Well, that idea didn't last long. On just my second random person (Uhahna, an Unaligned born East Village during the year 230) I became confronted by the need to know more background history than I've established. So, I'm taking the big plunge and returning to developing the miscellaneous background information. I'm beginning with military history, but I'm hoping to get some duty work accomplished at the same time.
It's not going to be easy and it is going to be time consuming. I've more than 6,000 characters spanning 3-1/2 centuries of time. What I must do is establish when each and every one of them entered military service, when they received whatever promotions they did, and when they left.
This is complicated by the fact that the family has a policy that parents of children under five cannot serve, and at least one parent must remain at home until children reach sixteen. So, even the best warriors would exit military service to begin their families and not return until their youngest reached the age of five. Then they would return. But in the meantime, they had to have duty. What would it be? It would vary with their line, their village, and their skill with the flamesword.
Lots of work.
I'm kind of looking forward to it. I've already begun. Did you know that there are 22,238 records just for the ARTS line? DEFENSE, the largest line, has 58,279 records. Got these statistics from the Yearly Archive table, which contains no less than 541,348 records.
Like I said. A LOT of work.
Showing posts with label Archives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Archives. Show all posts
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Most of The Archives are handwritten documents dating back thirty years or more. This is a problem in some cases as humidity has caused some of the writing to fade and/or wash away. Such is the case with the story of Massimo and Elva, who are the parents of the Elven Race.
Massimo was a Nomad and Elva a Pennan.
Here is part of the original version of The Story of Massimo and Elva. I believe it was written in the early 1980s.
Massimo took aim at the hart as it moved throug the trees. The distance was far, but not so great that he still could not reach it with his hunting bow. But just before he let his arrow fly the hart started and then took off.
Keeping his head, Massimo adjusted his aim quickly and left loose his arrow. It flew perfectly and struck the deer, piercing its heart and bringing it down. Massimo hurried forward to where it had fallen and began the task of dressing it out. Its weight was very near his own and to the tribe would be thankful. There would be meat for all. And the hide would serve as clothing.
But Massimo did not discard his own senses as he labored. Something had startled the hart. What was it? He was aware of nothing. Still, the hart's senses were keener.
He suddenly stopped and stood to his feet, drawing the sword from his back. He was aware of movement. several creatures had formed a ring and were now closing it in. But of what sort were they? Wolves? Unlikely. They would be quiet. Most likely they were men. And so he would need defend his kill.
Fortunately, he knew himself to be an excellent warrior, and so he was only a little afraid. He was, in fact, the best warrior and hunstman in the tribe. That was why he had made the journey so far from camp to find meat. He was the tribe's main provider. Still, it would be comforting now to have one or two other members at hand to give him aid.
That's the first page. There are seven pages written in this notebook. What I note about the style is that I still have a tendency to write rough drafts in this manner. It makes for a lot of work during the edit stage.
I never finished writing the story of Massimo and Elva. It was told orally to a friend of mine, who mostly enjoyed it. It's one of the things I need to get to once the Saga itself is published.
Massimo was a Nomad and Elva a Pennan.
Here is part of the original version of The Story of Massimo and Elva. I believe it was written in the early 1980s.
Massimo took aim at the hart as it moved throug the trees. The distance was far, but not so great that he still could not reach it with his hunting bow. But just before he let his arrow fly the hart started and then took off.
Keeping his head, Massimo adjusted his aim quickly and left loose his arrow. It flew perfectly and struck the deer, piercing its heart and bringing it down. Massimo hurried forward to where it had fallen and began the task of dressing it out. Its weight was very near his own and to the tribe would be thankful. There would be meat for all. And the hide would serve as clothing.
But Massimo did not discard his own senses as he labored. Something had startled the hart. What was it? He was aware of nothing. Still, the hart's senses were keener.
He suddenly stopped and stood to his feet, drawing the sword from his back. He was aware of movement. several creatures had formed a ring and were now closing it in. But of what sort were they? Wolves? Unlikely. They would be quiet. Most likely they were men. And so he would need defend his kill.
Fortunately, he knew himself to be an excellent warrior, and so he was only a little afraid. He was, in fact, the best warrior and hunstman in the tribe. That was why he had made the journey so far from camp to find meat. He was the tribe's main provider. Still, it would be comforting now to have one or two other members at hand to give him aid.
That's the first page. There are seven pages written in this notebook. What I note about the style is that I still have a tendency to write rough drafts in this manner. It makes for a lot of work during the edit stage.
I never finished writing the story of Massimo and Elva. It was told orally to a friend of mine, who mostly enjoyed it. It's one of the things I need to get to once the Saga itself is published.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Roots are Still in Tact
The original Swords of Fire is gone, I believe. The map is gone, and so are the chapters. Even the subsequent efforts are lost.
There is a memory I can faintly draw upon in which I was reading portions to co-workers at Cicero's Pizza, where I worked. The owner used the old-style theatre organs as the gimic to draw people in. The truth was, the food wasn't that great. Pasta was good, though. Ummm.
The story originally began much, much later than the current version. Hundreds of years later, and on a different world. When I went through The Archives this week I found several notebooks and loose sheets of paper dealing with this now abandoned effort. My writing back then was so bad, but many elements of the style remain. Not sure if I should be concerned about that or not. Here is a small blurb which may have been part of the original beginning. I mean original, and not just the start of the first finished effort. But notice the similarities.
Khirsha stepped lightly down the path. Using the training he had received not a noise could be heard (except, perhaps, by a trained ear). Even so, he ws moving quickly. Voices could be heard up the path and over the hill and he quickened his pace.
"Hoy, Khirsha!" called out Jasem, one of Khirsha's longtime friends who stood talking to Dregel, the third member of their threesome.
"You two could be heard all the way to Sarah," scolded Khirsha, lightly.
"Oh, come!" argued Dregel. "I hardly think so. But why bother? We're well out of town. Who's there to hear?"
"I shouldn't let the Teacher hear if I were you," said Khirsha with a laugh, and Dregel and Jasem laughed, too.
"Come," said Jasem. "Let us be going or the Teacher will be mad because we're late."
The Teacher was an aged elf who had shown up at their village just a few years earlier (as years were reckoned among Elves). Khirsha and his friends were Elves themsleves, of course, as was teh entire village of -
That's how it ends. I really did write a dash. This, I'm mostly sure, is how The White King of Ladondo began. The White King of Ladondo. That was the original Book I. I like the name, and if possible intend to incorporate elements of this story into some future work.
What I find interesting is that I kept the name "Khirsha". This Khirsha, however, was younger than the one who is now the main character in Traitor, the new Book I. The other names go away. There was a reason for using them, but I just checked and see that they are not even part of the list of thousands.
The concept of a Teacher remains, although it does not present itself in Traitor. It will in Book III. The following page contains some notes, and then there is some kind of prologue in which the name "Kesso" appears. I must have liked the name, because I use a variation of it for one of the important Saga Characters: Kelso.
The original plot dealt with the missing heir of King Fernando. (I chose the name because Fernando means "world traveler".) Shatahar (he was a Warlord from the beginning) wishes to finish his destruction of the Elves' royalty. He currently rules over the Kingdom of Ladondo in the north, tucked in the midst of three mountain ranges. He has an ice palace in the north. Very cliche stuff, I guess. He was known as "The White King".
You know, as I peruse this notebook, I'm finding an extended version of the beginning. There are no less than thirty-two pages of handwritten text. Maybe the original writings survived after all. The map is gone. Of that I have no doubts. It's too big to be hidden away.
What I enjoy about having kept all of this is that it gives me the ability to return to the past and see how the Saga evolved. Some things I have forgotten. Also, it exposes my growth as a writer. I see some bad habits no longer exist. That is encouraging.
I wonder how many writers keep their old stuff. I would expect a lot. But it's fun
There is a memory I can faintly draw upon in which I was reading portions to co-workers at Cicero's Pizza, where I worked. The owner used the old-style theatre organs as the gimic to draw people in. The truth was, the food wasn't that great. Pasta was good, though. Ummm.
The story originally began much, much later than the current version. Hundreds of years later, and on a different world. When I went through The Archives this week I found several notebooks and loose sheets of paper dealing with this now abandoned effort. My writing back then was so bad, but many elements of the style remain. Not sure if I should be concerned about that or not. Here is a small blurb which may have been part of the original beginning. I mean original, and not just the start of the first finished effort. But notice the similarities.
Khirsha stepped lightly down the path. Using the training he had received not a noise could be heard (except, perhaps, by a trained ear). Even so, he ws moving quickly. Voices could be heard up the path and over the hill and he quickened his pace.
"Hoy, Khirsha!" called out Jasem, one of Khirsha's longtime friends who stood talking to Dregel, the third member of their threesome.
"You two could be heard all the way to Sarah," scolded Khirsha, lightly.
"Oh, come!" argued Dregel. "I hardly think so. But why bother? We're well out of town. Who's there to hear?"
"I shouldn't let the Teacher hear if I were you," said Khirsha with a laugh, and Dregel and Jasem laughed, too.
"Come," said Jasem. "Let us be going or the Teacher will be mad because we're late."
The Teacher was an aged elf who had shown up at their village just a few years earlier (as years were reckoned among Elves). Khirsha and his friends were Elves themsleves, of course, as was teh entire village of -
That's how it ends. I really did write a dash. This, I'm mostly sure, is how The White King of Ladondo began. The White King of Ladondo. That was the original Book I. I like the name, and if possible intend to incorporate elements of this story into some future work.
What I find interesting is that I kept the name "Khirsha". This Khirsha, however, was younger than the one who is now the main character in Traitor, the new Book I. The other names go away. There was a reason for using them, but I just checked and see that they are not even part of the list of thousands.
The concept of a Teacher remains, although it does not present itself in Traitor. It will in Book III. The following page contains some notes, and then there is some kind of prologue in which the name "Kesso" appears. I must have liked the name, because I use a variation of it for one of the important Saga Characters: Kelso.
The original plot dealt with the missing heir of King Fernando. (I chose the name because Fernando means "world traveler".) Shatahar (he was a Warlord from the beginning) wishes to finish his destruction of the Elves' royalty. He currently rules over the Kingdom of Ladondo in the north, tucked in the midst of three mountain ranges. He has an ice palace in the north. Very cliche stuff, I guess. He was known as "The White King".
You know, as I peruse this notebook, I'm finding an extended version of the beginning. There are no less than thirty-two pages of handwritten text. Maybe the original writings survived after all. The map is gone. Of that I have no doubts. It's too big to be hidden away.
What I enjoy about having kept all of this is that it gives me the ability to return to the past and see how the Saga evolved. Some things I have forgotten. Also, it exposes my growth as a writer. I see some bad habits no longer exist. That is encouraging.
I wonder how many writers keep their old stuff. I would expect a lot. But it's fun
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A Walk Through History
So, I've opened The Archives and have been rifling through them to see what remains from the past. Guess what? I found the original hand-written Swords of Fire. The first words written for the first book ever finished. (There is an earlier work, but that wasn't finished.)
To satisfy any potential curiosity, here is how the book Ballentine rejected began.
Khirsha looked around the cave entrance for signs of his father, but there was nothing to indicate his presence.
"Perhaps he is inside," thought Khirsha as he entered the cave.
There was no danger, of course. The cave was located in the heart of the Endo Estate which his family had owned for seven generations of Endos. They were a wealthy family. Indeed, one of the most wealthy in the kingdom. But, the military families usually were.
Not exactly something to make you want to rush out and buy a copy, is it? Well, I was young. I was barely in my twenties when this was written.
Very little remains from the original story. Khirsha is still Khirsha, but there is no way he would be looking for his father at the cave. Also, to enter the cave one now has to crawl. There is no such thing as the Endo Estate or, in fact, Endos. The family is wealthy, but they are not part of any kingdom. In fact, their relationship with the nearby kingdom is strained. They are military.
When I was young, teenager and earlier, I used to toss my writing away when I was finished. No one ever read it, except my creative writing teacher in high school. Then I read something a famous writer (I forget who) said in an interview. He complained about the use of computers when writing. Overwriting a file meant there was no history. No beginning point where a story began. He liked to keep all of his notes because they sometimes came in useful later. After that I created The Archives. Now they are boxes and boxes of unsorted material.
Very fascinating to visit. I'm glad I kept everything.
To satisfy any potential curiosity, here is how the book Ballentine rejected began.
Khirsha looked around the cave entrance for signs of his father, but there was nothing to indicate his presence.
"Perhaps he is inside," thought Khirsha as he entered the cave.
There was no danger, of course. The cave was located in the heart of the Endo Estate which his family had owned for seven generations of Endos. They were a wealthy family. Indeed, one of the most wealthy in the kingdom. But, the military families usually were.
Not exactly something to make you want to rush out and buy a copy, is it? Well, I was young. I was barely in my twenties when this was written.
Very little remains from the original story. Khirsha is still Khirsha, but there is no way he would be looking for his father at the cave. Also, to enter the cave one now has to crawl. There is no such thing as the Endo Estate or, in fact, Endos. The family is wealthy, but they are not part of any kingdom. In fact, their relationship with the nearby kingdom is strained. They are military.
When I was young, teenager and earlier, I used to toss my writing away when I was finished. No one ever read it, except my creative writing teacher in high school. Then I read something a famous writer (I forget who) said in an interview. He complained about the use of computers when writing. Overwriting a file meant there was no history. No beginning point where a story began. He liked to keep all of his notes because they sometimes came in useful later. After that I created The Archives. Now they are boxes and boxes of unsorted material.
Very fascinating to visit. I'm glad I kept everything.
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