As a creator, you put a lot of yourself into whatever it is you create. Be it a written text, a drawing, a decorated mug or a personalised shirt. As such, your personality defines your work.
I think it’s important to have these personal traits shining through in whatever you make. It makes your project unique and personal. Thinking about it, there are some things that return in a lot of my stories. Some of these are also part of The Power of Six.
- Non-linear storytelling. I prefer to start the story by focusing on one character, then switching to another one on a cliff-hanger. This happens in most of my stories. It’s heavily featured in The Power of Six, where each character is introduced in their own mini-story, only to come together later on.
- Character cameos. Okay, this is mostly about two stories I’ve not written down yet, but that doesn’t matter. I like taking a character from one story and putting it into another one. In the case of this novel, one main character from another story is set to have a cameo. However, since his story hasn’t been written yet, no one but me will know. Which is fine, I just like knowing he has a place in this story.
- Death. There’s always death in my stories. Either a major character dies, or someone very close to them. I won’t say which it’ll be in TPoS (maybe even both), but it’s definitely part of it. I like exploring how the characters react to these situations. It also shows what’s at stake; there’s real danger to be found.
I believe those are the major ones, though I’m sure there are more. Dealing with such trademarks might make it more difficult to come up with stories that aren’t too much alike, but I don’t think I’ve crossed that line just yet. Finding ways to include trademarks can actually be quite entertaining.
That’s all for this week’s Wri Wednesday, be sure to check back on Saturday!
TTFN.
The making of a NaNoWriMo novel
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Saturday, 25 September 2010
No Saturdays: Meet Shaun
Hey all,
Yes, it's time to meet the second main character. Before we get to that though, here's where things are on the shaping of the story.
I've completed work on the main characters, having finally finalised the last of the six yesterday. I'm happy with the way they turned out and think they'll work together quite well. Everyone has a purpose in the story, which is of course of pivotal importance. I've started work on some other characters and know which elements from another story I'm going to put into this one (that's one of my 'things', putting characters or places from one story into another). I know some of the bigger scenes and essentially only have to figure out how to string them together without it all becoming too episodic.
I've also decided on the format I'm going to use for this story. I hope it'll bring some more uniqueness to the project, as the story itself is pretty bland. But hey, at least I'm not pretending not to know that!
Anyway, meet Shaun!
Name: Shaun
Age: 31
Hi, nice to meet you. I've got to say, it's a bit weird talking to someone after all these years on my own. I just hope I'll be able to remember my manners and speak eloquently enough not to upset you in any way.
You see, I've lived a pretty sheltered life these past few years. It's all because of this power, which I suppose is the very reason you've come to look for me. Well, I never knew it was something out of the ordinary. Not until I used it in the company of my parents, at least. They were very quick to let me know it wasn't a normal thing to do. In fact, it scared them so much, they had me psychologically analysed! The doctors all said I was imagining things, that these things didn't happen in the real world. Perhaps they were right, I'm still not sure what to believe. Fact is, I haven't been able to stop. My parents eventually had me committed into a clinic. I absolutely hated living there, but there was no way they were going to let me go. It took me five years, but I escaped the dreadful place. That's when I moved here, to be on my own. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue that life. I hope you've got all the information you wanted, but I warn you not to invade my privacy any longer. Goodbye.
TTFN.
Yes, it's time to meet the second main character. Before we get to that though, here's where things are on the shaping of the story.
I've completed work on the main characters, having finally finalised the last of the six yesterday. I'm happy with the way they turned out and think they'll work together quite well. Everyone has a purpose in the story, which is of course of pivotal importance. I've started work on some other characters and know which elements from another story I'm going to put into this one (that's one of my 'things', putting characters or places from one story into another). I know some of the bigger scenes and essentially only have to figure out how to string them together without it all becoming too episodic.
I've also decided on the format I'm going to use for this story. I hope it'll bring some more uniqueness to the project, as the story itself is pretty bland. But hey, at least I'm not pretending not to know that!
Anyway, meet Shaun!
Name: Shaun
Age: 31
Hi, nice to meet you. I've got to say, it's a bit weird talking to someone after all these years on my own. I just hope I'll be able to remember my manners and speak eloquently enough not to upset you in any way.
You see, I've lived a pretty sheltered life these past few years. It's all because of this power, which I suppose is the very reason you've come to look for me. Well, I never knew it was something out of the ordinary. Not until I used it in the company of my parents, at least. They were very quick to let me know it wasn't a normal thing to do. In fact, it scared them so much, they had me psychologically analysed! The doctors all said I was imagining things, that these things didn't happen in the real world. Perhaps they were right, I'm still not sure what to believe. Fact is, I haven't been able to stop. My parents eventually had me committed into a clinic. I absolutely hated living there, but there was no way they were going to let me go. It took me five years, but I escaped the dreadful place. That's when I moved here, to be on my own. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue that life. I hope you've got all the information you wanted, but I warn you not to invade my privacy any longer. Goodbye.
TTFN.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Wri Wednesdays: The importance of visualisation
Hey all,
First, let me fill you in about the newly applied structure to this blog. From now on, it will feature two updates a week, on Wednesday and Saturday. This is a (rather poor) effort of myself to up the amount of work I put into this project. The Wednesday entries will focus on the writing process (Wri is for writing), while the Saturday entries will give information on the story and its characters (No stands for novel). So, here’s the first Wri Wednesday update!
If you’ve been keeping up, you’ll have noticed my latest entry included a drawing of the character introduced. I didn’t do this just to spruce up the blog, but rather to help me visualise what this character looks like and, by extent, who he is.
My mind is a very visually-oriented one. If I can see something, it becomes that much more real. Having a visual aid for these characters helps me shape them. One character was even drawn before I knew anything else about her (except her name). I figured out what her power was, because of the way the wears her hair. The rest of her personality fell right into place after that. Her looks influenced her personality greatly.
I think it was either JRR Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) or CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) who said that in order to write about a fictional place and have it be believable, you need to have a map drawn out. I agree with this statement and fully intend to draw a map linking all the places I’m likely to use or refer to in my novel. This will be of great assistance, as the world itself will become more clearly defined and I’ll be able to go into much more detail about the surroundings.
As for the rest of the novel; it’s coming along quite nicely. I’ve finally figured out who the antagonist(s) is/are, which also inspired a lot more of the background of the powers. I’m still nowhere near the stage I should be to start the actual writing of the novel, but with the time I’ve got left, I’d say I’m pretty much on track. Here’s hoping I’ll stay on it!
TTFN.
First, let me fill you in about the newly applied structure to this blog. From now on, it will feature two updates a week, on Wednesday and Saturday. This is a (rather poor) effort of myself to up the amount of work I put into this project. The Wednesday entries will focus on the writing process (Wri is for writing), while the Saturday entries will give information on the story and its characters (No stands for novel). So, here’s the first Wri Wednesday update!
If you’ve been keeping up, you’ll have noticed my latest entry included a drawing of the character introduced. I didn’t do this just to spruce up the blog, but rather to help me visualise what this character looks like and, by extent, who he is.
My mind is a very visually-oriented one. If I can see something, it becomes that much more real. Having a visual aid for these characters helps me shape them. One character was even drawn before I knew anything else about her (except her name). I figured out what her power was, because of the way the wears her hair. The rest of her personality fell right into place after that. Her looks influenced her personality greatly.
I think it was either JRR Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) or CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) who said that in order to write about a fictional place and have it be believable, you need to have a map drawn out. I agree with this statement and fully intend to draw a map linking all the places I’m likely to use or refer to in my novel. This will be of great assistance, as the world itself will become more clearly defined and I’ll be able to go into much more detail about the surroundings.
As for the rest of the novel; it’s coming along quite nicely. I’ve finally figured out who the antagonist(s) is/are, which also inspired a lot more of the background of the powers. I’m still nowhere near the stage I should be to start the actual writing of the novel, but with the time I’ve got left, I’d say I’m pretty much on track. Here’s hoping I’ll stay on it!
TTFN.
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Meet Devin
Hey all,
Prepare to meet the first of the six main characters from The Power of Six. I’ve decided to introduce themselves from the first-person perspective, as it gives me a rare chance to get into their heads and see how they communicate. The actual novel will be in the third-person perspective.
* Image slightly edited because of spoilers.
Name: Devin
Age: 42
Hey, how are ya? I’ve been asked to tell you about meself, but there’s not much to tell. Or not much I want to talk about anyway, same thing. It all comes down to not saying much in the end, but I promised to do this so here goes. Been on me own for many a year now, and I like it that way. Can’t trust people, they just end up hurting or leaving ya. Fuck that, at least I know where I stand when I’m alone. It’s a big world out there and you gotta keep yourself safe.
Now I’ve recently learned I have powers. Apparently, this means I have to go on a quest to save the world for everyone else. Well, what’s in it for me? I ain’t the kind of guy to do something for nothing, that’s not how the world works. Eh, but maybe I’m just too damn negative. There’s gotta be some good out there, otherwise people wouldn’t want to keep on living. I wouldn’t want to keep on living.
I do fucking enjoy me life, I can do whatever I want whenever I wanna do it. I just don’t know if I wanna go on this fucking journey yet.
Devin is a man of few words and this is all he had to say. Be sure to keep checking this blog, the next update will be sooner than you’d expect.
TTFN.
Prepare to meet the first of the six main characters from The Power of Six. I’ve decided to introduce themselves from the first-person perspective, as it gives me a rare chance to get into their heads and see how they communicate. The actual novel will be in the third-person perspective.
* Image slightly edited because of spoilers.
Name: Devin
Age: 42
Hey, how are ya? I’ve been asked to tell you about meself, but there’s not much to tell. Or not much I want to talk about anyway, same thing. It all comes down to not saying much in the end, but I promised to do this so here goes. Been on me own for many a year now, and I like it that way. Can’t trust people, they just end up hurting or leaving ya. Fuck that, at least I know where I stand when I’m alone. It’s a big world out there and you gotta keep yourself safe.
Now I’ve recently learned I have powers. Apparently, this means I have to go on a quest to save the world for everyone else. Well, what’s in it for me? I ain’t the kind of guy to do something for nothing, that’s not how the world works. Eh, but maybe I’m just too damn negative. There’s gotta be some good out there, otherwise people wouldn’t want to keep on living. I wouldn’t want to keep on living.
I do fucking enjoy me life, I can do whatever I want whenever I wanna do it. I just don’t know if I wanna go on this fucking journey yet.
Devin is a man of few words and this is all he had to say. Be sure to keep checking this blog, the next update will be sooner than you’d expect.
TTFN.
Saturday, 11 September 2010
The writing process
Hello all,
Since this blog was created to share 'the making of a NaNoWriMo novel' with you, I thought it might be nice to give some insight as to how my stories come to be. I've tried to put the main steps in chronological order, but my thought process doesn't make that much sense. Then again, I suppose that says something about the way I write too.
The first thing I do is come up with a simple concept, in this case the idea of six people discovering they have supernatural powers. This is the main starting point, everything else is then moulded around this idea.
Second is the main story outline, helped by a number of details that may or may not prove to be significant. In this case, the origins of the powers proved to be a very important plot point.
Then I move on to shaping the main characters. Their personalities, their backgrounds, families and social life; basically anything I can. It's completely irrelevant whether these things find a place in the eventual novel, but it's important to know as much about your characters as possible.
This third stage is what I'm working on at the moment. I'm still not done figuring out what the six powers are (I have four so far, which is also the number of characters I've just about completed work on), but making good strides with the background stories and the way these characters will interact with one another.
One thing I believe sets me apart from most people trying to write a story, is that I try to let the story tell itself to me. I prefer to think of the events described as historical events (not necessarily of this world), with real people as opposed to characters. Yes, I sit down and think about whom these people are and what they did and yes, I can change their personalities and actions. Still, I try to let things come to me naturally, which also means even I can be surprised by who a character turns out to be. Don't worry if this makes no sense to you, I really doubt any of you will understand what I'm trying to say here. It works for me, that's what's important.
I think my next entry will be a character profile, so be sure to check back soon!
TTFN.
Since this blog was created to share 'the making of a NaNoWriMo novel' with you, I thought it might be nice to give some insight as to how my stories come to be. I've tried to put the main steps in chronological order, but my thought process doesn't make that much sense. Then again, I suppose that says something about the way I write too.
The first thing I do is come up with a simple concept, in this case the idea of six people discovering they have supernatural powers. This is the main starting point, everything else is then moulded around this idea.
Second is the main story outline, helped by a number of details that may or may not prove to be significant. In this case, the origins of the powers proved to be a very important plot point.
Then I move on to shaping the main characters. Their personalities, their backgrounds, families and social life; basically anything I can. It's completely irrelevant whether these things find a place in the eventual novel, but it's important to know as much about your characters as possible.
This third stage is what I'm working on at the moment. I'm still not done figuring out what the six powers are (I have four so far, which is also the number of characters I've just about completed work on), but making good strides with the background stories and the way these characters will interact with one another.
One thing I believe sets me apart from most people trying to write a story, is that I try to let the story tell itself to me. I prefer to think of the events described as historical events (not necessarily of this world), with real people as opposed to characters. Yes, I sit down and think about whom these people are and what they did and yes, I can change their personalities and actions. Still, I try to let things come to me naturally, which also means even I can be surprised by who a character turns out to be. Don't worry if this makes no sense to you, I really doubt any of you will understand what I'm trying to say here. It works for me, that's what's important.
I think my next entry will be a character profile, so be sure to check back soon!
TTFN.
Friday, 3 September 2010
The main plot
Hello all,
Let me start by admitting I haven't done much preporatory work yet (no biggie, still have just under two months before I can start writing!), but the storyline is slowly coming together. I've got some characters worked out, others I haven't even started on. I'm excited to see where this is going and hope you'll join me in finding out.
For now, let me present you with a very global and probably temporary main plot outline.
This story is about six people who find out they’ve got supernatural powers. These powers reveal a secret within them all; they’re not who they thought they were. They each have to come to terms with this knowledge and the changes it’ll bring about in their lives. They must decide whether to accept their fates and become the beings of ancient times they were always meant to be, or to hold on to their mortal lives and ignore these powers completely.
Of course, as per fantasy-cliché, there’s an evil power to be fought. Will these people, who know nothing about each other, be able to work together and save the world from unknown chaos?
The first half or two-thirds of the novel will be about each of these six people, dealing with their individual storylines. These chapters will include their personal struggles, their families and social life and all other aspects of their mortal lives.
After every person’s story has been told, we’ll see how they come together - that is, if they’ve chosen to accept their calling.
From that point on, who knows what’ll happen? I certainly don’t. Stay tuned to learn more!
TTFN.
Let me start by admitting I haven't done much preporatory work yet (no biggie, still have just under two months before I can start writing!), but the storyline is slowly coming together. I've got some characters worked out, others I haven't even started on. I'm excited to see where this is going and hope you'll join me in finding out.
For now, let me present you with a very global and probably temporary main plot outline.
This story is about six people who find out they’ve got supernatural powers. These powers reveal a secret within them all; they’re not who they thought they were. They each have to come to terms with this knowledge and the changes it’ll bring about in their lives. They must decide whether to accept their fates and become the beings of ancient times they were always meant to be, or to hold on to their mortal lives and ignore these powers completely.
Of course, as per fantasy-cliché, there’s an evil power to be fought. Will these people, who know nothing about each other, be able to work together and save the world from unknown chaos?
The first half or two-thirds of the novel will be about each of these six people, dealing with their individual storylines. These chapters will include their personal struggles, their families and social life and all other aspects of their mortal lives.
After every person’s story has been told, we’ll see how they come together - that is, if they’ve chosen to accept their calling.
From that point on, who knows what’ll happen? I certainly don’t. Stay tuned to learn more!
TTFN.
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