I just finished the (hopefully) final read-through and edit of Chapter 59 ("A Little Night Music"), to be posted tomorrow. This one took me almost as long to work through as Chapter 57 ("Nightmare"), with everything that needed to be written, moved, edited, cut, and reworked, from first draft to final. But I'm pretty pleased with it, regardless of what reviewers might come back and say.
First of all, the chronological setting of the story is no haphazard choice. Christmas in Japan is all about romance (unlike the Western traditions), so I've used that setting to broach the last big subject in the story. There's not much that I haven't planned in this monster, right down to what needs to happen on what day. I hope that readers don't gloss over those details...but if they do but still enjoy the story regardless, that's what matters, I suppose.
There's an awful lot of talking in Chapter 59, but as I mention in the Author's Notes (and in the previous blog entry), the conversations are necessary to the progression of the relationships and the story as a whole. It helps that a couple of those conversations are almost verbatim actual experience, but I've used a lot of my own personal life as fodder for this story already, and I feel like I've put so much of myself into Chie as a character, that I couldn't quite resist shuffling some of my life into this latest chapter.
There's also quite a bit of sex in 59, but that, too, is necessary to the plot, at least in its function. I really wanted to address the changes that have occurred between the characters at a sexual level, based on the events of the preceding chapters. These are two people - specifically lovers - who are growing as a couple just as much as they're growing as individuals, and that's important to their intimacy and the way that they relate, both emotionally and sexually.
The talking and the sex in this chapter also leads up to the next logical progression of the relationship, and not just because it's instigated by a circle of friends. Into this, too, I've tried to inject some realism, and some honest feelings. It's crazy and confusing and nerve-wracking for Chie just like it is for a lot of adults. But hopefully I've managed to create some personal humor about it all, too.
You may agree or disagree. I'd like to hear your answers, though, when you get around to reading the latest chapter. :)
17 August 2010
11 August 2010
I'm not dead.
I honestly don't know why I give such a deep shit about this story and making it work, when there are other stories out there that obviously don't even have a Beta reader for their SUMMARIES, yet still get all kinds of praise for 'em. (Yes, I know I'm being petty about the review thing, but it still manages to irk me.)
That said, I'm deep in editing of Chapter 59 at the moment, and I am liking it much better with this latest pass. It flows better than it had been doing, and I'm having a lot of fun with the character interactions. It's almost like, after all of the crap that went down for the characters in the last couple of chapters, they're a completely new set of people for me to write. Well, one of them is, anyway. Maybe two. But also hella fun.
There's a lot of talking, though, but it's talking that really has to happen for the story to work. And, yes, the talking needs to happen now. No good if it comes later, or if it doesn't come up at all. That's just a recipe for disaster, in relationship terms.
I've been taking a lot of time with this, I know, but I'm working on other things at the same time (not to mention gearing up for the new semester, which always kind of makes life hectic in my tiny corner of 97-degree Perdition that I like to refer to Higher Education). A part of me wants to just finish this story and get cracking on What's Up Next...but another part of me doesn't want to let it go.
Oh, well. At least I'm still writing, right? And writing this thing more for me, now, than anyone else, since most everybody has moved on.
But I still love it. ♥
That said, I'm deep in editing of Chapter 59 at the moment, and I am liking it much better with this latest pass. It flows better than it had been doing, and I'm having a lot of fun with the character interactions. It's almost like, after all of the crap that went down for the characters in the last couple of chapters, they're a completely new set of people for me to write. Well, one of them is, anyway. Maybe two. But also hella fun.
There's a lot of talking, though, but it's talking that really has to happen for the story to work. And, yes, the talking needs to happen now. No good if it comes later, or if it doesn't come up at all. That's just a recipe for disaster, in relationship terms.
I've been taking a lot of time with this, I know, but I'm working on other things at the same time (not to mention gearing up for the new semester, which always kind of makes life hectic in my tiny corner of 97-degree Perdition that I like to refer to Higher Education). A part of me wants to just finish this story and get cracking on What's Up Next...but another part of me doesn't want to let it go.
Oh, well. At least I'm still writing, right? And writing this thing more for me, now, than anyone else, since most everybody has moved on.
But I still love it. ♥
29 July 2010
Art in all its forms
My art skills are woefully lacking. I did try to go back to drawing a while ago, and I was starting to freshen up my penciling skills, but then I took another long hiatus to concentrate more on my writing, and now I'm for shit again when it comes to my sketchbook.
BUT!
I've been thinking recently of putting together some drawings of the characters from "1 More Chance!" in a couple of their different incarnations. I really want to draw some Kuma, as well as the original characters that show up enough that it might be interesting for readers to see how I envision them (Kazunori, the three Hanamura shimai, Hitoshi and Hiroko). I also thought about trying to draw some of the canon characters, though they're a bit harder to pull off properly (and we all know how easily fans are offended if you paint just a few hairs out of place). My usual style trends away from super-cartoony/manga to more realistic (meaning, no huge bishoujo eyes or anything like that), but still pretty simple. (My deviantArt account has some examples, for anyone interested.)
Drawing isn't something I do particularly well - I think I'm a far better writer than visual artist - but this could also be what I need to get excited about art again. I crapped out on my drawings of the characters for my last story ("Sixes and Sevens"), but this one is interesting enough that it might be worthwhile. And, much like writing, if I don't draw what I want to see, then I'll probably never see it.
I'm in a bit of a funk with the writing, at the moment. I'm still chugging away at Chapter 59, and I'm pleased with what I have so far, but I kind of wish that some of my older readers/reviewers would come back. It's been a bit lonely without hearing from them for so long. (Of course, they may have just decided to drop the story for whatever reason, but I suppose that's just the way it goes, and there isn't much for me to do about that.)
Back to typing for now. We'll see if anything comes of the drawing angle.
BUT!
I've been thinking recently of putting together some drawings of the characters from "1 More Chance!" in a couple of their different incarnations. I really want to draw some Kuma, as well as the original characters that show up enough that it might be interesting for readers to see how I envision them (Kazunori, the three Hanamura shimai, Hitoshi and Hiroko). I also thought about trying to draw some of the canon characters, though they're a bit harder to pull off properly (and we all know how easily fans are offended if you paint just a few hairs out of place). My usual style trends away from super-cartoony/manga to more realistic (meaning, no huge bishoujo eyes or anything like that), but still pretty simple. (My deviantArt account has some examples, for anyone interested.)
Drawing isn't something I do particularly well - I think I'm a far better writer than visual artist - but this could also be what I need to get excited about art again. I crapped out on my drawings of the characters for my last story ("Sixes and Sevens"), but this one is interesting enough that it might be worthwhile. And, much like writing, if I don't draw what I want to see, then I'll probably never see it.
I'm in a bit of a funk with the writing, at the moment. I'm still chugging away at Chapter 59, and I'm pleased with what I have so far, but I kind of wish that some of my older readers/reviewers would come back. It's been a bit lonely without hearing from them for so long. (Of course, they may have just decided to drop the story for whatever reason, but I suppose that's just the way it goes, and there isn't much for me to do about that.)
Back to typing for now. We'll see if anything comes of the drawing angle.
04 July 2010
Me and the music
Some writers listen to music for inspiration, when they're plotting or writing. I used to write in silence, but ever since I started writing more on my computer than in my notebooks, I've worked with a soundtrack.
It started in 2007, I think, when I was working on my story for National Novel Writing Month. Since I had to meet a quota of ~1700 words per day in order to reach the 50K-words-in-30-days goal, I needed motivation to keep going, and inspiration to help me focus. That story took place in London, circa 1997, so I populated a playlist with music from and inspired by that era. Yes, I popped some other great Britpop and Britrock in there, because my protagonist was a bit more of a classical rock and punk fan than his girlfriend, but the playlist started out as a slice of 1997.
For a story as long and involved as "1 More Chance!" - with romantic, dramatic, sexy, exciting, and just plain happy scenes - I have several playlists that I go back to.
The most obvious one is the Persona 4 soundtrack, of course. I use that when I'm on my commute, since I usually take that time to work out plot and conversations and events in my head. It's like a moving brainstorming session. I use the Drama CDs for the same purpose, though that's usually to get in the right frame of mind to write everyone's voices properly.
The easygoing, friendship pieces are probably the easiest to write, so I generally just stick in whatever music strikes my fancy at the moment. Usually, that's something upbeat, fast, or rocky/poppy, like Hamasaki Ayumi (especially if I'm writing something fun with Rise, as I really modeled her singing style after Ms. Hamasaki), Kanno Youko's Cowboy Bebop or Macross PLUS soundtracks, or The Killers (wow, that's random).
The fight scenes, which came later in the story, were a bit trickier. I built a specific playlist for those, with predominantly videogame soundtrack pieces to keep my brain pumping and to channel those swelling moments when a fight turns. The Final Fantasy soundtracks play a big part in this playlist, since I've got so many battle themes from which to choose. (Haha!)
When it comes to the romance and sex, though, it's nearly SCLL or Matryoshka all the way. The dreamy, flowy, melodic quality of both of these bands just lends itself to writing about those tender moments between two people. In fact, I told friends on my Last.fm page that if they see me playing lots of SCLL, that probably means I'm writing fluff-smut. :D
Drama usually requires some heavy prog-rock, and Coheed and Cambria gets put into heavy rotation for that one. Actually, a lot of Coheed's songs relate eerily closely to characters and events in Persona 4, as well as in my story. (If you're a Coheed fan and you don't know what I'm talking about, message me and I'll share my views, but it's too long to go into, here, as just a tangent.) Plus, the music is just my kind of thing. Perhaps not yours, of course, but at least I'm not telling you, "Listen to this track while you read this chapter." I'll listen to what I like, thanks. ;)
The one problem I've found with writing to music is that I sometimes rely too much on the ambience of the music for a scene. So I have to concentrate during editing without music, to make certain that the scene flows properly without the music. Because, as I said, I can't control what the reader is hearing when they're reading my story. This isn't the cinema.
I'm pulling together the end of Chapter 58 right now, and hopefully can have it ready to go by Wednesday. The story is getting decent hits so far this month already, but of course, nobody's saying anything. You don't have to leave reviews or send messages, of course, but if you've never done so, I urge you to let your favorite authors know that you're enjoying their story. If it's me, that's great; if it's not me, then at least make somebody else's day. Even if it's just to say, "Nice job!" That kind of support really means a lot to us.
It started in 2007, I think, when I was working on my story for National Novel Writing Month. Since I had to meet a quota of ~1700 words per day in order to reach the 50K-words-in-30-days goal, I needed motivation to keep going, and inspiration to help me focus. That story took place in London, circa 1997, so I populated a playlist with music from and inspired by that era. Yes, I popped some other great Britpop and Britrock in there, because my protagonist was a bit more of a classical rock and punk fan than his girlfriend, but the playlist started out as a slice of 1997.
For a story as long and involved as "1 More Chance!" - with romantic, dramatic, sexy, exciting, and just plain happy scenes - I have several playlists that I go back to.
The most obvious one is the Persona 4 soundtrack, of course. I use that when I'm on my commute, since I usually take that time to work out plot and conversations and events in my head. It's like a moving brainstorming session. I use the Drama CDs for the same purpose, though that's usually to get in the right frame of mind to write everyone's voices properly.
The easygoing, friendship pieces are probably the easiest to write, so I generally just stick in whatever music strikes my fancy at the moment. Usually, that's something upbeat, fast, or rocky/poppy, like Hamasaki Ayumi (especially if I'm writing something fun with Rise, as I really modeled her singing style after Ms. Hamasaki), Kanno Youko's Cowboy Bebop or Macross PLUS soundtracks, or The Killers (wow, that's random).
The fight scenes, which came later in the story, were a bit trickier. I built a specific playlist for those, with predominantly videogame soundtrack pieces to keep my brain pumping and to channel those swelling moments when a fight turns. The Final Fantasy soundtracks play a big part in this playlist, since I've got so many battle themes from which to choose. (Haha!)
When it comes to the romance and sex, though, it's nearly SCLL or Matryoshka all the way. The dreamy, flowy, melodic quality of both of these bands just lends itself to writing about those tender moments between two people. In fact, I told friends on my Last.fm page that if they see me playing lots of SCLL, that probably means I'm writing fluff-smut. :D
Drama usually requires some heavy prog-rock, and Coheed and Cambria gets put into heavy rotation for that one. Actually, a lot of Coheed's songs relate eerily closely to characters and events in Persona 4, as well as in my story. (If you're a Coheed fan and you don't know what I'm talking about, message me and I'll share my views, but it's too long to go into, here, as just a tangent.) Plus, the music is just my kind of thing. Perhaps not yours, of course, but at least I'm not telling you, "Listen to this track while you read this chapter." I'll listen to what I like, thanks. ;)
The one problem I've found with writing to music is that I sometimes rely too much on the ambience of the music for a scene. So I have to concentrate during editing without music, to make certain that the scene flows properly without the music. Because, as I said, I can't control what the reader is hearing when they're reading my story. This isn't the cinema.
I'm pulling together the end of Chapter 58 right now, and hopefully can have it ready to go by Wednesday. The story is getting decent hits so far this month already, but of course, nobody's saying anything. You don't have to leave reviews or send messages, of course, but if you've never done so, I urge you to let your favorite authors know that you're enjoying their story. If it's me, that's great; if it's not me, then at least make somebody else's day. Even if it's just to say, "Nice job!" That kind of support really means a lot to us.
30 June 2010
Thank you - Q&A followers/commenters!
I originally started this blog to post my thoughts on some of the questions that came up in reviews of "1 More Chance!" As it turned out, most folks didn't really have questions, per se, but it's been fun and enlightening to post here as I've gone through the story, writing and rewriting and figuring out what worked best (and what didn't, too).
I've got to take a brief moment and thank my two followers/commenters:
ViktorMayrin and JS Dulude
These two readers are the only ones to ever comment on, well, any of the posts here, and it's been very interesting (and often very inspiring) to read their thoughts. Sometimes, their feedback was just what I needed to get motivated again and put my head down and power through to the end of the chapter.
I don't know if anyone else reads this, but these two supporters deserve some extra thanks from me for reading, following, and taking the time to comment. :)
I've got to take a brief moment and thank my two followers/commenters:
ViktorMayrin and JS Dulude
These two readers are the only ones to ever comment on, well, any of the posts here, and it's been very interesting (and often very inspiring) to read their thoughts. Sometimes, their feedback was just what I needed to get motivated again and put my head down and power through to the end of the chapter.
I don't know if anyone else reads this, but these two supporters deserve some extra thanks from me for reading, following, and taking the time to comment. :)
25 June 2010
Delays, delays....
I keep hearing Marvin the Martian's voice as I read that title....
Yes, I know it's been much longer than it probably should be between chapter updates. And I'm not going to make excuses for myself, because I know that I've been spending less time on the draft than I should be, or than I used to.
I've lost some of my (favorite) long-time readers/reviewers, though, and it does sting a bit to know that they're no longer interested in the story. So, I've been doing my best to really write this to my greatest satisfaction...because, being the author, I'm really the only one who feels strongly enough about this story to want to keep going.
That said, I've been writing and re-writing Chapters 58, 59, and 60 in my notes and in my head and on the virtual page, trying to get the end of the story to come out neatly and the way that I want it to. (There's nothing worse than reading a story where the author obviously didn't think very long about where the plot was going to go!) I'm trying to move away from the really heavy drama/angsty stuff, but with the developments that occurred at the end of Chapter 57, "Nightmare", it's difficult not to have at least a little bit of deep soul-searching. So, just as a warning to those of you still interested, there will be some of that heaviness in Chapter 58. But hopefully you'll find that the rest of the chapter works itself out.
Or maybe not...I guess we'll have to wait and see.
I haven't given up, though. I want to have the next chapter up this week, but we'll just have to see how it goes.
In the meantime, if it's not done by Wednesday, do you want to see it before the following Wednesday? Or, would you rather I stick to the particular-day-of-the-week posting?
Let me know! :D
Yes, I know it's been much longer than it probably should be between chapter updates. And I'm not going to make excuses for myself, because I know that I've been spending less time on the draft than I should be, or than I used to.
I've lost some of my (favorite) long-time readers/reviewers, though, and it does sting a bit to know that they're no longer interested in the story. So, I've been doing my best to really write this to my greatest satisfaction...because, being the author, I'm really the only one who feels strongly enough about this story to want to keep going.
That said, I've been writing and re-writing Chapters 58, 59, and 60 in my notes and in my head and on the virtual page, trying to get the end of the story to come out neatly and the way that I want it to. (There's nothing worse than reading a story where the author obviously didn't think very long about where the plot was going to go!) I'm trying to move away from the really heavy drama/angsty stuff, but with the developments that occurred at the end of Chapter 57, "Nightmare", it's difficult not to have at least a little bit of deep soul-searching. So, just as a warning to those of you still interested, there will be some of that heaviness in Chapter 58. But hopefully you'll find that the rest of the chapter works itself out.
Or maybe not...I guess we'll have to wait and see.
I haven't given up, though. I want to have the next chapter up this week, but we'll just have to see how it goes.
In the meantime, if it's not done by Wednesday, do you want to see it before the following Wednesday? Or, would you rather I stick to the particular-day-of-the-week posting?
Let me know! :D
08 June 2010
The Kage
I've been waiting to write the characters' Kage/影/Shadow forms for a long time, now...probably since all the way back in Chapter 19 ("A Dream of You")...which, interestingly enough, I recall working on just about a year ago to this week.
I did not go into detail with the updated Kage as represented in Chapter 57 ("Nightmare"), because I didn't want to just spell everything out for the reader. I gave descriptions, yes, but I think that the Kage should stand on their own, to be interpreted as the reader sees fit. I feel that I've given enough background into each of the characters, that the reader can (hopefully) pretty accurately extrapolate what's going on with each of them, as I've envisioned them to be. There are a couple for whom I've come right out and said what they represent (because I needed that conversation to take place at that time in the plot, and I wanted two of the characters to have a nice little personal moment between them), but the main Kage are left to be interpreted by Chie's bias.
And Chie definitely has a bias, as I have said many, many times before. But we'll get into that in the next chapter....
That said, I loved dropping little hints about the Kage throughout the earlier chapters, and imagining the way that they would all look, and how they would all act. Chie's and Yousuke's are very important to the story, of course, because of their progression (and regression) as a cooperative and co-dependent couple...but I think I enjoyed creating Naoto's Kage the most. There's just something about her image that I find so darn entertaining and amusing. Kanji's was perhaps the most difficult to envision properly, because ultimately I find him the least flawed of the team, in my story. (And here I have to admit that the idea for Maou's giant sword came quite late in the design. Back when the Kage were going to take a much more active role in the final conflict, I had wanted them to closely resemble their associative Personas, and so Rokuten Maou had to have a big old sword - just like Yamatotakeru has a katana. I was going to give Maou just a regular broadsword, but then I saw the movie 9, and I adored the look of 8's shears-sword. So, I stole that little detail from the movie. But I think it fits with Kanji/Maou, don't you?)
So, no question again. But I figured that, while I write through these last chapters, you might enjoy a little more insight into one of the latest chapters, and how I came to those characters.
Remember, if you have questions about "1 More Chance!" - or any of my stories - please feel free to leave a review, or send me a Direct Message/Email. Otherwise, this blog will just get filled up with commentary like this one.
I did not go into detail with the updated Kage as represented in Chapter 57 ("Nightmare"), because I didn't want to just spell everything out for the reader. I gave descriptions, yes, but I think that the Kage should stand on their own, to be interpreted as the reader sees fit. I feel that I've given enough background into each of the characters, that the reader can (hopefully) pretty accurately extrapolate what's going on with each of them, as I've envisioned them to be. There are a couple for whom I've come right out and said what they represent (because I needed that conversation to take place at that time in the plot, and I wanted two of the characters to have a nice little personal moment between them), but the main Kage are left to be interpreted by Chie's bias.
And Chie definitely has a bias, as I have said many, many times before. But we'll get into that in the next chapter....
That said, I loved dropping little hints about the Kage throughout the earlier chapters, and imagining the way that they would all look, and how they would all act. Chie's and Yousuke's are very important to the story, of course, because of their progression (and regression) as a cooperative and co-dependent couple...but I think I enjoyed creating Naoto's Kage the most. There's just something about her image that I find so darn entertaining and amusing. Kanji's was perhaps the most difficult to envision properly, because ultimately I find him the least flawed of the team, in my story. (And here I have to admit that the idea for Maou's giant sword came quite late in the design. Back when the Kage were going to take a much more active role in the final conflict, I had wanted them to closely resemble their associative Personas, and so Rokuten Maou had to have a big old sword - just like Yamatotakeru has a katana. I was going to give Maou just a regular broadsword, but then I saw the movie 9, and I adored the look of 8's shears-sword. So, I stole that little detail from the movie. But I think it fits with Kanji/Maou, don't you?)
So, no question again. But I figured that, while I write through these last chapters, you might enjoy a little more insight into one of the latest chapters, and how I came to those characters.
Remember, if you have questions about "1 More Chance!" - or any of my stories - please feel free to leave a review, or send me a Direct Message/Email. Otherwise, this blog will just get filled up with commentary like this one.
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