Stuff.

Five days, seven hours, thirty-seven minutes and six seconds until National Novel Writing Month begins.

I've decided that today I'm actually going to take the reference material I now have on armor and attempt to draw fantasy-style armor for Prian. If that doesn't pan out, it's researching one of the many books that I took out from the library and word-warring. Nothing of particular interest to post at this point in time, but isn't that how it is most days? Things will liven up during NaNo, I'm sure, and I'll have plenty of posts to come about how six cups of coffee isn't really a good idea and resisting the urge to tear out my hair about the antagonist and so on and so forth.

Countdown.

Six days, four hours, three minutes and forty-six seconds until NaNo begins. I think all this concern over whether I should use this novel concept or not is a result of slowly-festering stress as a result of watching the deadline clock.

NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, and I'm not sure that I'm ready.

Not that anyone ever really is fully prepared, but still. You get the idea.

Indecisive.

I'm still doing Leeder's Grain for NaNo.

My original indecisiveness was brought about by concern over the fact that I have been loosely laying out ideas for scenes (like, this character will do this, I have this image in my head of this character standing there and an overall emotional impression, etc. Nothing solid). The idea that bothers me is that NaNo is centered around the concept of spontaneous prose, as well as starting from scratch. Technically I am starting from scratch because the plot/characters/design overall is a COMPLETE re-vamping of an old story that I'd put together when I was very young, but this bothered me anyway. Due to that, today I had a bit of indecision about whether I should use this story or use the next six days before NaNo begins to come up with an entirely different plot.

Ultimately, I decided that I would remain with Leeder's Grain as my NaNo project, because ultimately I know the plot, I know I would be capable of writing 50k of it (if not more, whereas I have absolutely no semi-solid ideas or scene concepts floating about my head for any 'new' novel), and because I just took out 15 books at the library on mythology/fairytales to research, AND received bucket-loads of information from a friend who is an expert on medieval arms and armor from a variety of cultures, as well as fighting techniques/sword styles, etc.

I now have hundreds of links/books to look through. I doubt my work will be complete with just NaNo, but I think that it is necessary that I work on Leeder's Grain during the course of the month of November. Doing so will result in a workable draft that I can manipulate and refine once my research is complete, and as a result perhaps I will complete this story faster and be able to move on to new projects (and potentially get it published).

And so, Leeder's Grain it is.

Change of Plan

Okay, so originally I was specifically going to get kick-started into writing Leeder's Grain by participation in National Novel Writing Month with this story, but I do believe that my plans have changed. One of the greatest parts of NaNoWriMo is the spontaneity of the writing itself, and I seem to have lost that by planning so much out and using an old story concept. So, a change of plans is in order.

I intend to continue working on Leeder's Grain regardless, but for the month of November, I will choose a different plot to play about with. Either way, I  will be working on a fantasy novel.

Synopsis revised

It was said in Cadge Down that any who crossed the Burning Grounds to enter the wood would meet an ugly end. This didn't stop all from entering, but often enough a silhouette could be seen on the edge of the forest, a mounted knight with hand resting on sword pommel, watching those who watched him. It was said that the Rotted Knight guarded the barrier between the land of the Folk and the Down, and had done so for a thousand years. None dared approach; the last who did was slain and his corpse left hanging from a tree. None, that is, except those who didn't know better.

She was a young girl, just moved to the Down, and had a rather unhealthy fascination with what lay beyond the wood from the first moment that she'd caught a glimpse of the Rotted Knight at sundown. He too wondered what she was waiting for each day at the edge of the Burning Grounds, for she gave little indication of any action save to look on when he appeared, and even when he did not, into the dark of the Folk's forest.

Excerpt 1

She was a curious girl.

She looked about with that damned curiosity that was always the cause of so much trouble for the Folk, but one thing differed. The girl walked with great care as to where she stepped, avoiding fairy rings, holes in the ground and other mound dwellings, appearing to have more ease in identifying them when typically they were glossed over by the human eye. A curious girl, an odd girl, but kind to his people. How unusual. Perhaps, for now, he wouldn't drive her from the wood as he had so many others. Besides, he could smell bread in her pocket.

Not only curious, but aware, too. The corner of his lip curled downward and he goaded his horse further on, startling her with the sound of hooves pounding on crackled leaves and roots as he rode away.

Prian

It just occurred to me that I could easily switch main characters. My main character could be, from this point on, the Rotted Knight. For the past...I don't even know, I've lost count of how many years it's been since I decided that Molly was the main character, but it just occurred to me that I have been seeing every scene through the eyes of an onlooker. The Rotted Knight is indeed an onlooker, and begins for all appearances as an antihero. I just had one of those wonderful little moments where everything suddenly fit together and my story appeared before my eyes, flashing scene after scene in quick progression and it fit. 

Synopsis

This is the synopsis that I have posted on my NaNoWriMo profile:


"It was always a given fact in the village of Cadge Down that no-one ever crossed the Burning Grounds into the wood. The salt-sewn mix of ash and deadened soil was the only thing between the locals and the monstrous forest guardian that haunted the edge of the forest, keeping humans out and faerie folk in. The Rotted Knight was the stuff of legends, old legends that struck fear into the hearts of children because here, the legends were real, and you didn't spite tradition.


Mollith was never really one for tradition.


And so, into the woods she went, and to the woods she was bound, the day the Rotted Knight tracked her through the woods and struck a bargain in return. It wasn't long before Mollith realized that perhaps she had underestimated the old legends, and some things were far more dangerous than they first appeared."



For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, here's a short run-through of the basics.  NaNoWriMo, or "National Novel Writing Month", occurs in the month of November, in which writers of all sorts are encouraged to attempt to write a 50k (50,000-word) novel in the span of the month. If this is completed, the NaNoWriMo foundation will print and send you a paperback copy of your work as your reward. If you're still curious and not horribly deterred by the concept of writing 50,000 words in one month, then here's the main website: www.nanowrimo.org . 

Alongside doing NaNoWriMo (this is my second year of attempting the 50k challenge), I am also the online chatroom moderator for a group of writers who also participate in NaNoWriMo each year. We chat often online, doing word wars and exchanging plot points and prompts. Our chatroom is called "Querk", and as a result, we have a blog related to it on wordpress that catalogues our progress and flash fiction pieces. As NaNo is coming around soon, I'm sure it will have a considerable amount of updates in the near future. Here's the link: http://querkthegroup.wordpress.com/. Anyway, I hope whatever readers happen to stumble across this blog enjoy this tidbit of information. I'll be posting sneak peeks at my story, scene snippets, and character concepts/drawings in the near future. 

Introduction

Welcome to my childhood.

Really, that's what this story is. I began writing Leeder's Grain at the age of ten years old and kept on world-building for six more years until I became disheartened by my own lack of skill. Looking back on the many pages I'd written; upwards of four-hundred single-spaced pages of listless, meandering storyline, history, mythology, and world-building, I'd realized there was no continuity or solid plotline, and my will to continue after so many years fizzled out. Over time this story became the symbol of my own ineptitude to complete a full project, to build a strong, functional plot. Despite this, it also came to symbolize how far I'd come since those days when I'd sit curled up in some corner of the house, or some forgotten park bench, notebook in my lap as I scrawled and scratched away elaborate costumes, stories, and characters out onto the blue-lined page.

It is, at it's basest level, a fairytale based on the simple concept of a strong and brave knight protecting the beautiful, delicate princess. However, this 'princess' isn't quite as delicate as one would expect, and the knight isn't quite the strong, handsome prince charming you'd hope for. I'd tell you more, but I'm not one to give away spoilers so early on.

I lived vicariously through fairytales, starting from the moment I learned to read. They were my breath, my sustenance, and the romanticism of it flowed in my veins. I was an inspired child; everything and anything that I saw influenced my scribbled words.

Sometime in late August, it occurred to me that perhaps I should take a second shot at the story. The world, the characters, the concept had been knocking about in my head for a good five years, and it was time to put it back down on paper. As a result, I've spent the better part of the past two months outlining the story, the characters, and strengthening the original concept until I had developed a semi-solid plot.

Then, about one and a half weeks ago, it all clicked together. Suddenly, I had inspiration. That drive was back. The urge to write until my fingers cramped was back. And write I did, until I was so exhausted that I couldn't make it through my classes without nodding off every few minutes. Eventually, I actually got a decent bit of sleep and righted my schedule (or twisted it as best as any writer can, really), and I'm back on track at a reasonable pace.

At this point, I am moving into the research phase, as the story begins to unfold beneath my fingertips. It is here, and now, that the story begins.