Watcha Writin'?

[Valka D'Ur]

Oft times when I write here about a problem, a solution will soon thereafter present itself. Although not an exact carbon copy, my world is inspired by our Old World. I've now decided to give my continents Latin names. At first my Africa [where the pivotal Cocoa Wars take place] was going to be called Viriditerram for Greenworld, but I realized that name ignored the Sahara, so I've changed it to hot: Calidum. This makes Europe cold: Frigus. Asia is endless:
Aeternum.

My main character was about to go to the palace, where he would bump into the King, who is an ex-slave and adopted son of the now-late King & Queen. My new plan is to break the narration, and devote an entire chapter to his history: being orphaned in the First Cocoa War, captured & enslaved; shipped off to Sugar Island [Zanzibar or Seychelles Island], where the king & queen adopt him. etc.]

One 5 cents'-worth comment: Southern Europe isn't cold (you might want to confirm that with Kyriakos, as he's always made it clear that he thinks I live in some year-round deep freeze here), so maybe "cold" isn't the best way to describe the whole continent.

Unless, of course, you're using characters who just have that impression of it and haven't any experience of the parts that aren't cold.

 

[Synobun]

Fixed my premise problem and finally had a good progress day.

 

[Zkribbler]

... maybe "cold" isn't the best way to describe the whole continent.

Hrumph. I'm not interested what isn't the best way to describe the whole continent; I'm interested in what is the best way to describe the whole continent. I contend there isn't one. Still, it is "cold" when compared to the Sahara and equatorial jungles. Right now, "cold" is the least worst I can do.

Hmmm: maybe Egelidus, meaning chill or even warmish.
or Nidus meaning: nest, origin, nestlings, home, abode, eerie

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Hrumph. I'm not interested what isn't the best way to describe the whole continent; I'm interested in what is the best way to describe the whole continent. I contend there isn't one. Still, it is "cold" when compared to the Sahara and equatorial jungles. Right now, "cold" is the least worst I can do.

Hmmm: maybe Egelidus, meaning chill or even warmish.
or Nidus meaning: nest, origin, nestlings, home, abode, eerie

According to Spock, the best way to find out where something is, is to first find out where it is not.

Similarly, the best way to find out what the best word is, is to find out what the best word is not.

Europe has a wide variety of regional climates. That's a geographical fact.

 

[Zkribbler]

I'm pretty much done with the chapter rearranging, although this turned out to be simply moving Chapters 7 & 8 to the beginning of the story and softening the transitions with some connecting language. Chapters 1-6 are now my Chapters 3-8.

I reviewed the entire story--this took awhile --and inserted the names of my three continents [Calidum, Aeternum & Nidus] where appropriate.

In Chapter 9, my count and my princess are taking different routes to the Rainbow Palace. I had to do a ridiculous amount of swapping focus between their stories to get Chapter 9 to balance out.

Chapter 10 is already half finished. I thought of delaying it to make room for the King's backstory. However at my pacing, Chapter 10 should be the Second Pinch Point wherein I emphasize my character’s power & potential. So Chapter 11 will be the backstory.
I know not what happens in Chapter 12.

In lucky Chapter 13, the world's economy collapses.

In Chapter 14, two of my three nemesises will be destroyed.

Chapter 15 has a duel to the death with my final nemesis.
Chapter 16 is the happily-ever-after chapter.

I wish the story were longer , twice as long would be good, but when I outlined it for that length, the conflict got diluted and the story "wouldn't write."

 

[Valka D'Ur]

How many pages/what's the word count this will be coming in at?

It's funny how new characters just walk into the story. I got another one, just considering how breakfast is served in a castle. It's not like the king goes down to the kitchen and dishes up his own oatmeal. So enter the servant sent to bring the king's breakfast... and she is just back from visiting family outside the capital and doesn't know there's been a regime change. She's expecting the old, elderly king, finds the new, much younger king instead, and a comedy of errors ensues (since he has no idea who she is, either).

 

[Zkribbler]

How many pages/what's the word count this will be coming in at?

Guestimate = ~60,000 words.

[Thanks for putting me through that exercise. I had it in my head that it would come in at 40,000 words. At least technically what I'll have will be a novel--although most publishers want >80,000 words]

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Guestimate = ~60,000 words.

[Thanks for putting me through that exercise. I had it in my head that it would come in at 40,000 words. At least technically what I'll have will be a novel--although most publishers want >80,000 words]

40,000 words isn't even enough for NaNoWriMo (the November event).

I've been working on my own story tonight, and realized that I have to come up with names for a Queen, her King Consort, and two other kings, even before I get to any of the characters who are actually part of the game this is based on.

Time to look up those name generators...

 

[Zkribbler]

Fixed my premise problem and finally had a good progress day.

Go, go, go!

============================
I ran into writer's block on my way to the palace to meet the King. Writer's block is my subconscious's way of telling me I'm doing something really wrong.

I realized I couldn't meet the King until I knew the King. So I jumped over to take a crack at writing the Chap. 11 backstory. I looked at the blank screen, which looked back at me. Bah, more writer's block. I realized I couldn't write the backstory until I ascertained the King's raison d'etre in the story. His purpose is to dissolve the greedy, self-serving Board of Regency.

I went back to some of my notes on character construction.

Lie – deeply held misconception of self or the world
The thing he wants – character’s goal
May not feel handicapped or in denial
until the Inciting Event or 1st Plot Point.
Specific belief – state in one sentence
Foundation for character

Truth – the thing he needs; prob. a realization

Ghost - reason char believes Lie; the Why; backstory
Why does character nourish the Lie.

To wit: The King has acquiesced in the Regents' slander that he is insane & incapable of ruling. He needs to gain the confidence necessary to overthrow them. Uh oh, they control the Palace Guard--this is a problem.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I just had to do research on medieval torture racks. The game glossed over a few things, so one of the character is going to have a worse day in the story than he did in the game.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I ran into writer's block on my way to the palace to meet the King. Writer's block is my subconscious's way of telling me I'm doing something really wrong.

I realized I couldn't meet the King until I knew the King. So I jumped over to take a crack at writing the Chap. 11 backstory. I looked at the blank screen, which looked back at me. Bah, more writer's block. I realized I couldn't write the backstory until I ascertained the King's raison d'etre in the story. His purpose is to dissolve the greedy, self-serving Board of Regency.

I went back to some of my notes on character construction.

To wit: The King has acquiesced in the Regents' slander that he is insane & incapable of ruling. He needs to gain the confidence necessary to overthrow them. Uh oh, they control the Palace Guard--this is a problem.

Your Palace Guard is corrupt, too?

I had one of them rediscover his sense of honor when he realizes that he's been on the wrong side and the new Dowager Queen is the one who really murdered the king; when he has a chance to kill one of the heroes, he lets him go. Of course that means the only way out is still jumping out of a storm drain into a lake far below, but it's the best chance they've got.

 

[Zkribbler]

Your Palace Guard is corrupt, too?

The guardsmen are selected by and are under the control of the Regency

I'm nudging into the Chapter 11 backstory of the King. Eventually his adoptive parents will rename him Prometheus [giver of light] but what to name him before then?

I remember my brother's policy of not naming his cats but to wait for them to name themselves. His accident-prone cat was Murphy because anything bad that could happen to a cat, did. Randy ... er ... was. Geronimo leaped from high places onto unsuspecting people's bare feet. I did this with two of my four dogs. When puppy Magellan arrived home, he was out of the van and exploring everywhere. In contrast, cowardly Yipyip sat on his haunches and loudly complained of imaginary slights.

My king's birth tribe has a similar policy. All newborns are initially called Umntwana [Zulu for baby]. This name fits my future king because he will soon be stolen by slavers and he will never really get a chance to grow up.

 

[Zkribbler]

Just knocked off 750 words.

At first I was stymied, unsure on how to proceed. Then I recalled that in my quiver of tools, I have a self-created 24-slot form to use to in structuring a 24-chapter novel. Some of the slots have milestones [e.g. First Plot point/Inciting event; 1st pinch point]; most slots do not. If I reduced the number of slots by two-thirds, keeping all the milestones, I'd have the structure for an 8-page story, or a backstory chapter. Page 1 has the hook; Page 2 has the inciting event, etc.

My Page 1 hook finds Umntwana in his jungle village as it is attacked by slavers. An inciting event is when the character reacts in a very strong and irrevocable way; here on Page 2, Umntwana resigns himself to a life of slavery. Coming up next is the 1st pinch point on Page 3, wherein the antagonist flexes muscles.

Note: I write in single space, which results in ~550 words per page.

 

[Zkribbler]

I'm up to 1400 words total in Chap. 11. The captured slaves have been brutally marched through the jungle to the east coast.

This takes them to the brink of First Pinch Point of the chapter, wherein the antagonist flexes muscles. The slaves have just spotted the legendary island fortress of Sukari’mji and wrongly conclude their problems are over. Sukari’mji is a fabulous wealthy city-state celebrated for its endless luxuries. However, those luxuries can be afforded because it is a huge slave trading center. The unspeakable misery they are about to encounter will take Umntwana into the Midpoint of the chapter, wherein Umntwana instead of losing hope will take his first steps to fight back.

Just so you know, I created my 24-slot form using: Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K. M. Weiland. She are a very wise lady. I chose to utilize 24 slots because Ms Weiland divides her story structure into eighths. Thus, 24 chapter allows 3 chapters per eighth. If each chapter is 4,000 words, the novel will total 96,000 words--a length favored by publishers. These numbers aren't fixed in concrete, but they gave me something to aim for.

 

[Zkribbler]

66 words today. I worked all day to produce 66 words.

My prisoners remain at the shore, looking out at Sukari’mji. Writers' block means my subconscious realizes I am doing something wrong. I had no ideas on how to move the prisoners from the shore to the slave quarters of Sukari’mji; on how to have Umntwana escape into the city, on how to have him encounter his future adoptive parents, etc. etc. etc. I tried & tried and...66 words.

In the evening, I opened up Kindle and went back to Structuring Your Novel's passages on writing a scene. The basis arc is: Goal, Conflict, Resolution. Well, that was the problem. At this point in the story, neither Umntwana nor any of the other prisoners have any goals. Their spirits are broken; they're as mindless as sheep They have no goals. No goals = no conflict. No conflict = no story.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Just so you know, I created my 24-slot form using: Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K. M. Weiland.

I'll have to look that up.

They have no goals.

Not even basic survival?

 

[Zkribbler]

Most of their loved ones are dead. Their village is ashes. They've had nothing to eat for three days. Water to drink is rare. If anyone asks for food or water, the response is a severe beating.

I realized those with the goals are the slavers, striving to get the slaves to Sukari’mji. They have the goal; any frustration of that goal leads to conflict, and then to resolution. This can power my story.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Most of their loved ones are dead. Their village is ashes. They've had nothing to eat for three days. Water to drink is rare. If anyone asks for food or water, the response is a severe beating.

I realized those with the goals are the slavers, striving to get the slaves to Sukari’mji. They have the goal; any frustration of that goal leads to conflict, and then to resolution. This can power my story.

At some point at least one of the slavers should be pointing out that they won't get much money for slaves dead of dehydration or starvation. Unless this is something like the trans-Atlantic slave trade, where they take so many that it's considered an acceptable loss if a certain percentage don't survive?

 

[Zkribbler]

Unless this is something like the trans-Atlantic slave trade,

This is what it's patterned after.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Did you ever watch Roots? Read the novel? If you're going to use elements of that, do some research. I don't recall offhand what made Kunta Kinte decide not to give up, but it was sufficient to make him decide to be a survivor.