NaNoWriMo

This year was my first time doing NaNoWriMo, and I managed to complete it at 50045 words on the 29th, although I got to 51394 by the end of the 30th. (link to stats) Here's some of the things I learned.

1. Plotting is important to be able to write fast.
I didn't plot out much of my NaNoNovel, but I had a basic idea of what I wanted the next couple of scenes to be about. They might change, but I had a short-term plan for the next few thousand words, and a (somewhat vague) long-term plan, of where I wanted to end the book up at. This meant that I could write much faster.

2. Writing is important.
If you're going to write, you need to do it. You can't just procrastinate and not write, especially if you have a deadline. You have to write. But...

3. Writing isn't important.
Well, it is, like I said above, but it's not the most important thing, by a long way. There are times when other things come before writing, and it's important for writing to not be the most important thing. And this means that sometimes, you may not be able to find the time to finish the project by when you want to. It's a matter of making priorities.

And ... I can't think of any other concrete things which I learned at the moment, yet ... or asphalt either (yes, I know, bad pun...) so I'll sign off and prepare for my next post in three months.

-Jag Swiftstorm

Liebster Award (Tag) x2

I have been nominated for this award twice, once by Scarlet Raptor/Raptor Elytra/etc. at Raptor Hiddenblade's even messier scribblings and once by Hyperlinkzer at The Edge.
First, Raptor:

1. What is your current project?
A currently unnamed epic fantasy.

2. What is your main character’s name?
I have two. One is named Koseph Oldspear. The other is named Empress Tal-Alyssa Neruval Jenikos Viritril Malacan Starblade.

3. What is your main character’s fears?
Alyssa fears that the kingdom may fall.

4. How far are you in your latest project/book?
53228 words.

5. Are you doing NaNoWriMo?
I was.

6. If so, what are you aiming for?
50K.

7. List your five favorite books.

5. The White Lion Chronicles
4. Berinfell Prophecies
3. Binding of the Blade
2. Dragons in our Midst (including Oracles of Fire and Children of the Bard)
1. Lord of the Rings (including the Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and the movie adaptions)

And yes, I know those are series rather than books, but I didn't have a book list already written.

8. What is your characters strengths?
Alyssa is good at leading people. Koseph is (supposed to be) wise.

9. What does your Character like doing?
I'm not sure, they don't have much time to do what they like doing.

10. In your latest project, has anyone died yet?
YES.

And second, Hyper:

1. If you could visit any of the Seven Wonders of the World (ancient or modern), which would you choose, and why?
Probably the canal of Khel-Mithare (one of the Seven Wonders of Arathea :P)

2. Would you rather swim in a pool full of lobsters or one with a single piranha? Explain your decision.
The piranha. I flipped a coin.

3. A plate with a food that you have never tried before is sitting in front of you. It looks absolutely delicious. You are about to dig in, but suddenly a genie appears holding a plate of your very favorite food. He says you may choose one, but if your choice is your favorite food, you will never again have the chance to try the new food. What do you do?
Try the new food.

4. The baddest bad guy you can think of is coming to your house. Your reaction?
*gulp*

5. Would you rather clouds be made of cotton candy or marshmallows?
Marshmallows. Mawshmawwows are what bwings us together today.

6. If you had an Iron Man suit, what would you do with it?
Wear it.

7. An oven crashes through your roof and smashes a bowl of snacks that you were just about to eat. What do you do?
Cook more snacks on the oven.

8. Would you rather be able to jump really high or be really strong?
Jump really high.

9. What do you think about Cheez-its?
What about them?

10. You are skydiving. Suddenly a Pegasus flies past you. You're about to switch on your rocket boots and chase it, but then a flying pig flies past you, going the other direction. You can only catch one. Which do you go after?
The pegasus.

Sacrifice

This is the first in a (hopefully) series of posts co-written by me and fellow teenage author, R. A. H. Thacker, who can be found at Sunset Rising. This post can also be found at his blog.

No, we’re not talking about human sacrifice. Or maybe we are. But we’re actually talking about self-sacrifice–and not some suicidal tribal custom, either. More specifically, how to use it in fiction.

Why does sacrifice stir our hearts? Why does it affect us like nothing else? Because it is a reflection–a representation–of the greatest sacrifice, of Jesus Christ dying for his creation on a cruel cross on Calvary.

When should a sacrifice be used?

It depends on the specific case. If the story is about sacrifice–and the main character learns that he has to give himself up for others–then the climax will be a likely place for it to fit.

However, a story may not be about sacrifice, but sacrifice may still be part of it. In this case, it should be able to fit anywhere in the story–but it depends on the context.

A character could come to realize that he should be willing to sacrifice himself–not simply sacrificing others. As an example from one of my own novels, I (Robert) had a character come to a crossroads. He was a contestant in something like a bloodsport game. He was faced with a decision that had no turning back from–no second choice if he messed up. He could sacrifice himself for his friends–those he had come to know during the bloodsport–and in the process die himself. Or he could decide to let them be killed and go on himself. Out of love, he gave himself up. Both good and grief came from it, but ultimately it turned out to be the best decision for them all. If things had not turned out for good in his sacrifice, it would still have had no less meaning–life was the greatest thing he had. He had fought for it since he could walk. But then he had given up what he had coveted most for what he had found to be truly what was meaningful to him, his brethren around him.

Sacrifice doesn’t always have to result in death, although often it will. Self-sacrifice can be illustrated through characters just by patient service–being willing to die for something, or willing to live for it.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
-Romans 12:1 (NIV)

However, this doesn’t discount sacrifice to the point of death. Even to the extent of death, giving yourself up for God and devoting yourself to him is the greatest service possible.

Sacrifice is an expression of love–a great expression.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
-John 15:13 (NIV)

So should all of your characters be regularly sacrificing themselves? It depends on the character. Some characters will have sacrificial love flowing out of them even in the smallest of manners. But some won’t.

However, having an overabundance of sacrifices can make it lose its value somewhat. Especially in a contemporary story, you probably can’t just kill too many characters off. But living sacrifices–your characters being willing to die for something, even if they don’t die–can be common. We don’t inspire others to sacrifice by writing about characters who don’t do it themselves.

In the case of a death sacrifice, if the character who had sacrificed himself comes back, there must be a good reason, else it will mean nothing. The sacrifice needs to have consequences–needs to affect something–otherwise it seems like a worthless sacrifice, just a plot element that the author needed to have happen but didn’t want to actually kill the character.

In some books–allegories especially–there will be a Christ figure. Someone who sacrifices themselves for the world. For example, Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia is a clear Christ figure–he is the son of the Emperor-over-the-sea, and came to Narnia to sacrifice himself, so that redemption might come to those who needed it.

This is one of the highest privileges in this world–to be able to tell others of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to make sure that we represent it clearly, so that people aren’t misled by our stories–fiction though they may be.

If you’re writing an allegory of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, make sure you check back to the Bible about what the core messages of Christ’s death are. It was out of love that Jesus gave himself up–not for his own sins. And he died that he might save all people.

In the case of a contemporary story, great sacrifices can still be made–even if not to death.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
-Mark 10:21 (KJV)

Wealth was the man’s greatest possession. He had lived a good life, obeyed all the commandments, but could not give but one final thing–his wealth. The greatest sacrifices lie in what matters most to someone. Your characters can sacrifice without having to die–and their sacrifice doesn’t have to be any less important for it.

We hope this helps for writing sacrifices in your own stories. Obviously, we can’t cover everything in one post. If you have any questions, feel free to post them, and we’ll do our best to answer.

~R. A. H. Thacker and Jag Swiftstorm

Skilled Characters

Should characters be perfect? Skilled in everything, flawless, all-knowing, and all-powerful?

Of course not. Or at least–not most of the time. 'Perfect' (or seemingly perfect) can have their places sometimes.

But should characters be the opposite? Having no virtues, no skills, no learning, and no motivation?

I would give the same answer as to the above question. No–or at least rarely.

I'm not arguing for either extreme here. I'm not saying your characters shouldn't be flawed at all.

But I admire characters that have motivation. That have a particular skill. That have taken the time to learn to do something–and do it well.

I've recently read two books of the Staff and Sword series–A Cast of Stones and A Hero's Lot. The main character, Errol Stone, isn't perfect. Far from it. But he has a skill–or possibly more than one. You'll have to read the book to find out. ;)

Characters don't have to have a skill at the start of a book. Errol doesn't–or at least not one that he knows about. But he grows. He dedicates the time to becoming the best in what he does.

Do we want people to spend the time developing skills in real life? Then 'allow' your characters to. What you want to see happening in the world around you, model in the lives and worlds of your characters.

As a novelist, I'm not in the business of showing the world as it is. I'm in the business of changing the world into what it could be. -- Jake of the Sadaar (source)

Give your characters a skill. Your readers will thank you for it.

-Jag Swiftstorm

Villain Tag

I hath been tagged by Lady Ryebrynn Lyla Shveer Crossblade from Ryebrynn's Random Ramblings.

(1.) Who is your favorite (or main) villain of the book/series you are writing, and how would you describe his/her character?
Thrackray, from The Rise of the Shadow. That's not my current project, but I don't know who the main villain from that is (yet). Thrackray is cold and distant–and vengeful. He wants revenge and power.

(2.) What special powers (if any) does this villain have?
Thrackray is a shape-shifter–a Klonratorn. He also has the ability to use Terean powers (like Ta'eyrie and Trantorian).

(3.) What was your inspiration for the character?
I don't think he's inspired by anything–if I had to choose somebody, it would probably be Devin from Dragons in our Midst.

(4.) Of all the villains in your book/series, what distinguishes this villain from the others?
Thrackray hasn't always been a villain–once he was a good guy. And he may yet rise...

(5.) Even though this character is on the side of evil, what trait does this villain posses that you admire?
Thrackray is skilled at what he does. He has worked hard to acquire skills.

(6.) What lessons can be learnt from the character’s story? 
Don't get led astray by lies. Lies may seem like truth, but in the end, they are lies all the same.

(7.) If you had the opportunity to meet your villain, would you do so? 
I'd probably accept. I don't think Thrackray would kill me–unless he knew what I plan to do to him. So, uh ... maybe I wouldn't want to meet him.

-Jag Swiftstorm

Double Tag

I got tagged by both Ryebrynn at Ryebrynn's Random Ramblings and Bonnie at Bonnie's Blessings.

From Bonnie:

1. If the main villain of your favorite book/movie/TV series showed up on your front doorstep, what would you do? (Explain who it is first...)

Since I get to do this twice, it makes my job a bit easier . . . the first person I'm choosing is Devin, from Dragons in our Midst, Oracles of Fire, and Children of the Bard.

I don't think Devin would care that much to kill me . . . he's a dragon slayer, not a human slayer.

2. Now supposing the heroes opposite this villain showed up just after your exchange. What would you do then?

Billy and Bonnie . . . hmm, well, Billy would probably transluminate Devin and stick him in a candlestone. Then I'd ask if a) I could have a turn with Excalibur, b) that Bonnie would give me a little ride up in the air, and c) that Billy would show me his fire breathing. If a dragon showed up too, that would be awesome :D

3. So... moving on, the heroes defeat the villain (with some help from you, of course- whatever it may be. ;) But the next day, you're just walking along, minding your own business, when you suddenly come across the same villain... who is now lying in the dust severely wounded and unconscious. What do you do?

Wow, he got out of the candlestone already? Billy probably wouldn't be too happy if I killed him (not that I would or anything . . .) so I'd probably get Billy and Bonnie to come back and transluminate him again.

4. Now his minions show up and kidnap both you and him and take you to their universe (or version of your universe, whatever it happens to be.) Your reaction?

So, Palin and a couple of other esquires. And they'd probably take me to the third or seventh circle. If the underground mines, I'd try to find one of the portals so I could escape.

5. Your fantastic heroes have arrived to rescue you- but now you're faced with a choice. The villain, out of gratitude for your earlier help, (assuming you actually did help him when he was wounded) has offered you a chance to travel back to your own universe. However, the heroes warn you not to trust him. The only other way for you to get back home is to travel with the heroes on a long and dangerous journey... and there's no guarantee that you'll survive.
What. Do. You. Do.

Devin? Gratitude? Hah. I'd go with Billy and Bonnie in a heartbeat.

From Ryebrynn:

1. If the main villain of your favorite book/movie/TV series showed up on your front doorstep, what would you do? (Explain who it is first...)

I think I'll choose Farimaal, from the Binding of the Blade, even though he's not the /main/ villain. Close enough, and it would be spoilers to say . . . well, I won't.

If he turned up at my doorstep, and was trying to kill me. I don't think I'd stand much of a chance against him–not that I can't sword-fight, but against Farimaal? No way.

2. Now supposing the heroes opposite this villain showed up just after your exchange. What would you do then?

Aljeron, Valzaan, and Benjiah. They should be able to take care of him. Phew. *wipes sweat from brow*. As above, I'd probably want to get Aljeron to give me a sword-fighting lesson and Benjiah an archery lesson :D

3. So... moving on, the heroes defeat the villain (with some help from you, of course- whatever it may be. ;) But the next day, you're just walking along, minding your own business, when you suddenly come across the same villain... who is now lying in the dust severely wounded and unconscious. What do you do?

Farimaal has too awesome quotes for him to die. I'd probably help him.

4. Now his minions show up and kidnap both you and him and take you to their universe (or version of your universe, whatever it happens to be.) Your reaction?

Going to Kirthanin would be amazing. With Farimaal and Nolthanim? Probably not so much. I'd probably try to escape, using my knowledge of Kirthanin ;)

5. Your fantastic heroes have arrived to rescue you- but now you're faced with a choice. The villain, out of gratitude for your earlier help, (assuming you actually did help him when he was wounded) has offered you a chance to travel back to your own universe. However, the heroes warn you not to trust him. The only other way for you to get back home is to travel with the heroes on a long and dangerous journey... and there's no guarantee that you'll survive.
What. Do. You. Do.

Going with Farimaal would be tempting . . . he does have some awesome quotes, and he doesn't seem to be a crazy killer . . . but I think I'd probably go with Valzaan, Aljeron, and Benjiah.

I'm going to tag:
1. Sarah from Dreams and Dragons
2. Brian McBride from Shattering the Darkness

If either of you two have been tagged, you don't have to do it twice–just ignore my tag if you want to.

--Jag Swiftstorm

Keeping Track of Characters

Warning: I may get somewhat technical later on. However, I will try to keep this post so that everyone can understand it.

Some books have small casts–of maybe around fifty characters total. Then there's others, with larger casts, maybe 200 total characters. And then there's the Lord of the Rings, with millions of characters.

Okay, maybe not millions. But it does have a lot.

If you're writing a book with a large cast (or even one with a small one), you will probably want to have a list of your characters.

What I've done, is to create a spreadsheet in MS Excel, with one row for each character. This has: their name, their age, rank, occupation, species, height, other names which they're known by, year of birth, affiliation (protagonist/antagonist), importance (main character has 0, minor characters have increasing numbers, I go up to 5), year of death, and 'Dead?'.

This means that if (when writing a later book in The Arboreal Shadow) I have a character visit any given city, I'm not going to make up an elder for that city, only to realize later on that the elder (a different person, though) was mentioned in the first book.

Several of the columns, though, I don't edit. The 'Age' column is calculated using the 'Year of Birth'. The Dead? column is a special one, which says Yes if characters are dead, No if they are alive. This is calculated by checking if the current year (which is specified somewhere else in the spreadsheet) is after or before the year that the character died (or will die).

(Click on the photo to get a larger view.)
The characters can be sorted by any of the options – you can show all characters in order of age, or in alphabetical order by first name, or by species.

I've found this character chart to be useful. If you'd like more detailed instructions on how to make it, then say so in a comment and I'll see if I can help you.

Jag Swiftstorm.

Should you Create a Language?

Quon you Desira ta Forme lein Lingyuanet?
Translation: Do you want to create a language?

Many writers will want to create languages for their worlds. And I don't mean just making up where the language came from, where it's spoken, etc. I mean making long lists of nouns and pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, prepositions and interjections. Creating the sentence structure, grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

There's nothing wrong with this. Tolkien created many languages for Middle-earth, some more developed than others. He also wrote in detail about the languages–how to pronounce vowels and syllables, rolled r's and dotted i's.

But Tolkien was a language professor. Now, you don't need to be a language professor and have a degree from Oxford University to create a language.

But, for the sake of authenticity in your language, I would recommend to have studied language in some way. This could be studying a second language, or advanced study on your own language.

If you don't know the nine parts of speech in English, or how they are used, then your created language is likely to turn out a code copy of English–in which every word is simply translated to another word in your language. Real languages don't work this way. Each language has its own sentence structure and grammar.

And English is the worst language to base a realistic language off. English is such a conglomeration of Latin, Greek, Old Norse, French, Spanish, German and many more, that it is a very difficult language to learn and understand.

I have created a language, but I have studied Latin and Greek (and French and Spanish a little bit). When I first started writing Delvish (as I called it), I didn't understand the parts of speech, cases, tenses, etc. Delvish was, then, a code copy of English. I had each English word translating directly to one Delvish word. Delvish had English pronunciation rules–i.e. none.

Now, however, after doing four years of Latin, I have refined Delvish into a more realistic language. It has its own peculiarities and ways of doing things, and its own pronunciation rules and exceptions.

You can create a language without studying linguistics, but I would recommend at least some study in a language before attempting it. (And especially before putting any of that language in any published books.)

These are only my thoughts, and I could be mistaken. Thoughts?

--Jag Swiftstorm

Writing Extra Scenes

I had a thought.

It's quite a good thing to do; thoughts are generally quite useful, in theory. Some may be better thoughts than others; some may be rather pointless, others may be great thoughts, but you just don't carry them out.

Anyway, back to my thought.

(No, it's not the only thought I have, but it is one of them.)

I was reading Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft into a Published Book by Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson, and it was talking about making your deeper characters.

(It's chapter 2, by the way, in case you have the book and want to go look it up. Just to make sure I'm not lying. And if you don't have it, get it.)

It wasn't the actual exercises that gave me the thought, although they did begin my train of thought that eventually thought up my thought, as you will see if you keep reading down.

(See how crazy my brain is?)

I answered the questions for my antagonist (and my main character, but the antagonist's questionnaire was more revealing). One of the questions asked about a secret desire that your character had. Anyway, to make a long story into a short one, I wrote a short 'story' about my antagonist, and some of the factors that caused him to become the villain he is.

(It wasn't a very good story… badly written… telling rather than showing… narrative summary... but it did the point, and I can always rewrite it.)

So, my thought was…

Drum roll…

Why don't writers write lots and lots and lots of stories about their characters, and their world?

(Or maybe they do, in which case the question should be 'Why don't I?')

Why don't writers/we write scenes that go in between the published scenes?

For example, if your characters are going on a overnight hike, write out all their conversation from the evening. Describe the trip in as much detail as you want. If there are two years in between two chapters, write as many scenes in those two years as you want. It will give you an idea of what your characters got up to during those two years, and will develop their character further.

I guess if writers don't, there has to be a reason for it. Either: a) they haven't thought of it or b) the 'con's are greater than the 'pro's. Or I'm just the only writer who doesn't do it.

Pro's
Character development–you often won't write long scenes with characters sitting around a fire talking, but some of those conversations might be very beneficial for character development.
World development–you can write descriptions as long as you want, because you're the only who'll need to read them.
Story development–sometimes those conversations will spark a new direction for the plot or subplot. And maybe those scenes will become crucial and be used in a later draft or sequel.
Writing practice.

Con's
You might get emotionally attached to those scenes (not likely for some writers, but some might) and want to put them in the novel.
Takes up time that you could spend writing other things.

I would personally say that the 'pro's overwhelm the 'con's, for me at least.

Now that I've written all of this, I can now remember that I have heard some writers say that they do this… maybe I'm just an non-backstorying anomaly.

Only way to settle this… I'll have to ask my loyal, devoted, (and possibly traitorous) (okay, hopefully not traitorous) readers.

The question is, then:

Do you write all the filler/backstory scenes to fit into your project?

For some reason, this post has been written with a much less formal tone than my other ones. (At least it seems like that to me.) Do you prefer my more formal tone, or this 'write-my-thoughts-down-as-they-come-to-me' mad rush post?

Jag Swiftstorm

How to Accidentally Create a Superhuman

A superhuman character, that is. (If you wanted to learn how to become Spiderman, you'll have to find another blog.)

Unlocking the door, Tim opened it, threw his leather jacket onto a rusty hook, grabbed a packet of chips from the cupboard, and slumped down in front of the TV.

What is the problem with this sentence? The problem is that Tim is doing all five actions (unlocking the door, opening the door, hanging up his jacket, getting food, and sitting down) at the same time. Simultaneously.

Unless he's Superman (and he isn't), this obviously won't work. He can't do all those actions at the same time; he does them one by one.

Starting your sentences with '-ing' verbs can cause these problems. (And yes, I know that their technical name is present participle, but we won't go into that now.) This is not to say that you shouldn't use '-ing' verbs, it just means that you need to be very careful when doing so, that you don't cause a simultaneousness problem. (And yes, that is a word.)

Related to this is action-reaction order. The action comes first, the reaction comes after that. Don't have your character reacting to an action before (or at the same time as) the action is occurring. Using '-ing' verbs can cause this, so even if the two actions can physically occur at the same time, be careful that one of them isn't actually a reaction to the other.

Just because these are funny, I'll post some more simultaneousness-problem examples:

Spinning round, Kate ran towards the school.
Slamming a hand over his mouth, Joe screamed a warning.
Switching on her computer, Tina opened Outlook.

And an action-reaction one:

Spinning round, Mary felt a presence behind her.

Note that because Mary should feel the presence behind her before spinning round, switching the two parts wouldn't change anything. '-ing' sentences happen simultaneously.

Feeling a presence behind her, Mary spun around.

Using sentences that start with '-ing' (or number 4's for any other IEW-ers) can vary the sentence structure, but it is important to be careful in using them, as problems can easily occur, as can be seen above.

Jag Swiftstorm

Speaker Tags

"How're ya doin'?" I inquired.
"Oh, I'm fine." she responded.
"I... thought I might ask you a question." I ventured.
"Go ahead," she encouraged.
"Well... you know that patch of land out back of the old house? I was wondering if I could buy it off your papa, and then fix it up and maybe build a little cabin there? Do you think he might sell?" I inquired.
"That old bit of land? That's covered in junk!" she shouted.
"I know, but I thought I could maybe sell it and make a bit of money." I retorted.

Now what is wrong with that? I don't think that there's anything wrong with it, but the speaker tags (I inquired, she responded, I ventured, she encouraged, etc.) are rather flowery and fancy. There is nothing wrong with this, but how about the following dialogue?

"How're ya doin'?" I asked.
"Oh, I'm fine," she replied.
"I... thought I might ask you a question," I said.
"Go ahead," she said.
"Well... you know that patch of land out back of the old house? I was wondering if I could buy it off your papa, and then fix it up and maybe build a little cabin there? Do you think he might sell?" I asked.
"That old bit of land? That's covered in junk!" she replied.
"I know, but I thought I could maybe sell it and make a bit of money," I said.

In the first example, what were you looking at? The speaker tags, or the dialogue itself? In the second example, though, were you looking at the dialogue? The speaker tags were invisible–said, replied, and asked. Using those for your writing means that readers can focus on the dialogue–as long as that is well-written.

Now, I know that you may have heard "Don't use 'said', use more powerful verbs." I think that this may be one exception to the rule of using strong verbs. Now, don't take me wrong here. I'm all for strong verbs. But I think that dialogue is one place where what the characters said is what the readers care about, more than how they said it. Good dialogue (and characterization) should show the reader how they said it, just by what they said.

'Said', 'Asked', and 'Replied' probably cover just about every piece of dialogue in most projects. But what about pieces of dialogue where none of those three words seem to fit? Can you use other words then?

Absolutely. A quote from somewhere–I have no idea where: "There are no rules in writing, there are only guidelines." (If any does know where it comes from, please say!) Other words can absolutely be used as speaker tags, as long as they aren't used too much. After telling your reader twenty times that your character 'demanded' something, how are you going to convey when he really demands something. If you've been using 'said' all the way through, that one 'demand' is going to have a real punch.

In my own writing - I did Command-Find to examine what speaker tags I've used, and these are some of my results:

Said: 426
Asked: 169
Replied: 78
Shouted: 24 (maybe a bit too many?)
Screamed: 5 (although three of them are literal screams, not speaker tags)

As you should be able to see, I try to keep with 'invisible' speaker tags as much as possible.

One final thing about speaker tags though–be careful to not use speaker tags which lead to facial gymnastics. He grinned–he grimaced–he scowled, for exaple. Try talking at the same time as doing one of those, and you'll see what I mean.

These are just my thoughts on the subject, and you may have totally different ideas. If you do, please leave a comment and say what you think–I'm open to hearing new ideas.

--Jag Swiftstorm

Writer's Block

Writers know that they come up against something called Writer's Block. When you just. Can't. Write. Words don't flow, sentences don't make sense, and the story (if you can manage to write) doesn't seem to have any meaning.

Many writers want to know how to solve this. I have read what writers have written about Writer's Block, and this is the answer that seems to be repeated, over and over again.

Write.

Just write.

Force yourself to write, to put fingers to keys, or pencil to paper, or even feather pen to papyrus.

Just write.

If you can't manage to work on your main project, go and write something else. Try something different. If you've never written contemporary fiction, try it. If you're an all-out science fiction/science fantasy junkie, try picking up a sword or bow and venturing into the dangerous realms of medieval fantasy. You don't have to stick with the same thing.

Just write.

Just write.

(This is not to say that you shouldn't do things other than write, but ultimately, the only way to write is to write.)

Another Tag

Well, I've been tagged by Hyperlinkzer again. I thought that this tag was over - evidently not. Well, 10 facts:


1. I am currently reading Left Behind: The Young Trib Force
2. I am up to book 10 out of 12.
3. It is currently 7:06 and we still haven't had dinner.
4. My younger siblings (some of them…) are watching Dumbo.
5. I am the oldest in my family (excluding my parents, of course)
6. I got a new ruler today, because one of my brothers broke my old one :(
7. I am creating characters for writing a Berinfell Prophecies book.
8. I can program in AppleScript.
9. It is a full moon tonight.
10. I am not going to tag anyone else. I know, sneaky :P

Seven or Five Tags

So, I got tagged by: Rayne Speryll from Writing in Rivendell, Bonnie Smithies from Bonnie's Blessings, Leilani Sunblade from Dreams and Dragons, Hyperlinkzer from Livin' on the Edge, and Sine Nomine from Centum Miles Somnii. Seven tags. Wait… hmm, I can only see five there. I counted seventy earlier though. I'll do seventy anyway… if I can.

1. I have straight hair which sticks up. I don't do anything to it.
2. I am about 5'11''.
3. I am the oldest person in my family. (excluding my parents, of course)
4. I am homeschooled.
5. I live in New Zealand.
6. Jag is short for Jai'galaar.
7. I have 9 younger siblings.
8. I am learning Latin, (Koine) Greek, Hebrew, and Spanish.
9. I have invented my own language (named Delvish).
10. Do I really have to do seventy of these?
11. I am right-handed.
12. Table tennis is the only game in which I get really competitive. (oh, and Capture the Cones, but not as much)
13. I play violin and piano. I can also play guitar and drums, but I don't normally practice them.
14. I have 2 screens connected to my computer.
15. One of the screens is connected by VGA, the other by DVI.
16. I like building large LEGO models, normally of architecture.
17. I don't like animals. (except dragons, but they don't count…)
18. I have finished the first draft of a book, at ~55,000 words.
19. I know that most mountain ranges go north-south, rather than east-west.
20. It is not my birthday today.
21. I prefer Macs to PCs.
22. I have a Fujifilm camera.
23. I touch-type using the Dvorak keyboard layout. I can type at up to 102 words per minute.
24. I prefer chemistry and physics to biology.
25. My character Telefure is the most similar to myself.
26. I use a mechanical pencil to write with.
27. The first fantasy books I read were the Narnia series (at age 5!)
28. I like archery and I think I'm reasonably good at it when you consider how infrequently I get to practice :(
29. The time at the moment is 3:40 PM.
30. I am both a morning and a night person.
31. (I think) I can be both an introvert and an extrovert when I want to.
32. I don't mind being tagged, but 70 facts? Seriously?
33. I don't like it when batteries are flat.
34. I have green eyes.
35. I like drawing maps.
36. I use Gmail.
37. The 'Jag' in my username comes from a clone pilot from Star Wars.
38. I am currently listening to Star Wars: The Clone Wars as I write this. Some of my younger brothers (and sisters) are watching it.
39. I like listening to movies that I know quite well.
40. It is currently the school holidays in New Zealand. (however, by the time I finish this list…)
41. I started this list on Monday.
42. As I write, it is currently Wednesday.
43. Two of my brothers are away right at the moment.
44. I like The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars movie soundtracks.
45. I like bright torches (if they are mine).
46. I am going to be a leader at a kids' camp next week.
47. I am wearing jeans.
48. I always wear my watch on my left arm.
49. My violin case is green.
50. I like Microsoft mice, even though I prefer Mac computers.
51. I dislike people leaving stuff on my desk.
52. My favourite programming language is AppleScript. (It's also the one that I'm the best at.)
53. I have 13 items on my desktop.
54. My favourite colour is green (although blue is nice too).
55. I like chocolate.
56. My desk is covered with stuff. (Apart from just where I type. I can't stand that part being messy.)
57. The curtains in front of my desk are blue.
58. Hmm… I set out to do seventy statements, and now I can only find five tags. Hmm…
59. It is now 4:46 PM.
60. It is now 4:48 PM. See how long it takes me to think up these statements??
61. It is now 4:49 PM. Hey, I could do this for the last ten!
62. I have decided not to continue doing time posts.
63. My copy of the Lord of the Rings has a red cover.
64. Sixty-four makes me think of 8x8. I like maths :D
65. My account picture on my computer is of Bofur.
66. We have a A4-height poster of all the dwarves from The Hobbit up on the wall near my computer.
67. I have read all of The Silmarillion.
68. I can touch the roof in my house without jumping.
69. I wrote fact 70 just after fact 29.
70. This list has taken me several days to write.

*sinks back into chair exhausted*

And I'm not going to tag anyone...

Easter Sunday

Good Friday was, for the disciples, a day of sorrow. A day where their hopes and dreams in who they believed was the promised Messiah came crashing down.

They believed that he was coming as a political and military Saviour, not a spiritual one. Somebody who would take on the Roman Empire and lead Israel to victory and freedom. Someone who would rule as a king.

But all this had failed. How? The chief priests had taken him and had crucified him. He had died and had been buried in a tomb. A stone had been rolled across the entrance. Guards were positioned outside the tomb.

All seemed lost.

But then came the Resurrection. Christ did not stay dead, but rose again. Utter defeat was turned into victory.

If not for Easter Sunday, Good Friday would have truly been a day of sorrows. A day where evil took and killed an innocent and holy man.

But that was not the end of the story.

If he had not risen, it would have proven that he did not have power over life and death. What good is a dead Messiah?

But he did rise, and stayed on earth for another forty days, before finally ascending to heaven, where he is now preparing a place for all of us.

A place for those that accept Christ's redeeming sacrifice, his giving himself up for us.

Will you accept?

Easter Friday

Today is the day that we remember the death of Jesus. His sacrifice, giving himself up for us.

He who was in glory before the world and the heavens were created, who created the earth, and holds it in the palm of his hand.

He who created massive stars and galaxies, thousands of light-years across.

He who created the tiniest sub-atomic particles – neutrinos and quarks, and gave each its own properties.

Yet, he also created us. He knows each one of us by name – and much more than by name. He knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Yet, when we sinned, he was willing to give up himself. He loved us so much, that he was willing to die in our place, so that we would not have to suffer away from God.

He, who made us, and many infinite and infinitesimal things, was willing to die, for his creations.

He did not have to die; he had made us, and we were rightfully his, to do with as he wanted. But we rebelled, and turned against him.

Yet, he was still merciful. He extended grace. He showed us love, and was willing to die a hard, cruel, death, whipped by Roman legionaries and nailed to a cross.

When he died, the curtain dividing the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple was split from top to bottom, showing that now, for the first time, men could come directly into contact with God, without the intervention of a human priest. Jesus himself became the priest that stands before the throne of God and intervenes for us.

All this he did because of his love. Because he loved us so much.

He offers forgiveness, redemption, and love. Will you accept?

Chemistry Notes

So, these are the notes I took in chemistry yesterday. You'll enjoy it if you are a fan of Karac Tor, especially if you also use Dr. Jay Wile's Exploring Creation with Chemistry.

Chemicals change / Energy make
Bonds shall form / Bonds shall break
Carbon atom / Four hydrogen
Bonds destroyed / Bonds grow thin

Hydrog'n oxygen / Water made
Oxygen carbon / Carbon dioxide
Double bonds / Will be born
Finished reaction / Energy adorned

(This is from page 423 (in Module 13) of Exploring Creation with Chemistry, if you have the book and want to see where I got it from.)

Berinfell Prophecies fanfic 'Whitehall'

Six of the Lords were gathered in their meeting room. A blazing fire illuminated the room, allowing them to see each others' faces. Suddenly, Jimmy rushed in.
"Grimwarden sold Whitehall!" he blurted out. The Seven all leapt to their feet.
"Wha-wha-what?" Tommy asked. "He sold Whitehall?"
"Yes yes yes!" Jimmy responded, speaking quickly. "He wasn't sure about it, but then he got an offer that he couldn't turn down! I told him he shouldn't, but he didn't listen to me! He just went ahead and did it! And then they built a hotel there!"
"A… hotel?" Kat asked? "He turned it into a place for tourists? How could he betray us, and sell Whitehall to the enemies?"
"I-I-I-I don't know," Jimmy responded rapidly. "I told him not to and said he would be crushed for sure, but…"
"He was crushed?" Jett asked in anger.
"Totally!" Jimmy replied.
"We must go and avenge our noble Guardmaster, even if he did fall into the temptation of greed." Autumn said. "But who was it that defeated him?"
"Gold-Goldarrow," Jimmy stammered.
"Goldarrow?" the others asked in unison.
"Yes, I thought you knew…" he said as the others rushed out of the room.
"But-" he shouted to them as Johnny's back disappeared around the corner.
He sighed and jogged to the room where Goldarrow and Grimwarden were, happily playing Monopoly.

1 Corinthians 13

Everyone's posting Valentine's Day posts and statuses and stuff, so I'll follow along, even though Valentine's Day was actually yesterday for us down under here in NZ.

I don't really have anything to write, though, so I'll just post 1 Corinthians 13.

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

-NIV84 (taken from here)

The Lost Ones

This tag was originally made by HyperLinkzer, who tagged Andy, who tagged DrummerGuy, who tagged Taisia, who tagged WoA, who tagged me. And this one is going to be really… interesting.

RULES:

1. Put a music playlist on shuffle.
2. The first song is the answer to the first question, the second to the second question and so forth.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.
If someone says, "Is this okay?" What do you say?
The Lost Ones.

What would best describe your personality?
The Lost Ones.

How do you feel today?
The Lost Ones.

What is your life's purpose?
The Lost Ones.

What is your life's motto?
The Lost Ones.

What do your friends think of you?
The Lost Ones.

What do your parents think of you?
The Lost Ones.

What do you think about very often?
The Lost Ones.

What is 2 + 2?
The Lost Ones.

What is your life story?
The Lost Ones.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
The Lost Ones.

What will they play at your funeral?
The Lost Ones.

What is your hobby/interest?
The Lost Ones.

What is the worst thing that could happen?
The Lost Ones.

How will you die?
The Lost Ones.

What will you put as the title of this blog post?
The Lost Ones.

Yes, I am pleased (or upset…) to announce that is the sum total of my songs on my iPad :P

Oh, and you really should get The Lost Ones... http://www.christopherhopper.com/2009/12/single-the-lost-ones/

Oh (forgot this at first :P)... I tag... Jake.

Resurrections?

I said that the results of the survey (link) and my thoughts on the topic of resurrections would be posted relatively soon. Now, 40 days later…

I only had 4 responses to the survey, but they did express some good points.

The general consensus was that resurrections done through God (or his representative in the fictional world) were okay, but that other resurrections were not.

I would definitely agree with that. All matters of life and death should come from God's hands, whether through a gift of power to an individual or a direct act of God. No dark magic/sorcery.

Resurrections can give a sense of awe at God's power. If used too many times, however, this can be lessened because of the 'commonness' of them.

One person expressed an interesting idea, that I hadn't thought about before. In her words:

In general, I have problems with resurrections that are created by authors. I just don't think that it's for humans, in our fallen state, to judge when a person should be resurrected or not. Really, it's only right for God to do that. These are, of course, just my thoughts, and I could be very mistaken. - Sine Nomine

I would have to disagree with that, at least in a created universe.

In your own world, you are in control. You can do pretty much anything you want.

(Some exceptions would be changing God's principles, such as punishing evil, and always doing what is right. See here for a post by Bryan Davis about that.)

You are in control.

As long as you stay within God's principles, you can have resurrections. Don't have God resurrecting someone as a reward for their sin, for example. But you have to judge whether or not a resurrection is appropriate for the situation in your story.

As Sine Nomine said above, this is only my thoughts, and I could be wrong. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss it :)