Young Writers Society

So, maybe the title isn't completely accurate, but I find it very amusing. Here, I'll be recording some of my progress (and undoubtedly asking for suggestions) in my story: the at-present-duo of Flames and Tears of Lecraesa. If you're reading Flames at present and don't want spoilers, I'm giving you a major spoiler warning now.

Finishing Flames

So, last summer I finished Flames and it was a very intense emotional experience. It was the first time I actually finished a book. Flames started as a random story with no direction and a handful of strange characters, but it quickly evolved into the story that is still consuming my life.

To say the least, finishing was traumatizing. It was exciting, but, at the same time, shocking. I felt strangely empty, but still joyful. The fact that my most complex character, Strick, supposedly dies at the end didn't help.

Now? I want to tear Flames to shreds. Rereading it, I realize how directionless I was at the beginning and I have succumbed to rewriting almost every scene - cutting everything but the bare minimum out and then adding important stuff. In some ways, I envy the innocent cluelessness of Creiha at the beginning of Flames, because now in Tears there is no character who can just cruise through the story and wonder what is happening. Tears is very, very complicated.

It is painful to go back and rewrite Flames because I know so much more about the characters now. Strick is anything but the seemingly callous, calm and mysterious character he was in Flames. I'm enjoying rewriting Creiha, but rewriting Strick is a terror because he changes so much, and it wasn't an easy, stereotypical change either.

After finishing Flames, my characters would not leave me alone, especially Lusien. She eventually forced me to write the first scene of Tears within a week of finishing Flames... not smart.

Beginning Tears

All I can say is that the 20 months that pass between Flames and Tears make it very difficult to understand the characters. They seem very different - especially Lusien.

As for my progress as of now? I am 150 pages in and slowly reaching the turning point where things will speed up. I feel like Tears is dragging, but I've been told many times that it is not. I get so frustrated with it sometimes.

Spotlight Stealers

I have a love-hate relationship with spotlight stealers. What are spotlight stealers? They are the interesting characters who you write into your story, intending for them to be minor, supporting characters, but who push all the other characters aside, win your heart and make themself more important than you wanted.

They can shift the story completely if not controlled. One one hand, they are often the most interesting characters and the most fun to write for, but on the other hand, they can be infuriating. Nalien, a character who showed up near the end of Flames, was a terrible spotlight stealer and arguably made the ending of Flames 20 pages longer than it should have been.

Grrrrr

Killing Characters

... is an ultimate source of agony. In planning, I never imagined how hard it would be to kill a character, but when I finally killed that character at the end of Flames, it was one of the most traumatic experiences. First, it was a shock - more the character staring at me and asking what in the world I was doing. Then, a strange void, the character withdrawing. And lastly, the character haunted me - putting ideas and things about their past in my head. I am in a strange situation because that character is not truly dead, but those are the phases I went through. And I was miserable.
Also, all your characters will change when you kill one character; they will adjust to that character's absence or they will dwell in the awkwardness of circumstance.

Moral of the rant: think before you kill your characters.

I admire your dedication. Except for one truely terrible attempt at NaNoWriMo and one silly play-by-post RPG, I've never finished anything longer than a short story, and even most of those are left undone. I do plan on reading what you've posted of Flames when I have a little more time. (read: tomorrow, if I'm not procrastinating.)

... and re: killing characters, I know. I know Savior has to die because he deserves it* and I'm really dreading writing it.

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*his death actually does relatively little for the plot, but it has to happen for Angel to move on with his own life, etc.

Later in my story, one of my characters has to die for another characters to do something essential to the plot, and I'm dreading it, even though it's so far away.

Keep strong!

I'm half-dreading ending Tears because I have to kill some characters. Three of the four who die are antagonists, but, even though this is bound to seem crazy, I love them. I don't want my antagonists to die - especially not the queen. She's so delightfully conflicted about what she does. Thankfully, she chooses to die rather than face the consequences that have been wreaked upon her people, but I still hate it. I think she and Liehne (the one protagonist who dies) are going to be the hardest to kill. Hiajan and Embel (the other antagonists) get on my nerves anyway, so they should be a bit easier.

I suppose I should be thankful that more are not dying, but I still hate killing the ones who must.

My latest storyline starts with two deaths. It has to happen for the main character to have a story. Odd? Haha.

Killing off characters seems to be a normal issue--I think it's hard to write in an 'appropriate yet not bland' way.

I hate having to kill off characters but it is neccesary in my plot line to kill three or four off. without them dying the other characters would not develop into how i want them too.

But the one Charcter i am having real trouble killing off is Skarl. I have writen him as to be the best friend of my main and his death is teh fuel that will force my main Character on but with him dead my main character will have no proper support as it were and there will be a big empty space that i shall be froced to fill with an inadequete character.

-spoilers deleted-

Tears is not going well at the moment. Sophie is killing me. For those of you who do not know who she is...

Captain Sophie Pierce is the captain of the Kalinth royal guard under King Hedjlon; her family has long been captain of the royal guard and, after her father was killed for treachery by King Hialdrin, her father's best friend managed to help her gain the position. Sophie is juggling loyalties in Flames; she tries to help Gietan (and Markus and Strick etc.), but she is trying to remain loyal to the king at the same time... not an easy task. At the end of Flames, she resigned her position because the queen knew she was a traitor and asked her to do something against the main group of characters. Now? She is extremely bitter towards the queen who destroyed her dreams and she's not too fond of the main characters either; basically, she's angry at the world.

And she will not cooperate at all! She won't even let me write a decent conversation because she's still mad. I thought reuniting her with Traez and Kliana might help, but it didn't.

So, in Tears, Sophie is rebelling; Lusien is going through unexplainable mood swings, Strick is protesting, Creiha is trying to prove herself and Markus is caught in the middle. And, of course, the queen is complaining about her long journey to Oceanstone. Not fun. I had better reach the turning point soon or things are going to get bad very quickly.

Other stories which are running through my head and distracting me from Tears...

RasunaI

To put it simply, the land of Belen is divided in two by a mountain range going down the middle, resulting in 2 separate and very different countries: Belia and Eanlia. The RasunaI was a sign of peace between the two countries, formed by an old king, but now mysticism surrounds the object and it has been hidden away in the mountains; both Eanlia and Belia desperately want it because it is said to hold each of the realms in its arms. 12 main characters, 11 Belians and 1 Eanlian seek to destroy it before either side can use it. I know it sounds quite cliche, but the characters are what makes me think about it.

To Rise

A story I actually started writing at one time; it's awful, but interesting plot line. It was about 7 (at least I think it was 7) different people in all different positions in a single realm who all are united. The story is told from all of these POV's in first person form.

Touch the Wind

It would actually be a prequel to Flames. It is about Elehna Jiastar, a past character in Lecraesa. Elehna is a half-Svare girl with the disturbing ability of controlling the wind. The story is her autobiography as she grows up and matures, finding her own identity. At age 13, Elehna is struck with the Jiastar curse which is a series of nightmares that make someone hallucinate, be overcome with paranoia and do rash things. It cannot be cured, and, in a sense, Elehna becomes insane, but still she holds onto the one recurring motto of 'I am not ashamed.'

I skipped the entire first part. No spoiler wanted, grrr. Bad, bad spoilers. Soo tempting.


Keep writing !!!

OMG. I DID NOT READ THAT. YOU COULD NOT HAVE KILLED STRICK.

*whimpers and hides away*

SHE KILLED STRICK?!

*hides*