The Oath of Elorea

I have managed to slip the Oath into the book in a point where it seems to fit quite well. I think it adds to some characterization, and because of who recites it, adds new layers to the meaning of the words. I think it is actually a rather powerful scene now, with multiple angles on the Oath coming into play at once. I think I should probably add bits and pieces of the Oath at different points in the story. They will play a central role in Gaelen's motivations, and this must be made clear. He doesn't demonstrate this enough as of yet. They words of the Oath will be very significant to his psyche, and should be how he copes with the horrors of war, as well as how he must justify his actions, whether foolish or morally ambiguous. I'd also like him to have a certain fixation on a particular line: The wicked, I am to meet with justice. This line in particular should resonate with him, in his fixation on the warrior like aspect of Elorean society. This summer I should have more free-time than previously, so I should have plenty of opportunity to edit further on my writing. I will also try practicing some java and perhaps a few other languages over the summer. I will try to have some means of making more frequent updates here as well.

A semester's end

This past semester has been a bit rough on me. In general my classes are going fine, but it has left me with very little time to actually do my own writing. Not to mention that my flash-drive has essentially reached the end of its lifespan. Twice now I have had issues with data corruption. In one instance I had all of the information on the drive convert to a RAW file type, thus making everything unreachable. I found a program that converted it back to a FAT file type, and thus recovered the majority of my information. Then just this last weekend everything in my Java folder seemed to randomly convert to an amalgamation of ASCII characters with no apparent order, and all of the files could not be opened. I tried using the Scan and Fix Drive option that windows provides, but that wasn't the best idea, since now the folder doesn't open at all. I found another program that scans the drive for any indication of order, and then I can get my old data back. I'll have to get as much of my school work out of the drive as I can, what I don't already have backed up. All in all I haven't had much time to write. I guess I could have spent the time I took writing this to work on something more worthwhile, but I  feel that I owe the random blog wanderer and explanation for my general lack of posting here.

Smashwords Short Story: The Rail-Walker

I have put a new story on Smashwords. I suppose that was a little premature. The story itself is still a bit raw. I didn't do much in terms of looking it over, but it already has a good review. I will update it when I get a chance to fix any errors in it. I want to put up the second part before I do that though. I want to start pushing for a thousand words everyday in something, whether I split it up in blog posts, short stories, and poetry doesn't matter. I have been slacking a bit too much. The semester starts up again tomorrow, and I still need to get a job. The beginning of the semester shouldn't be to bad as of yet. Maybe I will still be able to manage being a writer, of more than just code.

Smashwords again

I am going to try putting something on smashwords again. I have a short story that is probably going to end up being a bit longer than I originally intended, so I am going to put it up on smashwords as a serial rather than as one piece. I want to get a few parts of it finished first though so that I can edit it and make sure to have some degree of narrative continuity. I should actually write up a complete plot outline for this so that I don't end up losing track of what I was doing with it. I have attempted writing a serial in the past and that has been left incomplete for quite a long while at this point. As it is I may go and add that to Smashwords as well since I cannot republish it and the sight where it currently resides does not contractually claim rights to it anymore. That would also be a good idea, even though it is rather sub-par in terms of writing. As for working on my book, I think I will probably end up cutting off the last ten-thousand or so words, and rewriting that whole segment. Lots of work to do. I better get to it.

The work continues

I've finished re-reading my own book so I am prepared to push onward in my editing. I fixed a few of the minor problems that I had along the way, and I found a good place to include the Oath of Elorea. Instead of having it on a placard I have a character recite it, and I think that it turned out quite well. I still need to change up the ending, and that will be a large chunk of work. I'm trying to get back into writing consistently. I've worked on a few short stories and I've written up a few rants to try and get the weave flowing. It hasn't really worked to well, but I'm making progress anyway. Slowly, and without much inspiration. I should stop worrying about doing poorly while I'm editing. I know this probably isn't the last time that I am going to be editing this page anyway. As is I need to somehow gracefully transition to a period of training, introduce a few characters, and then get back into the action. I don't think I can realistically skip a training period, not without a sudden and unexpected threat...Well that's an idea that I haven't considered before. Perhaps I shall have ***** enter earlier that I anticipated, and he could be followed, jump starting *******'s plans....
That actually might work. I could have a good excuse for bypassing a lull in the tempo of the narrative. Pressure should be building now, not waning. That might be just the trick. I'll have to mull it over and see what I come up with.

Not dead yet...but far from immortal

I am still not dead yet, but I think this blog was on the verge of it. I have still been working quite a bit, but not as much as I should be. Writing the book has taken backseat for a little while, since the semester has started again. Even so I will continue to write regardless of what may get in the way. I need to finish the book soon otherwise a may go absolutely insane. As of yet though there is still a great deal of work to do. There is now a finalized version of the Oath of Elorea though...I think I have covered all of the major aspects of their society in a succinct set of lines that reads quite well. Here follows the Oath of Elorea:

I vow to die unto myself. In this way I may live.

Ever shall I be a harbinger of hope, in all adversity.

For those in want, I shall be provider.

For those in illness, I shall bare them health.

For those in weakness, I shall wield my strength.

Ever shall I be the adversary of evil, in all its forms.

The cruel, I am to meet with courage.

The greedy, I am to meet with wisdom.

The wicked, I am to meet with justice.

Ever shall I be caretaker of the land, in all conditions.

Where the soil is dead, I shall work to enliven it.

Where the water is fouled, I shall work to cleanse it.

Where evil has tainted the land, I shall revive its sanctity.

These things I vow and I know them well. They are in my heart.

My blood is for this cause, all the days of my life.

If ever I stray from this birthright, so too shall I lose my inheritance,

And I shall wear the stain of my blood.

So that all will see that I have betrayed this righteous cause.

It actually came out pretty good, and is better than the 'Creed' I had them using before. It's not actually included in the book yet, but I am going to try to work it in at the beginning, perhaps carved into a placard above Gaelen's door. If you want the full effect read it aloud, the words come out rather powerfully I find...

Editing continues

I just got back from a vacation in Virginia, where I actually managed to do some editing on Fire Gate. I've managed to make it about a third of the way through the book now. I've made some major and minor corrections along the way, but I know that most of the heavy editing is going to be in the last few chapters of the book anyway. Still it is a good start, in a fairly short amount of time that I was working on it. The more I consider different names the more I think I like The Elorean. Out of all of the other possibilities that I have considered that seems to fit the best. There are a few problems with that title though. For starters it looks like it was meant to be about a car and someone just took of the 'D' that was suppose to go in front of 'Elorean.' The other problem is that the title is reminiscent of The Hobbit. While Hobbits and Eloreans happen to be very different creatures from one another, they are still unique to their respective worlds and their race would be the defining feature of the book cover which features them. As such I feel that it is a little too closely referencing a Tolkinian  work for it to be in good taste. While the Lord of the Rings may have influenced my writing to a degree I don't want to present my works as just a different take on the same kind of world. Using such a similarly themed title seems like a poor choice on my part. Yet I cannot think of a more important aspect being introduced in this part of the story, since the Fire Gate is hardly mentioned and there are few other major themes that have yet to come into play. I will have to keep brainstorming to come up with a better title, but the story itself is coming closer and closer to its final form.