Week 8

So this marks the end of my second month of posting. Also Nanowrimo is also winding down. I haven't gotten to work on it as much as I had hoped, but a few small additions have been made. That's life for you, endlessly busy that you can't do everything that you want to.

Gluten-free cookies and tea for everyone still reading!

I can't exactly do the above, but I do appreciate the readership.
So, I shall reward you with a drawing:

This is Adam and Flippers.
Yes, I know Adam doesn't really have a head or hands - I'm not good at drawing those. The emphasis is on the tail. His tail is mostly brown with some green thrown in and his skin is greenish as well. When I was first sharing Adam with a young writer's group, they loved him the most. Probably because Adam is the sweet character, he really doesn't have anything in him to be mean. He's innocent and hopeful, not exactly the best in shape and isn't a fighter, but really tries his best.

Week 7

Here we go Week 7! Time flows and ebbs like water, or at least it feels like that sometimes, but we're nearing the end of the summer already, maybe it is rushing by?

One of the ways I have kept track of my storyline is by using a timeline.
Every section has a date and a name that lets you know when and who is telling the story. The timeline allowed me to make sure there was continuity across the story.

"If Grant finds out this then he shouldn't run off to do this."

It was certainly a balancing act, juggling four character storylines at once, but I was up for the challenge. I thought it would be so cool to do it.

All of the books that I had read up until that point were focused around one central character and there were few, if any, other perspectives. My idea was that a story could be told and the audience could be brought along and see every side. It was a bit challenging to define the characters to get their voices different. When you're reading the different character sections, you should get a feel that this is a different person.

I once wrote out that developmentally my characters grew by learning:

Monica learns compassion
Angelica gains strength and confidence
Adam learns bravery and acceptance
Grant learns to trust and share

These growth points aren't necessarily all the same now. They each learn other things as well, but it gave me an idea of how I wanted to develop my characters.

Week 6

I don't just have drawings to share with you. I have words.
The current word count of my manuscript is: 123,000

Here is a piece that I cut from the story. It was just a small memory, but with such a large word count not everything can stay and this was deemed unnecessary.
I won't spoil who burst into a shower of gold spark or has a partner gryphon, at least not yet.

The energy burst from him in a shower of gold sparks, filling the air with a scorched smell. His partner, an irate gryphon, also cried out in agony. A dark burst of energy, heavy and cold, fueled by his servants destroyed the gryphon. The awful squawks and calls were cut off. His frustration at the delay was evident; energy rolled off him in waves and the servants even moved back as his own energy swallowed up theirs. A heavy cascade of red saturated the air. It hummed, as if alive, creating more vibrations in the air. The trees around the tablet shuddered in response.

Maybe once my book is out, you can tell me who you think this is.

Week 5

It's funny that I have labeled these posts as "Week (#)" because usually when someone does that it is a countdown. I'm not sure blog posts usually get week numbers, but I'm lacking the energy to be witty, so until I find it, I will continue to title them by week number.

It's the fourth of July as well. America celebrates its independence day, I'm grateful that I have a day off from school. Time to study for the test I have tomorrow, oh well, no one said holidays weren't work.

Last time I gave you something familiar to look at.
It was my version of a sphinx and it was an old sphinx. I don't know if you could see the gray that was mixed in with the brighter colors.
However, I didn't just use creatures that are familiar to you or me. I created a few of my own. Some of these creatures played major roles and some were minor.
This was a minor creature, but I love it so much:

A Whipling has a beautiful song and lovely colors. Its most striking characteristic is its long tail feathers that trail behind it as it flies.

This is a Whipling. A creature new to the world and my creation. I love it for its simplicity. The Whipling is not meant to be a creature that does much it is just like a normal bird or squirrel that blends into the background of this magical environment. I think it's important to have your own creations when you are creating a new world, because no one else can claim a Whipling.
A good example of an author who does this marvelously is J.K. Rowling. She has a whole film on her "Fantastic Beasts" and they are quite stunning.