimed Fantasy writer who lives in Provo, Utah (Ah, so close . . .). He is the author who was chosen to finish the Epic Fantasy series The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Which, by the way, I'm going to be reading soon and will probably appear on the blog in the next few months. His other books include Warbreaker, Elantris, and The Way of Kings. The Way of Kings is Brandon's large epic fantasy series, much like Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time et cetera. All of which I'll be reading. But be forewarned, and Matt can attest to this, The Way of Kings is astronomical. No joke. In softcover it reaches to nearly thirteen hundred pages. Ah! Can't wait!!!
You can also check out the podcast that Brandon Sanderson and a couple other authors do called Writing Excuses by going to the iTunes feed or visiting their website here.
And . . . inspirational song! Well, when it comes to intense writing scenes, anyway.
And this one just because I can't stop listening to it!
