What are you writing about now?

[WatcherWraith]

This looks marvellous! Such detail, and so much love has clearly gone into this. How cherished it should be!

 

[david_wendelken]

In re-reading the Silmarillion and checking other sources for the timeline of the last years of the trees and the first years of the first age, I've found some confusing info.

https://thetolkien.forum/threads/how-long-from-wounding-of-2-trees-to-fingolfin-in-beleriand.36605/

Would love for your opinions!

 

[WatcherWraith]

Sent my ideas.

 

[david_wendelken]

This looks marvellous! Such detail, and so much love has clearly gone into this. How cherished it should be!

Thanks! It is definitely a labour of love!

 

[david_wendelken]

Chapter 9 of Volume 1 is taking form nicely.

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

I'm finally publishing the last solo work I've finished. Hope you all like it if you decided to read it.

Fanfic - One Life For The Sake of The Rest

Chapter 1: The High King Marches He blinked his eyes open, the crisp air sending shivers down his poorly clad form. The scent of cypress tickled his nose. The light and misty wind caressed his skin softly. He smiled, reaching out with a hand, hoping to find his little nephew by his...

thetolkien.forum

Discussion - One Life For The Sake Of The Rest Discussion Thread

I'm Finally posting this on TTF as well. Some of you might recall me mentioning how I was starting to work on my Of Doom & Death series but changed my mind as I wrote down my idea. Well, this is what it ended up to be. This story is heavily inspired by old wives' tales and folklore regarding...

thetolkien.forum

I have updated this story, and I have posted the first chapter of this:

Fanfic - One Man In The Shadows

Chapter 1: Oblivion Tyelkormo stared at the bowl of stew with an empty gaze. He felt a gentle hand land on his back and soon, he felt Makalaurë's waterfall of curls tickle his cheek. He turned his head slightly, bopping his head to his brother's with no real force behind it. “Eat...

thetolkien.forum

 

[david_wendelken]

Finished Chapter 9 of Volume I! Thingol now knows the truth about the Noldor and their trip to Beleriand.

 

[david_wendelken]

Forgot to mention, our "hero" has started to turn. He has (by necessity) learned subterfuge and deceit, and learned to draw others into his plans.

He still means well, and he is not evil, but he has learned the short term pragmatic "value" of valuing the ends over the means. It's a slippery slope and the ground will get muddy in the next chapter.

 

[Ent]

the short term pragmatic "value" of valuing the ends over the means.

Ouch. The plague of humankind. (Well, one of them... though a result of the nature of its being, not the root of the problem.)
Such inclusions are indeed what make our characters seem 'real'.

You've set me to pondering Gandalf, and how he is presented. Thank you.
On the one hand, many 'perceive' Gandalf to be 'above and beyond' the need to stoop to valuing the end over the means... yet he still seems "real" because of how he is presented to us to be.
On the other hand, Gandalf uses many 'means' to achieve his ends. (In fact, it's the core of what he's sent here to do.) BUT - do we ever see him stooping to true 'subterfuge and deceit' - the baser moralities - to achinve the ends needed?

I'll need to explore this in depth.

Thanks again.

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

You bringing up Gandalf reminded me of something. In one of my unpublished works, I definitely took inspiration from you to write him, GrandEnt!

 

[Ent]

If I was able to offer anything of value, I am blessed beyond imagination. If an inspiration of some kind, I'm overwhelmed.
Thank you for sharing - you are indeed 'Lady of Gifts.'

The above two events - both @david_wendelken's post and yours - are two prime examples of the model I've developed, and their results, in The Cycle of Growth - the 12-step diagram from a New Input Event to a proper Perception.

There are 3 stages to move to Perspective.
- The first 4 steps - from an Occurrence to a potential New Input Event.
- The next 12 steps - from acceptance of a New Input Event to a proper Perception. (The hardest work of 'thinking' occurs within these 12-steps as they deal mostly with what we internally do with what we've accepted as a 'New Input Event.' Our conditioning will have us rejecting many Occurrences as a "New Input Event" to be considered - that is, our thinkiing is stifled before it even really begins.)
- The 8 steps from a proper Perception to a Perspective. (This is where we take our 'clean and proper Perception of an Occurrence, and move it forward to its impact on our Perspective (or Opinion, depending on what we hold actually) - which can remain the same, be altered, or be jettisoned entirely in view of a more accurate Perspective due to a clean and proper Perception..) Growth is the state of always being open to every Occurrence as a New Input Event, and making adjustments as necessary once we process the Occurrence as it should be.

This is called "thinking." The thinking resulting in Growth. (The lack of which results in Stagnation.)
Opinion however will derail us at many steps along the way. Opinion represents The Cycle to Stagnation. I am working on that diagram now, to bring alongside the 3-stage Cycle to Growth.

Our conditioning, the System and the Machine, beginning while we're still in the womb frankly, work to stifle the first 4 steps, so we no longer are able to see Occurrences as New Input Events - and then accept them as such for processing.

You and David both presented Occurrences to me, which are now received and accepted as "New Input Events" for action.

Some day, I'll share with you the first 4 steps, as they are critical to the whole thing, and it is imperative they be crushed out of us so we can become the conditioned, compliant citizenry preferred to fulfill the roles and achieve the objectives we are desired to provide to the world to help maintain the power and control preferred by those wanting it for those wanting it.

I'll give a minor hint--it has become my tagline.

"What is the state of our Wonder?"

 

[david_wendelken]

Got a good start on chapter 9. Our hero is done with being a passive observer of events. He has gone hunting for opportunities to stick it to the Feanorians.

He's not sure how, but he's determined. Who will he find to ensnare? What kind of "net" will he use? Will it work? And what will he be motivated to do next?

Enquiring minds (and the author!) want to know..

 

[david_wendelken]

Well, now I know!

Starting the next chapter where a month later he meets a Maiar in disguised in elven form, who says he is also working to make the Doom of Mandos come true. Our somewhat morally besmudged hero gets recruited by Amarthtar, the "Lord of Doom". It shouldn't take you two guesses to figure out who Amarthtar really is.

 

[david_wendelken]

Oh, here's an upgraded illustration. My son did a decorative border that I can put around the full-page illustrations.

This border is actually the two trees and will be used in volume I. The Volume IV border will feature a mallorn with platforms within it on top and bottom.

I'll be experimenting with adding color to the border. My son will make the much-to-faint grey texture lines on the tree trunks a bit darker in the next iteration.

 

[david_wendelken]

First 10 chapters of the bad guy's backstory written, about a dozen more to go. But some of them should be quite short.

Even better, as I flesh out this back story, I'm finding ideas on how to finish book V in the series., which will tie it together nicely.

 

[david_wendelken]

• I've been trying out a new writing technique I just learned. Make a list of scenes that I've thought of. Said scenes are often only a vague glimmer of an idea, if that. Set a timer for seven minutes and then start writing one of those scenes. Don't concern myself with grammar, word choice, specific facts I don't know, or anything else. Just write as fast as I can. Jot down a note of an idea if a sentence doesn't come out of my brain. Don't know a fact I need to reference? Mark it to look up later and continue writing.
  
  Now, I'll be honest. I take ten minutes, not seven.
  
  But I've been very pleased with the results. What I get from this exercise is:
  
  
• A solid start on a scene. (Or the knowledge that the approach I was taking isn't what I want and to go find another one, thought I've been lucky so far.)
• The knowledge of how to complete the scene.
• If I picked multiple scenes in the same chapter, I may only need to stitch them together with appropriate transitions and, Bob's your uncle, the chapter is done.
• More insight into other areas of the story that were still murky in my head.
• Sometimes I even get ideas on how to tie this new scene fragment into much later or earlier parts of the story.
• Faster progress writing a chapter than I'm used to.

 

[david_wendelken]

Oh, one more thing. My new chapters were organized in "first this happens, then this happens" order.
In the process of sketching out these scene fragments, I've realized I need to tell a few things "out of order". Otherwise, some characters would balk at doing what I've written they did. They need to find out that info later.

 

[WatcherWraith]

Otherwise, some characters would balk at doing what I've written they did. They need to find out that info later.

Oh, that part of writing always makes me laugh. Unless it's something awful I'm writing. Then I feel very guilty.

 

[david_wendelken]

First 13 chapters written for Volume I. The Battle of Unnumbered Tears is coming up.

 

[WatcherWraith]

Oof :']