As fun as "The Itch Only Love Can Surpass" was to write, its a bit much to have on my front page...as the first post people see on the blog.
I'd like to note that it was totally written on an implied dare.
That...I chose to imply...
ANYWAYS. I finished Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings, and it was really very good. I can't wait for the rest of that series, as well as whatever else he's going to be throwing the public's way. I'm looking forward to next year's Alloy of Law and The Rithmatist.
In the meantime, Winter Break means I've got a bit of time to work on the ever looming Will of Thedosis, which is now at about 22,000 words. I've been stuck deep in the novel's 6th chapter for...well, 4 months now. I have this feeling that once this chapter is done it'll start flowing out a little more easily. Its a long, sort of complex chapter...
Enough excuses! in terms of page-count its 67 right now and I'm just getting started. I think its going to be a good length. As its my first novel I don't think I'm going to be looking into publishing right away. I think I want to just be able to prove to myself that I can write a novel from cover to cover. Its very different from writing a play. I think dialogue flows a little more easily for me. This description nonsense takes me forever to get just right.
That's the other thing! I tend to write very slowly, very deliberately, with very little editing later. Some people suggest writing quickly and editing heavily after, to just get the ideas on the page before you loose them. Maybe I ought to try to build some new habits.
Might take a while though.
Anyways, I'm super tired and bogged down now, so I'm going to probably stare at my word processor for another hour or so and then give up and go to bed.
Merry Holidaymas to you all
Showing posts with label Will of Thedosis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will of Thedosis. Show all posts
Friday, December 24, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
'The Will' - Dialogue Challenge
For Brandon Sanderson's writing exercise:
The Will
“Its quite a banquet out there, Nina”
“Its quite the occasion, Diogenes. A great victory for my tribe. You’ve changed the Bluefeet’s lives, you know.”
“People’s lives are constantly changing...everything we do changes somebody’s life.”
“Please, Diogenes, don’t be so modest. It was a brilliant strategy, well executed and effective in ways we didn’t think possible. The Bluefeet needn’t worry about the Bronzebacks anymore. You can count that a significant change.”
“I wasn’t without my motives.”
“Ah. Of course not. Well, my men recovered it in the aftermath. Here’s your book.”
“The Will of Thedosis.”
“Mmhm. Few know of it now, and even less follow it. The Bronzebacks do."
“Did.”
“Did. Did you think that if what you’re looking for is really in those pages, the book wouldn’t have disappeared?”
“I had considered that, yes.”
“And yet...”
“Nina, why do we think magic is magic?”
“Because...it...lets people do the impossible.”
“But does it? The Mages have existed your entire life, my entire life - we’ve existed in the same world as them for years, centuries...and in all that time, everything they have been able to do has been possible...technically. Because they could do it.”
“Well yes, but its impossible for you and me.”
“Alright...say there’s an archer.”
“There’s an archer.”
“A world class archer, the envy of every would-be marksman in Ter-Thalla.”
“Mmhm?”
“If he were to strike a target at the center, ten times out of ten, could you match his feat?”
“No...”
“Then how are the Mages any different?”
“Well its not a skill with them, its just...an ability. Its something that just happens.”
“What about a blind man then? Take a man, born without sight, who has developed extraordinary hearing to compensate. Could you hear everything he hears?”
“Probably not...”
“It doesn’t matter that some have it and some don’t. Magic exists, and its existence lets us accept it. Its...commonplace, in a way. What’s so magical about that?”
“What’s your point, Diogenes?”
“We think magic is magical because there was a time before it. It was bestowed on humanity, and at that point, it was an impossibility.”
“No, I mean what does that have to do with the book?”
“If there was a time before magic, the people of that time would have longed for it. Imagined the impossible and made it their dearest wish. Everybody’s done that at some point.”
“And now we have magic. Well, not we, but somebody...”
“So there’s got to be something else fantastic and impossible to wish for. That’s what I seek.”
“So you’ve decided to look in a dead book?”
“There’s a reason it fell out of favor.”
“Being?”
“Well I don’t know. But there was a reason. Political, philosophical, maybe it just went out of style. In any case, there’s something in these pages about what I’m looking for. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, but like I said, its a dead book for a dead faith. You think you’ll find a way to bring your wife back in there?”
“Not...well...”
“What?”
“...The detective. Do you know his purpose?”
“The one out there? With the crowbar?”
“I really don’t understand the fascination with the crowbar...”
“He’s investigating...a series of murders, I think.”
“And the razing of Azugrad city.”
“But that was the Bronzebacks. They set Azugrad ablaze...he thinks that’s related?”
“It is related.”
“But he doesn’t think so.”
“No. He doesn’t know.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Because the Bronzebacks didn’t burn down Azugrad.”
“And the killer did?”
“Yes.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because the detective is looking for me.”
“...Stay back.”
“Nina, listen.”
“The Bronzebacks never went near Azugrad, did they?”
“Does that change anything? They still terrorized your people!”
“Do you even know how many people-”
“Twelve. Eleven in Saphiir, one in Azugrad.”
“One? The city burned all night!”
“I killed one person. It was one too many.”
“What about the other eleven?”
“Eleven too many.”
“I...Thedosis, this is...”
“Would you let me explain?”
“No! Diogenes, what...no.”
“Nina, listen!”
“The soldiers, the ones the Mages sent from the Capitol, they never had a reason to fight the Bronzebacks, did they? They were looking for you all along!”
“And those soldiers, once again, saved your tribe from-”
“You just lured them in and tricked them into dying for our cause?”
“It isn’t that simple.”
“And they don’t know.”
“Our deal was simple. I helped you defeat those brutes and I got the book.”
“Because you wanted to bring your wife back.”
“Yes, but what I’m trying to explain to you is that it wasn’t ever just my wife!”
“What?”
“Look, after I lost her I couldn’t stay...I couldn’t keep fighting in that awful war. So I left, to sort everything out in my mind...and after two years of searching, the only thing I thought would ease this wrenching feeling in me was...well, revenge.”
“So you started killing people.”
“The ones I knew were responsible for the war. Davin, for the weaponry that made it possible for the people to fight back against the Mages...the generals and commanders, on both sides...”
“And that made you feel better? So that justifies everything?
“No! Well...it did, but only for a little while. And every time, I’d feel this relief. Just...utter relief. Sometimes only for moments, but in that moment it was worth it.”
“Worth it.”
“It didn’t last.”
“Oh no?”
“No, it was always replaced with this ugly mixture of guilt and...crushing anxiety.”
“Anxiety?”
“Well that’s the only word I can think of to describe it.”
“No, it makes sense. I’d be anxious too if I’d just killed that many people!”
“Nina, try to stop passing judgment for just a minute and try to understand what I’m trying to say.”
“What are you trying to say?”
*“That this book is my way out! Out of the cycle...because the guilt keeps building and building, and the only way it goes away is when I...”
“Oh my god...you...”
“But then you told me about this book! About what it could, maybe, do...for years people believed that this man, or God, what you will...Thedosis. People believed he brought down his magic from the outside and gave it to us.”
“Wait, just...”
“Listen. He made the impossible possible.”
“This isn’t a guarantee! I don’t know what’s in that book, Gene.”
“Could you not call me that?”
“What?”
“She called me that...”
“So there’s no letting go for you is there?”
“I told you, its not just her. You told me this Thedosis brought us magic. And that he supposedly wrote this Will to help us lead our lives.”
“Supposedly.”
“Its better than nothing. Every time I slit one of their throats, this guilt kept building. Its always right here.”
“And what if you can’t bring them all back then? What if there’s some limitation, or its all fake to begin with?”
“Then that’s the reality I’ll be saddled with. That’s what I’ll have to accept, and I’ll either find another way to settle my soul or go insane. Until then, any possibility gives me something to focus on. To ward away the guilt.”
“And what of the soldiers you manipulated? You did that after I told you about the Will. You can’t take back their deaths, even if you could bring them back. Not completely.”
“I couldn’t. But at least they wouldn’t have to suffer for my wrongdoing. I’d still be guilty, yes...but I can’t even ask forgiveness from a corpse.”
“No, I can’t believe...Look, if I had never even mentioned the myths behind this book would you feel any obligation to find a way to absolve yourself? No, you’d continue on this path, killing people until there was nobody left to justify murdering! What would ease your anxiety then?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’d just go on killing anyone? Reason or no?”
“Maybe. Probably.”
“Then why shouldn’t I walk right back out there and tell them all what you’ve just told me?”
“Because then there would never be a chance to bring any of them back! This book would be lost again, I’m sure of it.”
“You’re doing this for you.”
“Yes. Everything we do is selfish.”
“Do you honestly think you deserve a chance at redemption?”
“Only because everybody is supposed to deserve one.”
“So you deserve to ‘settle your soul’ with this impossible quest, or, failing that, delusion?”
“Everything we do is selfish...but everything we do also changes somebody’s life. Sometimes what we might need most can be what someone else needs even more.”
“And if you fail?”
“Then the hope is gone. That doesn’t mean I’d forget why I tried.”
“You’re trying to save your soul.”
“Yes.”
“And if that’s impossible?”
“It is impossible. But who’s known for making the impossible possible?”
“Thedosis...”
“Thedosis.”
“...Open the book.”
The Will
“Its quite a banquet out there, Nina”
“Its quite the occasion, Diogenes. A great victory for my tribe. You’ve changed the Bluefeet’s lives, you know.”
“People’s lives are constantly changing...everything we do changes somebody’s life.”
“Please, Diogenes, don’t be so modest. It was a brilliant strategy, well executed and effective in ways we didn’t think possible. The Bluefeet needn’t worry about the Bronzebacks anymore. You can count that a significant change.”
“I wasn’t without my motives.”
“Ah. Of course not. Well, my men recovered it in the aftermath. Here’s your book.”
“The Will of Thedosis.”
“Mmhm. Few know of it now, and even less follow it. The Bronzebacks do."
“Did.”
“Did. Did you think that if what you’re looking for is really in those pages, the book wouldn’t have disappeared?”
“I had considered that, yes.”
“And yet...”
“Nina, why do we think magic is magic?”
“Because...it...lets people do the impossible.”
“But does it? The Mages have existed your entire life, my entire life - we’ve existed in the same world as them for years, centuries...and in all that time, everything they have been able to do has been possible...technically. Because they could do it.”
“Well yes, but its impossible for you and me.”
“Alright...say there’s an archer.”
“There’s an archer.”
“A world class archer, the envy of every would-be marksman in Ter-Thalla.”
“Mmhm?”
“If he were to strike a target at the center, ten times out of ten, could you match his feat?”
“No...”
“Then how are the Mages any different?”
“Well its not a skill with them, its just...an ability. Its something that just happens.”
“What about a blind man then? Take a man, born without sight, who has developed extraordinary hearing to compensate. Could you hear everything he hears?”
“Probably not...”
“It doesn’t matter that some have it and some don’t. Magic exists, and its existence lets us accept it. Its...commonplace, in a way. What’s so magical about that?”
“What’s your point, Diogenes?”
“We think magic is magical because there was a time before it. It was bestowed on humanity, and at that point, it was an impossibility.”
“No, I mean what does that have to do with the book?”
“If there was a time before magic, the people of that time would have longed for it. Imagined the impossible and made it their dearest wish. Everybody’s done that at some point.”
“And now we have magic. Well, not we, but somebody...”
“So there’s got to be something else fantastic and impossible to wish for. That’s what I seek.”
“So you’ve decided to look in a dead book?”
“There’s a reason it fell out of favor.”
“Being?”
“Well I don’t know. But there was a reason. Political, philosophical, maybe it just went out of style. In any case, there’s something in these pages about what I’m looking for. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, but like I said, its a dead book for a dead faith. You think you’ll find a way to bring your wife back in there?”
“Not...well...”
“What?”
“...The detective. Do you know his purpose?”
“The one out there? With the crowbar?”
“I really don’t understand the fascination with the crowbar...”
“He’s investigating...a series of murders, I think.”
“And the razing of Azugrad city.”
“But that was the Bronzebacks. They set Azugrad ablaze...he thinks that’s related?”
“It is related.”
“But he doesn’t think so.”
“No. He doesn’t know.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Because the Bronzebacks didn’t burn down Azugrad.”
“And the killer did?”
“Yes.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because the detective is looking for me.”
“...Stay back.”
“Nina, listen.”
“The Bronzebacks never went near Azugrad, did they?”
“Does that change anything? They still terrorized your people!”
“Do you even know how many people-”
“Twelve. Eleven in Saphiir, one in Azugrad.”
“One? The city burned all night!”
“I killed one person. It was one too many.”
“What about the other eleven?”
“Eleven too many.”
“I...Thedosis, this is...”
“Would you let me explain?”
“No! Diogenes, what...no.”
“Nina, listen!”
“The soldiers, the ones the Mages sent from the Capitol, they never had a reason to fight the Bronzebacks, did they? They were looking for you all along!”
“And those soldiers, once again, saved your tribe from-”
“You just lured them in and tricked them into dying for our cause?”
“It isn’t that simple.”
“And they don’t know.”
“Our deal was simple. I helped you defeat those brutes and I got the book.”
“Because you wanted to bring your wife back.”
“Yes, but what I’m trying to explain to you is that it wasn’t ever just my wife!”
“What?”
“Look, after I lost her I couldn’t stay...I couldn’t keep fighting in that awful war. So I left, to sort everything out in my mind...and after two years of searching, the only thing I thought would ease this wrenching feeling in me was...well, revenge.”
“So you started killing people.”
“The ones I knew were responsible for the war. Davin, for the weaponry that made it possible for the people to fight back against the Mages...the generals and commanders, on both sides...”
“And that made you feel better? So that justifies everything?
“No! Well...it did, but only for a little while. And every time, I’d feel this relief. Just...utter relief. Sometimes only for moments, but in that moment it was worth it.”
“Worth it.”
“It didn’t last.”
“Oh no?”
“No, it was always replaced with this ugly mixture of guilt and...crushing anxiety.”
“Anxiety?”
“Well that’s the only word I can think of to describe it.”
“No, it makes sense. I’d be anxious too if I’d just killed that many people!”
“Nina, try to stop passing judgment for just a minute and try to understand what I’m trying to say.”
“What are you trying to say?”
*“That this book is my way out! Out of the cycle...because the guilt keeps building and building, and the only way it goes away is when I...”
“Oh my god...you...”
“But then you told me about this book! About what it could, maybe, do...for years people believed that this man, or God, what you will...Thedosis. People believed he brought down his magic from the outside and gave it to us.”
“Wait, just...”
“Listen. He made the impossible possible.”
“This isn’t a guarantee! I don’t know what’s in that book, Gene.”
“Could you not call me that?”
“What?”
“She called me that...”
“So there’s no letting go for you is there?”
“I told you, its not just her. You told me this Thedosis brought us magic. And that he supposedly wrote this Will to help us lead our lives.”
“Supposedly.”
“Its better than nothing. Every time I slit one of their throats, this guilt kept building. Its always right here.”
“And what if you can’t bring them all back then? What if there’s some limitation, or its all fake to begin with?”
“Then that’s the reality I’ll be saddled with. That’s what I’ll have to accept, and I’ll either find another way to settle my soul or go insane. Until then, any possibility gives me something to focus on. To ward away the guilt.”
“And what of the soldiers you manipulated? You did that after I told you about the Will. You can’t take back their deaths, even if you could bring them back. Not completely.”
“I couldn’t. But at least they wouldn’t have to suffer for my wrongdoing. I’d still be guilty, yes...but I can’t even ask forgiveness from a corpse.”
“No, I can’t believe...Look, if I had never even mentioned the myths behind this book would you feel any obligation to find a way to absolve yourself? No, you’d continue on this path, killing people until there was nobody left to justify murdering! What would ease your anxiety then?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’d just go on killing anyone? Reason or no?”
“Maybe. Probably.”
“Then why shouldn’t I walk right back out there and tell them all what you’ve just told me?”
“Because then there would never be a chance to bring any of them back! This book would be lost again, I’m sure of it.”
“You’re doing this for you.”
“Yes. Everything we do is selfish.”
“Do you honestly think you deserve a chance at redemption?”
“Only because everybody is supposed to deserve one.”
“So you deserve to ‘settle your soul’ with this impossible quest, or, failing that, delusion?”
“Everything we do is selfish...but everything we do also changes somebody’s life. Sometimes what we might need most can be what someone else needs even more.”
“And if you fail?”
“Then the hope is gone. That doesn’t mean I’d forget why I tried.”
“You’re trying to save your soul.”
“Yes.”
“And if that’s impossible?”
“It is impossible. But who’s known for making the impossible possible?”
“Thedosis...”
“Thedosis.”
“...Open the book.”
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Will of Thedosis
I'm currently working on a fantasy novel, inspired by the works of Brandon Sanderson (really a very talented writer, check him out, seriously), titled "The Will of Thedosis"
It was up until recently titled 'The Will of Prometheus', but I luckily managed to conjure a more original title. Here's the basic premise:
In the land of Ter Thalla, there is a city called Saphiir. Saphiir was ruled by an aristocracy of Mages, who use their magic to subjugate the common people. While they took care of their base needs, they governed in a way that stifled any growth or advancement on the part of the people. For example, the government controlled which businesses were granted the permits necessary to hire Mages - and in a magocratic society, its impossible to stay competitive without magic assistance.
So industry and technology are stunted as magic is used to solve most problems. Then, one day an inventor named Davin meets a revolutionary named Aguina in the town of Azugrad, over the blue mountains. He returns to his home in Saphiir, and sets to work on a secret project - the Davin Explosive Projectile Triggered Weapon.
Also known as the gun.
Soon, Aguina's revolution breaks out and spreads to Saphiir, and a common people's army rises. Armed with Davin weaponry, they find that they actually prove a match for their magical oppressors. At the same time, infused with the spirit of independence, the common people form up a group of scientists and researchers tasked with unlocking the secret of magic. Why do a select few stumble on the power that keeps the majority of the populace in the dark?
Through their research and meditation they stumble on what they at first thing is magic...and it is, but not in the conventional sense. They discover that there are two kinds of magic: The magic of the aristocracy, which they dub Extromancy as it allows one to control things outside of oneself. I.E. telekinesis, heating and cooling objects, etc.
What they discover instead is Intromancy, a magic that allows full control over brain and body functions. All of a sudden the limits placed on muscles by the brain can be tangibly felt and manipulated as needed. Hearing can be dimmed for improved sight and vice versa.
Those researchers who discover Intromancy become the Generals of the Common People's Army. Between them and Davin's guns, the tide turns...
just enough to reach a stalemate.
The council of mages convened and declared that to end the war the restrictions on the common people would be laxed slightly, and a single representative could join them on the council. While the people saw this as not nearly enough, the aristocracy felt deeply betrayed.
And so, in the manner of most compromises, nobody was happy. On the other hand, nobody was dying anymore.
And this all takes place before the book starts! Isn't that fun?
The book opens on Saphiir two years later. Davin and his son Leo has a growing business through a forge that prides itself on products made without magic. Entias Olloi, the Council representative of the common people is doing his best to earn equality for the masses bit by bit.
And a forgotten figure from the war returns, killing key figures from the days of that conflict.
Perry Curtis the common detective, Leo Davin the inventor's son, Douglass Olloi the traitor magician and Phillip Aguina, son of a revolutionary come together to hunt a killer...and discover secrets about the land of Ter Thalla that have been lost for centuries.
So there you have it - Part murder mystery, part hero's journey, part redemption tale and all fun...I hope!
It was up until recently titled 'The Will of Prometheus', but I luckily managed to conjure a more original title. Here's the basic premise:
In the land of Ter Thalla, there is a city called Saphiir. Saphiir was ruled by an aristocracy of Mages, who use their magic to subjugate the common people. While they took care of their base needs, they governed in a way that stifled any growth or advancement on the part of the people. For example, the government controlled which businesses were granted the permits necessary to hire Mages - and in a magocratic society, its impossible to stay competitive without magic assistance.
So industry and technology are stunted as magic is used to solve most problems. Then, one day an inventor named Davin meets a revolutionary named Aguina in the town of Azugrad, over the blue mountains. He returns to his home in Saphiir, and sets to work on a secret project - the Davin Explosive Projectile Triggered Weapon.
Also known as the gun.
Soon, Aguina's revolution breaks out and spreads to Saphiir, and a common people's army rises. Armed with Davin weaponry, they find that they actually prove a match for their magical oppressors. At the same time, infused with the spirit of independence, the common people form up a group of scientists and researchers tasked with unlocking the secret of magic. Why do a select few stumble on the power that keeps the majority of the populace in the dark?
Through their research and meditation they stumble on what they at first thing is magic...and it is, but not in the conventional sense. They discover that there are two kinds of magic: The magic of the aristocracy, which they dub Extromancy as it allows one to control things outside of oneself. I.E. telekinesis, heating and cooling objects, etc.
What they discover instead is Intromancy, a magic that allows full control over brain and body functions. All of a sudden the limits placed on muscles by the brain can be tangibly felt and manipulated as needed. Hearing can be dimmed for improved sight and vice versa.
Those researchers who discover Intromancy become the Generals of the Common People's Army. Between them and Davin's guns, the tide turns...
just enough to reach a stalemate.
The council of mages convened and declared that to end the war the restrictions on the common people would be laxed slightly, and a single representative could join them on the council. While the people saw this as not nearly enough, the aristocracy felt deeply betrayed.
And so, in the manner of most compromises, nobody was happy. On the other hand, nobody was dying anymore.
And this all takes place before the book starts! Isn't that fun?
The book opens on Saphiir two years later. Davin and his son Leo has a growing business through a forge that prides itself on products made without magic. Entias Olloi, the Council representative of the common people is doing his best to earn equality for the masses bit by bit.
And a forgotten figure from the war returns, killing key figures from the days of that conflict.
Perry Curtis the common detective, Leo Davin the inventor's son, Douglass Olloi the traitor magician and Phillip Aguina, son of a revolutionary come together to hunt a killer...and discover secrets about the land of Ter Thalla that have been lost for centuries.
So there you have it - Part murder mystery, part hero's journey, part redemption tale and all fun...I hope!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Brandon Sanderson Signing!
So I attended Brandon Sanderson's signing today in San Fransisco at a great little bookshop called Borderlands Books. Its completely fantasy/sci-fi dedicated and its kind of amazing guys. So visit it if you're in town, because its got everything there to geek out, and the people are SUPER super nice.
But anyways. Speaking of super nice people, Brandon Sanderson is one of them! and I'm so glad that's the case, because if my inspiration and role-model of a writer were a jerk, that would...be sad. But he's super awesome so its Ok!
The Man, The Legend, The Sanderson.
So first he did a reading from the prelude (aka, prologue to the prologue) of The Way of Kings, his new book. And already I am hooked and can't wait to actually read it for myself. Its unfortunately been a long day with a lot of choir performances before and after the signing, so time has been sadly lacking.
The Way of Kings is a gorgeous book, possibly the only tome of its kind that I have ever seen. Its filled with in-world illustrations (because sometimes we forget that characters can be documentors as well) and it just seems like a really intricate piece of fantasy that needs some heavy duty reading. And I'm very very excited to do that.
I got a question in during Brandon's Q&A About book endings, asking how he approached them and if he knew how books ended as he wrote them.
So what he said was that he plots out books backwards, but writes them forwards. He outlines the big climactic events and works back to figure out how they happen.
BUT, and this was the interesting part to me, the characters are the most important part of the writing process from there. Namely, if a character forms in a way that doesn't allow the outline to play out a planned, then the outline gets chucked and redone.
This was worrying to me because with the Will of Prometheus, I don't know how it ends yet. I have a vague idea of how it ends, but (I guess in the tradition of Stephen King) I'm trying to discovery write this piece.
I guess I have my vague ideas and if something better comes along as things form more concretely, I let that take over.
Revelations like that happen all the time for me. Just last night I realized that the reason why the plot outline I thought I was going to pursue wasn't going to work was because I was trying to write the story as a murder mystery, when really it isn't a pure detective story. Its an epic redemption tale that happens to feature a detective and a serial killer.
that was huge because it means that I don't have to conceal the killer most of the time. The reason why THAT doesn't work is because...well, there's no way to conceal him. He's at the center of the story. its HIS story.
It'd be like trying to tell Star Wars from the perspective of Wedge Antilles.
Note: If that was too nerdy for you, I've listed a couple other (probably equally nerdy) analogies to help you out.
It'd be like trying to tell the Lord of the Rings from the perspective of Treebeard. (except that would be pretty cool...)
Like telling the Titanic (the Leonardo DiCaprio one) from the perspective of the captain. How foolish!
Like telling Harry Potter from the perspective of Professor Flitwick, or, dare I say it, Twilight from the perspective of a rational human being!
that kid Mike comes to mind.
BUT I ramble. Back the Sanderson!
He's got a running joke with his fans that people give him Magic, the Gathering cards because...he's a junkie. He's a HUGE nerd, basically, which is the best thing ever, basically.
A slightly more accurate The Man. The Legend. The Sanderson
So I not only got him a couple booster backs, but I did some original artwork for him, which he seemed to appreciate.
Here's a crappy photo of it:
If you can't read that words, it says "The King of Magic Systems"...because that is exactly what he is!
So he signed my books, putting in a note in the Way of Kings that said "Thank you so much for the art!"
because he's amazing that way.
ANYWAYS - here are the books I picked up at Borderlands today:
1 Hardcover Way of Kings (signed)
1 Hardcover Mistborn (signed)
1 Hardcover Well of Ascension (signed)
1 Hardcover Hero of Ages (signed)
3 Paperback Mistborn
2 Paperback Warbreaker
1 Paperback Elantris
AND here's a picture of my Brandon Sanderson collection. Because...its awesome.
So I got to tell him the story of how I walked into a bookstore one day, looking to rekindle my love of fantasy, and picked up Mistborn. I got to tell him about how that changed everything for me, about how he inspired me to get into writing fantasy. He said that he loves hearing that and to keep at it.
And so keep at it I shall.
He said he'll post the picture later, so maybe I can get some notoriety and a quality photo up when that happens.
Tomorrow I aim to blast the big post about the Will of Prometheus, that I can direct people to when they ask what I'm working on these days. Its pretty exciting stuff for me, and I'm thinking I'll post some sample chapters as well.
If I remember something I forgot, I'll add it in to this post as an edit. :D
But anyways. Speaking of super nice people, Brandon Sanderson is one of them! and I'm so glad that's the case, because if my inspiration and role-model of a writer were a jerk, that would...be sad. But he's super awesome so its Ok!
The Man, The Legend, The Sanderson. So first he did a reading from the prelude (aka, prologue to the prologue) of The Way of Kings, his new book. And already I am hooked and can't wait to actually read it for myself. Its unfortunately been a long day with a lot of choir performances before and after the signing, so time has been sadly lacking.
The Way of Kings is a gorgeous book, possibly the only tome of its kind that I have ever seen. Its filled with in-world illustrations (because sometimes we forget that characters can be documentors as well) and it just seems like a really intricate piece of fantasy that needs some heavy duty reading. And I'm very very excited to do that.
I got a question in during Brandon's Q&A About book endings, asking how he approached them and if he knew how books ended as he wrote them.
So what he said was that he plots out books backwards, but writes them forwards. He outlines the big climactic events and works back to figure out how they happen.
BUT, and this was the interesting part to me, the characters are the most important part of the writing process from there. Namely, if a character forms in a way that doesn't allow the outline to play out a planned, then the outline gets chucked and redone.
This was worrying to me because with the Will of Prometheus, I don't know how it ends yet. I have a vague idea of how it ends, but (I guess in the tradition of Stephen King) I'm trying to discovery write this piece.
I guess I have my vague ideas and if something better comes along as things form more concretely, I let that take over.
Revelations like that happen all the time for me. Just last night I realized that the reason why the plot outline I thought I was going to pursue wasn't going to work was because I was trying to write the story as a murder mystery, when really it isn't a pure detective story. Its an epic redemption tale that happens to feature a detective and a serial killer.
that was huge because it means that I don't have to conceal the killer most of the time. The reason why THAT doesn't work is because...well, there's no way to conceal him. He's at the center of the story. its HIS story.
It'd be like trying to tell Star Wars from the perspective of Wedge Antilles.
Note: If that was too nerdy for you, I've listed a couple other (probably equally nerdy) analogies to help you out.
It'd be like trying to tell the Lord of the Rings from the perspective of Treebeard. (except that would be pretty cool...)
Like telling the Titanic (the Leonardo DiCaprio one) from the perspective of the captain. How foolish!
Like telling Harry Potter from the perspective of Professor Flitwick, or, dare I say it, Twilight from the perspective of a rational human being!
that kid Mike comes to mind.
BUT I ramble. Back the Sanderson!
He's got a running joke with his fans that people give him Magic, the Gathering cards because...he's a junkie. He's a HUGE nerd, basically, which is the best thing ever, basically.
A slightly more accurate The Man. The Legend. The Sanderson
So I not only got him a couple booster backs, but I did some original artwork for him, which he seemed to appreciate.
Here's a crappy photo of it:
If you can't read that words, it says "The King of Magic Systems"...because that is exactly what he is!So he signed my books, putting in a note in the Way of Kings that said "Thank you so much for the art!"
because he's amazing that way.
ANYWAYS - here are the books I picked up at Borderlands today:
1 Hardcover Way of Kings (signed)
1 Hardcover Mistborn (signed)
1 Hardcover Well of Ascension (signed)
1 Hardcover Hero of Ages (signed)
3 Paperback Mistborn
2 Paperback Warbreaker
1 Paperback Elantris
AND here's a picture of my Brandon Sanderson collection. Because...its awesome.
So I got to tell him the story of how I walked into a bookstore one day, looking to rekindle my love of fantasy, and picked up Mistborn. I got to tell him about how that changed everything for me, about how he inspired me to get into writing fantasy. He said that he loves hearing that and to keep at it.
And so keep at it I shall.
He said he'll post the picture later, so maybe I can get some notoriety and a quality photo up when that happens.
Tomorrow I aim to blast the big post about the Will of Prometheus, that I can direct people to when they ask what I'm working on these days. Its pretty exciting stuff for me, and I'm thinking I'll post some sample chapters as well.
If I remember something I forgot, I'll add it in to this post as an edit. :D
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