Effulgent Corruption - Almost done editing

I've been picking up the pace after Part 3...the Parts after that I was more in the groove and don't require as much heavy editing. I've just finished Part 5 and have only Parts 6 and 7 remaining.

I already have plans on what to cut from these sections, though Parts 2 and 5 (both of Ciara's parts) are making stern arguments towards leaving most of the stuff in. And they are the longest parts. Gosh dang it.

I'd consider this a "pre-alpha" read for those who want a copy. Basically you'll go in knowing its a rough draft, but help me to figure out exactly what plot things should be axed, or which parts of the book seemed to have problems with pacing. It also is a general assessment of the plot to see if it works. Last thing I want is to have a finished book with a plot that just falls into oblivion.

In other news...that's it. I haven't started up Gears yet, mostly because I'm lazy and I want to finish EC edits first. If you want to be in the "crappy, rough draft" reader group, feel free and let me know. Just know it's a massive thing and I'd need feedback relatively soonish (like a month or two). It would be mostly general feedback, however, so you wouldn't need to line edit or anything.

That's it. Back to work! Here's more Nier music because you want it.

Updates: EC is a trilogy, Nier is still awesome, I am less emo

So, my apologize for leaving it on an emo post for so long. I'm feeling much better (though still depressed, but we could blame allergies).

Here are a few highlights of the past couple of days:

- Part 5 is extremely close to being finished. On that note...
- I finally figured out everything that makes Part 5 fit together perfectly, and finally has that "punch" I wanted every part to have. So far #5 has been...a thing that happened but doesn't really hit home in ways I want all the parts to. I want them all to be winners, and 5 wasn't. Luckily, with some brainstorming and awesome ideas I think it'll end with a bang.
- Effulgent Corruption will be a trilogy to tell the entire story. Book 1 (aka the one I'm currently writing) will be standalone, but the full story has been semi-planned in three parts. And on that..
- I figured out everything. Yes, everything. When I discovery write, I usually leave a lot of open threads just for fun and decide later whether or not to use them (or cut them). Effulgent Corruption has TONS of these, and for the most part I was worried because I couldn't tie them together. Well, that's fixed. Everything makes sense.
- Everything is awesome, this book is going to blow your freaking mind. By book I mean trilogy, but this book will too. They way everything pieces together makes me extremely excited, and being able to drop hints towards it in this book is a blast. It's going to rock.

I've been writing about 3-4k a day on Effulgent Corruption, with the hope that tomorrow I'll finish Part 5 and move on to Part 6. I can almost taste the ending of this thing, I just have to force my way through to the end. Then...editing.

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I am still loving Nier, even though I lent my copy out. I managed to convince two friends (now three) to play it, and one just beat it and is raving about it. I don't know what else to say besides the story is completely mind blowing, the game works great, the music is insanely good.
I mean just LISTEN to it (crap gets real at ~2:50)


At any rate, I think everybody should play this game and get all the endings. It's a story that could only have worked in its current medium (games), which is something many games don't do (most games don't even care about stories, which is too bad). Nier is easily going down as one of my favorite games of 2010, and certainly one of my favorite games ever.

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Aside from that, I got great feedback on Might of the Steelgods from a friend who was looking it over, and now I'm excited to both edit it and write Gears of Anbar. I'm also pumped for WorldCON, though I need to finish Effulgent Corruption before I really think too much about it. I'm also at work right now (4-10pm...ugh) so maybe I'll go write...right now? 


New writing group is going well and good, getting to read some solid stuff and also helpful criticism. That's about it from me; keep on truckin.

Effulgent Corruption, Nier, and guest blogging

First off: I wrote a monsterously long blog post about character development in response/collaboration with Joe's bit I posted here. Read it now.

Next, I wrote 5k in Effulgent Corruption yesterday; an entire chapter. It was also an especially potent scene that I'd had planned literally since the book's initial inception, so writing it was extremely exciting and gratifying. I'm very satisfied with how it turned out, though I might be adding a little more to the end before the chapter break. Major revelation/twist with regard to viewpoint characters. EXCITING.

I write better when I write in chunks. I wrote 2k from 4-5pm while waiting for my wife to get done with work (we work at the same place but rarely the exact same hours, so if I get finished sooner I write in the lobby). Then I sat on my magical hill that is quickly becoming "hay fever central" with all the stupid grass and wrote another large chunk. Good stuff. I should get off work early every day.

Lastly, I beat the game Nier. I linked the wiki, but don't read the plot. Here is why.
This game has a GREAT story. I'm usually pretty jaded against JRPG plots. I enjoy the, but they tend to be seeped in melodrama and exposition rather than actually letting the reader/gamer discover things themselves.
The best part about Nier is it explains the final plot twist near the end, then explains NOTHING else. It forces you to put the pieces together, and when you do everything (including a prologue that seemingly had nothing to do with the rest of the game) snaps together into an incredible finale.
The twist also changes the truth about what you've been doing the entire game. After beating it you can replay it to learn more about one of your companions (you basically replay the second half with added commentary/cutscenes). But now that you know the twist, some of the things the game makes you do (which you did just fine in the first playthrough with no emotional attachment) are horrific. Rarely does a game make you own up to what you've done, but Nier does it an in spades. Once you realize the truth behind not only the bosses but the events leading to them you realize that nothing about the game was what it seems. But it still all makes perfect sense, which is a superb example of a well crafted story.
I'm rambling, but I'm going to go so far as to say Nier has the best story of any JRPG ever made. If not the best, at least the tightest. There is little to no filler and stuff that doesn't make sense the game takes care to explain over multiple playthroughs. It is exceptionally well crafted. I highly recommend it (plus you can get the game for about $10-15 despite coming out next year).
Know it's steeped in mediocrity, but the payoff is totally worth it.

That's it from me, enough about dumb video games. Nathan out.