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Monday, April 21, 2008

Danae's story

I am one those people who believe that every person has a novel in them. As a writer, I write novels all the time. Not all of them are especially good, and those are the ones that I hope good editors will help me pick up, or inform me that I need to do massive rewrites before I will even look at them.

For me, this concept that I am looking forward towards has the feel of that one great novel that every person will, or has the capacity to write in their lifetime.

In reference to the novel I spoke about in my last post -we will give it here the working title of Danae's story- I have sat down to discover a split narrative in the beginning that was never present in any of the previous incarnations of the writing of the story. This has presented some problems, as well as some obvious excitement.

One - The split narrative encompasses the story of the main character's parents. This is great, as both of her parents come from minor races within Danae's world, and in following their stories up to, and just following Danae's birth, this will give me a chance to look at a part of the world that would not have been immediately visible through the eyes of the character, Mikael, in the scene I depicted last time.

Two - Always before, Mikael started the story just before coming across the four year old girl child, Danae, whom he is to take a guardianship of. This potentially causes me some issues with reconciling the original timeline to what I have now, but I have faith that it will be something through which I can persevere.

I've also been doing some reading on politics for my Liberal Arts course this week, and that can only help me with the political situation of the main cities of Danae's story.


Nikki Watson.

Friday, April 18, 2008

On the beginnings of a doctorate...

I'm looking at doing a novel for my PhD. I know. I must first get past my degree, then into a year of honors, and after that, if my work is seen as good enough, only then will I be accepted into a PhD. But I've always believed in looking ahead, something like five years ahead in his instance. It's good to keep perspective.

And so I have a novel in mind. It's a novel which has been bouncing around in my head, on and off, since I was about 16. Of course, at 16, my writing was terrible. But there was a lot of thought that went into that terrible writing, so that now, at 24, I think I'm starting to build enough world understanding, and writing experience, and together, combined, I might actually be able to make something truly magnificent out of this story.

Or maybe I'm fooling myself, but it might be an interesting discovery to document in the world of blogging either way.

On Wednesday this week, I sat down to my computer, ignored my internet connection for a couple of hours, and set about just writing one scene of, what I hope might end up, my proposed doctorate. It went well.

The scene that I wrote encompassed a lot of backstory that was drawn from a bit of context that I know about the world from having written in it for the last eight years. Making the realisation that the "plot" starts about half way through the original "story" means that I need to contextualise things slightly different. For example, the cities that this story unfolds within. There are three of them: the first city, which has just come out from under the thumb of a dictatorship; the second city, which was destroyed in a magical war several generations before my narrative starts up, and the third city, one built with water, and trade in mind in the foremost.

I think that the main moment I expressed, when getting this one scene down this week, was a feeling of understanding the wider scope of what does and does not, what has and has not, made cities in various agricultural areas work over the span of our history. I am currently enrolled in a Liberal Arts course, and that's got everything you're ever going to need to get into second year at university. It has your history, your literature, sociology, politics, etc, and then, of course, it goes into how all of these disciplines interconnect with each other. Now my novel is an alternative history, fantasy novel, but I think that some of the same rules do apply. A city that is built with a coast of water on most sides should prosper. But if it is far away from the two first cities, and is the last to come into its own, then that gives explanation as to why it is only the third, and presumedly least important, of the three cities.

The scene that I got written was more than 2,000 words, which is good for me, as I too often have a tendency to write shorter scenes than I would like. It's something I'm working on. But perhaps, if this rule to only write one scene in a sitting, for this novel, takes hold, then I'll find a lot more writing being put into each scene.

Anyway, I like the idea of keeping track of my progress, so that means you all will get to too.

Happy weekend!


Nikki Watson.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Fellowship of the Rings, a beginning. ;)

Right, so I said I was reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time, right? Starting with Fellowship. Well, here is what I think so far...

Chapter One.
Hobbits: Yay, Gandalf is awesome!!
Bilbo: Gandalf, my old friend.
Gandalf: Bilbo, give me the ring.
Bilbo: Don't wanna. :(
Gandalf: Bilbo...
Bilbo: Don't wanna! >:(
Gandalf: Bilbo!
Bilbo: Okay. Oh, I feel better now. Right, I'm heading off now.

Chapter Two.
Hobbits: Ooh, don't know if we trust that strange Gandolf character since Bilbo went and disappeared. Bilbo always was real crazy.
Sam: But I hear that there are Elves nearby, and they are so cool.
Hobbits: Yes Sam.
Gandalf: *reappears*
Frodo: Gandalf, my old friend!
Gandalf: Have you got the ring?
Frodo: Yes...
Gandalf: You must destroy it.
Frodo: *throws in the fire*
Gandalf: That won't work.
Frodo: *gives it to Gandalf*
Gandalf: Frodo!
Frodo: Fine, I'll carry it.
Sam: Yay, we'll get to see Elves!!

Chapter Three.
Gandalf: Hurry, go from here, I'll really, really be back to see you before you go.
Frodo: Really?
Gandalf: Yes really. *goes*
Frodo: Where's Gandalf?
Sam: Elves!! Let's go, quickly, Elves!!
Frodo: No seriously, where's Gandalf?
Sam: But Eeeelves!!
Frodo: Okay, guess we'll see Gandalf on the way...
Sam: Eep, a Black Rider!
Pippin: Was that really a Black Rider?
Frodo: Of course he was. Didn't you see that sniffing thing he did??
Pippin: Ooh! Eep, another Black Rider.
Gildor: Hello! I am an Elf. You should travel with us, because Gandalf is not here and with us, you will be safe.
Sam: (Yay, *squee*, Elves!!)


Nikki Watson. ;)

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

On Conventions

I've given a lot of thought to promotions in person. More thought recently, that is, in the last month, since I know that Tease Publishing his heavy on author promotions. So I've been looking into a few conventions, namely Context 21 in Ohio, USA.

Now, a friend of mine who grew up in American, has been recently looking at ticket prices for a visit back home on holiday. Obviously, the off season tickets will be cheaper than peak season. Still, from Melbourne, Australia, the cost to Ohio would be steep, and that's without looking at hotel accommodations and the like.

This is where we get to thinking that writing from Australia to an American market is not unlike shooting oneself in the foot.

But no! I have been following the Australian Romance Readers Convention on Blogger (Yes, I am another person who is utterly addicted to the thing) and not only do I find that they are holding the convention -not in Sydney, but in Melbourne- I find that they are holding it, literally, within walking distance from my house.

Held on February 20-22, 2009. Of course, by that stage, I'll almost certainly have moved house to somewhere a little further out of the city, but okay, I'll be taking a train five stops instead of walking. I don't think I look fussed by that. On the whole, I feel excited!!

One of the speakers already picked up is Sherrilyn Kenyon, and for sure there will be the usual panels and various convention details that make conventions so exciting.

So. I'll definitely be going to that, picking up tickets as soon as they are available. I just have to wait for it to roll around, now.


Nikki Watson.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

The Lord of the Rings

I've just started reading the Fellowship of the Ring recently, for as a fantasy writer myself, it seems quite bad to have never read the series in its entirety. This isn't the first time that I have started at this project, but it is the first time that I have gotten so far into it without getting distracted by other things.



I'm really enjoying it so far. No doubt it'll be another of those things that I end up putting impressions of as I go along. :D


Nikki Watson.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Tease Tarot Acceptance!!

I just found out the best news in the most bizarre of ways! My novel submission for the Tease Tarot line with Tease Publishing has been accepted! Unfortunately for me, the acceptance letter was caught up in my spam folder, but I found it anyway but accidentally putting something else there and having to dig it out!

Color this the face of someone who's very excited! And luckily for me, this letter doesn't seem to be dated more than a day ago. Phew!

See this post from a little under a month ago for more information about the story: Unity - by Nikki Watson