Now lava lamps. I swear after all these late-night adventures involving papers and other assignments at school, I have tons of observations of my lava lamp to write about. I have an old lava lamp sitting on the dresser next to my desk and I turn it on (along with two lamps and a string of these "flower lights") whenever I am in my room for prolonged periods of time. I hate having the main roof light on because they're old incandescent bulbs and they bathe everything in this nasty orange light. With the other lights I at least have a little bit of atmosphere and ambiance. I can't actually focus of write without proper lighting. I also can't function properly if there are people outside my door. If I can hear them, it bothers me and all work comes to a halt no matter how much I'm invested in it. I also only write to certain types of music. Classical, symphonic metal, alternative, movie soundtrack and other upbeat and exciting tunes are easiest to write to. I have two compilations, both over thirty minutes long that have saved me countless times in the past writing. Silence helps sometimes, but only what I have to focus every ounce of my energy and attention on something. Otherwise, music gives me a certain rhythm to my work that I don't get otherwise. I can't work to most songs with lyrics, death metal, power metal, rap, or catchy songs (mostly because I start singing along). Lastly I usually need something to drink (preferably a caffeinated tea) and a small snack (like chips of chocolate or microwave popcorn). I don't end up eating or drinking a lot, but it's good to have it there.
In terms of my distraction and overall lack of an ability to focus, I have determined the cycles of my lava lamp. The first stage involves the heating of a cold, boring wax. The heating mechanism at the bottom (which turns out to be just a coil of metal that heats up because of the light and thus heats the wax) makes the base of the wax glow ominously, giving off limited light. The wax heats on the bottom faster than on the top obviously, so at a certain point the hot, warm wax begins to rise, applying pressure to the cooler wax above. At the proper ratio of heat distribution, the cooler wax will shift and the warm wax will release into what I call "lava lamp puke". The lava lamp literally looks like it is spewing out its innards and strings of wax shoot upwards into intricate designs and structures. Eventually bits of wax will lower and fall down, but for the time being this structure remains. This gives the wax below time to begin heating. Once the bottom has begun to heat, the structure crumbles and collapses and begins to reheat with the rest of the wax at the bottom. At this point the lava lamp enters its most functional stage. The wax rises and falls at regular intervals in smaller balls, creating the image of what most people picture when they think of lava lamps. Over time the wax heats hotter and hotter and the wax begins to stick to the top where the surface of the liquid is. At this point the wax forms into larger balls. Most of the time, a large ball begins to float, rotating near the bottom as hot liquid rises on the one side. This is the planetary stage, due to it's resemblance to planetary rotation (with the bottom being a make-shift "sun"). This rotation is increased with the release of wax bubbles (which look similar to yellow snot). These bubbles have little wax content and occur when air becomes trapped in the lava lamp (which is much the case with mine for it is old and some of the water content has evaporated). Gradually the mass at the top consumes the smaller globs of wax until eventually it devours 95% of the wax. I have dubbed this final stage of lava lamp development the "Lavapocalypse". Occationally the mass will cool enough for the globular beast to fall back towards the heat source, but the heat of the wax will reunite it with the mass at the top. At this point the lava lamp has reached the point of not functioning. To return the lamp to its natural state requires cooling. The entire processes takes about five to six hours.
I fixed a giant plot hole in chapter 8 that I discovered much to my dismay on the train two days ago while listening to some music and gazing out the window trying to ignore how cold it was and the awkward smell radiating off of the person next to me. It wasn't a BO smell, it was more like some sort of spice mixed with apple juice and wet, mouldy fabric. At any rate, I have fixed it and improved upon the dialogue at one of the most pivotal points in the narrative. I also made the situation a lot more dire and tense for one of my characters. Poor Myra.
I began imagining more of the ending as well. I hope this will be as fun to write as it is to think up. I want to be able to put the care and devotion I have for WMRR and put it into other writing projects of mine, including a novella I have in the works for my Fiction Writing II class. I want to be able to get better marks and improve in areas I am lacking. I am super jealous of one of my classmates for getting A's on all aspects of his story and the recommendation to submit. I'm also super proud of him for doing so well. His story was the only one that has actually made me cry in this class. Considering what we write about (with so much sex, violence and emotion), that's quite the accomplishment. Good on you sir. Hat's off to you.
I suppose I should return to writing about Henry VIII, Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation in England now. I managed 1000 words in 15minutes in this post alone. Why the hell can't I do that with a paper? I'd literally be done in 45mins. FML.
Showing posts with label chapter 8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chapter 8. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
String Cheese Manifesto
So my shit-tascular week is thankfully over. Tomorrow I'll get my poorly-written first short story torn to itty bitty bits. My class is generally good about being gentle with such matters, but it will be painful none-the-less. I am planning on actually going to all my classes this week (perish the thought) and I also plan to write like a madman...er woman.
I had about 4 days where I did absolutely nothing. I had to put my dog down last week, which really wounded me in a lot of ways. I'm still recovering. I'm just glad she had a long, mostly healthy life (nearly fifteen years...where the last year she was ill with Cushings). I'll miss her a lot, but I think after a weekend of mourning, spending time with family and friends and being lazy, I am ready to get serious about school and writing again.
I have two tiny little pieces breaking up chapter 8 and 9, which I am actually going to finish today (horray for outragiously long delays). Then I can move on to something completely different, chapter 10. I'm excited to write this one. Here we get a perspective deviating from what I've been writing for the first 90ish pages (it will be around 90 when I'm done the two chapters). I will post a completion percentage update later today when I'm done.
In other news, I have a Dungeon Keeper mission to play and record, my hours at work have been drastically reduced (THANK GOD), I get the Thanksgiving weekend off, we are probably not going to Vegas because we are all dirt-poor and I posted my first assignment in Fiction II here: http://drschwa.deviantart.com/#/d2zyycl. Some wonderful person favourited it. That made my day Saturday. It's not my finest work by any means, but I had a lot of fun writing it, which is what counts in the end.
More news unrelated to me!
All writers that come across this should check out:
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/feb/09/the-dull-new-global-novel/
This is disturbing in many ways. Good that works can be shared globally...bad in every other sense...
Contests!
First Person Narrative National Essay Contest
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
This Year’s Topic ~ Where I Come From
Essay Length ~ 2000-2500 words.
1st prize $500.00
2nd prize $300.00
3rd prize $200.00
With a special prize of $100.00 for Best Under Nineteen
Prizewinning essays will be selected by award-winning writer and CBC Radio Host
Bill Richardson and by Anne Fleming critically acclaimed author and creative writing teacher.
Submission Due Date ~ November 1, 2010
Prize Winners announced ~ December 10, 2010
Entries should be typed, single-sided, and double-spaced with your name, address and story title on a separate sheet. Parent/Guardian signature required for anyone under 19. Forms can be found on our web site. Entry fee is $10.00 payable to Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives by cheque. Free for anyone under 19. Contest details available at www.clga.ca
Send your stories, with payment, to
Jennifer Coffey
Managing Editor, QA
106 Walpole Avenue
Toronto ON M4L 2J3
The contest is open to all ages and all backgrounds.
All entries will be considered for publication in Keeping Our Stories Alive, Volume 1, A Journal of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.
ANDDDD ANOTHER ONE (For Canadians only sorry!)
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
18th Annual Short Prose Competition
for Developing Writers
$2,500 PRIZE
The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce that submissions are being accepted until November 10, 2010
for the 18TH ANNUAL SHORT PROSE COMPETITION FOR DEVELOPING WRITERS.
The winning entry will be the best Canadian work of 2,500 words in the English language, fiction or nonfiction, written by an unpublished author.
PRIZE
$2,500 for the winning entry and the entries of the winner and finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines.
JURY
Writers Tarek Fatah, K.V. Johansen, and Sharon Pollock will serve as the jury.
ELIGIBILITY
This competition is open to all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants who have not had a book published by a
commercial or university press in any genre and who do not currently have a contract with a book publisher. Original
and unpublished (English language) fiction or nonfiction.
HOW TO SUBMIT ENTRIES:
· Entries should be typed, double-spaced, in a clear twelve point font, and the pages numbered on 8.5 x 11 paper,
not stapled.
· Submissions will be accepted by hardcopy only.
· Include a separate cover letter with title of story, full name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count,
and number of pages of entry.
· Please type the name of entrant and the title of entry on each numbered page. This is not a blind competition.
· Make cheque or money order payable to The Writers' Union of Canada. Multiple entries can be submitted
together and fees can be added and paid with one cheque or money order, $25 per submission.
· Entries must be postmarked by November 10, 2010 to be eligible. Results will be announced in February 2011.
· Mail entries to: WFC Competition, The Writers’ Union of Canada, 90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200,
Toronto, ON M5C 1P1.
Results will be posted at www.writersunion.ca. Manuscripts will not be returned.
WOW long post. Last, but certainly not least...
Lately we've been talking in class about the differences between Albertan (North American Western) writers and other larger centres of writing like New York and Ontario. All those huge writing centres are so cut-throat and competative, which is good in a lot of ways, but after our class discussions, I have a new respect from writers who aren't attracted to those places. I recently went to a reading here in Calgary, and all the writers and other literature-related people were all so kind and talkative. We all don't mind helping each other out and sharing our writing experience with each other. Maybe this is because we aren't a HUGE centre of writing, but this is why I share contests and news. I like that kind of cooperative community.
I had about 4 days where I did absolutely nothing. I had to put my dog down last week, which really wounded me in a lot of ways. I'm still recovering. I'm just glad she had a long, mostly healthy life (nearly fifteen years...where the last year she was ill with Cushings). I'll miss her a lot, but I think after a weekend of mourning, spending time with family and friends and being lazy, I am ready to get serious about school and writing again.
I have two tiny little pieces breaking up chapter 8 and 9, which I am actually going to finish today (horray for outragiously long delays). Then I can move on to something completely different, chapter 10. I'm excited to write this one. Here we get a perspective deviating from what I've been writing for the first 90ish pages (it will be around 90 when I'm done the two chapters). I will post a completion percentage update later today when I'm done.
In other news, I have a Dungeon Keeper mission to play and record, my hours at work have been drastically reduced (THANK GOD), I get the Thanksgiving weekend off, we are probably not going to Vegas because we are all dirt-poor and I posted my first assignment in Fiction II here: http://drschwa.deviantart.com/#/d2zyycl. Some wonderful person favourited it. That made my day Saturday. It's not my finest work by any means, but I had a lot of fun writing it, which is what counts in the end.
More news unrelated to me!
All writers that come across this should check out:
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/feb/09/the-dull-new-global-novel/
This is disturbing in many ways. Good that works can be shared globally...bad in every other sense...
Contests!
First Person Narrative National Essay Contest
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
This Year’s Topic ~ Where I Come From
Essay Length ~ 2000-2500 words.
1st prize $500.00
2nd prize $300.00
3rd prize $200.00
With a special prize of $100.00 for Best Under Nineteen
Prizewinning essays will be selected by award-winning writer and CBC Radio Host
Bill Richardson and by Anne Fleming critically acclaimed author and creative writing teacher.
Submission Due Date ~ November 1, 2010
Prize Winners announced ~ December 10, 2010
Entries should be typed, single-sided, and double-spaced with your name, address and story title on a separate sheet. Parent/Guardian signature required for anyone under 19. Forms can be found on our web site. Entry fee is $10.00 payable to Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives by cheque. Free for anyone under 19. Contest details available at www.clga.ca
Send your stories, with payment, to
Jennifer Coffey
Managing Editor, QA
106 Walpole Avenue
Toronto ON M4L 2J3
The contest is open to all ages and all backgrounds.
All entries will be considered for publication in Keeping Our Stories Alive, Volume 1, A Journal of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.
ANDDDD ANOTHER ONE (For Canadians only sorry!)
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
18th Annual Short Prose Competition
for Developing Writers
$2,500 PRIZE
The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce that submissions are being accepted until November 10, 2010
for the 18TH ANNUAL SHORT PROSE COMPETITION FOR DEVELOPING WRITERS.
The winning entry will be the best Canadian work of 2,500 words in the English language, fiction or nonfiction, written by an unpublished author.
PRIZE
$2,500 for the winning entry and the entries of the winner and finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines.
JURY
Writers Tarek Fatah, K.V. Johansen, and Sharon Pollock will serve as the jury.
ELIGIBILITY
This competition is open to all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants who have not had a book published by a
commercial or university press in any genre and who do not currently have a contract with a book publisher. Original
and unpublished (English language) fiction or nonfiction.
HOW TO SUBMIT ENTRIES:
· Entries should be typed, double-spaced, in a clear twelve point font, and the pages numbered on 8.5 x 11 paper,
not stapled.
· Submissions will be accepted by hardcopy only.
· Include a separate cover letter with title of story, full name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count,
and number of pages of entry.
· Please type the name of entrant and the title of entry on each numbered page. This is not a blind competition.
· Make cheque or money order payable to The Writers' Union of Canada. Multiple entries can be submitted
together and fees can be added and paid with one cheque or money order, $25 per submission.
· Entries must be postmarked by November 10, 2010 to be eligible. Results will be announced in February 2011.
· Mail entries to: WFC Competition, The Writers’ Union of Canada, 90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200,
Toronto, ON M5C 1P1.
Results will be posted at www.writersunion.ca. Manuscripts will not be returned.
WOW long post. Last, but certainly not least...
Lately we've been talking in class about the differences between Albertan (North American Western) writers and other larger centres of writing like New York and Ontario. All those huge writing centres are so cut-throat and competative, which is good in a lot of ways, but after our class discussions, I have a new respect from writers who aren't attracted to those places. I recently went to a reading here in Calgary, and all the writers and other literature-related people were all so kind and talkative. We all don't mind helping each other out and sharing our writing experience with each other. Maybe this is because we aren't a HUGE centre of writing, but this is why I share contests and news. I like that kind of cooperative community.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Revelations
I just realized something rather strange. For the last few years (the last year especially), people keep asking me what I want to be when I "grow up". When I'm done school, ready to slave away in the work world and lay down my life for that carbon-copy, picket fence everyone more or less dreams of (we'll call the picket fence the "ideal future" since that idea is a little outdated by a few decades). In other words, people ask me what I will become, but they never ask what I am. Then I noticed that this is the same for everyone. For young people, hardly anyone cares who you are, what you do and what you love. Instead they treat you like a unimportant blank slate and ask what you'll be when you are older and more "interesting" (or carbon-copied). I think this is why I can't answer anyone when they ask me what I want to be after university (or high school since everyone seems to think I'm still a teenager). It's not because I'm in History and English and the uses of those degrees happen to be ambiguous, it's because I already am (more or less) what I will be in the future. Of course people change, but it seems like a stupid question to ask what a person will be, mainly because no one has any idea. I certainly don't. It's more useful to ask what a person currently is. For example, I can say I am a warrior writer who is battling as a retail slave in order to win the freedom of finance to travel to the mysterious land of Las Vegas in November and to defend a new-found love of skiing. That's a lot more exciting and realistic than saying "uh er I dunno maybe I'll try to uh teach or something...I reckon I'll go through the mill and knock the galley west".
I have no idea how the Old West slang got in there. I might just have to respond to people with that exact line now.
Maybe this is because I have been spending a long time with people 10-50 years older than I am. They have no idea how to talk to people younger than them, so they ask the same, safe questions. Just our way of being social I guess. Silence is more unnerving than petty chatter. At any rate, living in the now is a lot easier and practical (maybe I should be like my friend and attempt to disregard time altogether...though that would make scheduling difficult). The only dream I have at the moment is to get this damned book finished.
Speaking of which...I fixed some of the parts, cleaned up some lines and had a few giggles. I also wrote most of the missing part of chapter 8. SO CLOSE AAAAAA. In thinking about my characters and events, three of my main characters are a little blandish. I mean...some of the side characters are more exciting than them. Dan is one of the ones I need to liven up a bit. Dedrad too. Grypt is a little blandish, but that's part of his character, so I'll let it slip. I'm just glad I'm slogging away at this again. Writing does wonders for me. Life isn't so bad if you can live half of it in another scenarios, frame of mind, or world altogether.
I should post some excerpts.
I have no idea how the Old West slang got in there. I might just have to respond to people with that exact line now.
Maybe this is because I have been spending a long time with people 10-50 years older than I am. They have no idea how to talk to people younger than them, so they ask the same, safe questions. Just our way of being social I guess. Silence is more unnerving than petty chatter. At any rate, living in the now is a lot easier and practical (maybe I should be like my friend and attempt to disregard time altogether...though that would make scheduling difficult). The only dream I have at the moment is to get this damned book finished.
Speaking of which...I fixed some of the parts, cleaned up some lines and had a few giggles. I also wrote most of the missing part of chapter 8. SO CLOSE AAAAAA. In thinking about my characters and events, three of my main characters are a little blandish. I mean...some of the side characters are more exciting than them. Dan is one of the ones I need to liven up a bit. Dedrad too. Grypt is a little blandish, but that's part of his character, so I'll let it slip. I'm just glad I'm slogging away at this again. Writing does wonders for me. Life isn't so bad if you can live half of it in another scenarios, frame of mind, or world altogether.
I should post some excerpts.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Smells Nutty
I think sugar is the answer.
I have no idea where that huge depressive post came from before. One of those days I guess. As for writing, I think I'm ready to try again. I have to remember that if I want something, or want to get it done, I need to fight for it. None of this is going to come easy and the longer and harder I fight, the more I learn and the better I get. I'm ready to continue WMRR and Westwrimo. I love to write and I need to remember that when I get discouraged. I am not writing to sell. I am not writing to get fans and fame. I am not writing because I have to. I write because I love to write. It is what I do and who I am.
I have completed the bookshelf overhaul, and I must say it looks quite snazzy. I've got a shelf of classics, a doubled-up shelf of fantasy and science fiction, half a shelf of Canadian Authors, half a shelf of random books or an "odd shelf" (a term I picked up from Anne Fadiman's collection of essays entitled "Ex Libris"), a shelf of history/historical fiction and general fiction, and a shelf of graphic novels and horror (I included Sherrilyn Kenyon here since I don't have a "Romance" section and I don't consider her "Romance" overall...I'm also getting good at spelling her name without looking). The bottom shelf is reserved for my Sonic the Hedgehog comics collection (no comment please) and the very top shelf has borrowed books (because I need to remember what doesn't belong to me), religious books and larger series (like "Harry Potter" and the "Series of Unfortunate Events". My desk shelves contain manga and movies and my closet contains children and preteen books. Last but not least is my old nighttable with a large compartment below. This has all my English anthologies, language books, style guides and dictionaries. So now that my random project is complete and my bookshelf is looking rather top-heavy, I think I'm ready to get down to some serious work.
I will finish chapter 8 this week even if it kills me. And I mean that literally. My work keeps booking me for closing shifts. I even have a random 10 hour shift this week, which I am not pleased about. I also need to insert some important exposition into the prologue and chapter 3 concerning politics, the government structure and motivations. This won't be easy. Ash's motivations are the most important here. Poten's are easy (except in one tiny area that I've yet to work out). Ash is the real wild card here that I need to hammer out before I get further in the story. Something BIG will be happening in the next 4 chapters, which I'm stoked for. Chapter 8 is first on the list though. Once that is nice and complete in a pretty little package, I can move on.
Also, I decided I need to work more shifts with Jessica. Who knew RTV tags, nutty smelling boxes, random smelling soaps and the stickers on the bottom of glasses could be so amusing?
I have no idea where that huge depressive post came from before. One of those days I guess. As for writing, I think I'm ready to try again. I have to remember that if I want something, or want to get it done, I need to fight for it. None of this is going to come easy and the longer and harder I fight, the more I learn and the better I get. I'm ready to continue WMRR and Westwrimo. I love to write and I need to remember that when I get discouraged. I am not writing to sell. I am not writing to get fans and fame. I am not writing because I have to. I write because I love to write. It is what I do and who I am.
I have completed the bookshelf overhaul, and I must say it looks quite snazzy. I've got a shelf of classics, a doubled-up shelf of fantasy and science fiction, half a shelf of Canadian Authors, half a shelf of random books or an "odd shelf" (a term I picked up from Anne Fadiman's collection of essays entitled "Ex Libris"), a shelf of history/historical fiction and general fiction, and a shelf of graphic novels and horror (I included Sherrilyn Kenyon here since I don't have a "Romance" section and I don't consider her "Romance" overall...I'm also getting good at spelling her name without looking). The bottom shelf is reserved for my Sonic the Hedgehog comics collection (no comment please) and the very top shelf has borrowed books (because I need to remember what doesn't belong to me), religious books and larger series (like "Harry Potter" and the "Series of Unfortunate Events". My desk shelves contain manga and movies and my closet contains children and preteen books. Last but not least is my old nighttable with a large compartment below. This has all my English anthologies, language books, style guides and dictionaries. So now that my random project is complete and my bookshelf is looking rather top-heavy, I think I'm ready to get down to some serious work.
I will finish chapter 8 this week even if it kills me. And I mean that literally. My work keeps booking me for closing shifts. I even have a random 10 hour shift this week, which I am not pleased about. I also need to insert some important exposition into the prologue and chapter 3 concerning politics, the government structure and motivations. This won't be easy. Ash's motivations are the most important here. Poten's are easy (except in one tiny area that I've yet to work out). Ash is the real wild card here that I need to hammer out before I get further in the story. Something BIG will be happening in the next 4 chapters, which I'm stoked for. Chapter 8 is first on the list though. Once that is nice and complete in a pretty little package, I can move on.
Also, I decided I need to work more shifts with Jessica. Who knew RTV tags, nutty smelling boxes, random smelling soaps and the stickers on the bottom of glasses could be so amusing?
Monday, July 5, 2010
Chapter 7 ***Complete***
I've unlocked the satisfaction of finally completing mission 1! I'm also being rewarded with my first shift at my new job at 7-11am tomorrow morning! Yay?
This mission originally supposed to be one lengthy chapter ended up being THREE lengthy chapters. I needed a lot more room to say what I needed to say. The completion of the new Chapter 7 is the official mark indicating that a good third of the novel is finished. I can't tell you how good this feels, even though I know a lot of the writing is complete crap. I have the ideas, basic actions and dialogue down and that's what counts. I had so much fun writing about the Ash's battle with the giant minotaur and the Laelaps. Not only that this chapter completely changed events I thought would turn out differently later on in the novel (one of the reasons I don't write out of order...I'd just have to change it). Chapter 8 and 9 need some work now, but I've left a lot of room at the beginning of chapter 8 for this.
As a special treat because I'm in such a good mood, I will post the first portion of the battle with the robot minotaur here. Enjoy!
*PS - This is not edited yet, so there may be a few typos and odd choices of words. Action scenes can get a little crazy/muddled. At least they can for me.
Also, I uploaded this song on YouTube earlier today to show you what music I had in mind when writing this: Metal Mayhem
This piece is mostly for the first part of the battle (what I've pasted below). The piece could technically carry on to the second part, but I had this song in mind instead (the particular music is at 7:46): Baptism of Fire
<-->
“Not bad, but let's see how lucky you are against a military class robot after I take him out of defence mode.”
“He was only in defence mode?”
The general smiled. “C-Delta, offensive mode, target five feet at 135 degrees.”
The semi-circle of guards widened as the robot whirred to life behind Ash. He looked over his shoulder to see the robot rotate the upper half of his body to look at him with its yellow eyes. Before he could think of a suitable move the robot swung one of its arms, catching him in the stomach and throwing him back towards the general. He managed to hang onto his broadsword with one hand as he hit the ground and slid, the wind knocked out of him.
He watched the robot approach, analyzing it's parts and weapons as he gasped for air. It was fast for a machine. He rolled to the side as the minotaur tried to crush him with its enormous feet. The robot followed him with on of its arms and locked on to where he stopped to jump to his feet. A the loud clicking indicated it was trying to use the broken machine gun on its arm. The base of the machine gun popped out and a tiny piece began spinning uselessly on the end. Ash hardly started laughing before the robot took another swing at him, hitting him in the side. This time Ash hit the wall and lost his hold on his broadsword.
He heard laughs and jeers from the spectators as he cleared his head and searched frantically for his sword. The blade had bounced off the wall and skidded beneath the robot's feet, who was closing fast on his position. Again he rolled, aiming for the space between its legs. The robot threw a punch into the ground behind him, missing him by inches. He grasped the sword, swinging it to his right as he came out of the roll and stood. The sword deflected off the side of its leg armour, leaving little more than a scratch behind.
Ash jumped back before the robot could attempt to break his ribs with another swing. He looked for a weak spot, somewhere he could connect a successful swing of his sword. A lack of armour on the neck and joints exposed machinery in favour of mobility. The targets were small and the bot was in constant motion, so hitting the marks would be difficult. He needed to be faster than the machine. Ash glanced down at the coffee machine which had been knocked on its side. As the minotaur began to charge at him again he saw it lay in its path.
Ash raised another small shield around it as the robot stepped directly above it. He felt a sharp jolt surge through his head and spine as the weight of the minotaur nearly crushed the shield. The unexpected presence of the shield tripped the robot and it fell forward. Ash dashed to the left to avoid being hit by the falling heap of metal and struck the robot under its shoulder, nearly severing the arm from the robot. A one of the minotaur's cables leading into its arm broke, spilling think, black liquid all over the floor.
“Try and hit me now asshole,” Ash spat as he kicked the side of the minotaur.
Ash turned and went for the coffee machine on the floor at the minotaur's feet. As he bent to pick it up the robot spun around and kicked him in the small of the back, sending Ash flying face-first across the room into a group of soldiers watching. One of the soldiers broke his fall as the rest dove out of the way. Ash pushed away from the soldier and flipped onto his back. He groaned in pain as he rose.
“Kay, I deserved that...I think.”
<-->
FISH IN THE FACE!
This mission originally supposed to be one lengthy chapter ended up being THREE lengthy chapters. I needed a lot more room to say what I needed to say. The completion of the new Chapter 7 is the official mark indicating that a good third of the novel is finished. I can't tell you how good this feels, even though I know a lot of the writing is complete crap. I have the ideas, basic actions and dialogue down and that's what counts. I had so much fun writing about the Ash's battle with the giant minotaur and the Laelaps. Not only that this chapter completely changed events I thought would turn out differently later on in the novel (one of the reasons I don't write out of order...I'd just have to change it). Chapter 8 and 9 need some work now, but I've left a lot of room at the beginning of chapter 8 for this.
As a special treat because I'm in such a good mood, I will post the first portion of the battle with the robot minotaur here. Enjoy!
*PS - This is not edited yet, so there may be a few typos and odd choices of words. Action scenes can get a little crazy/muddled. At least they can for me.
Also, I uploaded this song on YouTube earlier today to show you what music I had in mind when writing this: Metal Mayhem
This piece is mostly for the first part of the battle (what I've pasted below). The piece could technically carry on to the second part, but I had this song in mind instead (the particular music is at 7:46): Baptism of Fire
<-->
“Not bad, but let's see how lucky you are against a military class robot after I take him out of defence mode.”
“He was only in defence mode?”
The general smiled. “C-Delta, offensive mode, target five feet at 135 degrees.”
The semi-circle of guards widened as the robot whirred to life behind Ash. He looked over his shoulder to see the robot rotate the upper half of his body to look at him with its yellow eyes. Before he could think of a suitable move the robot swung one of its arms, catching him in the stomach and throwing him back towards the general. He managed to hang onto his broadsword with one hand as he hit the ground and slid, the wind knocked out of him.
He watched the robot approach, analyzing it's parts and weapons as he gasped for air. It was fast for a machine. He rolled to the side as the minotaur tried to crush him with its enormous feet. The robot followed him with on of its arms and locked on to where he stopped to jump to his feet. A the loud clicking indicated it was trying to use the broken machine gun on its arm. The base of the machine gun popped out and a tiny piece began spinning uselessly on the end. Ash hardly started laughing before the robot took another swing at him, hitting him in the side. This time Ash hit the wall and lost his hold on his broadsword.
He heard laughs and jeers from the spectators as he cleared his head and searched frantically for his sword. The blade had bounced off the wall and skidded beneath the robot's feet, who was closing fast on his position. Again he rolled, aiming for the space between its legs. The robot threw a punch into the ground behind him, missing him by inches. He grasped the sword, swinging it to his right as he came out of the roll and stood. The sword deflected off the side of its leg armour, leaving little more than a scratch behind.
Ash jumped back before the robot could attempt to break his ribs with another swing. He looked for a weak spot, somewhere he could connect a successful swing of his sword. A lack of armour on the neck and joints exposed machinery in favour of mobility. The targets were small and the bot was in constant motion, so hitting the marks would be difficult. He needed to be faster than the machine. Ash glanced down at the coffee machine which had been knocked on its side. As the minotaur began to charge at him again he saw it lay in its path.
Ash raised another small shield around it as the robot stepped directly above it. He felt a sharp jolt surge through his head and spine as the weight of the minotaur nearly crushed the shield. The unexpected presence of the shield tripped the robot and it fell forward. Ash dashed to the left to avoid being hit by the falling heap of metal and struck the robot under its shoulder, nearly severing the arm from the robot. A one of the minotaur's cables leading into its arm broke, spilling think, black liquid all over the floor.
“Try and hit me now asshole,” Ash spat as he kicked the side of the minotaur.
Ash turned and went for the coffee machine on the floor at the minotaur's feet. As he bent to pick it up the robot spun around and kicked him in the small of the back, sending Ash flying face-first across the room into a group of soldiers watching. One of the soldiers broke his fall as the rest dove out of the way. Ash pushed away from the soldier and flipped onto his back. He groaned in pain as he rose.
“Kay, I deserved that...I think.”
<-->
FISH IN THE FACE!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Orchard of Mines
I am almost done chapter 6. I have decided that another chapter on the Eastern Base is needed to conclude this portion of the story. If I kept going, chapter 6 would be over 7000 words. I think I want to switch to Ash's perspective anyway, especially for the upcoming battle involving the giant robot minotaur, the Laelaps class operatives and the effects of a very special coffee machine. This...probably makes no sense. Excellent. I am also about halfway through chapter 8...which I guess will be chapter 9 now. How annoying. At any rate, I'm not certain how to finish the one part, because I'm not sure what Myra will do in the situation she's in. I know how Ash will react, but I can't decide on Myra. ARGH.
Just to prove I've made progress since the last page count update...here's a new page count update!
Current rough draft completion: 39.2% (prolly more like 35% because I'm most likely going to have more pages than planned)
Overall completion: 29.4%
Word Count: 35,314
Some music I have been listening to tonight for the writing of chapter 6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RxRDaXjiEw&playnext_from=TL&videos=U6Tq68JV9c8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzQkN8ACpg&playnext_from=TL&videos=U6Tq68JV9c8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08CGkW3LS6E&playnext_from=TL&videos=LiOKWLMUvfk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Er8obVq07s&playnext_from=TL&videos=0pIoD3NPK68
Just to prove I've made progress since the last page count update...here's a new page count update!
Current rough draft completion: 39.2% (prolly more like 35% because I'm most likely going to have more pages than planned)
Overall completion: 29.4%
Word Count: 35,314
Some music I have been listening to tonight for the writing of chapter 6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RxRDaXjiEw&playnext_from=TL&videos=U6Tq68JV9c8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzQkN8ACpg&playnext_from=TL&videos=U6Tq68JV9c8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08CGkW3LS6E&playnext_from=TL&videos=LiOKWLMUvfk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Er8obVq07s&playnext_from=TL&videos=0pIoD3NPK68
Monday, May 3, 2010
Free Comic Book Day?
For the fifth year in a row, I have forgotten about it and remembered two days later that I intended to go. One day, I will go to the comic store for the event. One day...
So uh, I didn't finish chapter 6. I started chapter 8 instead. I still wasn't sure how to incorporate all I wanted to into the chapter, so I skipped ahead to something I knew how to write. I'm about 1/3 through chapter 8 now. I keep getting distracted by shiny video games and parties at friend's houses. I should be done a lot more, but I figure I'm in no hurry now that I'm certain I can't make the May 31 deadline. I do, however, have the urge to write. Now that I have no school to worry about, I'm constantly working out my ideas and possible plot holes. I also realized that I need more information about the political structures of this world I'm building. I'm a little vague on the details.
In other news, I updated EGAW Tips. I guess it should actually be "EGAWT", but that's besides the point. New information on points of view, vocabulary and grammar. I also noticed that some people have been finding their way to my website without me linking them. I'd love to insert a giant smiley face here if I could. I know that I can't get anyone to view my work or critic it if I don't advertise, so I'm gradually trying to expand my existence on the interwebs. So far I've determined that only a handful of people view this blog aside from myself and that's good enough for me. Thank you whoever you are for having even the slightest interest in my activities. Invisible support is better than none!
So uh, I didn't finish chapter 6. I started chapter 8 instead. I still wasn't sure how to incorporate all I wanted to into the chapter, so I skipped ahead to something I knew how to write. I'm about 1/3 through chapter 8 now. I keep getting distracted by shiny video games and parties at friend's houses. I should be done a lot more, but I figure I'm in no hurry now that I'm certain I can't make the May 31 deadline. I do, however, have the urge to write. Now that I have no school to worry about, I'm constantly working out my ideas and possible plot holes. I also realized that I need more information about the political structures of this world I'm building. I'm a little vague on the details.
In other news, I updated EGAW Tips. I guess it should actually be "EGAWT", but that's besides the point. New information on points of view, vocabulary and grammar. I also noticed that some people have been finding their way to my website without me linking them. I'd love to insert a giant smiley face here if I could. I know that I can't get anyone to view my work or critic it if I don't advertise, so I'm gradually trying to expand my existence on the interwebs. So far I've determined that only a handful of people view this blog aside from myself and that's good enough for me. Thank you whoever you are for having even the slightest interest in my activities. Invisible support is better than none!
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