A Synopsis

So, as I've been promising, I have some information for those of you who don't know what my WIP is about. I made progress today with 3,000 more words ^_^ Only 7k more. And I'm quite pleased at how my progress in writing regularly- both in my manuscript and here- is coming along. Below is the synopsis I composed today, though it could change quite a bit in revising.

In Ages past, the world was a different place… until the war between Light and Shadow broke upon the land like a tidal wave, sweeping every nation into its fiery conflict. Man fought against man, and anglean against anglean. In the midst of the turmoil, seven of the most powerful artefacts in the world were forged- weapons that harnessed the power of heaven and hell themselves and unleashed havoc and devastation upon every corner of the world. When brought together, they enabled Micha'el, the right hand of the Creator, to banish the rebellious Dark Lord Samma'el to his prison in the Otherworld. But their power was too great for men to handle. In the backfire, the world was rent asunder in the cataclysmic event known as the Storm, and the seven artefacts were scattered across the land, where they have lain hidden for Ages… until now.

Young Aeneas Tuathail has lived in the tiny village of Àruinn for as long as he can remember, but he yearns for a life of adventure outside the walls of the small town. Little does he know that he will get his wish, for at the spring festival of Ostara, he narrowly survives an attempt on his life, immediately after which the mysterious elven princess, Isléann, appears, informing him that he bears one of the seven Shards of the Storm and is the rightful heir to the throne of his country after his father was murdered by an usurping warlord in league with those who hunt him.

Pursued by the Draoi Dorcha, the Dark Druids, who have arisen after a century of dark and secret plotting in exile, Aeneas must leave his home, accompanied by his rival, Nelain, one of the last Sages, who can read the flows of destiny and time, and his loyal friend, Mairead, who has abilities of her own she has yet to discover.

Together with Isléann, they make the long journey from Àruinn, facing treacherous obstacles along the way- from the giant spiders of Mistwood Forest, to the windswept heights of the Glas Mountains, to the shores of the vast Lough Eigh where a fearsome monster dwells, and down the singing Taramar River to the port of Tur'ismella, from which they sail to the Isle of Avalon, where Isléann must reconcile herself with her father: the only person who can tell them more about the seven Shards and where to find them.

Now, in a race against time, Aeneas and his friends set out to reclaim the seven Shards of the Storm before they fall into the hands of evil, making friends, as well as enemies along the way. With the ever-present threat of the Shadow looming overhead, things are never what they appear to be, and nobody can be trusted. Will Aeneas avenge his father and reclaim his rightful throne, returning peace to the oppressed kingdom of Caledonia? Will Nelain overcome his differences with Aeneas to use his abilities to help his quest? And will they find the Shards in time before the world is destroyed again in a final confrontation with Samma'el himself?

Milestones, Insurance, and Roadkill

So, today I had a terrible time starting my writing for the day, but I pushed through no matter what, and fortunately, when you do this, it breaks whatever was blocking you. I found that as I wrote, the story came along. I think the problem was that I did not have a good starting point, but I knew what happened after that.

As you can see, I made it to 90,000 words today. I should reach the 100K mark soon, though I suspect the wordcount will go over that. After that, I will let it sit for a while before trying to edit it, and in the meantime, I will begin planning my NaNo novel for this November. I already have an idea, I just need to develop it.

On another note, I was reading about different insurance information, and I learned today that if you lend your friend your car, and he is not insured and he gets in an accident, your insurance will pay for it if he is at fault. The basic line is

Auto Insurance = Covers Vehicle, regardless of driver.
Tickets = Driver related only, regardless of the vehicle.

So if you were ever wondering whether to lend your car out, you can keep that in mind. You can read the full article here.

And lastly, on a bit of a macabre note, I just took the dog out for a walk, and we discovered a vulture eating the half-eaten and mutilated remains of a poor squirrel right outside our front yard. I know there is a story in this somewhere...

Oh, I was supposed to tell you about my book this time. I promise my next post will.

An Introduction

Since November of 2006, I have participated in an annual event known as National Novel Writing Month. It is a contest against time and oneself sponsored by the Office of Letters and Light in which participants try to write 50,000 words of a brand new rough draft in the 30 days of November.

Some of you might think this sounds like a school assignment from hell, but there are those crazy people like myself who revel in the thrill of wild abandon and the challenge of such a preposterous undertaking. The most important rule of NaNoWriMo is to have fun; the mantra we go by is "You can edit crap, but you can't edit a blank page." The bigger, personal goal is to learn how to stifle the demon we like to call "our inner editor." So many people speak of writing a novel someday, but they don't start or they never finish because they fear their writing will not be perfect on the first go around. But that's ok. There is something entirely liberating in creating one's own universe, painting with broad, messy strokes like a kindergartener, and just enjoying the creative exuberance of it all. And I must say, having that progress bar inch over the 50K mark and knowing you have completed a couple hundred pages of an actual manuscript is one of the best feelings in the world.

Sometimes, though, no matter how hard we try, the inner editor haunts us and stifles our creative flow. Unfortunately for me, after my mad dash for the finish line in November, I tend to fall back into my daily routine, saying I'll take a short break from writing to rest up in what turns out to be a six month sabbatical. However, I have learned over the past two years that anything one wants to accomplish, one can if one sticks to it regularly.

And so, at the end of each post, you will be able to see my progress on my Works in Progress (abbreviated to WIP's). This will give you an idea of how long it takes to complete a novel, and as humans are social creatures and writing is quite a solitary task, having an audience and fans to cheer you on is a great motivational factor.

The bar you see below is my WIP from 2006- my first NaNo ever. I swore my new year's resolution would be to finish the rough draft of this book by the year's end, but if things keep going as well as they have been, I may even reach that goal by the end of this summer. What is The Shards of the Storm? Well, I'll let you know in my next post...

Welcome!

I have never been one for keeping journals, which is amusing because I love writing so much. Recently, though, I have been considering keeping just such a journal to chronicle my forays into the world of creative writing as well as the activities that comprise my everyday life. Especially now that I am a senior, it would do me well to record this last year in a huge chapter of my life.

My very good friend, Patrick, just began blogging with some very touching entries, and his example was the kick in the pants I needed to try my hand at another form of writing.

Here, you will find my daily progress in my personal creative writing endeavors, as well as hopefully gaining some insight into my life. There is not much here at the moment, but I hope you will find it unfold into a book that calls you back again and again. For now, though, welcome, and enjoy your stay...