The Swords of the Ancients

I’m really grateful to the years I spent working in a university library. It was great experience for me on many levels. Not only do I have amazing customer service skills (hint hint, all you potential employers out there), but I also gained a great understanding of the processes necessary to conduct beneficial research. It’s really nice to know what I need to look for in order to find the information I need. I’ve actually found some great references in my old home that I can utilize for the book I’m working on.

You see, not everything in a book like this can be purely out of my own head. There needs to be some sort of effort put into it so people see realism, not pure trippy fantasy. I want people to know that the facts that are presented in this book, despite being put to use in a sci-fi/fantasy setting, are actually somewhat accurate. For example, if one of the characters has a certain condition, I want to be certain that any symptoms of said condition are within standard realms of possibility and probability. Though one of these would always come in handy. It’s a plot-contrivance machine!

As a side note here, I’d like to point out that I absolutely love the work of Douglas Adams. I don’t know where my life would be right now if I’d not stumbled upon a copy of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” in my uncle’s room. The book and its subsequent companions remain one of my top series, and are something I consistently reread, just for the outlandish humor contained within. I have every intention of keeping a towel with me all day on May 25th this year, celebrating the 10th anniversary of “Towel Day.” I can’t believe it’s already been ten years since Mr. Adams passed away. The point of this little side note, though, is to point out that my book, while being potentially at least PART satire, will not be humorous on the level of the Guide. It wasn’t conceived as comedy, and so it will not grow up to be comedy. It’s intended to be a somewhat dark and thought provoking (not pro-viking, like I nearly wrote) piece of literature that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery. It’s not the Guide. It’s not anywhere close to that, and it never will be. I would never dare to fly that close to the sun.

But as for the researching bit, it’s fun and awkward at the same time. While I can say that I’m doing research for a novel in the event that anyone asks me why I am reading articles about cancer and alcoholism and deviant behavior, I’m still not certain that I’ll get the most positive looks from people who see me reading them in public. I mean, honestly, I really don’t want to be classified as any more of a weirdo than I already am. Hence why I do most of my research online, but there is still something to be said for the sheer joy of digging through a stack of books on a rainy/cold/snowy day hunting for one elusive detail you can find in about 5 seconds on google. I miss the old ways. Call me old fashioned. I don’t care. I’ll walk the line between technology and nostalgia for the rest of my life, using netflix to stream Greer Garson movies.

Oh, joy. A car alarm at one AM. I’m so glad to know that it’s not mine.

Yes, it’s one AM here. In about 15 hours, I’m going to be getting in a car to drive home to my parents’ house. My great uncle’s funeral is Friday morning, and we’re going to be gathering to celebrate his life. Personally, I plan to toast him with a glass of 15 year old scotch. I’ll be out of internet range for a couple of days, but fear not, dear readers. I’ll return to you quickly enough. It’s not as though your lives hinge upon my next post (but if they do, please let me know, and I’ll try to write something brief to tide you over 😀 ).

Being a grown-up is far more stressful than it needs to be. Though I suppose the real lesson for today is that I still need to learn to shut up once in a while and keep my thoughts to myself. That’s what blogs are for, right? Angry rants? Hahahaha. I don’t think so. If I wanted to be an emo kid, I’d go whine on my deviantART account.

Everything that a writer experiences in his or her life is potential story material. This means that I can/should focus any negative situation into some challenge that my characters can overcome. Hopefully it will help me figure out what it is that I need to do. In today’s situation, this really means that Arsus has potentially SEVERELY alienated one of his companions. This isn’t likely to be Rime, as the two of them are going to be at each others’ throats 90% of the time. Rather, it will be one of the secondary characters, maybe even the one who dies later on. I’m not sure. Again, there’s still a lot of room to maneuver things around. Very little of this story is set in stone. Most of it’s set in a desert. 😀 Yes, lame joke, I know. I’m not really in the mood to be writing golden comedy right now. Tonight might have to involve a trip to the liquor store. We’ll see. I do have rent and bills to pay this week, and I need to watch my spending anyway, due to the fact that hours are limited at work. Though it IS almost Chinese New Year… Sake might be required. After all, it is my zodiac year.

It’s still cold as a post-Broncos-Super-Bowl-Win-hell. I like it, though. I love winter weather. Why I’m writing about something set in a desert, I have no idea. I suppose it may be because I grew up in a place that’s known for its dry weather. Northeastern Colorado can get pretty nasty in the summer heat. Hardly desert conditions, but still…

Back to the story. Arsus and Rime are crossing the desert as part of a pilgrimage, much akin to Chaucer’s cast in the Canterbury Tales. Each of the characters who chooses to join them on their journey will add a unique view of the world. They will be people of different classes and skills (and feats! No. This isn’t D&D). Each one of them will have different ideas about the characters they travel alongside. I’m not sure yet who the narrator will be. That’s something I’d like to decide on fairly quickly. I want to plan out how he or she will interact with the world, and whether or not said narrator will be reliable and trustworthy or if my readers will be questioning the sincerity of everything the narrator says. It’s all part of the journey. Everything that happens in my world will be told through one person’s perspective. Perhaps it will be someone close to Arsus, someone who has watched him for a long time. I’ve got a few possibilities of things that could work for that. Anyway, it’s time to wrap up and call it a night. Peace!