Talking out story pt. 3 - Where the Good Guys are....

Having set up my bad guys a bit better (the one behind the bad guy, that is) I took a glance at my notes and now panic sets in.

I have never done more than think about the story before this, and that only whilst smoking my pipe. No notes, not a sketch of a map... nada.

Yeah, this means I start, not with linking this tale to the last, but building TWO tales for the price of one. The good news, I can explore what Scorpio means about leaving the mess for others to clean up after the job. The bad news, I have not a clue where he made this mess at, why (well, a little clue, but not much to work with), or what the mess was.

Scorpio/Tagrun can be a bit of a pain, just like Billenius, to write, as you see.

So, first I need to decide what happened in "The Seeking Blade", and follow that thread to where it ended. Then craft the opening so I don't spoil that tale for readers.

*sigh*

The joys of being a story teller/writer that they never tell you about. Wandering characters who fail to check in with their owners. Kind of like that cat you keep in the yard, the neighborhood stray that you wonder where he goes and what he does between visits.

So, I know "Seeking Blade" is about Scorpio's worst nightmare, a wild goose chase job, that drags him all around the Great Water's coasts, seeking a foe that seems to exist, yet not exist.

Of all the ports to end that tale in, two stand out, begging for a tale to be set there. Tirosht, the capital of the Council for the Reclamation of the North Empire (or really the last remnant of that empire's power) and Drif Geldean, the home of the Knights Justicar, an order of paladins of justice. A third place, one that makes a bit more sense, is Dhibt, on the coast of Domorushtuu, where perhaps the goose chase could have ended with the spoiling of another of the Necromancer's plots. Which would explain why Zisura now feels a need for more enchanted blades and power bases to work from.

Three tales down the road is "Dagger and Gavel", Scorpio's first contact with the lands of the Knights Justicar homeland, so that eliminates Geldean. His name making journey, that spreads his fame to the lands of the Council as a byword among the Law enforcers is the second tale after Predator, so.....

Dhibt, the city of the worst of Domorushtuu, pirates, vampires, gnolls, and demons from Athalan. That succubus in the opening now gets woven into the tale, in reflection, as the victim he left the mess with. One that Zisura and her allies took advantage of for making the Leech Blade.

Dhibt, a city sunk into debauchery, reeking of filth and smoke, a place so vile even drow tremble at the mere mention of it.

Dhibt, where the Vampires rule.... 

A place where Codi Dunh and Scorpio would need to have a reason to remain. Amid such reprobates and miscreants, only love or revenge, maybe a hint of greed, would keep one after a job is finished.

And now, I have a slim thread to run with. A touch of all three motives, with the flair of Guild business. Perhaps a visit as the representatives of Jinotazu, the Master of the Allegiance of the Blades, to that local chapter.

Time to let the fingers dance later today. But first, some work to earn coffee and tobacco money.

Pondering some things - talking something out

From time to time, I do the unspeakably cruel and painful act of looking at a tale I wrote for a second, third, hell, umpteenth time, and saying....

"I can fix that....maybe." 

This way lies madness. Yet, Billenius was born of such, and this time, I'm leaving it up as a tool, not just for me, but others, on writing. I am still amateur status, just a writer, not an author, seeking that first paid short, novel sale or what have you. But, I know others can learn, by watching my own struggles. So, for a change, rather than giving you a system, some magic formula, it is time for some writer (okay, me, not someone else) to take a bold step, and say,

"This is the hell of editing, revision, and rewrite. Sure you still want to do this crap?"

I am looking at "Predator's Ground", one of the Hunts of Scorpio Kenrai (use the other blogs tab, and click there to access those blogged stories), the first story I tried to serialize after doing "Journey to Freedom" as a serial. I have never been totally happy with this tale, and staring at it, I realized some of the whys this week. Now, it's time to see if it can be fixed, or needs to be left in the category of "This was an early, world building thing I should have left in the darkness of my files, not shared."

So, here is a question, for this project, should I do the revision talk here, and post the fixes there, leaving things up as originally posted, adding the fixed versions, as a teaching tool, for myself, for others, for the analytic minds that need to examine what drove me insane (besides reading parts of the paper not contained in the funny pages, that is).

I loved the precept, it was to set out how my world's assassins and bounty hunters worked. And to some part, it laid the foundation. But, should one revisit the tale, fix it for what has fleshed out since then?

Face it, I will touch the tale, but how is what I'm asking for folks to advice, rant or talk about.

Or am I just trying to avoid all this talk around me about how my beard needs trimmed again?

NaNoWriMo 2013 - Coming up way too soon

Got lots of story ideas, still no clear idea of what to try this year. Planning on using it, as always, to drive job interview interruption-itis.

Well, Let's take a look at my early candidates.

Mr. Tanner still wants to tell me what he lost that week....and how, maybe even why, or at least why it's on his expense account requests.

Looking again at Crossing of the Shadows and Knife Has No Forgiveness. Two tougher pieces to write, both high fantasy, one a Billenius Tale, the other the final hunt of Scorpio Kenrai.

However, Scorpio seems to be talking about two different tale as well. Both are from early in his career, the first is Blade of Smoke and Shadows, on how he makes his first real friend among other peoples, and second tale being Blood of the Hunters, a story of an elemental demon that attacks his peoples, both of them, the blood ones and the adopted.

I also have been suffering from an idea that defied the efforts of being a short story, even in outline/research, a steam-punk mystery thing.

Then we have a true sci-fi tale, as CJ swung by about a moment ago and demanded to know when I planned on telling any of his tales.

Also in the wings is a dark tale told from the dragon's point of view about captivity in a circus, a tale of erotic horror/sci-fi that keeps popping up (The Harpies of Sheol) fighting it out with Mazetown (a cyber-punk erotic horror idea that died early on last year), and a mythic tale from my world called (for now) For the Honor of the Twenty-Third, about the fall of the Old North Empire.

Yeah, too many ideas, I know. Which is why you will see me working them out here over the next few weeks, narrowing them down, presenting the finalists for laughs and jeers, as well as maybe a few thumbs up. and then making a choice.

I will put up full synopses next week, after I take a few days to think it all over. And maybe even some maps of the places I am thinking about setting tales in.

Toxic Word Dumpster Diving - A poem of NaNoWriMo Agonies

Got impatient,
with my writing
stated early
on editing
broke out the tools
backhoe, chainsaw
dug a deep ditch
into which went
many dark words
I had deemed then
as to toxic
to stay in print.
Too soon too soon!
my mind screamed back
just as dirt fell
from the scoop slow
to hide horrid
mistaken plots
and twists away
forever more.
We can fix it
yes surely so!
And thus NaNo
once more makes feast
upon my soul.
But I get it,
something good rose
from that session
of writing done
whilst I daydreamed.

6Nov2012 (in the throes of salvaging a huge section of my tale) - Dyfedd Rex