Brilliance and Broken Sky

NEW Follow Livingsword on Twitter

2011-04-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Follow Livingsword on Twitter?

By popular demand (what are people thinking?) I am now on Twitter (you can see me if you click that fancy Twitter button.

My twitting and tweeting promises revealing insights that may be shocking to some, preposterous to others and sizzling to the uninitiated…

What shall I Twitter about?

Well it will always be the Unedited Uncensored Video of my Mind…I will reveal my inner thoughts like never before…this is personal…and I mean business (what does that mean? Good question says I).

Everything the Blade Vision Network already slashes and burns shall fall victim to my arsenal of wordishness (except much more abbreviated, no not inebriated)…but as I said this is personal…you want the depth of shallowness of my mind this is it! (Somehow that does not seem quite right…but I promised not to edit didn’t I?)

Follow me on Twitter as I expose life as it is and life as it should be…there could be some dirty images for the theater of the mind…my ideas and ideals stripped naked (that should do it for the marketing, I should do product placement for Survivor)…

Beware the Blood the Blossom and the Blade!

Inspiration: The Beauty of Unconscious Rivals

2011-03-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

We may be Unconscious Rivals (as apparently is the case in the above art by Lawrence Alma-Tadema) but still we are rivals. Certainly we can draw inspiration and learn from one another but we are rivals, individuals in community but still individuals. What does this explain to us about creativity?

I have to confess that I am very particular about creative inspiration…Most of the time I do not read the top ten bestselling novels, partially because typically I find them formulaic and also because I am often not a follower of popular trends.

This is simply my tastes, however I also take care to not read or watch some popular media that I feel may taint or stunt my creativity. I want to be inspired but not follow the well trodden path of others. I am endeavoring to be creative and innovative so I wish to develop my skill and craft but not be a creativity clone.

I would rather be a game changer than play within constricting and/or unnecessary rules. Certainly even in art there are some rules however it seems much of the best art or even by extension exceptional beauty pushes the boundaries. It may not be appreciated by contemporaries but it may thus influence others down the corridors of time…and become what it strove not to be…famished of uniqueness as it is imitated by all.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery and I tend to agree. How then do we imitate without losing our individual creativity? I admit it…I at times choose to be unconscious of my rivals…

Above image is Unconscious Rivals by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

POV Point of View Character: Sex

2011-03-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

Mining your mind or a penny for your thoughts, how do you get into the mind of another?

One of the most intriguing aspects of writing a novel is the POV or point of view character. In a given scene you are writing from the perspective of another person, your cleverly devised character. Certainly you can change POV in a novel which I do in my novel Blood Virgin but you have to get into the POV characters mindset.

It is said that writers write about what they know. How then do you write about something you do not know? How can I as a man write from the perspective of a woman? If my character was the woman portrayed above and I was writing the scene to go with the image how influenced am I by my gender? Undoubtedly the sensuality of the scene must influence me differently than it would a woman….including a lesbian. No I do not lose my mind simply because there are some nipples in the image…but there are nipples in the image!

I admit to frequently enjoying reading novels written by women that dig into the minds of their male characters, but perhaps less so when it is men delving into the depths of the female mind. It is a fearful thing to observe how often female writers miss the mark with their male characters. This fear is diminished in comparison then of how much we men must miss the mark with the inner thoughts of women those most complex of the Creators creatures.

There is a suspicion among many of those that know me that my female characters will be my most interesting. We shall see if this is accurate however I have a notion that this is true (it probably better be when the novel is named Blood Virgin). I prefer to write about women, I have always enjoyed the company of women and count many among my friends and colleagues. I have a deep admiration for strong women but also a tender compassionate heart for those who are fragile or have been broken.

In speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy) it seems that the preponderance of lead characters is female. I suspect that men like to read about women for the sensual experience and women prefer being able to relate. Certainly that is not a deep analysis but I think it holds some truth.

Is it the mystery of women that is interesting or enticing? How do women perceive the male gender, are men deep or shallow? Which do you prefer, male or female writers or characters?

What does the usage of the word sex conjure up as opposed to the word gender?

Above image is The Tepidarium by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Blood Virgin Chapter 1 Draft 1 Wordle Art

2011-03-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a fan, yes I am and I can't help but love Wordle so…

You guessed correctly! Indeed I utilized Wordle to create a visual representation of Chapter 1 (draft 1) of my novel-in-waiting Blood Virgin.

I find it fascinating to see a visual interpretation of the words I have used. Certainly it does not convey nuances and complexities yet it is an art form in and of itself.

There are many ways to use art to encourage creativity and to enrich life. Novels are to some simply mush; there are (sadly) people who believe that science fiction and fantasy are the worst of the fictions. Who knows what they would think of science fantasy if they heard of it?

These styles of novels, speculative fiction, are viewed as simple and easy to write and that only geeks or geekets would spend any time with such preposterous genera. Indeed some people view speculative fiction lower than romantic fiction (also an unfairly maligned form of creativity, indeed a very large selling style of fiction).

Yet imagine a world without Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or George Lucas’s Star Wars, a world without hobbits or Gollum, lightsabers or Luke Skywalker…or dare I say it Blood Virgin’s Sakura Sora or Old Iris…perhaps one day…

Imagine if you could Wordle your entire life…

Click above image to enlarge.

Inspiration and Writers Block in a Tanning Booth

2011-03-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

Ever try writing a novel in a tanning booth?

There is a never ending dialogue about artistic inspiration and writers block. Some suggest a sequestering to promote focus and clarity, a veritable sweeping away of distractions like writing in a cabin in the wild, a beach house or…tanning booth. Others seem to be able to write creatively surrounded by the normal noises of life sitting in Starbucks or at a kitchen table with dogs and children running amuck.

At this point of writing the first draft of my Brilliance and Broken Sky novel Blood Virgin I have to say that inspiration has not been a problem for me, creativity and innovation have typically been a strength in all parts of my life. While focus has perhaps been an issue, I am interested in a plethora of things so to keep myself zeroed in on writing can be a task….particularly as I do have a full time career that is not in a science fantasy world…at least not normally.

However this story has been in the making in my mind for quite awhile and now as I am paining it in visible form on the computer screen my focus is more intense. I am enjoying the characters, the plots and the world I am creating. It is an interesting and deadly place with tastes of many cultures, arts, ideas and ideals.

Inspiration is actually a rather large component of Blood Virgin and it is a topic with which I am well acquainted and have studied at length in-depth. I frequently submerge myself in the story throughout the day. I go to sleep developing dialogue, character traits, technologies as well as flora and fauna. I awake with characters interacting, placing events in time and space, and even weaving threads of lives into collisions and relationships.

As Blood Virgin is now at 52 chapters (4 more to go), 224 Word document pages and 76,703 words (with dozens of other pages in notes etc) I can see the end of this story on the horizon. Of course then I will start at the beginning in reworking the novel, editing and re-editing, fleshing it out and polishing it up. Then comes the test readers…they may be my real writers block…

Above image is not me, I would never use a tanning booth to tan never mind use it as a place to write a novel (do you want blue skin?)

Thanks to Evil Erin for the use of the image.

Romanticism: Damsels, Assassins and Monsters oh My!

2011-02-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

My close personal friend Max passed along an interesting insight in another article ; here is the portion that I found most elucidating:

“I read something that I'd like to share with you: Almeida Garret (one of the biggest Portuguese writers from the XIX century) said it is very easy to write a novel; all one has to do is to obey the basic rules of writing one; and these are to always include:

- 1 or 2 damsels (more or less naive)
- a father (noble or ignorant)
- two or three sons (between 19 and 30 years old)
- an old servant
- a monster (or rather a villain)
- and other characters to add some spice...”

As Almeida Garret is reputed as a great supporter of Romanticism I find fellowship in such thoughts and certainly there is a bleeding of sorts of some of those characteristics into my writing. I thought it may be interesting to compare his observations to my growing novel Blood Virgin.

- 4-5 damsels (fragile and naïve, well my novel is called Blood Virgin so you have to expect a veritable flock of damsels then do you not?)

- A father (and an uncle, noble and wanton)

- Sons (I may be in trouble here…however Blood Virgin is science fantasy, do my additional damsels compensate?)

- 3-4 ancient servants (Or at least that is one way to think of them)

- 4-5 monsters (Surely that compensates for the lack of sons?)

- 7-8 other characters to add some spice (lots of spice)

I could then also add to the list:

- Herds of clones

- Exquisitely attired assassins

- Peculiar foodstuffs

- Gardens, ballrooms, throne rooms and starships

- Romantic liaisons

- 6-7 specially designed tantalizing creatures

- Courtesans and slaves

- Lots of sugar and spice

What more could one ask for?

Above image is of Almeida Garrett

A Powerful Emotional Experience

2011-02-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

Darth Vader recording for Tom Tom may make us laugh or perhaps cry…an emotional experience.

The clever books I am reading about writing a novel typically explain in various ways that a novel must evoke strong emotion in the reader for the book to be compelling and interesting. It is the feelings that will draw the reader in and develop the desire for them to express their emotions about the book to others who in turn may then read the novel.

Sounds simple right? For the emotions to be successful they should captivate the reader, they should feel some compassion or empathy for the character, they should take the emotion on as baggage for the character. Now is it so easy?

You need to know your reader for this to work. How does the target of this niche prevalently respond to various emotions and characters expressing those emotions?

How will a male reader respond to the vulnerability of the angst of a young female character compared to how a female reader would respond? Certainly the author of a novel may be a god to the characters deciding their fate but how do you get into their mind to represent their emotions in a genuine way?

Why do readers care what happens to Frodo, is it by feeling his dread of Mordor in contrast with his innate goodness and love of the Shire?

How do you adjust the emotional perception of Darth Vader as one that is evil to one that we could be sympathetic with?

There are a lot of emotions to experiment with:

Thus far in my science fantasy novel Blood Virgin I have fleshed out the characters to a large degree but now that I have almost finished the first draft I am looking forward to going through from the beginning and developing the characters more holistically. Adding swagger to some characters and trepidation to others and most importantly working at developing those traits and emotions as they change throughout the characters experiences.

This has me thinking of how other authors have done this with various characters and my observations about people I know or have known. How did their emotions ebb and flow, decrease and grow? We learn lots from experiences; from what emotion have you learned the most?

Journaling My Novel Blood Virgin

2011-02-14T00:09:00.000-08:00

Enlightenment Journal

Being male I tend towards not utilizing a diary or journal, although I am fastidious with my day planner for dates and events both for work and my personal life but use a diary, no way.

Then as I increased the depth and breadth of my research into writing a novel the concept of keeping a notebook or journal close by kept raising its dragons head despite my repeated attempts at zapping it with all phasers.

Certainly I had developed extensive notes on my computers (desktop, laptop and memory sticks) to keep things organize and also as to not forget complex scenarios (which character was going to be the double-agent?), characterizations (Sonya Taban’s hair colour and voice), outlines, timelines and world building (how did that transportation hub at Opala City work?) However my hand written notes had extended to the lonely isolated sticky note (the kind that tends to migrate from location to location).

So I desisted in my prevarication of excuses for not having a handy little note book near me at all times so that I could quickly note down the brilliant sparks of ideas that came alive in my imagination.

The little book* fits in most of my coat pockets and in an emergency (such as carrying two cups of Starbucks) it can slip into the back pocket of my jeans. I am reticent to admit it but I have grown to like the little book, I am frequently writing down my ingenious ideas and of course can then implement them as they are not forgotten during my busy days (that way I will not forget the complex formulas for the various shrines of the Official Clone Religion).

Still more importantly it acts to remind me to think or refocus on the writing of my novel Blood Virgin at various moments of freedom of thought during my days. So I guess I have to say that the little book is a good idea.

Perhaps this is not as much a journaling of my novel but more a place to quickly collect various thoughts for the novel during my day-to-day routines. I however, suspect that some would call this a journal…how about you? Then again is this blog a journal?

*Note above image is not my little notebook but is close enough and I thought it looked nice.

Blood Virgin Storyline: Sense and Sensuality

2011-02-12T00:25:00.000-08:00

Brilliance and Broken Sky: Blood Universe: Book I: Blood Virgin: By Livingsword

Every novel needs a storyline, a descriptive hook of no more than twenty-five words. This short description will either make the reader say that novel is “not for me” or entices them to say “tell me more”. The storyline is the briefest description of the story the novel conveys. It helps to tell the reader if the book is for them or not. It also acts as the quick description people use as a brief explanation via word of mouth. It is not meant to convey the entirety of the story but “just enough.”

Apparently, one of the mistakes commonly made is to try and sell the book to everybody. Every novel, every story, has a niche audience. I have learned all this recently from several books about writing novels. Certainly not all of this is new to me but the severity of the editing of the storyline is most helpful. It also goes against my nature, I like longer, the shorted edited version seems emaciated to me although I can see how it can work for other sorts of people.

The storyline helps to provide focus upon the priorities of the novel. My book Blood Virgin is a novel with a vast canvas encompassing an entire universe yet I must remain focused upon the priorities of the story. While the story may be a broad panorama, the characters must be stage centre. The reader needs to care for the characters or they will not care about the world around them.

Societies are not as captivating as individual persons, a reader requires characters to relate to, paint the characters properly and the reader will desire to walk the streets of the world around them. I surmise this is the same as humans in their everyday lives. Relationships are the key.

Accordingly, I have rendered a new storyline the first version was this:

Blood Virgin is a science fantasy novel about personal discovery of transcendence, freedom and destiny during the collapse of a hyper advanced utopian pan-galactic empire.

Now here is the new improved storyline:

Sense and Sensuality the Mysterious Rise of the Blood Virgin...

A broken young woman seeks brilliant perfection amidst the collapsing of a supra galactic civilization.

If I were to place this on the back cover of the novel I would follow it with this:

“Our utopian society commits suicide by sensuality…as do I.”

As the Empire of Humanity prepares to explore the final sectors of unexplored space in the universe seeking still undiscovered alien sentient life a slave rebellion and supra galactic civil war threaten the very existence of civilization and humanity.

I am interested in how various kinds of people would view the two kinds of storyline. To me the old storyline portrays the vastness of the story along with deep meaningful drama. Still it may lack personal impact and not create emotion which is essential.

In the new improved storyline, first the bolded text indicates drama and urgency along with sensuality and mystery as well as the theatre of the rise of the main character that remains unnamed. It may stir the blood of some who read it but then it is followed up with the frailty or vulnerability of the character. It may cause a reader to wonder how such a person could rise, what will happen to make this happen? So far there is not much to indicate the vastness of the tale but then the mentioning of a collapsing space traveling civilization adds a hook to the earlier description. This frail young woman is going to have quite the adventurous task from the sounds of it. How would a woman or man today react to such a storyline? Does it make any difference when emphasising civilization over empire?

Overall the storyline has changed from an appeal to the intellect to one of the emotions. It is perhaps not as impactful to me but I think it may touch others in a more dramatic way. All things in consideration I think the new and improved storyline is dramatically superior.

Blood Virgin Storyline

2011-02-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

Brilliance and Broken Sky: Blood Universe: Book I: Blood Virgin: By Livingsword

Storyline

Blood Virgin is a science fantasy novel about personal discovery of transcendence, freedom and destiny during the collapse of a hyper advanced utopian pan-galactic empire.

Extrapolated

“Our utopian society commits suicide by sensuality…as do I.” – Tangia Perns

As the Empire of Humanity prepares to explore the final pockets of unexplored space in the universe seeking still undiscovered alien sentient life a slave rebellion and pan-galactic civil war threaten the very existence of civilization and humanity. Unfathomable technology juxtaposes sublime art and culture while revealing the inner nature of the human race…

Imperial intrigues clash with the mysterious Blood Cult, the enigmatic Order of the Blossom and the powerful official Clone Religion as destiny enshrined prophesy conflicts with the esoteric unknown while a shocking and dangerous reliquary find destabilizes the Imperial power structure with unforeseen consequences. Within this sweeping panorama Eliza discovers unthinkable horrors and transcendent glory as she reveals everything is not quite what it seems…particularly Eliza herself….

What is Science Fantasy?

2011-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Speculative fiction is typically divided into two categories, science fiction and fantasy. Science fiction is typified by Star Trek or Dune while fantasy is well represented by Lord of the Rings. Yet within both there is a large variance in subcategories and also a blurring of these lines. I particularly enjoy the blurry lines and the tension that creativity can grow from expansive thought, that stretching tension.

Star Wars is science fiction yet before the Force was explained under scientific terms as involving midi-chlorians it was seen by many as mystical or fantasy…could it be both science and fantasy? While Star Trek often works at length to be supported by science, for example warp drives for propulsion. Star Wars typically just shows the space ships traveling faster than light (FTL) and does not try to explain the science behind such abilities.

Frequently there are two common quotes used to help define the two bookends of the speculative fiction super category.

Rod Serling is quoted as saying "science fiction makes the implausible possible, while science fantasy makes the impossible plausible."

Arthur C. Clark is quoted as saying "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Science fantasy you could say is a blending of the scientifically probable and the fantasy possible but not probable. Science fiction it seems demands an innate need to be scientifically valid even if merely theoretical. While fantasy is typified by magic and/or miracles, no scientific reasoning is required.

Both science fiction and fantasy require what is typically called a suspension of belief. At this point we cannot travel FTL and there is no Ring of Power requiring termination in lava. The novelist provides plausible information that the reader decides is credible enough to take them for the speculative ride (by starship, dragon, Death Star, magic carpet or what have you).

To my way of thinking the key is in the word “speculative”. We know the science or the magic are probably not real, but the author provide us with a “what if?” If the “what if?” is attractive enough we allow our suspension of belief.

One of the things I enjoy about science fiction and fantasy is this “what if?” asking of the question of the reader. Some people prefer to not have their imagination exercised but I find this improves the fitness of my creativity and the challenge to my logic processing improves my thought streams helping me better understand the “Why?” parts of my life.

Which do you prefer alien or elf? What if perhaps they are an alien-elf…then again is that a Vulcan?

Thanks to George Grie for the usage of the above image “Mermaid-syndrom”

Utopian Society and Suicide Sensuality

2011-02-05T00:01:00.001-08:00

“Our utopian society commits suicide by sensuality…as do I.”

- – Tangia Perns (Probe Specialist Class 10, Imperial Fleet)

Brilliance and Broken Sky: Blood Universe: Book I: Blood Virgin: By Livingsword

Why Write a Novel?

2011-02-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Many people dream of writing a novel, not as many people follow through with that dream, and fewer actually get published. This blog is about my learning experience in writing a novel, more precisely an entire series of novels.

Currently I am part way through my first draft of my first novel, with a word count of 73, 820 (212 Word pages) and 49 chapters (I am guessing another 4 chapters to end the book and the insertion of 1-2 other chapters earlier in the book). Several dozen other production pages catalogue characters, timelines, charts, plot summaries, world-building etc.

After all of that then I will work my way through the second draft, editing and creating (continuing through ensuing drafts till I feel the work is polished). I am not a professional novelist; this blog is the story of accomplishing that dream, being a published author…This may mean publishing on Amazon.com for Kindle, do you know you can self-publish there?

I realize that many other people have this or similar dreams so I hope this blog will be an encouragement. I will share my foibles and failures, my victories and celebrations, and my questions and answers about this creative process…Exposing my steps of tangled words and cleverly tangoed dialogues. I will ask for advice and critiques…

One of my prime interests is inspiration and the creative process. Still I am trying to keep my feet firmly rooted in the dirt as a publisher wants to make money (for that matter I have no aversion to money but have no self-delusions about getting rich writing novels, I will not be quitting my day job which also feels like a dream job to me). Dollars are not my driving force, I love to read and I love to write, I admire a story well told. For years I have blogged, honing my skills and also writing silently for myself practicing for this eventuality.

My novels will be of the science fantasy variety and I will explore that genera and others as part of my experience here. What exactly is science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance or thrillers? What makes a compelling character or plot? I am interested in the mind but also the emotion and variances in humanity and other species. What gains purchase with a male reader as opposed to a female reader? How do you pick your target audience (who exactly are you writing for?)

How exactly should you structure dialogue, romantic tension or a sex scene? When creating a universe how much work should go into which particular details? What are the similarities between historical fiction and science fiction? How do you get in the mind of your point of view character? I am growing in all of these areas…yet there are blogs by successful authors and thus far that I am not, what I do offer here is the voyage of growth and crash of the train wrecks of words…there may be moments of beauty but also some scary scenes…

My goal is to be published or at least under contract a year from now. Apparently the average novel sells 500 copies…I am hoping to exceed that…perhaps my confidence is misplaced but I have read a lot of books that seem of lesser quality in style, substance and story than I believe my writing is…but then who am I to judge my writing…perhaps I should leave that to others…Please join me on this journey and also share yours here…

Why write a novel? I write because the words are there…and the story is asking to be told.

Thanks to Jake von Slatt for the usage of the above image.

Brilliance and Broken Sky

2011-01-31T12:01:00.000-08:00

Brilliance and Broken Sky is a science fantasy epic beginning with the Blood Universe...

Blood Virgin

Blood Empress

Blood Blossom

Brilliance and Broken Sky: Blood Universe: Book I: Blood Virgin: By Livingsword

“Our utopian society commits suicide by sensuality…as do I.” - Tangia Perns

As the Empire of Humanity prepares to explore the final pockets of unexplored space in the universe seeking still undiscovered alien sentient life a slave rebellion and pan-galactic civil war threaten the very existence of civilization and humanity. Unfathomable technology juxtaposes sublime art and culture with fantastical experiences while revealing the inner nature of the human race…