Fantasy and My Process

Late this morning I finished (the first draft of) the novel I've been working on for Writer's Workshop.  In case you've missed a few blogs, I've been kinda pumped about it.

Part of what that means is I suddenly have a lot more time on my hands.  Time enough, maybe, to talk about what the novel is just a little bit.

It evolved out of an idea I had to bring together elements from the Iliad and Arthurian legend.  Somewhere along the line Germanic folklore came in and kind of took over.  I can't give too much away, but I will give you the basic premise:

A village in a recently annexed nation has virtually all of its women stolen away in one night.  The townspeople are bereft, but only a handful band together to seek out and rescue them.  These are the main characters of the story, which follows them on their endeavors to bring their women home.  Their adversaries, however, are not who they expect.

That's the general idea, but it gets built upon pretty heavily.  It's not a particularly long book, especially for being fantasy, but there's a lot that goes on.

I tend to write organically, building on what I've already established to create subtleties and a natural progression towards the end of a story.  Part of the struggle I run into is that I can go on and on before I get to an ending I feel is right for a story, but for the most part I think it helps me avoid endings that seem contrived.

It's too early for me to tell how this story has turned out.  A few people will read it and give me their feedback, which will help, but I won't really have a feeling I can trust about it until a few months from now when I read it over with fresh eyes.

Why am I talking about all this?  I think, mostly, because the process of writing excites me like very little else does.  I am passionate about telling stories in this way, and I want to share that passion with others.  If you could really care less about writing, I apologize for what might seem like a waste of time.

If you're a writer or an avid reader of fantasy and you want to "beta test" the story I just finished writing, get a hold of me and we'll see what we can arrange.  I can feel that my writing style has changed recently, and I'm curious as to how because I can't see it clearly for myself.

Right, that's enough time spent rambling about the esoteric.  Talk to you tomorrow.

Ciao.

Greek Mythology and Let's Plays

I've been watching this playthrough of Kid Icarus: Uprising. The game plays fast and loose with the Greek Mythology it's kind of almost based on. The Good Guys are an angel named Pit and the goddess of light, Palutena (which is a sort of portmanteau of Pallas Athena), and they face off against Medusa, Queen of the Underworld. Yeah, that's not really how the myths go.

In comparison, the God of War trilogy is canon.

I keep watching it, though, because the characters are well-written and well-acted for a 3Ds game. It's not like the pinnacle of drama, or of video game storytelling, but it's entertaining, especially since every stage is essentially a long skit (or miniature play) putting you into the world even as you play through. Oh, and every fourth wall is broken. All the time.

I won't lie, it's glorious.

It's called Kid Icarus because the handle character, Pit, is an angel who can't fly on his own. Palutena gives him the power of flight for five minutes at a time, but after that his wings burn off. But... Greek mythology didn't really have angels. I mean, there were daemons, but that was different. Pit's wearing a toga and a halo/golden laurel, and his iconic weapon is a bow—which actually tends to fire like an automatic rifle.

I haven't played it, but I can't afford a 3Ds or the game. I can afford to watch someone else play it, though, and that's enjoyable enough.

Is this a weird thing, watching Let's Plays? Does it defeat the purpose of gaming?

This is me, shrugging.