A Quick Overview

Here’s my ROW80 (Round 3) weekend update.  I’ve made some great story-crafting progress this week, especially as it pertains to one of my major villains, but more on that in a minute.  First, I want to give you a quick overview of where my “Sword & Sorcery” story-world is in its development so far.  Keep in mind that everything at this point is in the conceptual-stage of development; constantly evolving and ever changing. 

Note: A [bracketed word] means that the idea is conceptual, or that it is yet unnamed. 

All my “Sword & Sorcery” stories take place on an “Alternate-Earth” type planet.  This [World] was three main continents, each separated by vast treacherous seas.  These continents are the [Civilized Continent], the [Wild Continent], and the [Mystical Continent]. 

• The [Civilized Continent] has beautiful cities, rival kingdoms, and competing nations.  Don’t let the name fool you, it can be anything but civilized.  It is steeped in history as it contains the majority of the population of the [World].  Magic is feared and forbidden here.  All magic and monsters have been purged from the land long ago, after the [Great Arcane War].  

• The [Wild Continent] resides on the farthest outskirts of the trading routes of the [Civilized Continent], untamed and mostly undiscovered.  It has some ancient outposts along the coastlines, but they have long been claimed by jungle overgrowth.  This is a very primitive land inhabited by dangerous wild creatures and great beasts.  Survival is the law of the land here. 

• The [Mystical Continent] resides on the other side of the [World], cloaked in mystical fog and mystery.  It hosts the [World]’s oldest history, with ancient ruins and magical secrets located throughout this enchanted and accursed land.  It is sparsely populated with reclusive sorcerers, arcane cultists and remnant monstrosities.

There are several reasons why I wanted my story-world to be unified on one planet, yet separated by locations.  By separating locations, I have created for myself an “ultimate sandbox” to play in, leaving open all the story-possibilities that I want to tell.  On the [Civilized Continent], I can write classically-styled heroic fantasy.  On the [Wild Continent], I can write action-adventure fantasy.  And on the [Mystical Continent], I can write "fantaisie-noir".  All vary in tone, mood and style.  I unified my story-world on one planet because I wanted to leave open the possibility of shared history or maybe even a world-battle, but for now, each location will have there own unique characters and situations.  I have considered a few cross-over characters, like the [Mariner], the [Mercenary], and the [Scribe], but that won’t happen until I get further in a series. 

My “Sword & Sorcery” product-line will consist on three major series; an [Arcane Series], a [Rogue Series], and a [Warrior Series].  My sixteen story-idea threads are divided (almost) evenly between these three series.  Many are stand-alone stories, but some have potential for trilogies.  Scattered within are twenty-seven main characters and twenty villains.  Of them, I have a few candidates for “legendary status”, meaning these characters are my favorites, will have multiple adventures, and will represent my heroic fantasy franchise.  No “Sword & Sorcery” franchise would be complete without a least one Conan-esque hero, so my [Warrior Series] has one.  My [Legendary Hero] is just as strong and skilled with the sword, but is more fully-clothed (most of the time).  My [Warrior Series] also has an Amazon-like heroine I’ve dubbed the [Monster Huntress].  Yes, she hunts monsters.  In my [Rogue Series], my franchise character is the [Mercenary].  Others in this series may share in his action-adventures, but they are all under-developed so far, so I haven’t decided on their status yet.  My [Arcane Series] franchise characters are the [Grand Magister] and the [Arcane Warrior], who are both sorcerer-warriors (think sword-master, martial-artist and Jedi-master combined) battling the [Arch-Sorcerer] and his [Acolytes] for control of forbidden magic and power supremacy.  I’m still working on the magic-system. 

Which brings me to the major villain I mentioned at the top of this post.  For the past couple of days, I’ve been obsessed with one of the lesser-developed villains in my [Arcane Series].  His conceptual name is the [Savant] and he has great magical super-powers that I’m not yet ready to reveal.  But let’s just say that his unique talents are sought by both rival factions, and that he is a danger to himself and to others if his powers aren’t safely harnessed and properly controlled.  The [Arch-Sorcerer] villain secretly takes an interest in his talents and has sinister plans for him in the future.  All I can tell you now is that he will have a profound affect on many characters and plots in my [Arcane Series].  He is my “fallen hero” and the first I’ve developed with a negative character-arc.  Exciting stuff!  More details later.

Against the background of somber, primitive forest she posed with an unconscious picturesqueness, bizarre and out of place.  She should have been posed against a background of sea clouds, painted masts, and wheeling gulls.  There was the color of the sea in her wide eyes.  And that was as it should have been, because this was Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, whose deeds are celebrated in song and ballad wherever seafarers gather.
— (Excerpt from, Red Nails, by Robert E. Howard)

That’s all for now.  Keep the Fire Burning!
Please visit the other writers in the ROW80 Community…

Plotting and Plodding Along

Two weeks into ROW80 (Round 3) and I’m still trying to outline the various stories I have for my “Sword & Sorcery” universe.  Either time is racing by too quickly or I’m just a slow writer (maybe both, probably neither).  Actually, I’ve learned some valuable lessons about story-crafting this week.  I’ve learned that outlining is a whole different mindset from idea-creation.  Up until now, I’ve let my Muse run wild in the wilderness so that she can freely create fascinating characters and situations for my story-world.  She has done a wonderful job so far and I thank her for that.  It’s always best to keep my Muse and my Inner-Editor separated from each other if any story-crafting is to get done.  My Inner-Editor doesn’t play nicely with her, so I keep him locked away in a dark cage while she’s frolicking in the sunshine.  But now that I have a few basic characters and story-ideas, I need to take the next step and give them story structure.  That’s where my Inner-Editor comes in.  So out from his cage comes my Inner-Editor and into the shadows hides my Muse.  It’s his job to organize my Muse’s chaotic mess of fragmented ideas and concepts and to try to put them into some sort of coherent story-telling structure.  His analytical-mind gives direction and form to her ethereal creations.  I’m learning that this process takes longer than I had expected it to take.  Whereas my Muse’s creative-mind is agile and fluid, my Inner-Editor’s analytical-mind is slow and methodical.  This probably explains my slow progress right now.  But that's okay.  That’s how it should be, I guess.  After all, outlining is one the most important aspects of story-crafting, so I can't just skim over it.  It’s the spine of my story-skeleton.  Once this outlining process is relatively complete, I will shove my Inner-Editor back into his cold, dank dungeon where he can do little harm to the creative process.  I’ll then coax my Muse out of the shadows again so that she can scamper within the boundaries of the new playground he has built for her.  So that’s where I am right now; hyper-analyzing every story possibility with my Inner-Editor.  I’ve made some good progress towards a couple of my stories this week.  Most of my previously created characters have been just standing around, waiting for their first adventure.  Well, this week, my Inner-Editor has giving one of my main characters purpose.  This hero has been matched with a worthy opponent, both of them having conflicting story-goals.  Knowing the opposition has made structuring his first story easier.  I’m still trying to decide on the main dramatic situation and possible subplots, but I’ve made headway with this particular character.  I’ll detail that progress more in my next post.

His eyes swept the blood-stained ranks, seeking expressions of wrath or jealousy.  He saw none.  The fury was gone from the ebon faces.  He realized that to these men Bêlit was more than a woman; a goddess whose will was unquestioned.  He glanced at the Argus, wallowing in the crimson sea-wash, heeling far over, her decks awash, held up by the grappling-irons.  He glanced at the blue-fringed shore, at the far green hazes of the ocean, at the vibrant figure which stood before him; and his barbaric soul stirred within him.  To quest these shining blue realms with that white-skinned young tiger-cat — to love, laugh, wander and pillage — “I’ll sail with you,” he grunted, shaking the red drops from his blade.
— (Excerpt from, Queen of the Black Coast, by Robert E. Howard)

That’s all for now.  Keep the Fire Burning!
Please visit the other writers in the ROW80 Community…

It's All Coming Together

I’d say that the first week of ROW80 (Round 3) has been relatively productive, as I’ve made a few breakthroughs in previous story-ideas, and I've added a new hero and story-arc to my list of potential works.  So far, within my “sword & sorcery” story-world, I have sixteen different story-ideas that I’ve been working on, each with their own unique characters and conflicts.  Some of these story-ideas are more developed than others, having obvious plot progression and climax resolution, while others are nothing more than scene-ideas or story-fragments; partial aspects of a grander story, possibly with epic trilogy potential.  Within these story-ideas, I have developed over twenty-seven main characters and nearly twenty villains, each with unique personalities based on various heroic (and villainous) archetypes.  The possibilities, thus far, have been endless, which has been both a blessing and burden.  I am thankful to my Muse for these story-ideas and characters, yet pairing the correct character with the correct story has been quite a challenge.  I’m constantly evaluating whether or not the character I have in one story might be better suited for a different story, and vice versa.  And thus, the aforementioned breakthrough.  I had been struggling with a few of my stories because my characters were mismatched for the story I wanted to tell.  By swapping two main characters and splitting-off a third into a new character type, I was able to pair them all up correctly to their proper stories.  Now, these stories feel right.  You may be thinking, “Sixteen stories?  C’mon man, pick a story and write it already.  Focus, dude!”  Yeah, I know, my Inner-Editor says the same thing all the time.  I wish it were that easy.  These stories are still in their discovery phase, meaning all of the “What If” scenarios have yet to be fully explored.  I may eventually combine many of these characters and plots, so I don’t want to commit to any one of them fully right now.  Instead, I will develop these story-threads separately, treating them as character-studies within simple plot-structures that may be woven into a larger story someday.  I’ll have to see where these stories take me.  Some may be origin stories for some of my legendary characters, so I’m also trying to keep that in mind as I write.  For instance, some of the story-ideas have epic trilogy potential.  Those are the ones that I want to develop further.  A few of my characters will reach legendary status within my story-world, accomplishing heroic feats and eventually mentoring some of the future heroes that are yet to follow in their footsteps.  For these legendary characters, I plan on developing their complete character-arcs over three books, showing their skill progression from novice to adept to mastery.  Exciting stuff!  It’s all coming together, albeit, at a slow and steady pace.  So far, I’m happy with the progress.  Each step in my writing journey takes me closer to my authorship destination.

Conan did not see what she cast upon the fire, but the wolf whimpered in his dreams, and a green smoke gathered and billowed up into the hut.  And as he watched, the walls and ceilings of the hut seemed to widen, to grow remote and vanish, merging with infinite immensities; the smoke rolled about him, blotting out everything.  And in it, forms moved and faded and stood out in startling clarity.
— (Excerpt from The Hour of the Dragon, by Robert E. Howard)

That’s all for now.  Keep the Fire Burning!
Please visit the other writers in the ROW80 Community…

ROW80 "Summer Round" Goals

The “Summer Round” of ROW80 is finally here!  Over these past few weeks, I’ve been looking forward to the resumption of this 80-day writing challenge.  July always gets me fired-up and motivated.  For me, it’s a time for reflection of the past six months and for a commitment to the six months yet to come.  The year is half over, and there is so much that needs doing before the next.  There are stories in my head that need telling.  So many stories and time’s a wasting, right?  Well, not so fast.  These stories need to be told well.  They need to be told properly so they can have the most impact and reach their fullest potential as a story.  Thus is the writer’s dilemma; to write fast and to write well.  As with any new skill, mastery will come with time, effort and patience.  I remind myself that the process is a journey, not a destination.  I just need to be in the present, to realize where I am on that journey, and to learn and grow as I move forward through the wilderness towards my potential horizons. 

Many of you know me from the previous round, but for those new to this round, I think a reintroduction of myself is in order.  I'm a (somewhat-talented) visual artist that has been sketching and drawing ever since I was able to hold a pencil in my hand.  As a boy, I'd draw epic stories in comic-book style, for hours on end, often making gruesome battlefield noises as I drew.  Writing came later in my youth, during my teenage years.  As my drawing skills improved, I wanted better stories for my comics, something other than just cool battle scenes.  So I learned to write my stories first, then draw what I wrote.  The stories were sophomoric by today’s standards, but they gave context to my drawings and added a whole new level of immersion to my art.  I'm grown now, but that boy still remains inside me, and still hopes to create that epic comic someday (or ‘graphic novel’ as they're called today), maybe after I'm financially self-sufficient.  So why have I returned to writing?  Stories, that's why.  I love reading stories, but I also love creating my own stories; stories that I can't find anywhere else; stories that only I can write.  Most profoundly, I'm drawn back to writing (as an art form) because of it's scalability.  The time and effort put into crafting a novel can repeatedly pay-off financially with every sale of that novel, over and over again, throughout one’s lifetime and beyond.  Books are intellectual property assets that can be a steady source of income.  Conversely, the time spend on one art project, let’s say a painting, only results in one financial transaction, the selling of that painting to one buyer.  With scalable income, the time and effort is spent once, but the income generated by that time and effort can continue for many years thereafter.  Hopefully, through writing novels, I can someday have the financial freedom to support my “art habit.”

So, how did I get here?  I rediscovered writing last year.  Ever since my participation in last November’s writing challenge, I have been obsessed with the prospect of becoming a “heroic fantasy” author.  During that time, I successfully wrote fifty-thousand words of story-ideas and world-building content, laying the foundation of my “Sword & Sorcery” fantasy-world.  I had intended to continue writing after the challenge, but struggled to keep the momentum going.  By chance, I discovered the “A Round of Words in 80-Days” writing challenge.  The premise of the challenge intrigued me; four “rounds” a year, each lasting eighty days, with self-set word-counts and goals, posted to a blog twice a week.  Perfect!  It was exactly what I needed; discipline and accountability.  I joined the “Spring Round” of ROW80 in March and successfully participated in it.  I set some achievable, albeit ambitious, goals for myself, hoping to write to these arbitrary word-count numbers that I had designated for myself, but that wasn’t my standard for success or failure this time around.  For the “Spring Round”, I just wanted to serendipitously experience it, to see for myself what I was capable of achieving, and to establish a baseline for future rounds.  By going this route, I assured my success so long as I wrote consistently each day and publicly reported my progress each week.  Which brings me to the present.

Goals for ROW80 (Round 3)
For the "Summer Round" of ROW80, I plan to write 60,000 words towards my “Sword & Sorcery” story-world.  This will include world-building, character development, and story-crafting.  I have several story-candidates that I want to develop further and plan on taking at least one of those story ideas to completion during that time.  I currently have fifteen story-ideas that I’m working on, each with their own characters and villains, and I’m setting-up and organizing each one so that I can work on them during this round.  Decisions will be made once I narrow my choices and work out some story issues first.  I’ll elaborate more on that in my mid-week post.  I plan on reading at least one "heroic fantasy" novel (or several short-stories) per month while I’m writing, just to keep my writing fresh and to learn from the works of other authors in my genre.  Of course, I have a lot to learn about writing, and plan to read at least one book a month on the craft of story-telling.  This is an easy goal for me as I am constantly reading about writing more than I am actually writing (which I hope to change here).  Finally, I plan to write two blog posts per week here, publicly sharing the discoveries and adventures of my writing journey. 

Excerpts
As many of you know by now, I love the “Sword and Sorcery” fantasy genre.  Every post, I try to bring to you an excerpt from the master story-tellers of that genre.  Not surprisingly, Robert E. Howard, being the originator and father of that genre, is my favorite author.  One day I hope to emulate and duplicate his story-telling prowess, but in my own style and voice, of course.  As many of you know, I usually start my post with an excerpt on the top of the post, but I’ve decided to move it to the bottom of the post instead.  Two reasons.  First, my blog posts from here show up on Google Plus with only the first few lines visible to entice the reader.  Since I promote myself and ROW80 there, I want the first words that viewers see of my posts to be my own.  Secondly, as much as I want to introduce examples of this genre to the world, I realize that it's importance is secondary to my own writing journey, which is what this blog is all about.  So, yeah, if you like the excerpts, they’ll be at the bottom of each post (see below).

“The going grew rougher, the scenery more rugged, steep grassy slopes pitching up to densely timbered mountainsides.  Here, he knew, he might elude his hunters, but for that hellish bird that squalled incessantly above him.  He could no longer see them in this broken country, but he was certain that they still followed him, guided unerringly by their feathered allies.  That black shape became like a demonic incubus, hounding him through measureless hells.  The stones he hurled with a curse went wide or fell harmless, though in his youth he had felled hawks on the wing.”
— (Excerpt from The Hour of the Dragon, by Robert E. Howard)

This post is long, so I'll end it here.  Keep the Fire Burning!
Please visit the other writers in the ROW80 Community…