My reason - er, excuse - for being 'away' is easily explained.

I didn't realize how long it had been since I last went on here.  And here's an update on general things.

"My life ain't busy but my fingers are." - Me.

Hehe, yes, I made that up.  Why?  Because I've been typing like a pyromaniac, setting fire to my keyboard with fast clickings... okay, not really, but it sounds cool.  No?

Anyway, I have written several thousand words this week, the most I've written since NaNoWriMo, and I continue to write more and more, stacking up the words like... like a Walmart employee stacks... uh... tuna cans, you know?  The little round cans that are so much wider than they are tall?

Getting back on track, I'll simply state my current novel, Antartica 22, is coming along nicely.  A rough estimate is by the end of this summer.  It is, after all, going to be a long novel.

Volleyball:  Thursday was alright, the practicing went both better and worse than normal.  This means I was better at hitting the ball when it came to me, or I at least didn't spike it against my own side, but I missed it several times when I should have been able to hit it.

Plus, just before I served for the last time, we took a short break and someone kicked an extra volleyball.  Kicked it REALLY hard, and I unluckily was in the way of the ball, so it felt almost like I got a concussion when it hit my head.  I felt extremely dizzy and also like I was going to vomit.

Anyway, that's just about all I have to say.

~The WordWeaver
 
If you didn't finish your short story... don't worry, I didn't either.

In fact, I think the only person who did was General Jaguar Scout.  Let's give him a round of applause.

*Silence*

*Claps*

Anyway.

I have 2,000 words written for my short story, so far, because I admit I wasn't very focused - heh, what was I thinking trying to write a Short Story AND 2 novels???  But, I'm glad I at least have that much done, and I will be continuing to work on it in my spare time.

However (and that's a big however).

I'm busy - quite busy.

I keep laying off things I need to do... post on my blog... take a shower... brush my teeth... write a novel... you get the picture.

And volleyball isn't working out quite as well as I would have hoped.

I hit the ball up two days ago (practice day).  Yup, I hit it up.  That shows I'm improving a TON.  No, really, I'm not being sarcastic.

Something's come up with volleyball that gives me a chance of survival though.

THEY MIGHT NOT PICK ME!!!

What I mean is that since 9 players (no more, no less) make up 1 team, and there has to be 2 girls on each team, and the youth group doesn't have more than 2 girls to play, there can only be 1 team, as we usually have 2.

If you understand the confused paragraph above, it's simply stating there aren't enough female players to make up 2 teams.  So we just have 1 team this year, which leaves out some of the youth so they can't play.

I might be one - because I'm not the best player.

I'm not exactly sure if I want to play volleyball in a tournament so...

Un-decidedly,
~The WordWeaver
 
(Taking some time away from posting about writing, as that has been basically all I've done for a while).

Love - or at least real love - is 3-D.  It's not something that's just there, like in soap-operas, and it isn't over dramatized either.  I'll explain what I mean about not being over dramatized.

Number 1, love doesn't mean two people who are engaged and to be married, it means someone who will sacrifice all they have for someone else.

Number 2, real love isn't love on sight.  Nor is it like a romance story where two people hate each other, but then end up loving each other later on.

While that might happen occasionally, it sure isn't the most common.

Real love is something that is more about someone who will sacrifice his or her self for someone they love (i.e., someone they care about).

And lastly, love isn't 2-D.  It is not something that just happens, as in a movie, it's something that God gives.  And that is '3-D' love.

~

Happy Valentine's Day!

~The WordWeaver
 
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners… It’s gonna take awhile.  It’s normal to take 

awhile.  You just gotta fight your way through.” – Ira Glass.
The quote above is true.  Very true.

But I guess that's all.

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  Think on it, later I'll post something more about it.
 
A man once said that you must write million words to attain the quality of work that could be published.  That man was Isaac (somebody or other, I forget his surname), and to some extent he's wrong.  And to some extent, he's right.

He did not mean one millions words figuratively, else what would the point in saying it be?

Isaac (whoever), may have been right in his time, but not now.  The introduction of Ebooks would forever change his statement.

The reason?

It used to be so, so much harder than it is now to make a book - and when it takes that much work, it's got to be worth it.

Ebooks has virtually no work in it (except for formatting, which is irrelevant here).

And so, you see, he's wrong - partly.

The reason he's right - partly - is because if you publish something, it shouldn't be good, it shouldn't be okay, average, par, or standard, it should be exceptional.  And writing million words - not to just write them, but to write them from your heart - will make you  and extraordinary writer.

And it's possible to write 1 million words.

If you write 1,000 words per day (7 days a week), for 1,000 days, which is just barely 4 years, you'll have written 1 million words.

I'll try to do this, seriously, I'll try, starting today, February 9th, 2013.  And sometime in my life I will do this... but, I do not expect to write 1 million words.  If I write 500,000, I'll be just as happy. :D

(By the way, since the middle of the summer, when I started seriously writing, I have written over 130,000 words, :D)

So yes, that's why I'm going to be busy...

An over ambitious WordWeaver, writing out.
 
First, I have a few very important things to announce...

I have come to an idea that I know is worthy of being published.  But, before I start to work on it, I need to know if you (that is anyone who reads this) think it is worthy also.  And so, if you wish – and I would appreciate it immensely – if you (and that is to anyone) would look over my story, my plot, my character development, as I go through this journey.

I intend to publish this, traditionally, but I need ‘proofies’.  So basically, that’s what I’m asking.  Could you?  Would you?  If you do, you will certainly earn a slot in the ‘special thank you’ page, before the book.

So… yeah.

Email me telling me if you want to.  At the moment, I only have the plot settled on, but I need you to look over it because – frankly – it takes more than 1 person to write a book – if you understand me.

Email:  [email protected]

~The WordWeaver


~
Second, I got an amazing idea... another idea.  This one is very weird, very unusual, but very cool.  No one else in the world has done it before, and it's a daunting task, one which I will take on - and accomplish.

I can't tell you much about it, because it's hush hush right now, but it'll be cool... no, not just cool, it'll sweep your minds away.  I can't tell you more than that, because it's a mystery... hehe...

More News:

I'm going to be gone for a while.  Well, not exactly gone, but not here, on this blog, for about a week.  Why?  Because I have so many ideas, so many things I want to write, that sadly, I can't do both.

Here's a *short* list of what I'm planning/doing.

The novel that I am asking for 'proofies' above.
The novella I wrote a bit about further up (hint... Fishchips *wink*).
Editing TTT.
Finishing up Vengeance's Blade.
Beginning A Monster's Roar (a tentative title for VB's sequel)
Plotting out Frozen Hope (third book in the series)
Plotting for the fourth book
Plotting for the fifth book (all the same series).
(This is not the series now) Fourth Legend (an Epic Fantasy novel about some legends and defending a castle... yeah).
Finishing my Short Story.
Editing What Was, What Will Be.
Publishing the book above that I want proofies for (I have the title, but I am code-naming it Antarctica 22, but don't worry, it has nothing to do with that :P) Antarctica 22.
Publishing the mystery novella.
Market my books once published (though I hope to publish it traditionally, my mystery novella isn't something that has ever been done before, so I don't think publishers would except it).

Yeah... that's about it.  I'm not very busy...

Anyway, of course that list will probably take until I'm about 19 or something, no, I don't expect to do that in one month, or even a year.

So, as you can see, I don't want to be taking small steps, I want to be taking leaps forward.

~The WordWeaver
 
A Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.


The most far-fetched cliche there ever was or ever will be is a peasant boy saving the world.

Now just think about it for a minute.

A peasant boy, saving the world.

It is used over and again repeatedly in all sorts of stories.

And not only is it cliched, it makes the main character, girl or boy, much more like a Mary-Stu or Gary-Stu (look it up if you don't know what they are, it's a very important part of writing, but I can't get sidetracked at the moment).

Saving a nation is one thing, but saving the world???  No, it's not necessary and - frankly - it can get quite boring.

So saving the world is basically an absolute no-no.  It can be done with moderate success, but truth be told, it's getting old.

We all like to think of young heroes, faced with the task of saving the world from seemingly unstoppable doom.  And when the hero wins, we feel happy.  Fantasy is like that, it's awesome, not only because it expands the imagination, it shows us daring feats, heroism that satisfies beyond the glint of gold or the shining of jewels.

Yes, we all have that tingling inside us that our main character has to do something great, something fantastical.

But the truth is, it doesn't work that way.  If any one man saved our world, it would have been Jesus, no one else.  And since your main character isn't Jesus, it's far out that he would - or even could - save the world.

So to avoid this cliche that can really make your story boring, keep one thing in mind - be reasonable.  Don't make your character a Mary Stu/Gary Stu by making him/her save the world.


Imagine this.  You are on one side of a river, and your reader is on the other.  Now you want the reader to come into your world - your side of the river, so you build a bridge.

Now say the reader will only come over, and you can only build the bridge, if your writing is realistic enough - even High Fantasy has a lot of realistic elements.

And so, as you build the bridge, each word you write impacts the form of the bridge.  Is it weak in some areas?  Strong in others?  Will it break in the times of doubt and let the reader pass into the roaring waters below?

This would be if your reader gets bored, and cliches are what makes them bored.

A Mary Stu/Gary Stu character will definitely make the reader bored, and maybe he'll leave even before he begins the journey over the bridge.

And if the character saves the world, it's weakening that part of the bridge,  you'll need supports made of creativity and originality to hold it up.

Thus, cliches are BAD, REALLY BAD.

They sure won't help in the bridge you are trying to build.

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  I'll respond to the comments... soon!
 
Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.

Here in part two, we are looking at Fantasy Dragons, and there history.

First, we have dragons.  Now we all agree that dragons are AWESOME but, they are cliched.  I'm terribly sorry to say it, but if dragons in your book, you made it a step more cliched.

Look how many books have dragons in them.  The list is almost as lengthy as how many High Fantasy books there are.

And not only that, but in just about every single nation, there were legends of these mythical creatures - what we now call dragons.

This diverse and eclectically known (Princess Writer... ahem :P) creature was used in Japanese legends, Norse legends, Greek mythology - even the Native Americans, a continent away, had ancient drawings of seven headed dragons.

Originally, a dragon was the Devil.  No one liked dragons - they were hated and feared - but they certainly were famous.

In medieval days, an idea in Germany circled around that if you bathed in dragon's blood, you would become immortal.

I have only read about 2 of the German legends, but they are very interesting.  I also HIGHLY recommend a book called 'Story of the Nations.  Germany.' It is a part of a long series about several different nations, published in 1896, so it's hard to get, but worth the effort.

But why are dragons so popular now?

To some extent, it was because dragons have always captured the minds of the people.  Tolkien surely revived the fantastical idea of dragons, creatures like Smaug are unforgettable.

And in recent years, authors have popularized dragons.  Christopher Poalini comes to my mind first.

As you can see though, dragons are cliche.  At least how people imagine them now.

So what can you to make a dragon NOT cliche?  Well, make them different.  Dragons these days are noble and proud, almost all of them are that way.  So why not change it?

Doing extreme and exotic things is always an option with fantasy...

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  There is so many comments and I can't respond to them all today... sorry!  I was going to something that is really important today, but I was only able to write this up... even though all I have to do was move it to this computer and paste it... :P
 
A Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.


I shall be posting a series of at least 3-6 posts on originality and cliches that - especially young writers - often get caught up in.  Now I'm not saying I've mastered this area, but I do know these things, and I shall share them for your benefit!  So, here it is!
~~~~
Introduction.

Every good fictional or non-fiction piece of work has a plot - believe me, even soap-operas do, but that's about as low as you can get.

Often times though, the plots that we come up with are unoriginal.  Obviously, inspiration is what sparked it, and inspiration it good!  But there's a clear line between inspiration, and so much inspiration that it no longer is inspiration and turns out to be either plain copying, or just flat out cliche.

Now, I will not spare you the hard truth, your writing - undoubtedly - has or was inspired by something, whether or not it was too much inspired, well, you'll have to figure that out for yourself.  What I'm saying though, is that we all take off thing from others.

Since J.R.R. Tolkien published the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the genre of High Fantasy has never been the same.

After J.K. Rowling published her series, the genre was impacted.

When George Lucas released the Star Wars Saga, the Science-Fiction genre was entirely overhauled.

Yet, J.R.R. Tolkien wasn't entirely original.  No, in fact, he reaped a MASSIVE amount of inspiration (and really just took) from the legends of Finland, the Norse, the Anglo-Saxons.  You see, he was NOT original.

J.K. Rowling too, used an exponential amount of legends - primarily that of Witch-craft and the sort.

George Lucas himself said he was greatly inspired from Flash Gordon.

And the first humans undoubtedly got inspiration from God's creation and the nature around them.

So you see, no one, absolutely no one, is completely original.

But that's okay.

Being original won't get you published in and of itself - don't get me wrong though, it will help greatly.

Moving On.


So now that I've covered that, I'll let you in on one cliche that nearly every Sci-Fi writer falls into.

A mixture of world terror and romance.

Number 1, why does there have to be romance?  Sure, people may be looking for companions because they're scared, but does that really have to get into romance???  The answer, no.  Because do you really think, if the world is seemingly about to explode, people would go get married in the dozens?  No, they wouldn't.  At least I sure wouldn't. There's far more greater things to worry about, like, well, just from the top of my mind we'll say, SAVING THE WORLD, duh.

Certainly, some people would be doing that, but that writing tactic is cliche and boring.

I'm not saying you can't have the two, but having the two combined is overused.

Now it comes to world terror.  Why does it always have to be aliens?  Okay fine, if it's not aliens it's mind-control, if it's not mind-control it's a dictator who just invented an army of robots who will destroy the world.

Woopidy doo, I've seen it a millions times already, I KNOW what I'm going to get out of this book (or movie) - boredom.

What really annoys me, though, is when Science-Fiction is over fictionalized.  For instance, aliens coming in saucer spaceships.

A round ship couldn't even fly, nor would it be arrow-dynamic.  Yes,  fiction is cool, but Science-Fiction should be what it tells us it is - Science, mixed with fiction, not fiction mixed with fantasy.

~The WordWeaver
 
Well, it's day 12 already, and my word count is definitely not as high as I wished it to be. 2,553 words... yup!

So, this is the very first post this month!  February is a very odd month.  Why?  Look at how you spell it.  February.  If you sound it out, it sounds like Feb-rue-ary.

Anyway, as the title explains... here's an excerpt of my Short Story!  While it is not drafted, and I have only looked once or twice.  So, here it is!

Chapter 1.

The stale leaves of autumn crunched under our feet as we headed for Stephen’s home.  I quickly handed him his paper bearing the title:  “God Loves You” before we arrived at the Fairfield’s large door.

       Stephen’s hand reached for the door, but it swung upon before his fingers touched the cold metal, sliding over its oiled hinges to reveal Misses Fairfield.

       Her cold glance shot shivers down my back, the pale, hard eyes drove themselves in like a nail beneath a hammer.  Something about her gave me a stomach lurching poison inside me, her eyes, predominately, though her dyed hair, streaks of a dirty brown mixed with a bright almost white blond, told me much of her person in and of itself.


This is from the very beginning, so, yeah!

I WILL post some writing tips soon, but that'll be tomorrow.

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  Sorry for no posts for the past few days.  Weebly, the host of this blog, was down, so while you could get on and see older posts, I couldn't blog new posts. ;(