I concede, Life...
Sorry for the late replies on... well... practically everything. Last week did not end well for me as I slipped and fell down a flight of stairs at home. Oh, but not just any flight of stairs. Nope, this was a flight of concrete stairs. Though I managed to keep my head and back from hitting anything (as I really don't need a concussion or some broken/bruised ribs at this point), my tailbone connected with every step. And then when I managed to make it into bed, my English Bulldog, who nine times out of ten can't jump up onto my bed as it sits too far off the ground, managed to jump up and stepped on me. Right where I bruised my tailbone. All sixty pounds of him. Oh, but that's after I managed to ingest rancid food that was no where near its expiration date, including milk that was close to curdling even though it was new.
Can anyone (including myself) continue to deny that the past ten months have been nothing but one thing after another? Really, Life, at this point I officially concede. You win. And I apologize for whatever I did that pissed you off so, and I swear I will not be doing whatever it was again. Can we please stop this fighting already? (And can you please make it so my internet device doesn't break down on me? Again. Please? I apologized already!)
So, needless to say, though I desperately want to officially join in this year's NaNoWriMo, I won't be. I have a feeling that my laptop will commit ritual suicide if I do as it seems whenever I make any sort of commitment of the sort (or do anything fun and good), life turns around and gives me the shaft right afterward. I will be unofficially participating, as I don't want anything worse to happen. Since things can always get worse.
Yet, I do have some updates on my fanfiction, for those that stop by and check in for these. Barring anything more and worse happening, I will have all but two of my stories posted in their entirety by November 1st. Here is a breakdown of each and every one:
Fateful: I am rewriting the next two chapters, and reworking the following thirteen or so. This will be done by tomorrow night.
Heart of Ice: I have officially rewritten this story six times now. And it is now going to be called Existential Plight, as I completely threw everything dealing with the original story and the following five rewrites out. This is an entirely new story dealing with plot bunnies from InuYasha and at least one from Yuu Yuu Hakusho that were never truly resolved. This story is also not true romance (it only smacks of it and will hopefully be left for reader consideration), and is also testing out a somewhat new story writing style for me. All I can truly say about the plot without ruining anything about it, is: Philosophy has officially ruined me for life. This story is the proof anyone needs.
To Love a Demon: I am still reworking the beginning of this story, as it is complete crap compared to the rest of it, and I know turned off a lot of new readers of mine. A lot of people seem to forget that most writers had to start off somewhere, and that somewhere is usually called "crap". But this will also be done by tomorrow night.
The Tears Trilogy: The first two parts are being rewritten. Because, like the above story, they were crap. Save for the new omake parts, and chapter ten of the second part. The third part is quite fine on its own, but will be reworked to make the plot run smoothly all the way to the end. Thankfully this won't be too hard, and will be done by Friday at the latest. (Had I been able to keep this trilogy up, everyone could trace the evolution of my writing through it! But no longer, muahahah.)
Altruistic Tenacity: This only has four chapters left. It was never meant to be a long story, but something short and somewhat sweet, and a look into a plot device provided by Naruto that absolutely no one uses. I haven't reposted this story, yet it will be posted complete. The new chapters should only take me until Friday night to write.
Lost the Real Dream: I am putting off writing the sequel to this until after the new year. But this story also only has four chapters left. As it has been far too long since I have looked at this story, I don't know where it would put the final chapter count at, but possibly 15 or 16? Gosh, I feel horrible for not knowing when I know for every other story, especially since this is my favorite one out of them all... But I will also have those four chapters done by Friday night/Saturday morning. Though I can't remember the chapter count, I do remember all the important things: the plot, for one; the ending, for another.
Tales of the Night: I have chapters 21-30 handwritten and safe. I will start typing them up tomorrow and posting them to 30-Nights. For those of you who can't wait to see what happens next (and how this collection was originally going to end at chapter 30), start checking that community around late afternoon/early evening tomorrow for the beginning of those chapters. Just please remember, before any of you start hating me, I am doing all forty prompts. Keep that in mind, please. Those last ten prompts will be true one-shots, for the most part, though they will take place in the same universe the previous thirty created. They will be done before the first.
Darkening Haze: This story has about ten-to-twelve chapters left. I don't exactly remember as I have misplaced the paper that outlined each of those chapters during my internet debacle. But I remember what is going to happen give or take a detail or two. This is one of the two stories that will not be completed before November. I am hoping to have at least two chapters done for it before the first. Then, no more until December.
Of Retribution and Passion: This is the second story that won't be completed. As I know this one has ten chapters left, lest plot bunnies take over and run it for an additional ten. Highly probable given the plot of this story. I am also hoping to have at least two chapters done before the first. Then, again, no more until December.
Love's Lies, The Guardian of Paradise, Allied Promises, The Things People Think, Tricked!, Longing, Right Direction, Slipping Secrets, Thoughtless, Forever, Peace, Winter Laughter, Deja Vu, Torment by Cat, and Poker: These will all be edited for typos that I continue to miss, and for formatting that was lost during the reupload process. I swear, this time, no typo is safe from the delete button. Or else I shall cry for being evaded once more.
Sunsets Over Mulberry Fields: This will finally be reuploaded with a little reworking in later chapters. And it will also be edited until there is no more typos. Though, I think, this story has only one typo....
And I believe that is it. I swear I will have all of these done by the New Year. Even if I end up having to walk to a library, they will be done. I have been looking at them for far too long; it is time they leave my possession.
I have another book review for everyone, too. I can't believe I am finally writing these.
This one is called Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow.
This is the second part of a, sort of, round-robin series called The Citadels, and is actually published fanfiction. This series takes place in the Dungeons&Dragons campaign setting of "The Forgotten Realms". I did not know this, being rather unfamiliar with D&D campaigns despite my love of roleplaying games, until I read this book and realized it.
The execution is less than stellar. At 313 pages, about sixty more than a full-length 50,000 word novel, the characters and plot fall a little flat. It's not his writing style or voice that is the issue: his voice and quirky sense of humor shine through each and every page which makes it fun to read, but the characters and plot are what I have a major issue with. The plot just may be because I haven't read the first book (though this reads like a stand-alone), but it seemed very rushed. It had a clear beginning, a good climax, and a clear resolution, but I was left wanting more. Again, that may just be because I haven't read the first book or the following two.
The characters, on the other hand, have no such excuse. I know none of them have any beginning in the previous book nor will make any appearances in the following ones, yet they were two-dimensional and flat. The female lead was a typical female lead in any book that deals with action. The male lead, though mysterious, never truly grew as a character. None of them did, actually. The ones with the most substenance and backstory were the two main villians. Though a nice change, it would have been nice to see the protagonists have it as well. Also, all the women on the "good" side seemed to act similar to one another. Which made it difficult to realize they were not the same character at points.
In terms of construction, it's not badly put together. As mentioned above, the storyline progresses very clearly and is easy to follow. The voice of the writer/narrator is clear and fun to read, which kept me continuing onto the following pages. The narration stays consistent, never changing its tone or from the third-person limited omniscient P.O.V. that it opens with.
All-in-all, this is a book I would recommend for people to check out/borrow instead of actually buying. Unless you're a huge D&D fan and are familiar with campaign settings and the like.
And I just have this huge feeling that I have missed more than a few birthdays the past month... I apologize and my best belated birthday wishes to you all who I may have missed.
Can anyone (including myself) continue to deny that the past ten months have been nothing but one thing after another? Really, Life, at this point I officially concede. You win. And I apologize for whatever I did that pissed you off so, and I swear I will not be doing whatever it was again. Can we please stop this fighting already? (And can you please make it so my internet device doesn't break down on me? Again. Please? I apologized already!)
So, needless to say, though I desperately want to officially join in this year's NaNoWriMo, I won't be. I have a feeling that my laptop will commit ritual suicide if I do as it seems whenever I make any sort of commitment of the sort (or do anything fun and good), life turns around and gives me the shaft right afterward. I will be unofficially participating, as I don't want anything worse to happen. Since things can always get worse.
Yet, I do have some updates on my fanfiction, for those that stop by and check in for these. Barring anything more and worse happening, I will have all but two of my stories posted in their entirety by November 1st. Here is a breakdown of each and every one:
Fateful: I am rewriting the next two chapters, and reworking the following thirteen or so. This will be done by tomorrow night.
Heart of Ice: I have officially rewritten this story six times now. And it is now going to be called Existential Plight, as I completely threw everything dealing with the original story and the following five rewrites out. This is an entirely new story dealing with plot bunnies from InuYasha and at least one from Yuu Yuu Hakusho that were never truly resolved. This story is also not true romance (it only smacks of it and will hopefully be left for reader consideration), and is also testing out a somewhat new story writing style for me. All I can truly say about the plot without ruining anything about it, is: Philosophy has officially ruined me for life. This story is the proof anyone needs.
To Love a Demon: I am still reworking the beginning of this story, as it is complete crap compared to the rest of it, and I know turned off a lot of new readers of mine. A lot of people seem to forget that most writers had to start off somewhere, and that somewhere is usually called "crap". But this will also be done by tomorrow night.
The Tears Trilogy: The first two parts are being rewritten. Because, like the above story, they were crap. Save for the new omake parts, and chapter ten of the second part. The third part is quite fine on its own, but will be reworked to make the plot run smoothly all the way to the end. Thankfully this won't be too hard, and will be done by Friday at the latest. (Had I been able to keep this trilogy up, everyone could trace the evolution of my writing through it! But no longer, muahahah.)
Altruistic Tenacity: This only has four chapters left. It was never meant to be a long story, but something short and somewhat sweet, and a look into a plot device provided by Naruto that absolutely no one uses. I haven't reposted this story, yet it will be posted complete. The new chapters should only take me until Friday night to write.
Lost the Real Dream: I am putting off writing the sequel to this until after the new year. But this story also only has four chapters left. As it has been far too long since I have looked at this story, I don't know where it would put the final chapter count at, but possibly 15 or 16? Gosh, I feel horrible for not knowing when I know for every other story, especially since this is my favorite one out of them all... But I will also have those four chapters done by Friday night/Saturday morning. Though I can't remember the chapter count, I do remember all the important things: the plot, for one; the ending, for another.
Tales of the Night: I have chapters 21-30 handwritten and safe. I will start typing them up tomorrow and posting them to 30-Nights. For those of you who can't wait to see what happens next (and how this collection was originally going to end at chapter 30), start checking that community around late afternoon/early evening tomorrow for the beginning of those chapters. Just please remember, before any of you start hating me, I am doing all forty prompts. Keep that in mind, please. Those last ten prompts will be true one-shots, for the most part, though they will take place in the same universe the previous thirty created. They will be done before the first.
Darkening Haze: This story has about ten-to-twelve chapters left. I don't exactly remember as I have misplaced the paper that outlined each of those chapters during my internet debacle. But I remember what is going to happen give or take a detail or two. This is one of the two stories that will not be completed before November. I am hoping to have at least two chapters done for it before the first. Then, no more until December.
Of Retribution and Passion: This is the second story that won't be completed. As I know this one has ten chapters left, lest plot bunnies take over and run it for an additional ten. Highly probable given the plot of this story. I am also hoping to have at least two chapters done before the first. Then, again, no more until December.
Love's Lies, The Guardian of Paradise, Allied Promises, The Things People Think, Tricked!, Longing, Right Direction, Slipping Secrets, Thoughtless, Forever, Peace, Winter Laughter, Deja Vu, Torment by Cat, and Poker: These will all be edited for typos that I continue to miss, and for formatting that was lost during the reupload process. I swear, this time, no typo is safe from the delete button. Or else I shall cry for being evaded once more.
Sunsets Over Mulberry Fields: This will finally be reuploaded with a little reworking in later chapters. And it will also be edited until there is no more typos. Though, I think, this story has only one typo....
And I believe that is it. I swear I will have all of these done by the New Year. Even if I end up having to walk to a library, they will be done. I have been looking at them for far too long; it is time they leave my possession.
I have another book review for everyone, too. I can't believe I am finally writing these.
This one is called Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow.
This is the second part of a, sort of, round-robin series called The Citadels, and is actually published fanfiction. This series takes place in the Dungeons&Dragons campaign setting of "The Forgotten Realms". I did not know this, being rather unfamiliar with D&D campaigns despite my love of roleplaying games, until I read this book and realized it.
The execution is less than stellar. At 313 pages, about sixty more than a full-length 50,000 word novel, the characters and plot fall a little flat. It's not his writing style or voice that is the issue: his voice and quirky sense of humor shine through each and every page which makes it fun to read, but the characters and plot are what I have a major issue with. The plot just may be because I haven't read the first book (though this reads like a stand-alone), but it seemed very rushed. It had a clear beginning, a good climax, and a clear resolution, but I was left wanting more. Again, that may just be because I haven't read the first book or the following two.
The characters, on the other hand, have no such excuse. I know none of them have any beginning in the previous book nor will make any appearances in the following ones, yet they were two-dimensional and flat. The female lead was a typical female lead in any book that deals with action. The male lead, though mysterious, never truly grew as a character. None of them did, actually. The ones with the most substenance and backstory were the two main villians. Though a nice change, it would have been nice to see the protagonists have it as well. Also, all the women on the "good" side seemed to act similar to one another. Which made it difficult to realize they were not the same character at points.
In terms of construction, it's not badly put together. As mentioned above, the storyline progresses very clearly and is easy to follow. The voice of the writer/narrator is clear and fun to read, which kept me continuing onto the following pages. The narration stays consistent, never changing its tone or from the third-person limited omniscient P.O.V. that it opens with.
All-in-all, this is a book I would recommend for people to check out/borrow instead of actually buying. Unless you're a huge D&D fan and are familiar with campaign settings and the like.
And I just have this huge feeling that I have missed more than a few birthdays the past month... I apologize and my best belated birthday wishes to you all who I may have missed.