From Plan to Paper: Feb 27

In these posts I would like to give you an idea of how my writing transforms from the micro-plan stage to the post-Write or Die stage. Click on the images below to see what the plan looks like. It begins halfway down the first page.

After the second image, I'll show you what came out in my Splurge.




All was silent as Eoin left the room, floorboards squeaking beneath his feet. The door was even louder as he closed it behind him. Faine stood on the landing outside, staring into the trees. His eyes were slightly narrowed.

Eoin joined him by the balustrade. “Why did you leave? We were just getting started.”

“That man. The one who was late. When he turned to me... I have no doubts at all that he is my father. The man who left us. Who killed my mother. That is him.”

They both stood silently. The villagers continued about their daily lives. Stopping in the street to chat, or carrying buckets of water from the river. Maintaining their houses, or reading a book. At moments like these, time seemed to stop. But life always continued. It didn't mean anything to anyone else.

Eoin spoke softly. “He... he killed your mother?”

“Yes. Well, no. I... I think it was me who killed her, really.”

“What?”

“I was a stupid child, ten years old. I had heard stories of a place where the Aura of Endures resided.”

“You have Endures Aura.”

“Yes. I sought it out. I was an adventurous child. I ventured deep into the forest to find the hollow tree stump where, if you looked inside, you would find that it led to a small pit beneath the ground. Here is where the Aura would be found. I jumped inside and discovered engravings of warriors all over the walls. After that all I remember is waking up and feeling different. Like there was something new inside me.” Faine laughed. “I was certain my father would be so proud of me. Then I got home, and I realised I was wrong. As soon as I told him what I had achieved, he hit me across the face and stormed out of the house, saying he wasn't going to wait around for me so slit his throat.”

Eoin shivered.

“Mother cried for three days after that, and then she became bed-ridden. It must have been two weeks before she died of love-sickness. You see, it was my fault she died. I should never have searched for this cursed thing.” Faine stared at the backs of his hands.

“No, it was your father who was in the wrong. He chose to leave, and he had no good reason to.”

Faine placed his hands back on the balustrade and sniffed. “Thank you, brother.” He raised his head and whistled the soft, sad melody that was the connection between his and Eoin’s fathers.

“May I speak to your father?” said Eoin.

“And why would you want to do that?”

“If he knew my father well, then I think I should inform him of my father’s passing.”

Faine smiled solemnly. “It is none of my business. Do what you will.”

A Look Back [Grade Two]: A Magical World (Part III)

It's been so long since I posted something I'd written when I was eight. Well, I want to finish Sam's story, and then maybe I'll lead you through Peter's crossover story. And maybe after that, I'll consider finishing Ashley's story. Either I'll update the style, or I'll attempt to satirise my 10-years-ago self. Either way, it should be interesting, and it will be nice having the decaying tangible copy in digital format, so at least the words will stay with me.

[Note: If you haven't read the earlier entries in A Magical World, you can do so by clicking the tag at the end of this post.]

[Paragraphing added for your reading pleasure.]
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A Magical World: Sam's Life!

Part III: The Dragon

Peter, Ashley and I were walking down the passage when Sam tho I saw a fireplace and stopped stoped stopped. Peter and Ashley stopped stoped as well.

"What's the matter?" Phill Peter asked.

"You know that moving wall, there's one in that fireplace."

"How do you know that?"

"I'll check it." So I did, I took a button and pushed it into the fire place wall. It was pushed about a meter back. "I think we should leave this until after practice and REPELLING-SMALL-BIG Class. So they we practiced and practiced until the bell went. The We entered REPELLING class. A teacher named Ms Mcoy was sitting behing an very old looking desk.

She said, "I was expecting you three later, but come in anyway." "we'll start withe REPELLING small to BIG, hold up five fingers to the plant you will find on your desks, then add another five fingers and your plant will grow. If you would like to shrink it back to medium size hold up eight fingers. To shrink from medium hold up eight fingers and fist Four. To shrink from BIG hold up Ten fingers and fist five, for that it will be normal size again. NOW THAT YOU HAVE LEARNT TO REPELL - CLASS DISMISSED!

RING! RING! RING!

They We walked around the Castle for about an hour when Sam I stopped stoped stopped, remembering the fireplace. He I ran down the corridor, round and round a blocks and through a door when he I found out, Phill Peter and Ashley behind him me, until he I found the fire place. I saw the pushed block and walked passed it. They we walked down a long corridor, although we heared big footsteps on the other side of the wall.

We walked, scared, hearing scattering, stomping, screaming, ROARING noises. Just then, a red, clawed hand punched a brick out of place. Then a whole body in form of a dragon knocked a Million bricks out of place wich toppled onto the stone floor and broke into Thousands and Thousands if pieces. Ashley screamed and bolted down the corridor. Phill Peter ran after her yelling his head off, which left me with the dragon.

It blew Five fire balls at me. I dodged Three and ducked from Two. I bredt breathed Three fire balls at it, to the dragon's suprise, it froze, wide opened mouth. Then, to my suprise, they went down the dragon's throat. They seemed to hit where the dragon's soal was meant to be. I guessed it died on the spot. I ran back down the corridor and out the fireplace screen, right passed Phill Peter and Ashley, out the enterance portrait, out the fake enterance, into the grounds and home out in no time as fast as I could and never came back.

{ALTHOUGH ONE DAY HE DOSE DOES}.

IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE READING

Another Challenge with a 100% Chance of Failure: 300 Words a Day


That's right. I know this challenge will fail even before I start it. But it's just not fun to challenge myself to writing "most days". So I hereby challenge myself, and some of you must be sick of reading the words "challenge" and "challenge failed", I hereby challenge myself to write 300 words a day. That is, 30 minutes of focused writing plus however long it takes me to edit it.

How hard can it possibly be to find 30 minutes a day?

Now, for this challenge I would like to take something I learned from Habitual January. Creating a habit and teaching consistency is NOT about making up for words when you miss a day. In the end, you write much more if you just jump back on the horse and write 300 words the next day. Don't let yourself think the words are accumulating and suddenly you have to write 1,000 words. No. Don't do it.

The most productive way is to NOT make up for missed words. Be consistent. You missed a day. Get over it. Tomorrow is a new day. Write those 300 words tomorrow.

How do I know I'll fail? It's not just that I usually fail, because I do, but it's because I have some very time-consuming activities in my life currently. My final school year takes precedence over all. Footloose is showing at the end of the month, and rehearsals are in full swing. LIFE CONQUERS ALL. But when I can, I will find that measley 30 minutes, and I will write those grand 300 words.

And then, one day, I will stop and have a break from writing for around half a month, as I have for the past two weeks. I will find my way again. I always will. And hopefully I can return myself to this challenge, because what's 30 minutes in a day of 960 (assuming I'm awake for 16 hours)?

This could be a key factor if I want to finish my first draft by the end of the year. And if it isn't finished by the end of the year, that's okay, because after this all-important final year of school, I have a single year to focus on writing and working before I go on to further education.

Before I know it, I'll have a book in my hands. Hopefully, it'll also be in other people's hands.

A fantasy for the new age.

Aundes Aura.

That Fifth Glyph: Submission 1

This is a group of posts that ommits utilisation of that most common glyph, fifth of particular glyphs that sound through a mouth ajar, as not with a mouth shut. Thus bringing about this surprising way of words.

Oh, that but a singular of this glyph doth mar my honour and up my infamy. Now I must to my cot, as nightly hours pass by. It is two hours past North and a moon is accompanying stars on high. I must go to a dark world until a shining ball of flaming gas shows upon my horizon. From now onwards in such posts as this I should not tap that fifth glyph that mocks our words so.

This post and such posts following was brought to actuality thanks to a group of posts on CC.

Link: That Fifth Glyph

Elena's Madlib: Entry #1 [Dear Agent]

Dear Arnold Schwarzenegger,

I'm writing to you because I've seen your website and I think you'd be the perfect solicitor for my book, and I really just think you're a pretty swell guy in general.

I understand that you're very busy filming, and I imagine you're finding publishers for other extremely talented authors like myself, and look, I don't want to make this a really long, single-sentence paragraph, even though I have quite a bit to say.

Sometimes, I feel like you would be more suited to agenting than acting. And I'm not trying to be a suck up or anything, but I really do think you're an amazing agent.

Thanks for listening and understanding.

From,

Ryan.

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Statistics Day: One

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All Time
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January 2011
712 (This beats my personal best of 485 in July 2010, and is thanks to Elena's vlog.)

Last month
2nd highest: 6th Jan - 41
Highest: 28th Jan - 151
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Post Views

My Life According to My Bookshelf: A Deviation
104 Pageviews

A Profound Sense of Melancholy
48 Pageviews

On Writing: Pacing a Novel
46 Pageviews

Will You Represent an Aussie?
40 Pageviews

Fantasy World Building: Mythology and Religious Beliefs
37 Pageviews

Fantasy World Building: Society and Societal Factions
36 Pageviews

Grammar: The "Apostrophe S"
35 Pageviews

A New View on the World of Publishing
22 Pageviews

Super-Goal: 500 Words a Day
21 Pageviews

2011: Starting Again
20 Pageviews
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"fantasy world-building"

"let us part"
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Welcome to The Dark Corner of the Mind. My name is Ryan Sullivan and my aim with this blog is to help others with their own writing, as well as to make note of some of my own writing endeavours.

Here at The Dark Corner, Real Life is both our best friend and our worst enemy. Look to him for inspiration, but don't let him get in the way too much.

If he does, bribe him with cookies.

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