I've wanted to use the phrase "on the home stretch" for a while now with Effulgent Corruption, but could never justify it considering I'd always have more than one Part remaining.
Well, I'm on the home stretch. I have one Part left. It's outlined. I just have to write it.
I'm on the home stretch.
After outlining what will become Part 7, I realized how much I didn't want to write this finale. It has nothing to do with being unable, hating the story, or anything of that kind. The point is that things happen in the end that are irreversible, and after getting to know these characters over seven months (more, if you count plotting and the first false start) I am a bit hesitant to follow through. Who lives and dies (or is horribly maimed) at the end of Effulgent Corruption was decided WAY back during the book's initial planning (even before it had a title), but now that I'm finally up to that point it's hard to follow through with it.
I had a similar problem with the ending of Lacrymosa (even though that book wasn't nearly as well polished, it did take me a three year period to write), the ending of Harbinger, and the ending of the second part of Where Gods and Mortals Dance.
Without going into too many spoilers: all the parts mentioned above have the deaths of main characters. I've always been forward in saying that nobody is ever safe, even viewpoint characters; it's been something I've been adamant on since I first started writing. I despise immortal viewpoint characters who seem to have immaculate luck and narrowly avoid death by just a hair every scene. Death is a staple of fantasy, so why are main/likeable characters exempt?
Because it's hard, that's why.
Part 6 also ends with a main character dying. For risk of spoilers, let's just say it is "one of my favorite characters in the novel." I literally had to emotionally detach myself from the scene entirely in order to write it. I went back for a quick re-read edit and actually skipped the part leading up to the death. I just couldn't re-read it, at least not then. I was so attached to the character and liked him/her so much that killing them was like a punch in the chest. I still haven't re-read the scene. And this was for a character I'd planned to die since the beginning!
As an author, we want deaths to have emotional weight. So we build up a character, make them endearing to a reader, force them to be very sympathetic, and then kill them.
The only problem is, as the author, I'm infinitely more intimate with a character than a reader. They've spent maybe a few hours with him/her, while I've spent months (sometimes years) entertaining them in my thoughts. Doing awful things to characters is my forte (which is also what discovery writers excel at), but even I have a threshold that can be crossed. George R. R. Martin can do awful things to people without batting an eyelid, but I think most of us are more like J.K. Rowling, who cried during several stages of writing the Harry Potter novels. It's hard to be mean, especially to people who are good and don't deserve it. There isn't always a happy ending, but there's a difference between being told about the unhappy ending and having to create it.
In truth, this whole post was sort of an extension of a comment I posted on Rose's blog, but the point still stands. I'm having troubles starting this "beginning of the end" because I know I'm going to have to do awful, unfixable things to my characters, and I feel bad about it.
But it was going to happen anyway, so I'm going to write today regardless.
I was also going to post about moral grayness in characters (and melodrama), but that'll have to wait for a future blog post because my brain is addled with Mountain Dew and work isn't helping with my mind mushiness. So just know that the end is coming, this book will finally be finished, and I'm going to kill every character you ever loved or do awful things to them (or both). So ha ha.
Also, a new tradition is to post a picture or youtube video relevant to something, so here's the final boss music from Nier. I posted it before, but it changes just before you deal the killing blow, which I think is a great example of emotionally attacking a player/reader before a character death.
And why not, here's the original song in case you forgot.
Effulgent Corruption: The Home Stretch, emotional impact, death of charcters
on Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Effulgent Corruption: Part 6 is done. Yes, really. Also, this book is too long.
on Monday, July 11, 2011
My lovely wife sent me an email today, and here is what it said:
Part # Word Count Viewpoint
Prologue 478 N/A
Part 1 61035 Drake
Part 2 67920 Ciara
Part 3 65777 Rook
Part 4 37312 Drake
Part 5 66649 Ciara
Part 6 23935 Rook
Total Word Count: 335K
Estimated Part 7 (final part) Word Count: 40k
Estimated Final Word Count: 375k
Word Count of Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson: 386k
Word Count of Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss: 395k
So yeah, this book is REALLY LONG. It is worth nothing that both Way of Kings and Wise Man's Fear were that long after editing, and I'm hoping to cut down the 60k sections by 20k each of just content cut (and cut everything 10-20% of just "cleaning up sentences" cut). I commented to a friend last night I wanted a ~30% edit, which would be 90k, WHICH IS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF STEELGODS. WHAT.
Anyway, I finished Part 6, though the ending is extremely abrupt. What happened was I figured I had a page left, but I kind of lost the groove last night so I was going to finish it later. But after my wife read it this morning she commented on how she liked the abrupt ending, and after re-reading it I do too. I might still write my original ending and see how I like it, but I sort of dig this abrupt scene cut.
I'm now in severe planning stages. Yes, I'm planning, get over it. After over 300k words and now all it is coming together, I can't afford to not plan and somehow screw this up. So I'm going to MAKE AN OUTLINE (what? no!) and actually figure out this ending and then write it.
One of my friends also said he's going to get popcorn on the 23rd (after his last school final) and read Effulgent Corruption from start to finish. So my new goal is to finish the book before then. After that I'll do basic edits until August, then write Gears of Anbar that month while maybe writing Steelgods? I don't know, I've been working on this book so long I forgot how to keep a schedule.
That's it from me. Here's a tiny bit from the last part.
Part # Word Count Viewpoint
Prologue 478 N/A
Part 1 61035 Drake
Part 2 67920 Ciara
Part 3 65777 Rook
Part 4 37312 Drake
Part 5 66649 Ciara
Part 6 23935 Rook
Total Word Count: 335K
Estimated Part 7 (final part) Word Count: 40k
Estimated Final Word Count: 375k
Word Count of Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson: 386k
Word Count of Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss: 395k
So yeah, this book is REALLY LONG. It is worth nothing that both Way of Kings and Wise Man's Fear were that long after editing, and I'm hoping to cut down the 60k sections by 20k each of just content cut (and cut everything 10-20% of just "cleaning up sentences" cut). I commented to a friend last night I wanted a ~30% edit, which would be 90k, WHICH IS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF STEELGODS. WHAT.
Anyway, I finished Part 6, though the ending is extremely abrupt. What happened was I figured I had a page left, but I kind of lost the groove last night so I was going to finish it later. But after my wife read it this morning she commented on how she liked the abrupt ending, and after re-reading it I do too. I might still write my original ending and see how I like it, but I sort of dig this abrupt scene cut.
I'm now in severe planning stages. Yes, I'm planning, get over it. After over 300k words and now all it is coming together, I can't afford to not plan and somehow screw this up. So I'm going to MAKE AN OUTLINE (what? no!) and actually figure out this ending and then write it.
One of my friends also said he's going to get popcorn on the 23rd (after his last school final) and read Effulgent Corruption from start to finish. So my new goal is to finish the book before then. After that I'll do basic edits until August, then write Gears of Anbar that month while maybe writing Steelgods? I don't know, I've been working on this book so long I forgot how to keep a schedule.
That's it from me. Here's a tiny bit from the last part.
“Get the hell away from me, you madman!” Rook pointed, fury coursing through him. “Get back, or I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” Grax rose his hands to the sky, spinning as he chuckled. “Strike me down? Tear me to pieces? Cut me asunder? I am only visible to you, Rook. Only you can see my divine presence, only you think there is a man standing before you in the road. You are the madman, the insane one. I am simply a patient observer, existing only in your mind and through your blighted sight.”
Grax started laughing hysterically now, clutching his chest as tears ran down his face. “And do you know the best part? I told you to sew your eyes shut! You didn’t want to, hell on earth you were persistant, but in the end you were so weak, so malleable. I tricked you into thinking it was what you wanted, can you believe it? All this while you told yourself it was your intention, your choice. And now, now you see me all the time. Don’t you understand, Rook? Minerva was right. Who in their right mind would sew their eyes shut, knowing full well a dead god awaits them beneath those closed lids?”
- Effulgent Corruption, Dead
Effulgent Corruption: Killin' dudes and the idea of corruption
on Thursday, July 7, 2011
Something that has always been prominent in Effulgent Corruption is the emphasis that the corruption in the story isn't just referring to the poison that crosses the flesh of the magic-users ("Marked") in the book. One of the main points of the book that I settled on when brainstorm it is the idea of corruption spreading across multiple fronts in the wake of a catastrophic event (all their gods die expectantly, and are replaced by a huge, growing chunk of crystal). How would a world react? Would they follow it up wisely, or would the leaders take advantage of the situation?
Of course they'd do the latter; who am I kidding? But this idea of unrestrained corruption makes for a fun write, because it encompasses all the themes of the book. Here are a few key ones that I think of.
- Corruption of Government - Societies that had been constantly ruled by seemingly omniscient, immortal beings that lived among them an then straight up died would quickly assign others to fill the gaps. These mortals, however, would hardly be able to fulfill the task without adjusting the system to better fit their now-empowered needs, leading to corruption.
- Corruption of Earth - This one is simpler: Gangrene crystal kills the soil it touches. It absorbs nutrients and leaves ground in a state similar to ash. As the massive Heart of the Gangrene crystal continues to shoot out "veins," it'll slowly eat away at the world, corrupting it.
- Corruption of Flesh - Another simple one. When Gangrene is embedded in the hands, eyelids, or chest of mortals it grants them power...at a price. The surrounding area is affected by the crystal, turning black, and as the users wield the power the blackness crawls. As the corruption numbs any body part it touches, once they use their power enough it'll eventually reach their head, numbing the mind, or cover so much of their body the Gangrene (which is essentially a slow-acting poison) kills them.
- Corruption of Mind - This one has actually been the funnest to write. Even if the Gangrene doesn't reach the mind, as it grows it seeps into the blood. Not a massive amount (at least not in uncorrupted areas of flesh), but enough to start influencing the mind and body of the Marked. It's a gradual thing, the insanity, and leads to some of the most interesting points of the book. All of the viewpoint characters are Marked; which are insane? Are some already insane, or are they on their way, or are they somehow avoiding the Gangrene's influence entirely? What do they see that is their addled brain lying to them, and what is reality? As the book progresses the viewpoint grows more and more unreliable, which makes for some fun scenes. This is also the most "psychological" part of the book (yay, I'm finally using my stupid undergrad major), with some characters knowing they are losing their minds, and others being blissfully unaware.
- Corruption of Morality - If you take away the gods and the rules, what do you have left? I in no way am drawing parallels to our world, but if our deities walked among us and suddenly died/disappeared, what would happen to the rules they set up? If the new human rulers (see #1 up top) didn't care about the old laws, what idea of morality would remain? It might last a while, but in time it would corrupt as well, with only the most stalwart worshipers of the dead gods willfully following their old rules.
- Corruption of Divinity - This is further addressed in the second and third books, but think of how your perception of gods would change two centuries after these gods died. Would you really remember them the same way? Do we even remember history as it actually happened, or how it was recorded? How much of that would change, especially in a middle-ages era society where record keeping was more controlled?
- Corruption of Economy - Your world suddenly has a resource that can turn men to to magic-using slaves, but it is extremely hard to mine and is technically biochemical warfare to stab it into somebody. How much is this crystal worth? How would that effect the world's economy? How would that effect conflicts between nations and trade? It would break down, centering about this resource, until everything normalized. It would corrupt it.
All these things were ideas I considered and keep in the back of my mind when plotting and writing Effulgent Corruption. I wanted a book that followed a central theme but didn't blatantly say all the things mentioned above (that's what a blog is for!). So it was interesting for me to try and figure out how all this crap fits together, then make a story out of it.
Though in truth it was the other way around. I started with an idea "magic that kills you, and magic users are slaves." Basically, I wanted the reverse of a normal fantasy story, were magicians are revered sages and (basically) the most powerful men in the world. What if there was a stipulation that made them weak? What if they forgot how to be men after gaining their powers, and could be trained/brainwashed into being submissive slaves despite their incredible power? How would a society work in this situation?
The opening sentence of Effulgent Corruption is, "The day the last god died, the Gangrene crystals appeared." This was, essentially, all I started with in terms of the deities, the crystals, and all that before I actually figured out the plot. From that grew the Gangrene crystals (the name of the crystals, like the title of the book, was actually intended to simply be a placeholder until I thought of something better), and then the repercussions something like Gangrene would have across an entire world.
While I don't consider myself a serious plotter or outliner, I do feel it is important for every author to really think through and imagine the implications of their world before they set their characters loose in it. It's easy to say, "My book uses dragons for money!" but hard to fully process how far-reaching that could be in terms of world changes. I've always tried to think substantially on that fact in my other books, but I never took it as far as I did in Effulgent Corruption, and for that reason I think this book is much better constructed than my others.
Point: BEING AN AUTHOR IS HARD OK. Figuring out all this stuff has been really exciting, and it has been fun to drop hints (or red herrings) frequently in the novel regarding exactly how it all goes together. I also am fully convinced now that the ending of the novel is going to piss everybody off, but if you see post 200 you can see my reaction to that.
I'm running out of break at work (and things to say), so here is an Effulgent Corruption bit to keep you busy. I'm back to my normal 4-6k a day, and Rook's section is going to be short so before you know it I'll be done. I'm shooting for the end of July at the latest, hopefully sooner, but we'll see.
Of course they'd do the latter; who am I kidding? But this idea of unrestrained corruption makes for a fun write, because it encompasses all the themes of the book. Here are a few key ones that I think of.
- Corruption of Government - Societies that had been constantly ruled by seemingly omniscient, immortal beings that lived among them an then straight up died would quickly assign others to fill the gaps. These mortals, however, would hardly be able to fulfill the task without adjusting the system to better fit their now-empowered needs, leading to corruption.
- Corruption of Earth - This one is simpler: Gangrene crystal kills the soil it touches. It absorbs nutrients and leaves ground in a state similar to ash. As the massive Heart of the Gangrene crystal continues to shoot out "veins," it'll slowly eat away at the world, corrupting it.
- Corruption of Flesh - Another simple one. When Gangrene is embedded in the hands, eyelids, or chest of mortals it grants them power...at a price. The surrounding area is affected by the crystal, turning black, and as the users wield the power the blackness crawls. As the corruption numbs any body part it touches, once they use their power enough it'll eventually reach their head, numbing the mind, or cover so much of their body the Gangrene (which is essentially a slow-acting poison) kills them.
- Corruption of Mind - This one has actually been the funnest to write. Even if the Gangrene doesn't reach the mind, as it grows it seeps into the blood. Not a massive amount (at least not in uncorrupted areas of flesh), but enough to start influencing the mind and body of the Marked. It's a gradual thing, the insanity, and leads to some of the most interesting points of the book. All of the viewpoint characters are Marked; which are insane? Are some already insane, or are they on their way, or are they somehow avoiding the Gangrene's influence entirely? What do they see that is their addled brain lying to them, and what is reality? As the book progresses the viewpoint grows more and more unreliable, which makes for some fun scenes. This is also the most "psychological" part of the book (yay, I'm finally using my stupid undergrad major), with some characters knowing they are losing their minds, and others being blissfully unaware.
- Corruption of Morality - If you take away the gods and the rules, what do you have left? I in no way am drawing parallels to our world, but if our deities walked among us and suddenly died/disappeared, what would happen to the rules they set up? If the new human rulers (see #1 up top) didn't care about the old laws, what idea of morality would remain? It might last a while, but in time it would corrupt as well, with only the most stalwart worshipers of the dead gods willfully following their old rules.
- Corruption of Divinity - This is further addressed in the second and third books, but think of how your perception of gods would change two centuries after these gods died. Would you really remember them the same way? Do we even remember history as it actually happened, or how it was recorded? How much of that would change, especially in a middle-ages era society where record keeping was more controlled?
- Corruption of Economy - Your world suddenly has a resource that can turn men to to magic-using slaves, but it is extremely hard to mine and is technically biochemical warfare to stab it into somebody. How much is this crystal worth? How would that effect the world's economy? How would that effect conflicts between nations and trade? It would break down, centering about this resource, until everything normalized. It would corrupt it.
All these things were ideas I considered and keep in the back of my mind when plotting and writing Effulgent Corruption. I wanted a book that followed a central theme but didn't blatantly say all the things mentioned above (that's what a blog is for!). So it was interesting for me to try and figure out how all this crap fits together, then make a story out of it.
Though in truth it was the other way around. I started with an idea "magic that kills you, and magic users are slaves." Basically, I wanted the reverse of a normal fantasy story, were magicians are revered sages and (basically) the most powerful men in the world. What if there was a stipulation that made them weak? What if they forgot how to be men after gaining their powers, and could be trained/brainwashed into being submissive slaves despite their incredible power? How would a society work in this situation?
The opening sentence of Effulgent Corruption is, "The day the last god died, the Gangrene crystals appeared." This was, essentially, all I started with in terms of the deities, the crystals, and all that before I actually figured out the plot. From that grew the Gangrene crystals (the name of the crystals, like the title of the book, was actually intended to simply be a placeholder until I thought of something better), and then the repercussions something like Gangrene would have across an entire world.
While I don't consider myself a serious plotter or outliner, I do feel it is important for every author to really think through and imagine the implications of their world before they set their characters loose in it. It's easy to say, "My book uses dragons for money!" but hard to fully process how far-reaching that could be in terms of world changes. I've always tried to think substantially on that fact in my other books, but I never took it as far as I did in Effulgent Corruption, and for that reason I think this book is much better constructed than my others.
Point: BEING AN AUTHOR IS HARD OK. Figuring out all this stuff has been really exciting, and it has been fun to drop hints (or red herrings) frequently in the novel regarding exactly how it all goes together. I also am fully convinced now that the ending of the novel is going to piss everybody off, but if you see post 200 you can see my reaction to that.
I'm running out of break at work (and things to say), so here is an Effulgent Corruption bit to keep you busy. I'm back to my normal 4-6k a day, and Rook's section is going to be short so before you know it I'll be done. I'm shooting for the end of July at the latest, hopefully sooner, but we'll see.
Then the god was gone, and Rook’s body burned with power. He felt the familiar call of the Gangrene, the might of the Dead Six as it ebbed and flowed through him. His arms glowed with the Gangrene’s light, the orange and white throbbing and bursting with color. He was immortal, eternal, effulgent.
He would murder everyone.
- Effulgent Corruption, The Maw
Disease does not help writing
on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
I've been deathly ill (with a serious fever Thursday night), which has lead to no writing for Fri-Sun. I managed to write 1k yesterday despite being stricken with the plague, but I'm feeling substantially better (though not 100%...I'm probably at about 75%) and have an hour after work to burn, so hopefully that'll end with me writing lots.
I figured out Part 6; it'll be substantially shorter than the other parts should my estimation prove accurate, with maybe 2/3 the number of chapters as Part 5. I'm hoping that means I can finish it and Part 7 (aka the final part) in July, should I go quickly. I'm very ready for this book to be done so I can start on a lighter project (Steelgods 2). I'm also excited to edit both Steelgods and Effulgent Corruption in preparation for submitting it to everybody and their dog (and hopefully people I meet at WorldCon).
I haven't said anything about Game of Thrones (the HBO series, not the book) on this blog, but if you follow me on facebook you've seen I've gone NUTS over it. I actually binge watched the last six (of ten) episodes on the eve of my amazing disease explosion. Having never read the books, I must say these things are amazing. I actually tried reading the books and (like many others) was bogged down by their plodding pace. They are well written, for sure, but slow. I'm going to try it again because I literally cannot wait to see what happens in Season 2 and so if I just read the dumb books I'll know and won't have to wait. Though it might take me until next year to read that first book because...holy crap it's big.
Also it has a killer soundtrack and the rockingest opening of any show ever. Look, here it is so you can watch it!
Though if you are looking into watching it a fair warning: it's a "Hard R" rating. This is HBO, not normal television, so there's plenty of stuff you don't want kids (or teenagers, for that matter) seeing. The production values are through the roof, though, so it has that.
Yeah I should really read the books. Gah.
Here's a hefty EC quote. We are back to Rook, as you probably understood. This is the last character specific part in the novel. HALLELUJAH.
- Effulgent Corruption, "Loss"
I figured out Part 6; it'll be substantially shorter than the other parts should my estimation prove accurate, with maybe 2/3 the number of chapters as Part 5. I'm hoping that means I can finish it and Part 7 (aka the final part) in July, should I go quickly. I'm very ready for this book to be done so I can start on a lighter project (Steelgods 2). I'm also excited to edit both Steelgods and Effulgent Corruption in preparation for submitting it to everybody and their dog (and hopefully people I meet at WorldCon).
I haven't said anything about Game of Thrones (the HBO series, not the book) on this blog, but if you follow me on facebook you've seen I've gone NUTS over it. I actually binge watched the last six (of ten) episodes on the eve of my amazing disease explosion. Having never read the books, I must say these things are amazing. I actually tried reading the books and (like many others) was bogged down by their plodding pace. They are well written, for sure, but slow. I'm going to try it again because I literally cannot wait to see what happens in Season 2 and so if I just read the dumb books I'll know and won't have to wait. Though it might take me until next year to read that first book because...holy crap it's big.
Also it has a killer soundtrack and the rockingest opening of any show ever. Look, here it is so you can watch it!
Though if you are looking into watching it a fair warning: it's a "Hard R" rating. This is HBO, not normal television, so there's plenty of stuff you don't want kids (or teenagers, for that matter) seeing. The production values are through the roof, though, so it has that.
Yeah I should really read the books. Gah.
Here's a hefty EC quote. We are back to Rook, as you probably understood. This is the last character specific part in the novel. HALLELUJAH.
Despite knowing the meeting with Minerva would likely be an unpleasant one – Grax would see to that – Rook was excited to see her again. Something about the younger Corrupter did odd things to him; he felt completely uneasy about her but for some reason enjoyed the awkwardness. Spending time with her was like having a normal life, one free of the influence of harassing gods and impudent Marked.
“Don’t think like that,” Grax struck Rook upside the head, causing Rook to fumble the reigns. The horse, confused, broke its straight path for a moment before Rook redirected it back towards the tents outside Yehovuh. Rook gave Grax a scowl, the Mark about his eyes throbbing slightly as he Touched.
“She’s trouble,” Grax continued, sitting high on his war-horse. “She brings back something from your first life, something I don’t want you knowing. But if we are to kill the Saints, even I know when to admit you’ll need help. It’ll go much quicker with two, so long as you don’t stay together too often after the task is complete.”
Breaking promises, Rook growled but said nothing, remembering Grax’s warning back at the Marking Chamber. Bastard.
“I can hear everything you think, bastard,” Grax gave Rook a sideways glance, a touch of frustration in his eyes. “And considering the state of the Gangrene poison in her blood, I wouldn’t expect a substantial amount of quality time with the girl after you’ve killed all the Saints. Assuming both of you survive the ordeal, of course.”
- Effulgent Corruption, "Loss"
Book Review on Amazon: Genesis Earth by Joe Vasicek
on Thursday, June 30, 2011
Joe's Blog
Amazon Review - Four out of Five Stars
The first thing I'd like to point out is I'm not an avid reader of the sci-fi genre. I love the genre in different forms of media, specifically movies and video games, but when it comes to READING sci-fi it usually isn't my first choice. So when I gave Genesis Earth a go I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossing and interesting it was, even from the first page. Vasicek has created a world that readers will find both technologically sound and incredibly interesting.
The second point is how extremely well editing the novel is in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and general layout. Having read a handful of indie published Kindle books, a rather unfortunate stigma of the market is that most books have frequent grammar, spelling, and formatting issue. It is clear Vasicek spent a good deal of time perfecting this novel before putting it out on Kindle, which is a boon in and of itself.
The basic concept of the book is that our main hero Michael has lived his whole life in a space station, in the shadow of his super-scientist father. When mankind opens an artificial wormhole and finds what appears to be an inhabitable planet on the other side, Michael accepts the task of going through with the only other crewmember, Terra, to discover the planet and basically see what's up.
The initial chemistry (or lack thereof; they bicker frequently) between Michael and Terra is extremely amusing, especially with Michael basically looking for symptoms of mental illness in the girl. That was probably the funnest part of the book, watching Michael and Terra play off each other as their completely different personalities clashed frequently.
Once they arrive on the other side of the wormhole, things go from "interesting" to "weird" to "wait what?" There are several rather startling reveals throughout the book that kept me reading just to see what Vasicek would throw at me next.
I only have two complaints with Genesis Earth. First, the eventual chemistry (read: romance) between Terra and Michael seems phoned in. While I can understand they are the only two people alone on this starship and there was pretty much no way at all the book would NOT hook them up, the situations that lead to their eventual romantic interest don't seem to merit the sudden rush of fondness they feel for each other.
My second complaint was that the viewpoint character, while extremely technologically competent (which I am thankful for; I know nothing about sci-fi) came off as dry in several parts. I can understand it being his personality, but frankly his dead-panning of certain climactic scenes sort of took the wind out of the book's sails. I think it would be AWESOME to read this book from Terra's viewpoint, as she is both unstable and incredibly interesting.
Overall, if you are an avid indie reader, you really should pick this book up. It's a rather bright beacon of quality amongst a dark expanse of mediocrity. Even if you don't like sci-fi it should certainly be worth investigating, as the story is riveting and characters captivating.
Also, I kept humming "The Final Countdown" by Europe every time their spaceships were flying around. Is that weird? Whatever.
Director's Cut!
Here are some random thoughts about the book that I didn't put in the review because they were stupid ideas.
- I kept waiting for one of the characters to turn into this crazy, psycho murderer that stalked the starship like on Sunshine. Then I realized there were only two characters so that made no sense.
- I also kept waiting for a Planet of the Apes moment where they land on the planet and are like, "THE STATUE OF LIBERTY!" Thankfully, that didn't happen either.
- I wasn't lying about the Final Countdown thing. Here, now YOU can listen to it.
- I've always been curious about faster then light travel, but no sci-fi games or movies really take into account the fact that if you travel that fast EVERYBODY ELSE GETS REALLY OLD. I liked how this book mentions that frequently.
- When you find out exactly where/when they are after going through the wormhole...it's pretty dang epic. Just saying, I didn't see that twist coming.
- I'm in Space. SPPPAAACCEE!!!
(stop at 3:30 unless you want to spoil Portal 2's ending)
Post 199, Part 5 is freaking done.
on Tuesday, June 28, 2011
After 10,500 words today, Part 5 - Purity's Saints is finished. Hooray! Party.
That leaves two parts to go. Hooray!
That's about it. Back to Rook, and then the clash of worlds.
Here's the start of Part 6. I'd be more excited about this but I'm sick and also tired. So there you go.
"With all the skill of a master surgeon, Rook rammed the shard of Gangrene into the Zealot's eyelid."
- Initation, Effulgent Corruption
That leaves two parts to go. Hooray!
That's about it. Back to Rook, and then the clash of worlds.
Here's the start of Part 6. I'd be more excited about this but I'm sick and also tired. So there you go.
"With all the skill of a master surgeon, Rook rammed the shard of Gangrene into the Zealot's eyelid."
- Initation, Effulgent Corruption
Updates: EC is a trilogy, Nier is still awesome, I am less emo
on Monday, June 27, 2011
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.
----
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.
----
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.
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.
----
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.
----
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.
On not giving up.
on Monday, June 20, 2011
I've had a rough couple of days, certainly intensified by the lack of Paradise Seekers sales and general stress from work. Not to mention my car broke again (we are finally looking to buy a new one) having me drop a couple hundred that I'd much rather have for other things.
Giving up had been a persistent itch on the back of my mind, particularly after I graduated. I have currently made no moves to go to graduate school, though my major (Psychology) would probably require it for me to get a job that would both pay well and be enjoyable. I would much prefer to have a mediocre day job (or none at all) and have books traditionally published then go back for more school (though I'd love to work IN schools as a therapist, etc.), but the gamble incorporated with publishing in general is making this decision difficult.
I love writing for myself. It's fun, I get to tell stories I enjoy, and it is extremely fulfilling. I'd love to do it for a career.
I've been keeping my eye on the prize for quite some time now with no success. It isn't that I'm a quitter, it's that I'm wrought with frustrations. This is my sixth novel (and undoubtedly my best), but I have seen no success with any of them thus far. It's an annoyance, but such annoyances can certainly build up, especially since I don't have a career to fall back on should this collapse from beneath me.
Point: I'm in a transition state in my life and it bothers me. I should probably just be enjoying it for what it is, but I'm finding that too hard. I'm ready for something solid, a place I can hang my hat at least for a few years and know that is what I want to do. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem feasible.
Add to the fact that the day job is encroaching on writing (specifically conventions), and it's just a huge bundle of worms.
So I'm not giving up, not yet. It's just been a rather rotten couple of days (couple of months, truthfully) and since it was writing related I figured it wouldn't be all that awful to post it on here.
Now that I'm emoed out, know I wrote over 3k a day every day last week except Friday, where I had friends over and I wrote about 1.5k.
So I have that, at least.
Boring quote about BREAD!
Giving up had been a persistent itch on the back of my mind, particularly after I graduated. I have currently made no moves to go to graduate school, though my major (Psychology) would probably require it for me to get a job that would both pay well and be enjoyable. I would much prefer to have a mediocre day job (or none at all) and have books traditionally published then go back for more school (though I'd love to work IN schools as a therapist, etc.), but the gamble incorporated with publishing in general is making this decision difficult.
I love writing for myself. It's fun, I get to tell stories I enjoy, and it is extremely fulfilling. I'd love to do it for a career.
I've been keeping my eye on the prize for quite some time now with no success. It isn't that I'm a quitter, it's that I'm wrought with frustrations. This is my sixth novel (and undoubtedly my best), but I have seen no success with any of them thus far. It's an annoyance, but such annoyances can certainly build up, especially since I don't have a career to fall back on should this collapse from beneath me.
Point: I'm in a transition state in my life and it bothers me. I should probably just be enjoying it for what it is, but I'm finding that too hard. I'm ready for something solid, a place I can hang my hat at least for a few years and know that is what I want to do. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem feasible.
Add to the fact that the day job is encroaching on writing (specifically conventions), and it's just a huge bundle of worms.
So I'm not giving up, not yet. It's just been a rather rotten couple of days (couple of months, truthfully) and since it was writing related I figured it wouldn't be all that awful to post it on here.
Now that I'm emoed out, know I wrote over 3k a day every day last week except Friday, where I had friends over and I wrote about 1.5k.
So I have that, at least.
Boring quote about BREAD!
A little bell jingled when she opened the door to the bakery. A large, flour-covered man raised a hand in greeting before turning and pulling a pallet of delicious smelling breads from the oven. Ciara felt her mouth water, the mixture of oats and honey tantalizing. There was only one other customer in the shop, a young man about her age who was eyeing the sweets.
“Cinnamon bread is my favorite,” Ciara remarked offhand as she passed by, remembering the treat from when she had been a child. “Make sure you have a glass of milk handy, though; it’ll stick to your throat.”
The young man turned, dark black hair running across his eyes. He wore clothes of an upperclass citizen but not lavish enough to be Kian: a red suitcoat with brass buttons. He had a goatee that accented his sharp features, nose like a hawk’s beak.
His eyes made a quick scan of Ciara’s face, Mark, and chest. He then gave her a small smile, pointing to another pastry behind the glass.
“I was actually thinking of the raisin-nut with the glaze. My fiancée is partial to anything with nuts in it.”
“If it’s nuts you want, you should probably just get a whole cake,” Ciara smiled, pointing to a particularly delicious looking one with an orange-glowing finger. “Unless she’s also partial to raisins.”
“She hates them, actually,” the man turned back, bending over to glance at the cake on the lower shelf. “But she didn’t want anything particularly sweet, just taisty. Honestly, she probably just wants something expensive and doesn’t care exactly what.”
Effulgent Corruption Quote
on Thursday, June 16, 2011
I forgot to tail end one on the previous post, but rather edit it I'm just giving this its own post BECAUSE IT'S MY BLOG AND I'M CRAZY.
Ciara felt very self-concious, but she wasn’t going to hide who she was; not now, not ever. “It was mine. I was a Kian in Finalia, before a Corrupter took me and sold me to that bastard Deviar.”
“A Kian?” Nierta laughed, gently taking Ciara’s Marked hand in hers. “With this? Is Finalia accepting Marked as leaders these days, or are you already going mad?”
Ciara considered a response, but before she could Kika interrupted.
“She isn’t mad, Miss Nierta. She’s…she’s Marcus Divinious’ daughter.”
Nierta’s eyes widened further, and she stared up at Ciara’s face in surprise. Ciara blinked, expecting the examination to last only a minute, but Nierta kept staring. At last she couldn’t take it anymore.
“What?”
“You…are you a Saint?” Nierta whispered.
- Effulgent Corruption - Hope
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