Thanks for the doughnuts. I’m doing NaNoWriMo, so I should have a decent number of words. But I keep getting distracted by reading theology and Jane Austen fanfiction. The first keeps giving me new ideas for the social order of my kingdoms. The second reminds me that I have a few things reminiscent of the regency period.

I still need to work more on incorporating the festivals in to my story. The autumn one shows up, and the spring one might. I also need to name them properly. I’ve not got a name that flows well.

Looking at my current story world, the easiest answer is what would make the worse pet. Felots. Wildcats with beautiful fur (my favourite variety is the purplish grey), nasty tempers and sharp claws. Some upper class people keep them, but they’re not safe. But because they’re pretty, they’ve been protected by law and you…[Read more]

I just came back and saw your reply. I do have a lot of this stuff down.

About the geography, I do have a map. I don’t have the Boreus people, but they’re got pretty much everything that’s north of the map. The Dlinaat have the empty space in the east. (Which wouldn’t really be empty, but my Verlisi cartographer hasn’t explored…[Read more]

Characters first and for most. The books needs to make me feel and that’s primarily character sparked emotions. They can be cute and make me happy. There can be trials that I empathise with. Witty dialogue. Peril that feels real. A plot that isn’t stupid. Characters I just want to be around.

Also cool setting stuff. But a…[Read more]

#1: Distinguishing characteristics

I do have a lot of this figured out when it comes to the cultural side. What I was really looking for was a cool idea.  But after some other feedback (I asked the question else where), I realised the fact that one of my characters is a quarter Dlinaati can be figured out from the fact that her father…[Read more]

On one side of a mountain range I have the Dark skinned Boreus people in the north. In the south in Amray, historically there were a couple of groups. A mid to light brown group, brown and black hair, brown, green and hazel eyes. More centrally a paler…[Read more]

I spent some of New Year’s Eve…[Read more]

Nollaig shona dhaoibh!

Feliz navidad.

@bill-of-the-hill, @silverdragon, and @samantha-pen Welcome!

It was over before I really had time to get scared. My first mental reaction, after thinking to turn the engine off was, “I can’t believe I just did that.”

I veered off the road slightly, hit the end of a safety barrier, which completely ripped the wheel off, and a whole lot of stuff around i…[Read more]

Want to write a nightmare about a car accident? I might be able to help with that.

(Don’t worry, I was the only person involved in the accident, and I’m fine. The car is another story, and an expensive one. But I somehow wasn’t hurt, and I’m certainly not having nightmares.)

@Wordsmith seeing you catch up, motivated me to try harder. Would have liked to get another 4K, though how I spent my time this last week doesn’t really agree with that. I ended up deciding my project could do with a little break before I get into editing it.

I have no idea why, but I thought I need it ready for submission in…[Read more]

I’m partial to the Scarlet Pimpernel, and agree he’s morally one of the best. But valiant wouldn’t be the first word I’d pick for him. We do need it defined.

Westley, yes, valiant fits, but he’s not as compassionate to enemies, or ready to rescue just anyone as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Robin Hood, it really depends on which Robin Hood…[Read more]

Rock- step- I taught myself how to do that once.

Finding Fireflies by A. C. Williams, deals with trafficking and prostitution without shoving undesirable things in your face. It doesn’t avoid them, but doesn’t describe them.…[Read more]

That number tells me most of us aren’t doing NaNoWriMo.

But I’ll see what I can do. I’ll…[Read more]

We’ve passed 25,000 now!

Not quite as much as I’d like. Today I didn’t  haven’t (the day’s not done yet)  gotten a heap written. I’m supposed to be working something for a debate that I really should have gotten finished at least a week ago. But I ended up spending several hours working my resume instead.

But all up that makes it rather…[Read more]

Congratulations Parimi Alca! Great job!

And maybe I’ll be able to remember your name, instead of just ‘Jess Penrose’s guild that has a two word name’.

Here’s the beginning of the story that had the 3:45 plot bunny. Nearly shared that instead, this is less weird.

My train hadn’t come. I was stranded. I sat on the platform, huddled under my umbrella as the rain drizzled down. The next train wasn’t until a quarter to midnight, nearly too late to hope I would still make my flight. But…

[Read more]

Lumenites don’t need to defend themselves. We just shine. And write a lot of words. That’s one of the reasons we’ve not said much. We’ve been busy.

My writing today included an odd plot bunny where everyone’s watches were stuck on 3:45 over and over. I have no idea where that was trying to go.

@brandon-miller I have a tendency to quit outlining before I get to the last part of the book, and though I had an idea of what would happen, the story has spun off course, and I don’t know how…[Read more]

I’d hoped to do more, but the climax felt apart on me again, and I had to turn to brainstorming it again. I’d got something wrong in the lead up.

692 words today. I could write more, but I do need to sleep.

Name: Ivancica Simon

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Height: 5’3″

Hair: Dark brown ringlets sticking out from under a patterned headscarf

Eyes: Dark blue/green

Clothing: Layered necklaces,…[Read more]