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Author Topic: caz's writing log  (Read 20471 times)

Willfor

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #30 on: January 06, 2014, 10:15:30 pm »

I only asked because oftentimes people going for English degrees will be trying to go into writing or editing work. It's less that they would be qualified by education and more by being qualified by reading a lot. Writing is a bit like a meritocracy in that it doesn't really matter how much education you have at all so long as you can write -- which it looks like by your posts that you have the mechanical knowledge of how to write English well enough to write. A lot of the rest is just instinct and experience.

A lot of characterization and plot critique qualification just comes from reading books on a regular basis. If you know someone who does that, that's often a good way to go as well. A local book reviewer or a local bookwork. If there's a library around, you might strike up a friendship or something in the fantasy fiction section. Or something.
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Caz

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #31 on: January 06, 2014, 10:28:02 pm »

I only asked because oftentimes people going for English degrees will be trying to go into writing or editing work. It's less that they would be qualified by education and more by being qualified by reading a lot. Writing is a bit like a meritocracy in that it doesn't really matter how much education you have at all so long as you can write -- which it looks like by your posts that you have the mechanical knowledge of how to write English well enough to write.
Aw, thanks.

A lot of characterization and plot critique qualification just comes from reading books on a regular basis. If you know someone who does that, that's often a good way to go as well. A local book reviewer or a local bookwork. If there's a library around, you might strike up a friendship or something in the fantasy fiction section. Or something.

I think you're right there. Reading a lot definitely enables you to write better - especially avoiding some of the more obvious clichés. TVtropes is a nice resource for that also, if you can stand being lost under it's gravitational pull every time you visit. Reviewing other people's (<-- example of bad grammar. does the apostrophe go there? no it doesn't. but it looks... wrong without it -_- a bad habit) works is a good way to learn how to spot mistakes and fix them in your own writing. I used to beta-read fiction for the same reason... Should get back into that. I like the idea of finding some novel-reading, english-skilled ninja-esque people that'd be willing to look over my stuff, but they're not so easy to find, you know? I'm lucky enough to have a few friends who will read it over from time to time even if they don't tear it to pieces. Be assured that if I find any people of this mythical breed, I'll latch right onto them. :P
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Caz

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #32 on: December 05, 2014, 12:10:47 pm »

Mandatory yearly update:

Spent November writing the draft for Maelstrom. It's around 230 pages, letting it rest for now. It was the second book, but now I'm thinking it'll be the third since the first book became too long and I split it since both parts became a complete story by themselves.

I'm currently writing the outline for the next book in the series, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface so far of the story I'm telling.

I'm gonna say the ride will be pretty damn interesting... I seem to be slowly bridging the gap between how I want the story to be told vs how I'm actually writing the story. You do get this perfect idea of how things are going to be told, but without the skill to write well it usually just ends up as a melodramatic purple mess. Still, the worst story ever drafted is still better than a perfect idea never written.

So yeah, still going along with this. Need to do more world building now too since the tale is getting more complicated... Ack.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2020, 03:29:52 pm by Caz »
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Caz

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #33 on: March 23, 2015, 11:57:11 am »

Updoop 23/03

Continued with a lot of worldbuilding lately. I had a vague idea of how everything for the main world conflict/plot would come together, but this morning I woke up with that 'lightning bolt' of everything coming together at once. Basically the events that go on in the backdrop of the series are all sorted out now, which allows me to focus on what's actually happening to the characters and how they react to everything.

Also continued on with the outline of Book 4, which is really the start of the middle of the story. The plot makes more sense now, but there's so many characters and such an excess of things happening that I think it will stretch far longer than I intended it to. It really marks the start of the idea of the mirrored society/brotherhood rather than focusing solely on its mad arbiter. Might not even make that person a POV character due to them beginning their "start of darkness". I want them to be out of the picture for awhile so that when they turn up later they're almost unrecognisable. For dramatic purposes. <_<

I'm really struggling to see anything to improve from Book 1 any more. It's essentially done, and I'm kinda pleased with it. The next two are still in the hideous draft stages though. I think it'll be easier to fix them up this time around now that I've had more experience with editing.

Kinda concerned that the story seems to have gone through a genre-shift, though. It was originally intended to be standard "Sword and Sorcery"-style Fantasy. Now it's kinda skirting the line between Dark-Fantasy and Horror-Fantasy due to the excess of eldritch horrors. C'est la vie.

Can't believe I've been working on this madness for 5 years. o-o
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Pencil_Art

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #34 on: May 04, 2015, 08:37:51 am »

PTW. Only 3 Pages and it's been five years? :P
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Caz

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #35 on: July 03, 2015, 06:21:18 am »

I meticulously wrote out a plan that would fix all of the problems that exist in the last 60 pages (the 'final challenge' of completing this book), balance out characterisation, all of the good shit. Basically a blueprint that I could follow easily to iron out all of the rough patches that're left in this thing, problems that've been whirling around my head for months until I finally found a solution.


I then left this plan outside on the balcony, where it abruptly got melted by the rain.


Srsly life. o_o


PTW. Only 3 Pages and it's been five years? :P

I don't think anyone pays attention to this thread lol. Mostly I like having somewhere to ramble. >_>




Edit: On other writing stuff, I got the idea for a story involving some of the side-characters of the first book that became more prominent (then less prominent, then more prominent again... lots of plot restructuring ¬_¬) to show their backstory and their involvement in the whole 'super secret society trying to destroy the world'-type thing. Might do that in November instead of what I was going to do because the plot for that still causes hurtyness on my brain.

Went through a couple-week stretch some months back where I re-edited about 250 pages. Apparently no sleep and coffee will do that to you. Unfortunately I then celebrated this rush of productivity by falling into a 5-month drunken spree where everything that could go tits-up did. But everything about that has been sufficiently wrecked now that I can retreat and immerse myself in writing again. :P
« Last Edit: July 03, 2015, 06:31:46 am by Caz »
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #36 on: July 04, 2015, 06:06:17 pm »

I'd read something in this world. It sounds nice.
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Caz

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Re: Riftstorm - Sanguine
« Reply #37 on: July 17, 2015, 07:09:21 am »

woopdate 17/07/15

Finishing off this book is weird. Every so often I have to stop to write a scene from way, waaay later (like book 7 or something) then go back to continuing drafts. At least I've only got like 15-16 scenes left to write (though includes a big battle that originally wasn't planned in detail, derp.)

 At least I'm starting not to hate Part 3 now, which is a good sign. Fixing up that section has been my hardest task as a writer to date, to the point that I almost gave up on it and wanted to rip the whole thing out.

It's sooo close to being done @_@ After this, getting to work on Fratricide will be so exciting.
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Caz

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Re: Longshadow of Jera - Sanguine [fantasy writing, etc]
« Reply #38 on: August 19, 2015, 01:11:15 pm »

outdated post snip
« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 01:24:02 pm by Caz »
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Caz

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Re: Longshadow of Jera - Sanguine [fantasy writing, etc]
« Reply #39 on: January 30, 2016, 08:05:42 pm »

One scene left for it then let the beta editors have their thing. 2nd book really needs the work. Though keep wanting to write shit for the 4th. Can I do both?

I know no one here is really interested in this shit, but it's become a nice journal of sorts. :P
« Last Edit: September 21, 2020, 03:30:44 pm by Caz »
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Caz

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Re: Longshadow of Jera - Sanguine [fantasy writing, etc]
« Reply #40 on: May 19, 2016, 11:11:40 am »

Rewriting the 2nd book now. I think I have to just use the draft as a reference and redo the whole thing, 'cause 5 years ago the whole thing was past its sell-by date and it just makes me cringe now.

At least this one only has 30 named characters or so. Should be a pretty simple job.
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Caz

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Re: Longshadow of Jera - Sanguine [fantasy writing, etc]
« Reply #41 on: May 15, 2019, 04:12:38 pm »

Should be a pretty simple job.

Narrator: "It wasn't."

So I sorta fell off the edge of the earth for two years, wrote a couple unrelated novels, and now getting the first book edited by mysterious figures. Apparently pursuing publishing is as effective as pissing towards oncoming wind.

Feel free to shoot me if nothing appears by August.


« Last Edit: September 21, 2020, 03:31:07 pm by Caz »
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Caz

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Re: caz's writing log
« Reply #42 on: August 16, 2023, 11:37:36 am »

I thought I wrote more in this thread idk what happened to it over time, years keep disappearing.

I need to get book 3 edited (which is part 3 of book 1, everything keeps shifting around I swear) soon before I go back to uni and all my motivation crumples. But the drafts are like a decade old :_: and mostly I have no idea what I was doing? So... I guess the first part is to actually write a new plan of what's going to happen and then shoehorn the drafts around it. It's actually the story I'm most familiar with (and the book that was GOING to be the first one before I overworldbuilt and needed to do a lot of intro fixery) >_>

This is basically my self-motivation via public shaming post atm.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2023, 11:42:51 am by Caz »
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Laterigrade

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Re: caz's writing log
« Reply #43 on: August 16, 2023, 11:08:29 pm »

I believe in you, Caz!
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Caz

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Re: caz's writing log
« Reply #44 on: August 20, 2023, 11:47:54 am »

I believe in you, Caz!

Hey, thanks. :)

I found notebooks with scene plans and some drafts for book 3, dated around 2019. I thought I'd lost them in the chaos so this is a good development! (Moving like 6 times in 2 years tends to discombobulate, especially when your writer's brain insists on REAL, LIVE PAPER. Actually, I lose my hard drives more often than my notebooks, so....)
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