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What are you writing about now?

I would be of Sir More's mind, myself. But many others would not, and every person has their own opinion as to what even defines a moral compromise. My story will have many characters, and each will follow their own perspectives on the question, become more and more fleshed out as I allow them to taste the consequences of their opinions.

Thank you for that bit of history! It always brings me joy to see references to men of principle, especially when they were real.
 
I would be of Sir More's mind, myself. But many others would not, and every person has their own opinion as to what even defines a moral compromise. My story will have many characters, and each will follow their own perspectives on the question, become more and more fleshed out as I allow them to taste the consequences of their opinions.

Thank you for that bit of history! It always brings me joy to see references to men of principle, especially when they were real.
I saw what you did there. 😄😉
 
I've been drafting up the main "Dramatic Question" that each book in the series is expected to deal with. Events will determine how correct this ends up being!

#TitleGenreDramatic QuestionNotes
1A Tale of Two TalesThrillerWill our fight against evil be successful?Vengeance vs Protective Love & cost of each
2Shadow War in Middle-earthThrillerWill we stop the bad guysEvil hews at us & friendship heals
3Lay of AnnaraelThrillerWill Annarael escape the slavers and their Dark Priests?Improvise! Adapt! Overcome!
4Lorien in the War of the RingThriller/WorldviewCan we save our land from Sauron?
/Can we learn to accept ourselves and thrive
Ni sui im. Cammo!
(I am as I am. Adapt!)
5A Long-expected MeetingThrillerWill mortals kill us to take our immortality?Elven biology vs Mortal Technology and Lust for Immortality
 
According to my plan, I'm fifteen chapters into the start of the first volume. But, because of what I've been learning in my writing classes, it's only taken me six chapters to cover that same territory! And what's more, these chapters are way smaller than my typical chapter size. Progress!
 
According to my plan, I'm fifteen chapters into the start of the first volume. But, because of what I've been learning in my writing classes, it's only taken me six chapters to cover that same territory! And what's more, these chapters are way smaller than my typical chapter size. Progress!
Seven chapters are now written and I'm sixteen chapters deep into the story! Woot!
 
Anyone know how long between the first moonrise and first sunrise in Middle-earth?

From Chapter 11 of The Silmarillion:
Tilion had traversed the heaven seven times, and thus was in the furthest east, when the vessel of Arien was made ready. Then Anar arose in glory, and the first dawn of the Sun was like a great fire upon the towers of the Pelóri: the clouds of Middle-earth were kindled, and there was heard the sound of many waterfalls.

This seems like seven days, but I am not sure if they were 12 hours or a full 24 hours long. Nowhere do I recall this being specified.
 
Been looking at the timeline of events in the Silmarillion between the death of the Two Trees and the arrival of Feanor and Fingolfin in Beleriand, and then Thingol learning the truth about the Kinslaying. The first part took years longer than I remembered.

I'll need to make some adjustments to my story to account for that. :( Shouldn't be too hard, though. :)
 
I finally finished my work on the answers to my Story-Query! (I cannot complain of how long it took, that's my own fault for dawdling.) Now...I think now I have to assign different characters to the answers. I already know what Amandil's and Ar-Pharazôn's are, and Elendil's! But I must work out the rest of them, even in general. Sailors and nobles, Númenórean men and Harondorian men, orcs and servants of Sauron.

All this will give me an idea of how the plot has to go. I already have some pieces laid out: the Ring must be a main tension point, Amandil must be a tragic figure, and his story is only discovered in the years after the Red Book was written. That last part will be covered in my prologue(which is necessary, I thought about it).

Amandil will be stealing Sauron's Ring from Barad-dûr before the Dark Lord comes flying back as a result of the fall of Númenor. Whether or not he gets trapped in Mordor after that I will find out, but his hold of the Ring will prove very dangerous for him and for his men. He will not even know much about the Ring, beyond how Sauron wore it constantly and how he left it behind when coming to surrender to Ar-Pharazôn. Amandil will think it is some kind of magic-channeler, or a conductor of sorts. He has no idea about Sauron's spirit being in there, and therefore he is less careful with it than anyone in The Lord of the Rings was. This leaves him open for so much possible corruption...which hurts my heart, but it would happen.

Anyway, all this to say, I'm making progress again and I look forward to seeing how it turns out as I continue hammering and chiseling away at it. What living story lies in this unformed mass of words? I am nowhere near Michaelangelo's skill, but I find some similarity between a writer's work and a sculptor's.
 
Well. My son is finally totally moved out, and we're expanding into the rooms formerly his.
Now have a separate Office, Sewing room, and craft area.

Meanwhile, TRoP has expanded to 8 chapters (possibly 9, as I've one other area needing thorough coverage) - and I've begin Appendix A, "A Few Definitions". (There are currently 20 needing to be carefully dealt with to move from what we think to what we need to know. Once these are solid for the reading audience, they will also be firmly enough embedded in my own mind, to be 'second nature' as they inform the work throughout and along the way.)

It now becomes a full cycle, starting from where we begin, through how we beckme chained to Opinion, then providing the path returnign us to thinking with our own minds once again. More than just an 'expression of the impact of Opinion in history and life' it is now an active tool demonstrating, if you will, "Thinking lost to Thinking Regained." (though I'll refine that as 'thinking' is far from all it's about.)

The System and the Machine will fight us every inch of the way, as the result thwarts their objectives and purposes. It is very likely the book could be banned, and/or I jailed, as I open it up through history, and especially here within our own theoretical 'democracy.'

But it will be worth it, if even one person is encouraged to throw off the chains of tyranny, whatever country, elite, and government they may now be under, and seeks to restore their own freedom.

The truth is going to hurt. I guarantee it..! (insert massive grin here.)
 
Went back through my work and did some editing. I had a conversation today, and it made me think about my Story-Query(or Theme-Question), and I realized I needed to change it slightly. Now, and more to my point, it's: "Is there something you would be willing to sacrifice yourself or those you most care about for?"

It does mean editing some of my answers, but eh.
 
After much pondering, writing, and 'laboring over every word,' the structure of my book is complete.
It will unfold thus.

The Religion of Opinion

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction

Chapter 1: Exposing What We’ve Lost
Chapter 2: Cultural Conditioning, the First Step
Chapter 3: The System and the Machine
Chapter 4: A Taste of Opinion in History and Today
Chapter 5: You and Opinion: An Unintentional Marriage
Chapter 6: The Unrecognized Idol
Chapter 7: A Call For A Divorce
Chapter 8: Perspective: The Freedom To Grow
Chapter 9: Pleasures of Restoration
Chapter 10: What Are You Going To Do Now?

Appendix A: A Few Definitions
Appendix B: The Religion of Opinion - Doctrine and Covenants
Appendix C: The Religion of Opinion - Statement of Faith

It is now a 'full cycle' work. Milton's two poem titles "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained" come to mind.
The work identifies, exposes, demonstrates, and seats the problem, then provides the vision of the way out of its grasp.

Acknowledgements and Preface are done, Preface needing a little reworking now.
Appendix B and C are done, but will be reviewed later as the writing may inform them a bit.

All the labors over the structure have informed what will soon be the completed Introduction.
Appendix A is underway, - expository on the needed Definitions for both author and reader, which will also inform the Introduction.

Then the chapters will unfold naturally, feeding from one to the next.

For those of you who pray, pray with me I be provided 'blocks of time' - things very difficult to find - needed for concentrated development and moving at pace. Things are settling in timewise now, and there is hope. But remember - if we hold our hopes too tightly, they can easily lead to disappointments when they do not materialize.
 
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