(Hopefully) Writing Stuffs

 

Okay, yes, I have gotten rather erratic with posting again, it is not intentional. School break threw my internal calendar off, and now I have no idea what the difference between Wednesday and Thursday is. So we're trying to get back into the usual swing of things, but we shall seeeee how it goes.

Anyways writing stuffs.

Well, not much of an update since the 2023 recap post, except I've decided that everything that I have so far in A Word Unbroken isn't actually where I want the story to go, and is being scrubbed. 

And I'm starting the whole spiel over.

tHiS sHoUlD bE fUn.

Anyways, here's an overview of my hopes for writing for 2024:

Since I currently have a list of at least 15 series/story worlds/ideas, I am not lacking for ideas. Instead, I am lacking brain cells and motivation. If anyone has any to spare, I would be most grateful.

Okay, so what are those ideas?

Well, I have at least three, but probably actually four or five Star Wars related stories. There's a whole lineup of 10 books (most novellas, hopefully) for the Martyrs Saga. There's the new version of AWU, now a standalone and simply being called The Black Crystal. There's the story on the water planet Ganton where a bunch of teenagers are learning to deep sea dive.... I could go on for literal yeeeeeeears.

But I won't.

Because I am realistic (sometimes) and I am aware I will most likely not be writing all 15+ ideas, especially when most of those ideas are for the entire saga of several stories.

InStEaD here's a quick look at what I hope to do writing wise this year (we're ignoring that i already said that once).

- Finish editing Draft 2 of To Die is Gain (Very close to done, only about six chapters left)

- Polish up The Last Phoenix so I can take it to Realm Makers with me

- Get back into writing flash fictions for Havok and hopefully get some more published (for those who didn't know, I've been published on Havok twice as Kal Tomson)

- Finish Heroes of the Six Lands with my buddy Hannah this summer

- Figure out exactly where AWU/The Black Crystal is taking me and WRITE IT (this is like the seventh plot change and I was barely to the half way point)

- Do LOTS of work on the Martyrs Saga and bang out at least the first six books, most likely out of order because 🤓🤓🤓 I'm a genius

- Actually complete a Short Story contest that I sign up for with one of my writing communities

- Understand why I find my pleasure in tormenting these poor figments of my imagination

So that's really what I want to accomplish. I think it looks fairly doable, if not minimal to what I've attempted in the past. Hopefully this time next year I'll be sitting down calmly and telling you also calmly that I have succeeded in these goals and went beyond. it's more likely that i'll be hysterically screaming my head off that it happened but who cares

Anyways, there you have it. I have an actual list of what I want to do with my meager writing skills this (hopefully) fine year. I will continue to have updates about whether or not it is actually happening.

Farewell, my fine fellow fishsticks!

2023 Recap!

 

Alright so I totally forgot that I could use blogger when I'm not on my usual computer, so this post is a good deal later than I intended. I hope I did not entirely destroy your inboxes with notifications from the 12 days of Christmas... but I also hope you enjoyed it!

Anyways, here's my end of the year wrap-up post!

WRITING

So I was looking at my writing list and my first thought was, "have I seriously not finished a single story this year???" aaaaand then I realized... I have!!!

Thanks to my good writing buddy, Hannah, I finished a co-write of Heroes of the Sea, book four in the Heroes Saga, and possibly my favorite so far. We alternated writing chapters, and the final stats clock in at 44051 words, 189 pages, 2 long-lost cousins discovering each other, 5 adorable ships, and what should probably be 3 concussions but were actually 0. So YAY I did finish a book this year!

I did also start 10(?????) stories that have been paused somewhere in the middle. Last spring was the graveyard for awesome story ideas. Before the Heroes, More than Conquerors, Rangers of the West Haven, and Midnite Squadron: Assembling the Team (version 2) were all started, made it to about chapter 4-ish before dying (except Before the Heroes, because Hannah and I actually started it back in 2022, but I wrote like two and a half chapters for it in February so I'm counting it).

Out from the Stellular was my summer project, and it made it to chapter 8 before I decided I didn't like that I really had no idea what the plot was doing. Midnite Squadron: Assembling the Team (version 3) started up... and got about a chapter + prologue before I decided I didn't want to write Star Wars right then. Ganton got about the same before I decided I need to figure out what the story is doing. Heroes of the Six Lands was on fireeeeee until both Hannah and I fell into an almost month long writer's block.

Aaaaand then there's A Word Unbroken. And I could literally punch this story in the mouth until all of its teeth break and fall out. Okay maybe not literally, but you get my meaning. This story will not stay simple! The concept is already so freakishly complicated, can the plot at least not change every other chapter???????? Current stats: 75k words. 238 pages. So many character heartbreaks. 1 death fakeout, 1 death imminent. So many trust issues. TRILOGY POTENTIAL. HAPPINESS. I LOVE THIS STORY.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT DECIDED TO DO RECENTLY??????????

AWU is no longer a trilogy. It is going to be a standalone, most likely going to be called simply The Black Crystal. I decided I could only let Wren, Kel, and Garrin get kidnapped so many times before it got too repetitive. So yeah, I'm screaming a little.

Anwways, I've also written several short stories, none of which I really want to share right now since they're not my usual standard and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing with them. I've started several other stories in da brain, along with a complete screenplay, so I is happy-ish.

But I have lingered on writing for wayyyy too long. 

Let's move along!

ART

Art was all over the place this year. I went through drawing phases, cross-stitching, repeat, loop-it yarning, back to the first two, a little bit of painting... ACK. However, I wish to showcase my drawn artwork at this time. My style has changed so much, but I am pretty happy with how it's all turned out!

READING

I read and reread a grand total of 135 books this year. This is one of the first years I have really kept track, so I am proud of myself! 15 of the new reads were five stars. My top 5 five star reads are as follows:

The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire

Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Hood by Stephen Lawhead

Defy by Tricia Mingerink

So, all in all, a rather chaotic year, but I'd expect nothing less from someone who named their blog "The Place of Chaos" (a.k.a. me). I'm looking at switching up my posting routine, maybe add in some new topics to replace maybe the "Random Ramblings" day, but we'll see! 

Let me know if there's anything you want to hear from me about, whether it's writing stuffs, reading randomness, trope opinions, art tips (not that I have many with my meh art), or whatever!

Thanks for reading! Good bye, y'all, and happy new year about a week late!

Twelve Days of Christmas: #12

 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my stories gave to me...

twelve days for dancing,

eleven squalls a-storming,

ten knives a-throwing,

nine eggnog cartons,

eight snowballs flying,

seven strands a-tangling,

six skeins of black yarn,

five glowing wreaths...

four dragon eggs,

three blank stares,

two chestnuts soaked,

and a blue crab in a scrap treeeeeeee

Here we are at the end. And here we are in Khogea with the A Word Unbroken crew. 

Apparently the whole time I've been collecting gifts, they've been up in the mountains with the dragons partying. Wren, Ferek, Star, and Ryder have been having the time of their lives, and it seems like Andre's starting to warm up to dancing, but it was very enjoyable to watch Kel, Ollyn, and Garrin be dragged onto the dance floor by Wren and made to figure out how to move their legs without kicking people.

I think it's an interesting tradition, since they don't all know how to dance, and they who do know don't especially love dancing, but it was amusing and fun. 

I tried joining in.

Um.

I'm a better dancer in my imagination.

Anyways, here we are at the end! I hope you enjoyed this Twelve Days of Christmas from my stories from the past many days! If any of these stories peaked your interest, please tell me and I will talk more about them! Thanks so much for reading, and I'm sorry I've been filling your inbox with all this crazy the past week and a bit.

bye y'all!

Twelve Days of Christmas: #11

 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my stories gave to me...

eleven squalls a-storming,

ten knives a-throwing,

nine eggnog cartons,

eight snowballs flying,

seven strands a-tangling,

six skeins of black yarn,

five glowing wreaths...

four dragon eggs,

three blank stares,

two chestnuts soaked,

and a blue crab in a scrap tree

And now a sneak peak into the wonderful world of an unnamed story that features Pirates with a Capital P™, a magic cave, retellings of Aladdin, Robin Hood, Six Swans, Thumbalina, and Peter Pan, war, and did I mention Pirates?

Half the characters in this story hate me, so the only ones who I could ask for something where the two Pirate children Evylen and Halifax. Uh, Evvy and Hal.

And apparently all they think of the relates to Christmas traditions is the fact that this is storm season out in the middle of the Ocean, aaand they don't come to port during storms. So Christmas means squalls. No extra food, because it'll just be given to the fish, and no fancy clothes/jewelry/toys because it'll just get ruined in the rain. 

Maybe a new saber aFtEr the squalls have passed, but other then that, nup.

Twelve Days of Christmas: #10

 

On the tenth day of Christmas, my stories gave to me...

ten knives a-throwing,

nine eggnog cartons,

eight snowballs flying,

seven lights a-tangling,

six skeins of black yarn,

five glowing wreaths...

four dragon eggs,

three blank stares,

two chestnuts soaked,

and a blue crab in a scrap treeeeeee

Staying in Niinia, let's jump twenty years into the future to when Kathy and her husband the amazing Ryme no longer age and have a small army of children.

Of course, outlaws living in the forest don't have as much of an unlimited access to eggnog, so they settled for a knife throwing contest to see which child got to climb the choaco tree and get themselves a choaco pod? Um, Kathy??? Isn't that dangerous?

Uh, like Theo's only five?

Oh, he's nine, right that's so much better.

Anyways, the five kids --Aero, Roha, Oskar, Fey, and Theo-- all get two knives and two throws to see which of them hits the target closest to the center. I believe Aero can only use her right hand, which is her non-dominate hand, because knife throwing is kinda her thing... and she has to go last, but she apparently loses pretty regularly to Fey and Theo. Love the sacrificial big sisters. 😭

Twelve Days of Christmas: #9

 

On the ninth day of Christmas, my stories gave to meeeee...

Nine eggnog cartons,

eight snowballs flying,

seven strands a-tangling,

six skeins of black yarn,

five glowing wreaths...

four dragon eggs,

three blank stares,

two chestnuts soaked,

and a blue crab in a scrap treeeeee

And here we are in the wonderful lands of Niinia with the fantastic Kathy and her family. In family, I mean her sisters and brother. Not her children yet.

THEY SENT ME EGGNOG. 

Oi that made me happy.

Becauuuuuse apparently their tradition is instead of giving gifts, they all exchange mugs for the day, paint each other's mugs, and then sit by the fire drinking eggnog and seeing who's boots are the least muddy.

Very simply, but so sweet. 

I never thought my wild things would do something so cute like that.

Twelve Days of Christmas: #8

 

On the eight day of Christmas, my stories gave to me...

eight snowballs flying,

seven lights a-tangling,

six skeins of black yarn,

five glowing wreaths...

four dragon eggs,

three blank stares,

two chestnuts soaked,

and a blue crab in a scrap treeee

This has got to be a joke.

I uNdErStAnD living in the forest with only your magic powers and Ellysa to keep you company has made y'all a little cookoo, but do you not have any better Christmas traditions than pelt each other with snowballs until you wake up? I'm surprised that even works for Rian...

So for Heroes Saga. I can't say for Michael and the Grant sisters, but for Rian, Juli, and Ellysa, their favorite Christmas tradition is see how many snowballs it takes to wake someone up. 

I'm proud that I managed to last eight balls when they tested it on me, but I am NOT happy about how much snow went down my collar. 

I will never understand how Rian lasted for fourteen. Did he just incinerate them all?