Writing, TMI FST, and tidbits

HI GUYS! <3

I haven't updated in a while. My bad. ^^ Things have been crazy and I work constantly. In between reading, writing, working, and other misc projects I haven't had time to do anything and I apologize. :(

I've been working on a massive FST (fan soundtrack) for Cassandra Clare's “The Mortal Instruments” series for the first three books City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass. When I say “massive” I mean massive. So much epic music on this thing it's gonna rock some socks off. Some of the artists include Within Temptation, Nightwish, and several others. Oh yeah. ^_____^

As for writing, I've been discussing with my people that help me about my Everlnd series. Daddy and I have decided how the Gryffon's Spire will effect each race on Everlnd. We've also found out what the Spire will hold on each race (Sprites [Fire, River, Sun, Forrest], Elv [Light, Dark, Rogue], Harlequin, Ednorite, Grimvore, Pranasyphon, and Anathyte) for that outcome to occur. We done a little work on Noxterra (bad ass bitch. XD) and her views. When we created Noxterra, he made her in a way that I didn't understand, but now I do. People will love her...or hate her.

While I'm talking about Everlnd, I'm also stuck for what genre I want to write this for. The bigger types of books these days tend to be Paranormal Romance and Young Adult, but...I don't know if I could make Everlnd in either of these categories because it doesn't quite fit into PR and the sexual undertones are TOO much for YA. Daddy said that I should just write it and see where it goes. I suppose I should do as he says. No point in worrying about something that hasn't even been written. XD

Androlite Writes and I (with her husband) have also been working on the Paranormal Romance series we've created called The Dark Hour Chronicles. We've gotten some of the first book written, but the big things we've gotten out of the way are our main characters, antagonists, protagonists, and what we generally want to happen in each book. I cannot wait to get down and dirty and really get this project into gear (but I'm going to try to mostly work on Everlnd since it is muh baby).

I've also been very beside myself with the tragedy that occurred in Japan. I'm a HUGE fan of anime and manga and the type of person that fangirls over that particular lifestyle so it's hit me hard as well. I hope that everyone is keeping them in their thoughts and prayers! I know I pray to the God and Goddess for all of them to be well and also for safe passage for the souls to the other side. I also donated (yay me!!) and I hope everyone reading this has as well.

Well, ladies and gents; readers and writers, that is it for the update. I should be posting the FST for the TMI fans (and Cassie Clare) here in a couple of days or a week at the most.

Until then, stay safe everyone!

Writing: Character Depth and Story Plot

I was discussing something with my daddy tonight about my upcoming novel series Everlnd and we got to talking about character depth and how people relate to them.

I'm twenty-five and I've been reading and writing since I was knee high to a grasshoppers ass. My first little story was about leprechauns and trolls (laugh because it's funny). Then, I switched to poetry. In 2000, I started writing fanfiction for anime (my earlier works were horrible).

In between all that awesome action, I read anything I could get my hands on. From the encyclopedia to A Tale of Two Cities (I wanted to die by the end of it), and character depth was always one thing I looked for.

I've realized that in all of my years of book reading, people relate to characters who have seen the same troubles that they have or are a part of something they are going through. As writers, we all base our characters on some dark aspect of ourselves that no one knows. Deep down inside, we all want people to relate to us in some way.

Daemon Sadi's heartbreak at losing his beloved Jaenelle Angelline made us bawl like babies (Queen of Shadows by Anne Bishop). Conrad Wroth's desire for seeing Naomi Laress in the flesh for the first time drove us to feel it with him (Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresely Cole). When Edward Cullen proposed to Bella Swan we all screamed with delight (Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer [I'm actually not a big fan of this book series or author]). Jace Wayland's undying love for Clary Fray/Morgenstern was so intense that we didn't care if they were siblings and just wanted them to get down and dirty (Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare).

When I read, I want to feel such rage at the antagonist that I punch the book or randomly curse. I want to cry when the characters cry, to feel happy when they feel happy. I want to experience everything that they feel because, even if they are fictional, they are REAL to us.

When I write, I want my audience to gasp and choke on their breaths when my characters interact with others or themselves. I desire to captivate people not just with my world, but with the people that populate it. That's why in Everlnd, my vampires aren't vampires; my werewolves aren't werewolves. Everything on old myths and legends have been twisted into something completely new. My characters are headstrong (Aku and Rune), self doubting (Ana), loving (Dezmon and Daymian), and dark (Noxterra).

Once again, my fellow writers, I say that character depth is an important part to a good novel of any kind. Characters go hand-in-hand with the actual story plot. You can't have awesome characters and a horrible story or vise versa.

I'm going to touch on this universe because it's really the only one I can think of. Yes, I actually hate this storyverse, but it's okay.

Stephanie Meyer became famous not because she wrote a tragic story about a vampire and werewolf falling in love with a human, but because she twisted the myths. As I stated before, I'm not a fan of her or her work, but I respect it because she's unique. Vampires couldn't go out in the sun not because they would burn, but because their skin reflected the sun in a display of brilliant diamonds.

The story, itself, made me want to gag. The first book was...okay, but after that it went downhill. Bella Swan is such a butcher for men that she'll do anything for them. The only real characters I liked in that whole series was probably Alice or Rosalie.

But, aside from myself, others loved this world that Miss Meyer had created because of it's difference in the myths. Some people look down on her that her vampires sparkle (that doesn't bother me), but that's okay. That's how she wanted them to be. If people would only realize that's what made her famous! It wasn't because she was a phenomenal writing (far from it), but because her world was different than that of the norm with vamps and werewolves.

Since then, I've seen so many books on vampires and werewolves that I can barely stand to read them anymore.

The average Joe could become a writer, but what it takes it being unique about it. For example, in high school my English teacher made us play the "gossip game". It started out like this:

"A cat ran across the road."

By the time it reached the end of the class:

"So, I saw this cat go across the road, right? It was dodging traffic and jumping on top of cars. Then, this other cat appeared to attack it, but this cat had pure ninja skills and totally pwned that other cat. Oh, and it done all this while carrying a small kitten!”

Remember, anyone can tell a story, but it takes a certain type of person to tell a story that gripes readers and pulls them into their world.