david_wendelken
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2023
- Messages
- 944
Dropped my musical instruments off at a music store yesterday. Hope to have an estimate to get them in good working order tomorrow.
Good advice!Another way to fix that scenario could also be to show the stress such work is making on the officer. Have him make mistakes, big ones, maybe. Plot-changing mistakes. It raises the stakes and the tension as well.
I find you make your characters quite easy to understand through your writing, even when you don't provide a lot of detail or state things outright. This is just my observation from the comparatively brief time I've been reading fanfiction or RP posts of yours.But the fact that this lady has been able to practically read my mind regarding my intentions for my characters is really quite amazing.
Thank you! That's my goal. I love characters first and foremost, more so than plot or setting or any other story elements. My goal is always for readers to feel like they know my characters personally, as though they were real people.I find you make your characters quite easy to understand through your writing, even when you don't provide a lot of detail or state things outright. This is just my observation from the comparatively brief time I've been reading fanfiction or RP posts of yours.
The way you imply things, through dialogue especially, but also through descriptions of the character's thoughts and actions helps the reader work out what sort of person they're looking at.
I can only speak for myself of course, but I would venture to guess your reviewer sees your work in a similar way, especially as she is an author herself and is very familiar with what goes into writing a story.
For me, these are all rather inseparable from each other, all closely woven together in the overall picture of the story. But I do find my characters have a lot of character, nonetheless. 😁 My primary reason for extensive worldbuilding is 'for them', because they're important to me and they need a place to live that makes sense.I love characters first and foremost, more so than plot or setting or any other story elements.
They sure do! From what I've seen of your Curvo and Tanca, anyway!But I do find my characters have a lot of character, nonetheless. 😁
Yeah, I agree with that. You're right, characters and plot and worldbuilding are all inseparable. But in my opinion, (and maybe this isn't true for all writers but it is certainly true for me and how I work), characters should come first. Characters can create plot naturally through getting into conflict with each other, and they need a place to live, as you said. Whereas if you develop a plot first and you're strict with it, you may end up shoehorning characters into doing out-of-character things for the sake of the plot.My primary reason for extensive worldbuilding is 'for them', because they're important to me and they need a place to live that makes sense.
I do somehow develop these things all at once. I come up with plot things to throw at my characters and see how they react. The conflict is often more between the characters and the circumstances, and conflicts between characters arise as a result of the change in circumstances. When all is calm, the characters are more likely to have 'interactions'. While the interactions may or may not be pleasant (due to how their personalities 'bounce off' each other), I wouldn't usually describe them as true conflict or struggle.You're right, characters and plot and worldbuilding are all inseparable. But in my opinion, (and maybe this isn't true for all writers but it is certainly true for me and how I work), characters should come first. Characters can create plot naturally through getting into conflict with each other, and they need a place to live, as you said. Whereas if you develop a plot first and you're strict with it, you may end up shoehorning characters into doing out-of-character things for the sake of the plot.
I agree. If you know your characters well, they'll know what to do when they end up in a situation! And quite often, they surprise me!I do somehow develop these things all at once. I come up with plot things to throw at my characters and see how they react. The conflict is often more between the characters and the circumstances, and conflicts between characters arise as a result of the change in circumstances. When all is calm, the characters are more likely to have 'interactions'. While the interactions may or may not be pleasant (due to how their personalities 'bounce off' each other), I wouldn't usually describe them as true conflict or struggle.
WOW!!! I am absolutely ecstatic with you over the lady’s comments and observations about your story. She is such a blessing to you and your writing, coming into your life now at this specific point and providing all this encouragement to you. Just hearing what she has to say and how it stirs you all the more in your creativity as an author, I become all the more excited to read your book again someday, to see its growth from the first beta draft.I met with my author friend again today, and we went over her remaining notes on the prologue of my fantasy novel. I also showed her the few revisions I made since our last meeting, and she really liked them. She also loved my drawing of the main character the prologue focuses on, for those of you who have seen it in the Classroom Doodles thread. So now, I need to finish editing with her suggestions (whichever ones I decide to use, anyway) and then she'll review it again when I'm done with that. She has a really sharp eye for digging in deeper to the tiny little details I put in. For example, she observed my villain should be deeply angered and even frightened by the young woman's words, which is something I hadn't even thought about, but completely agree with. She asked me to describe my villain's looks more (which I'm only too happy to do). She also correctly identified him as an incredibly good looking, charming, narcissistic, person of power, which impressed me because my prologue is somewhat vague, yet she understood the idea of my characters very well. Another thing she pointed out is that of course the villain will be able to find my protagonist eventually, but the fact that he can't do it right now should drive him insane.
Interestingly, she also identified me as a writer who prefers dialogue, just from this 4 page prologue. I thought I had compensated for my inclinations to just write dialogue and nothing else by providing plenty of sensory and environmental descriptions. But she could still tell somehow that dialogue is what I gravitate towards first.
She was asking me if I have plans to write a sequel to my story, and I told her no, I don't see anything interesting happening after the events of this book, but I do have plans for a prequel. She immediately asked, "Is it about him?" (The villain.) Which indeed, it is. I've plotted out some of my prequel and it's all about my villain's rise to power.
One of her takeaway points to me was that I need to dig in even deeper with my villain and understand him even better. Which, again, I'm all too happy to do! He's my favorite character of the whole story.
Keep in mind, this lady doesn't know me that well. These two meetings are kind of my first time spending actual 1-on-1 time with her, and I hadn't even interacted with her much at all before that. This isn't like @Fingon_Findekáno , who has been my best friend for 13 years, or my other friends who know me well and who have read my book. They can easily understand what I'm trying to get at because they know me really well. But the fact that this lady has been able to practically read my mind regarding my intentions for my characters is really quite amazing.
This sounds like amazing news! I'm glad you got such an insightful person to look over your work, that sounds valuable. :] Advice like that is precious and hard to come by.I met with my author friend again today, and we went over her remaining notes on the prologue of my fantasy novel. I also showed her the few revisions I made since our last meeting, and she really liked them. She also loved my drawing of the main character the prologue focuses on, for those of you who have seen it in the Classroom Doodles thread. So now, I need to finish editing with her suggestions (whichever ones I decide to use, anyway) and then she'll review it again when I'm done with that. She has a really sharp eye for digging in deeper to the tiny little details I put in. For example, she observed my villain should be deeply angered and even frightened by the young woman's words, which is something I hadn't even thought about, but completely agree with. She asked me to describe my villain's looks more (which I'm only too happy to do). She also correctly identified him as an incredibly good looking, charming, narcissistic, person of power, which impressed me because my prologue is somewhat vague, yet she understood the idea of my characters very well. Another thing she pointed out is that of course the villain will be able to find my protagonist eventually, but the fact that he can't do it right now should drive him insane.
Interestingly, she also identified me as a writer who prefers dialogue, just from this 4 page prologue. I thought I had compensated for my inclinations to just write dialogue and nothing else by providing plenty of sensory and environmental descriptions. But she could still tell somehow that dialogue is what I gravitate towards first.
She was asking me if I have plans to write a sequel to my story, and I told her no, I don't see anything interesting happening after the events of this book, but I do have plans for a prequel. She immediately asked, "Is it about him?" (The villain.) Which indeed, it is. I've plotted out some of my prequel and it's all about my villain's rise to power.
One of her takeaway points to me was that I need to dig in even deeper with my villain and understand him even better. Which, again, I'm all too happy to do! He's my favorite character of the whole story.
Keep in mind, this lady doesn't know me that well. These two meetings are kind of my first time spending actual 1-on-1 time with her, and I hadn't even interacted with her much at all before that. This isn't like @Fingon_Findekáno , who has been my best friend for 13 years, or my other friends who know me well and who have read my book. They can easily understand what I'm trying to get at because they know me really well. But the fact that this lady has been able to practically read my mind regarding my intentions for my characters is really quite amazing.
Thanks!Good heavens, this blade is fantastic! Truly worthy of the term "artifact"!
Could be from a meteoroid. Or perhaps it truly is star-steel, ore expelled from one of Varda's stars before as it died long ago and far away, only to find itself in the hands of the right smith commanded by the right noble Lady to have a fitting sword made for the right servant. Who in Middle-earth is to say? But the latter explanation would certainly be in accord with its ability to illumine with Varda's starlight that which is hidden.Star-steel...I may have heard of this before. Is that metal from a crashed meteoroid? I remember some tales of such things in Middle-earth, but it was not very common.
Just the opposite! The sword doesn't belong to the mortal in question. I'm not at the first draft stage for the full chapter yet. I'm still working through the part that includes the discussion on magic. If you're really interested, I'll send it to you when it's ready.How did this mortal come across such a rare weapon? There's got to be one epic tale behind their acquiring of it.
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