Perspective

Indeed, it is interesting what one may learn researching for a story. This is especially the case when that story has many intertwining elements with those ambiguous secret societies and mysteries of history. For instance, when Grand Master Jacques de Molay of the Knights Templar was killed because the Knights were gaining too much power, he caste doom upon Pope Clement and King Philip for their treachery. They both died less than a year later. Oh, history is ripe with stories for the plucking. The Knights Templar were also suspect of having possession of the Ark of the Covenant, and there are records suggesting they stole away many "important but damaging" items to a small island south of Nova Scotia, Canada. This place is what many call the "money pit."

No doubt, if that were true, then after the first of many failed attempts to find the treasures of Oak Island societies related to protecting said evidence probably secreted the important material away. Still, it makes one wonder. Men have gone through great strides, have bled, and have died for, what seems to be, insignificant ends throughout history. Why?

The pyramids are another wonder, and the underground cities like Derinkuyu, Turkey. They are filled with wonder and beauty for those willing to leave it at the surface. Further research points to other purposes, some not so beautiful, and many sects of old societies reveled in things that we today would find most disturbing. The purpose of all the research is my Fantasy Story. With that in mind, most of the relevant mysteries I've studied all begin at a single place: The Temple of Solomon.

Because of this I've decided that it will make for a good end-game. There is neither beginning or end, but there are beginnings and endings. As my story is planned to be segmented and arched over a few novels (too much to crunch into a small frame) it is best to keep the story, the elements, and the goals simple. The complexity derives from the overall arch of the series, but the stories themselves, though with much action and intrigue, are motivated by simple desires.

Not So Simple
This results in a certain focus regarding characterization, that the basics must be observed, even if those observations are deceitful.

Love vs. Hatred / Loyalty vs. Selfishness / Guilt vs. Duty.

Can you be summarized by your greatest strength and greatest weakness? No, I'd imagine not. This is why actions speak louder than words, but here is the rub: what if the reader thinks the action or statement is out of character (It would definitely seem that way)?

That gave me a headache and many trashed files until the conclusion was obvious: justification. As long as the character is only contradicting biased narrative or slander (or love and praise), they open the reader up to the possibility that their personality is more complex than the status quo of cardboard cutouts. The trick, I think, is easing them into it. It is akin to how slowly lowering oneself into a hot bath is relaxing. If one were to jump in steaming water, well, the sensation wouldn't be nearly as pleasant. The character must surprise others with a few choices, to ease the possibility that things may not be what they seem, so when the truth comes out it isn't disastrous.

In real life, of course, we're not afforded the luxury of knowing. Things are hectic and tend to bash us in the face. People act out of character all the time. Actually, most people couldn't summarize their own character. It comes down to that saying, "Know thyself." Does anyone know what they're truly capable of until those capabilities are tested? Do we truly know our best friends, our lovers, our enemies, or our family? When I watched the news and observed the story of a young girl who has just killed an entire family, all the interviewees said, "I had no idea she was capable of that."

Indeed. Now one must ask: did the girl know?

What if she didn't until it was over?

We human beings are very complex creatures, yet we always strive to squash that complexity into two-dimensions. I suppose, with a story, it's the same thing.
 

Whew!

An unexpected excursion with a good friend to explore the beaches of the East Coast is something that does not occur often. It was a refreshing taste of nature and friendship.

Back to the story and back to the pen.
 

What is this feeling, this flight of fancy that has all but given me wings to fly?

It's been awhile Writing.com! I've officially been back for a few months now, but personal agendas had to be met first. It's rough being deployed numerous times. Uncle Sam decided that he was going to recall me out-of-nowhere so: "Once more into the breach, dear friends." Afghanistan is a wreak and, needless to say, I feel much sorrow for the people of that region. There are good individuals everywhere but they become twisted by those who desire power. It is indeed sad.

Now that I'm back from all the chaos I'm pursuing a degree, as I've missed the time to do so before (Thank you GI BILL!). While I'm expanding my horizons I've decided to double-dip and jump back into Writing.com with gusto! I haven't finished my book, actually the rough-draft was destroyed in a way that might make a good story. Do you wish for me to divulge? I may, one day, but I'll let it pass for now.

My world keeps shifting day-to-day with PTSD to wrestle with and other forms of annoyance. Things are definitely far removed from where I envisioned myself as a child, all that innocence crushed beneath a mountain of responsibility and torment. Not to say that it's slowing me down, actually it might all be a blessing in disguise. My experience and observations of the world have changed drastically and my mind seems capable of absorbing much larger quantities of data. Supposedly that's a possible side-effect, they say. One extreme or another - either the brain becomes hyper-active, or the brain takes a giant proverbial poop. Well, in my case, shell-shock has provided some unforeseen benefits. There is a price, of course, but I was paying that price anyway: "Once a man sees war he never stops seeing it."

So away from the war-story hysteria that was inevitably the result of my choices in life - I've come to find a real passion for writing. I suppose just the history of this account can verify that it's existed for a time, but now things have changed. It's hard to validate exactly how the change has come across. I suppose discerning the how is irrelevant. I think being an author of anything, of creating something, beautiful or not - is a thing to be proud of. It's far better than destruction.

No longer do I feel limited to just pursuing my novel - that's still on the list, I will finish it before I die if I have any say about it - but now all other forms of writing, as well. Writing, it appears, is staring into the human soul by observing our own proclivities and peccadilloes. It occurred to me because, in fact, we really do not know ANYONE; even ourselves. Writing is an attempt to understand the depths of ourselves by portraying tendencies called 'characters' on paper that we invent and culminate to maturity. It is to create a world or to express ones view, to share, to take, to love, to hate, and by these ends it is the most appropriate means to express what many call one's personal 'soul.' By doing so we come to understand the greater connection between us foiled human beings and press the boundaries of that comprehension by the medium that we, if you're on this site, share.

So let's just say that I'm back, Writing.com. I'm here for a good long while and I hope you're ready because, whether my works are impressive or horrid, I intend to push boundaries. For if we fail in that endeavor we are but picking up the scraps of men and women who achieved it.


Check out my portfolio and thank you for reading. My epic fantasy is on my bucket list - so if you could offer any opinion I'd be grateful.


Succeed, Fail, it doesn't matter. Just try.
Achilles Asheelz

 

It’s a large project to take on with my car stuck in a ditch sinking in mud and the only hope is a friend with a rusted-out 80’s pickup that squeaks at every opportunity and starts on ‘occasion’. That’s what it seems like here forgoing the repertoire of writing examples, barriers, and concepts; this Transitional Fantasy bears a true weight. Commenting on the last Fantasy news-letter I received from writing.com Government is one example of the paradigm we take for granted. There are many other things generally twisted but held within a range concerning Fantasy novels: weaponry, phonetics, social engagements, sociological standards, psychological conditions (reactions, cause, and affections), etc. Some of these draw the standards from the writer’s environment others are altered to sharpen the image of their new world. Delicious and thought provoking when broken down to the fundamental form, but this work aims to create the world of elves, dwarves, dragons, night-hordes, Hluok, fairies, and swamp monsters from the world of Coffee Shops, Universities, fast-paced economics, and corporate despotism.

Why? To answer the question: I love fantasy. I’ve seen attempts made with fairies and dragons hiding in lairs beneath the earth, which seem like every-day people but are not, or nuclear radiation, war, corruption, greed, and the weakness of our species hitting an all-time low. Many of these ring a note as we turn on CNN, Fox News, or BBC and observe; but there is something missing. The challenge is creating a believable transition between the two worlds and tying the ends of the project together. Molding this world into another world with that beautiful boutique of belief rife with conflict(s), character development and a lot of those “what if” questions that spur the creativity of the reader is what I strive for, and is a goal that grips my creativity without any clear sign of letting go.

Transitions are difficult because what we take for granted in Fantasy now, all of a sudden, must be deliberate. Why did it become that way? How did it occur? Is it a natural course of things or am I skewing ‘natural’ to fit my personal interpretation of the current social norm? What is natural? Is speech different, normality, clothing, education, technology, and why? I was overwhelmed for years on the mere mountain of concerns with a piece like this until the day, just after being fired upon kneeling behind a door of a Hummer during a convoy on route Tampa, Iraq, a friend commented on my coolness during combat. My First Sergeant responded, “Its mind over matter.”

That sparked a lot of inventiveness and sealed what I would use. The day was very emotional with both men being seriously injured just after the comment – another reason it grabbed my attention. One more factor that thrust my desire to complete the framework spawned from a very wise friend that said, “History is a conduit displaying the limits of our contradiction. Humanity can only be so good or so evil until it retracts to trend toward the other.” History ties all aspects of humanity together, and every angle must be involved to change the world on this scale. A few fun research projects, a little twisting, and its ready to go. Now onto the hard part: writing the story on the level it deserves.

 

My largest project is a transitional fantasy that I plan to span from modern society to an open-ended realm of magic, in essence using war as a conduit of change. My problem is, I'm not a million word writer and haven't had the greatest education - can not afford to take that adventure right now. As I plot and plan the different variables involved in the story it becomes more and more complex, so how do writers make the impossibly complex seem so simple? I'm new to all this, have had my frustrations, but wish to write anyway - I just love doing it. Are there certain techniques to organize thoughts, perhaps a layout of sorts to make everything easier to reference? Right now I have a jumble of notes that require a half hour to sort through to find what I'm looking for, and by that time I've lost the flow and the candles burned low. the end.
 

I have a hard time writing in a showing manner - for some reason it's more natural to tell it. Obviously an issue, I've come to realize that it only requires an extra step in the process. Telling is quick to produce a structure of the story, a fast rough draft of intent, and the showing can be formed later; but this inspires bad habits, an annoying overuse of adverbs, head jumping as the big no-no's produce a nest. If I do begin writing in the showing-case, after a short time the visual representations leave, and I begin telling - words slipping in not intended. Or, like smacking into a brick wall at high-speed, my showing creativity stops, ends, game-over; and writers block settles down with a vengeance even though the flow of the story isn't blocked - the describing IS.

Frustration is a good tool for a writer, it may be culminated in determination; but at the moment I need to re-examine the tool box before proceeding with it, else there may be a time found when frustration is no longer malleable. >.>
 

Starting off is difficult when you're broke. I don't wish to pay for schools and go into the debt department, and yet I do not know what resources are available in my endeavor. I keep writing because that’s what I love to do, but I have no formal education to back it up. I’m ignorant concerning techniques and subjects that other writers take for granted which makes it difficult to achieve lasting results. I suppose I could use the GI bill to attain some education, but what about work? As the lights of a thousand stars unfold a shroud as darkness covers me.
 

Squeezing time into an already hectic schedule to pursue this passion convinces me that this will be a task long enduring. As I’m rushed to complete certain priorities I’ve noticed that mistakes exponentiate given that criteria and the small things that count are brushed over. So how am I to handle this quagmire of writing ineffectiveness that plagues my story? I’m setting up systems of outlining and cross-referencing, but that too is taking away from the whole piece. I need something to sustain the creativity under pressure of strict limitations. Pahf! Another day, another bill…
 

So I'm writing small connected stories in an after the fact voice, all relating to what I hope will one day be an Epic Fantasy. The reasons are more along the lines of characterization, but the challenge appears within the evil character. Being self-absorbed and annoyed with all things it's hard to narrow down the actual gut-feeling of this worm, and so the leech that he is remains a generally normal leech; a light brown mud-colored prickly turd-nugget that sticks to the skin after an otherwise enjoyable swim. At the moment he is attached to my consciousness consistently sucking away my attention to detail persuading me to write with copious amounts of passive voice because I can not seem to focus on anything else. I will sigh with relief when he finally gets his fill and fades away. 8()