Humanity, Hope, and how I approach a dark world

Credit to @jacobboavista

So, I love a dark story. I love when something is emotional and gritty and thought-provoking, but with that love comes an almost inevitable… sadness. I start to think about the implications of that dark world, about what it says about its inhabitants and what it does by proxy. The worlds I love most (i.e Silent Hill, Metro, Metal Gear, Fear & Hunger so on) are extremely dark at times, and it makes me hesitant to make my own if only for the fact that I’m typically in a darker place when I write as-is.

But, I’d like to think (and it’s worth noting this thought reflects in a lot of the media I gravitate toward) that the darkness of a world isn’t its be-all-end-all. I find it really easily to be a nihilist, stuck in the dark depths of whatever awful things are happening (be they in a book, or the real world — and it’s worth noting, they are important to discuss!) but I feel we, as people, owe it to ourselves, each other, and our greater world, to carve that abyss out bit by bit, slowly strip it layer by layer, until the hope and love and light are visible again. Humanity can be remarkably cruel, and it’s easy for it to stick to that, it’s what I’d almost call the “easier” path for the collective to follow. And yet being helpful, being kind, fighting that cruelty even if you’re outnumbered or certain you’ll lose is what I love most. You can crush hope, smother out that light, but you can’t ever fully erase it. It might just take a while for people to see it again. Fighting hope, ironically enough, is pointless.

And so, my books, and the dark dreary world that humanity inhabits within it. Drahvon isn’t a world full of cruelty, but the humans within it have been (either by force or misdirection) steeping in that smog for far too long. Why are there no other races within humanity’s borders? They’ve driven them out. Why is humanity fighting itself and glassing whole provinces? They’re convinced that this is the only way to see the light again. It isn’t. It never is. War and death and cruelty help no one but the orchestrators, and to cut those strings the people have to first see that they’ve been entangled. The Great Karsk War isn’t the only conflict within the continent, nor will it be the last, but the goal of this series (at least, I hope) is to show that the darkness, no matter how thick, can be stripped away. Yes, sometimes it takes force to meet force, and yes, sometimes the ones you fight cannot be convinced that what they are doing is fueling that smothering blanket, but the only way to expose the light is to start somewhere.

Violence is intrinsically linked to humanity. I can’t help but wonder if that’s because humans have spent their entire livelihood warring, or if they’ve been convinced that they need to in order to be safe. The world will turn long after we are gone, but doesn’t that just give us an even bigger, stronger reason to care for it, for each other? If not us, then who?

The protagonists of my project all come at this from different angles, and not all of them are equal. My final question is: how would you?

Speaking of world-building…

Credit to @theoeilertsen

The rewrites I’ve been doing have been taking a lot longer than I originally thought they’d take. The problem is that, as I cut more out, I need more to surround that space. My first book is still going to be focused, narrowed, trimmed down, but I’ve gotten caught up in what the would around my three protagonists (and the world outside of the book itself) is supposed to be.

I like where it’s going. There are new factions, new races, new kingdoms and rules, and a sense of things slowly coming together. It’s hard to walk the line between adding too much and cutting it all out again, because my brain is a pain in the butt to work with, but I feel like this project is tip-toeing in the direction of the final laps. (Jeez, how many times am I going to say that before it’s actually published, I wonder?)

With all that in mind, the world itself (the running name is Drahvon) has been pieced together. Humanity, the focus of my first books, are more or less isolated from the rest of the world because of their own actions. Who would want to work with a species that is constantly at war with itself, right? Magic exists in this world too, but only in specific contexts or ways. Humans have none, but the Fae do. Humans can’t use it, but the Elves can. There’s going to be references, discussions of the world outside of humanity’s reach, but it’ll be a bit more subdued due to the state of the north half of their territories (I.e. Verdusk, Myrreko, the zone, etc).

At least, that’s the running concept as of now. Time will tell how much of it is cut and how much is kept, but I’m almost at the point where I can send my book to ARCs for feedback. Phew. Almost there.

Happy New Year!

Credit to @thoughtcatalog

It’s apparently January now! That’s kinda crazy. It hasn’t been snowing a lot here, so it feels more like a late fall or early spring. Now that the holiday rush has settled back down (it was wonderful to see my family) I can refocus on my manuscript. Here’s hoping I can get it done soon-ish!

I’ve been revisiting some of my backlogged video games over the last few weekends, and that’s been pretty fun (for the most part). I’ll eventually be resuming write-ups on the Silent Hill games and discussing Elden Ring: Nightreign too. ERN is way too fun. My partner and I can’t stop playing it. Oh, and the We Were Here games are always a joy to go through!

Apologies for now having a beefier post after such an absence y’all. I’m still trying to get some thing readjusted! That’s all for now, and keep cozy out in that scary, wild world!

Winter, Worldbuilding, and Wumbology

Credit to @arturtumasjan

Howdy y’all. It’s the holiday season! That means I’m busy and tired and completely scatter-brained. I’m getting closer to what I think is the finalized manuscript (pre-editing of course) and so I’ve taken chunks of the site offline to fix them! Fun! And, probably kind confusing for some.

With that in mind, I’ve made the decision to move my story and its events from the our world to its own. I’ve got a few working titles for the world itself, but this will allow me to branch out (for the story as well as whatever comes after) without worrying about the drawbacks of real-world stuff getting meshed together. I feel like I’m so close to getting those last few bits of lore and world-building ironed out, and it’s been such a long, crazy journey, but I’d do it all again (even if it means restarting a hundred times to get it just right).

With that in mind, it’s simple! It’s just wumbology. I wumbo, you wumbo? I’m making it bigger, but NOT in the way that doomed my last draft. I’m just making the sandbox bigger for future ideas. I’m not sure if I’ll be putting a blog post out next time, since I’ll be celebrating with the family, but if I do decide to skip it, it’ll only be for a week. Take care and have a wonderful holiday season everyone.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Credit to @jrnxf

So, winter is finally rolling in! I’ve been a little busy lately between a new job and being totally tired. The usual horror game marathon I go through (generally from September to November) has been stretched out so far that I’m at best like 2/3rds of the way through it. (Silent Hill Homecoming FUCKING SUCKS and I cannot stress how much of a misery it is to replay)

Writing is slowly getting back on track. I’m compiling the three chunks into a proper story now to run it by some friends and family. Fingers crossed it’s stronger than the old mess it used to be! Going to be spending the holiday season with my family, so I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully, if I can get the time for it, I’ll be able to ship this dang book off soon. When I’m done playing back through the SH games I’ll be writing about them on the Games section of my site too!

That’s all from me for now. Stay warm and stay safe out there!

It’s November? That’s crazy.

Credit ti @miracletwentyone

I can’t believe we’re getting close to the end of the year already. It’s been a pretty crazy one, huh? Things are rough out there. I hope whoever reads this is having the best day they can.

I’ve been kinda busy! Between finalizing moving stuff (bleh), being sick (do not recommend) and getting a new job (stress is fun, right?) I’ve hardly had time for my writing!!!

I’ve been chipping at it, though. Slowly but surely I’m carving away at Fiona’s story. I originally hoped to have everything done and sent off by, like, October/November (yeah, that ain’t happening lol), but it might end up being the beginning of the new year. Man, I hope my editor likes it. Stressful stuff, writing a book. But, I love it, and even if my books flop I’ll write. I love doing it too much to not keep trying.

I’ve never lived in Washington before now (though I’ve visited a few times). I’m looking forward to exploring it more now that I’m actually here. It’s really nice waking up to foggy mornings and rainy days. They always put me into a writing mood. That’s gonna be about it from me today, y’all! Gotta get back to writing while I can.

Oh boy, it’s been a minute…

Credit to @jonathantalbertphotography

Good morning world! I’ve been sick this last month (still dealing with it today, too) so I’ve been unable to write. The flu sucks! Don’t get it. I was sick on my birthday too, last weekend! Bleh!

So, with that in mind, I’ll slowly get back into the groove of writing. I’ve got too many ideas, too many projects, to just sit and be sick I dare say!

Admittedly, I don’t have a whole lot to write about today, and I’m sorry about that. The next post should be more substantial, and I should be back on my regular writing track as well.

Have a cozy November, y’all! Stay safe out there.

I genuinely love bats. I find them so cute. I was going to write about them a bit in my last blog post, but, y’know, sick.
Credit to @susannemartinus

It’s October!!

Credit to @pokrza

It’s time for spooky season! Time for candy corn and pumpkins and Over the Garden Wall! I love autumn so much. Any time it hits September makes me so happy, and October is just more of that.

I don’t have a lot of story news today, but Marie’s chunk of MM is nearly done. I’m on her final chapter, ironing the parts out, and then I can move onto the proper look at the final character, Fiona.

October is also my birth month! (just a little before Halloween, so I get to dress up twice) I always look forward to this time of year.

Every year I play back through my pile of spooky games with my partner, and this year we’ve started with Fatal Frame, Silent Hill, and Alan Wake. I’ve never been one for horror movies (or gore in general, honestly, psychological horror has always been my go-to) so I’m not really prepping to watch any movies. Looking forward to OTGW though! That’s a yearly rewatch.

That’s about it for now, folks. Stay safe, have fun, and take the season in while it lasts!

The Dividing Line

Credit to @allysphotos

Hey folks, it feels like it’s been a while! (Even though it’s only been two weeks, jeez…)

I’ve landed at my new place and started to unpack the looming wall of stuff I own. It’s been chaotic and confusing but I’ll (eventually) be able to have a dedicated writing room here! I was kinda just shleppin’ it out at my living room desk or (more recently) on the floor.

I can now kind of resume my writing at a semi-stable pace, and the primary manuscript is roughly 60% done, give or take the minor details I’ll be tweaking. I’m hoping I can carve away at this a bit faster once I fully get settled in.

Speaking of book stuff! I’ve shifted some things in the rewrite, tweaked some settings and character interactions to make the story flow better. It honestly feels more cohesive this way, and I’m looking forward to sharing that with the world once it’s finalized.

I think that’s about it for now! I’ll be back with more reviews, blog updates, and an eventual story for you to read. Take care until then, world.

Moving, adjusting, trying to land…

Credit to @zvessels55

It’s September! Almost time to decorate. I’ve never been a fan of summer, or the heat in general for that matter, so I’m always excited for the other parts of the year.

Moving is coming along well, too. Most of the current place is packed and things are coming along (mostly) smoothly. Writing is slowing down as a result, I’ve made a lot less progress than I figured I would, but it’s still coming along. Marie’s section is close to being done, and once I’m done with hers and Fiona’s parts I can move onto that final revision.

And after that? I can send it off to the ARCs and send it to my editor. I’m looking forward to finally getting the kinks out of this, getting the issues ironed out. I don’t have too much else for this update. Take it easy and have a good one! See you in the next one.

The Concrete Room — Liminal Spaces and Tradable Places

Credit to @alan_angelats

I’m sitting on the floor as I write this. My living room (really, my whole apartment) is a massive mess. I’m in the middle of a move, going to a new place, and so everything is packed up, pushed around, and boxed.

I’m in the in-between, right now. The liminal space between the start and the end point. I’m in the hotel hallway, between the room and the elevator. I’m in the tunnel between the store and the house, you get the idea.

The concrete hallway is that liminal point within my stories, a long stretch of pure, perfectly-carved concrete with little bits of paint and plaster peeling off of it in sparse sections. It has no visible light, yet is illuminated just enough for one to see its various twists and turns.

This hallway is the through-point, the place where my characters move from their known world to the one that created it. If one travels down this winding path of dark industrial veins, taking all of its twists and turns, they’ll find themselves at a door. It’s worn down, sitting lopsided in the doorjamb. Beyond that door is a room. It varies in size, varies in layout, but has a single consistent piece:

A desk, covered in papers, messy, unclean, like both the best and worst parts of someone’s life have been experienced here.

I’m writing this from the floor, waiting for parts of my life to reach that next doorway. With each day I get a little closer, with each month, a little more concrete (get it? get it!!), and as we start the fall into autumn I feel like more parts of that hallway are taking shape.

That’s it for today, y’all. Have a good one!

Fall is almost here!

Credit to @juliegeiger

I can’t believe it’s august already! This year feels like its both going by really fast and crawling along at a snail’s pace.

Got some life stuff happening, so writing has slowed down quite a bit, but that won’t be indefinite. The draft is still coming along well too! I’m roughly 1/2 way through it right now.

Other than that, I’ve been doing more recommendations on the other parts of my website! Silent Hill 2 is the newest one, go read it!

There are a few good books I’m reading lately too. I’ll be writing about those soon! Super short post today, but I wanted to do one regardless.

That’s all, y’all!

Revisions and Redressings

Credit to @benwhitephotography

I’ve always been thorough with my work. That sounds good, right? Making sure that the corners aren’t being cut and that I’m checking everything off. My problem, though, is that I more or less get some serious tunnel vision.

I end up cutting corners, skipping steps, and making mistakes because I get so hyperfocused on the current part and it makes me miss otherwise obvious things.

My project is being done in three major waves. Wave one is finished, the rough basic draft. I formatted and outlined everything I wanted to do and slapped it on the page. But, like I said, it comes at an annoying cost, and so now I move onto wave two. This is where I rewrite the book, using the previous version as a basis and a more honed-in outline as a framework. It allows me to notice the things I’m missing (like a key character moment, a set up, or the details of a location that were otherwise skimmed over in the previous draft) and it puts some of those gaps into larger focus.

From here, when I finish (I’m about 40% done with the second draft overall, across the three characters) I’ll repeat the process and hopefully have something resembling a completed manuscript (or at least one close enough to it for my editor to not have a headache).

I’ve always liked the number three, not sure why. It just feels fitting with this series as a whole. Three characters, three focal points, three experiences, three drafts, and so on.

That’s all for now. If you need me, I’ll be in the writer’s room!

Fiona, the Manor, and Wellbay

Credit to @forhiskingdom

Today’s blog post is focused on Fiona, our third protagonist, and her surroundings!

Fiona’s been inquisitive from birth; a curious girl, she often buried herself in books in her family’s library. She’s quick to react, quicker to show attitude, and stubborn to a fault.

Naturally, the curious girl must be trapped in her family’s manor. Fiona has nowhere to go, no-one to talk to (aside from the groundskeepers and her caretaker, Anton), and doesn’t like the reasons she’s given when pressing for answers.

Wellbay, the town closest to Fiona’s home, is a small, quiet fishing town in the UK. Not many people come, not many leave either, and a new face — even one as subdued as Fiona’s — tends to stand out. There are rumors of a wealthy family up in the hills, of armed guards and a big secret kept out of the public eye. Fiona, of course, doesn’t feel drawn to these rumors. She’s far more focused on the town’s library and its endless lines of books. She knows her family, knows they have nothing to be secret about, and thinks it all silly.

So, what happens to the cat when curiosity clashes with contempt?

That’s all for this one, folks! Catch you in a few weeks.

Marie, Savo, and the “Salvage economy”

Credit to @zibik

Hey y’all. Another lorepost today! This time it’s about the area surrounding Verdusk and how it operates in the modern day.

Marie’s story is focused on the fallout (both literal and figurative) of the Great War; how it affects the people, the land, and the overall systems that surround them.

Marie works with her friends as a scavenger (or scavver), someone who scours the surrounding areas for hardware, weapons, or goods and trades them (either for rations or currency). I’ve discussed the Cataclysm a bit more in a previous post, so if you’re confused by what I’m referring to when I say it, go back to that one first: Karsokm, Veinbrides, and the steppelands. I’ll be doing another in-depth post on the Cataclysm at some point soon too.

Back to Marie and Savo. Savo is the nation she lives in, a remnant of the land Verdusk once sat on (and split between two other nations: Kyovkret to the west and Vostek sitting in between). In Savo, the salvage economy has gone into full swing. People from all over the country fight to trade and trade to fight. Factories, bunkers, even abandoned cities all have riches to be grabbed. All of these things, big or small, are traded to one of two groups: Stalkers (Exclusion Zone scavengers who trade to survive) and the Vostek-based Rizen government itself, who reward people with rations, money, and other things.

Those who trade with the Stalkers are more likely to find rare or restricted items, while those who trade with the Rizen are often met with rations and strict quote thresholds.

Regardless of who you trade with you need to be careful, as there are plenty of people looking to take advantage of the mix of Verdusk and UDF survivors.

To wrap this all up, Marie’s story focuses quite heavily on both the scavenging aspects and the implications of Rizen occupations. In a town where markets are shuddering and the provisional government keeps its gates locked, what is one to do?

That’s all for today folks! My draft has been wrapped up. On to the rewrites!

Rough draft, rougher choices, Spiraling ever in

Credit to @johnnyboylee

I’m both surprised and proud of myself. I’ve finished the main rough draft. My manuscript is making progress; I’ve nailed the basic idea down! My three parts (Cheryl, Marie, and Fiona) are being built, formed from ash and blood and all the other dramatic stuff.

So, what’s next? Is that it? Can I slap it on amazon now?

I wish, but I’d be making a huge mistake, and I think Susan would want to slap me (editorially, of course).

No. Now we strip it down again. Now, I pull back the fluff and skin and the things that are obscuring the message and I rebuild it again. This time I’ll focus on getting those points solidified and iron out both the grammatical formatting and the actual spacing of the work. It’s hard to not get lost, to just run rampant and let the story control me. It’s a nasty temptation, one I’ve talked about on a previous post (I’ll be letting that desire run wild in a different story, one that I can only do once every other focal idea I have is finished; look forward to that in like three decades). Back to the point: the manuscript needs to be refined, adjusted, ironed out. I need this to be as good as my skills and wills will allow; no matter the cost.

As for the rest of this? Let it spiral ever-downward. Let it drown and be consumed in the process. The story must continue, no matter the cost to its characters; and make no mistake, I’m as much of a character in this work as any of the ones I’ve drafted are. I can’t escape my work, and it can’t leave me. I’m too quick to anger, too impatient, too far into the crushing inky darkness of the spiral to know anything else.

That’s it for now! (Hey, P.S., I did another book recommendation on the site too, check it!)

Karsokm, Veinbrides, and the steppelands

Credit to @wietsej

Everything in this series revolves around the steppelands north of Verdusk, it’s both the beginning and the end, the Spiral’s core and it’s ever-stretching tendrils. Strap in, folks. This is a long one! It’s more lore-building than announcement for those who want to check in (or out).

Verdusk’s claim to Karsk is one the people of the steppe (obviously) never consented to, and that animosity between the two sides is what more or less spurs everything else in this world on.

Before Siwa and the Spiral, before Myrreko and the Rizen, there was Karsokm and the people of the steppe; this place was revered, treated as holy and sacred, and its inhabitants followed a belief revolving around a sacred Goddess and Her three “parts”. Karsk itself sat on a convergence point in the northeastern-European peninsula. The gathering point, built over a perfectly-carved and impossibly-deep hole, was split between the steppelands, the mountain range, and the sea. Here the offerings started, the sacrifices of flesh and dreams and so much more. The people of Karsk willingly gave themselves to this pit, seeing it as a way to return to their Goddess. Over time, the practices became refined; a culture formed around the settlement and that culture became a town.

The people of the steppe traced all living things back to motherhood, to birth and life and death of a creature. Mother Predzkya, their sacred Goddess, was the embodiment of all of this: the Goddess of Blood. This didn’t just end with people, though. The plants, the animals, the very earth itself was seen as one giant, intertwined, living entity. Taking care of oneself meant taking care of one’s family which meant taking care of one’s community, and one’s surroundings, and so on. Community love was encouraged, self-sacrifice (both on the small and large scale) was without hesitation, and the delicate balance between life and death melted away. The sick would give themselves to the pit, the healthy would give themselves to the land, the pit would give the town absolution, the land would give the people nourishment.

Seperate from Karsk, but still intertwined, were the steppe’s original inhabitants, the ones who never grew to be townsfolk. These people, known as Veinbrides or Veinkin, were seen as extensions of Predzkya’s will. They functioned as witches, as midwives, as caretakers and as defenders of the steppelands. They danced to the wind’s grace and twirled to the words of the flowers. The Veinbrides, above all others on the steppe, were intimately familiar with Predzkya and the Karsktown pit. They knew the earth’s most wild languages, communed with things no others could comprehend, and advised the people of Karsk during hard times.

The country that would eventually be known as Verdusk saw all of this as a golden opportunity, a land brimming with value and exploitable treasures. They sought the steppe long before the Great Karsk War, marching across it once a generation to proclaim it as theirs, and the Maravina family line was hellbent on claiming Karsk. The Spiral religion that Verdusk birthed, itself a stolen and malformed husk of the Veinbride’s beliefs, was used as an excuse to stake an unflinching claim on the land. Despite repeated protests from other groups both Spiralist and otherwise, Verdusk marched on. Over the centuries, their soldiers’ weapons grew restless and their leader’s ambitions bubbled over. Asking for the town hadn’t worked, despite countless attempts to placate its residents. What is a king to do when his entire bloodline has been told ‘no’ over and over? The land is his, after all. The Spiral faith wouldn’t exist without the Maravina line creating it themselves. The people of the steppe should be grateful, thankful even, that they are allowed to live in such a holy place.

The last living ruler of the Maravina family line, Edward, never once set foot in the steppe. He never watched the bomb tests, never saw the bloody war between the UDF and Verdusk’s forces at Vercht, and never bothered to ask why his troops were wiped out at Karsk only an hour before the bombs fell. His grandfather, however, saw the town. Tyyne Maravina was an ambitious man, one who knew the world was his for the taking, and when he made his final few trips to Karsk he wanted to ensure they would be worth the while. He met a young woman, a Veinbride who saw him for who he really was. He made sure the plague that hit Karsokm would wipe it out. He ensured that anyone who tried to flee the steppe was killed. Tyyne was a patient man, and one who didn’t make mistakes. He knew he wouldn’t live to see Karsk as the Spiral’s Goddess intended — a place where the Spiral faith could domineer over the world.

Yet, despite all of this, that stubborn, stupid Veinbride stuck with him. Myrrenna was her name. A striking woman, one he’d almost felt bad about dooming. She’d have made a hell of a queen, he thought. His wife had been replaced within his mind, and so when he returned to the greater world, he spoke of Marianne: a Saint, an angel, a being embodying Predzkya’s very essence.

He spoke of Marianne to his family too, spoke of her aura, her presence, her perfection. He became obsessed, refused to let his phantom go. Tyyne died alone, praying to Predzkya for a sign of the woman he’d clung to, and She said nothing.

Regardless, the Cataclysm came. Regardless, it wiped Verdusk clean. Regardless, in some twisted way, Tyyne’s prayers were answered.

Cheryl and the Church

Credit to @hellothisisbenjamin

So, this week’s blog post is going to focus on some story elements related to the books: Cheryl Downry and the Rizen church.

As far back as my original drafts (roughly around 2013, jeez), Cheryl was an integral character; she’s been the main character throughout most of my iterations. To add to that, while she’s changed somewhat over the course of the countless rewrites, her overall attitude and home setting have remained mostly the same.

Cheryl’s always been frustrated, angsty, and troubled. Every version of her character has followed that pathing to some degree, though I only crystalized that idea properly in this current draft.

Cheryl has been paralleled by one other constant: the Rizen church. This group, which varied in size depending on the draft and attempt (from a tiny cult to a world-dominating empire), has been the other half of the coin Cheryl sits on. No matter the version, no matter the attempt, the cult would pursue Cheryl for one reason or another. Some iterations had them hunting her for targeted, specific reasons while others had her getting caught in their crosshairs by sheer bad luck.

The first versions of this book, the ones I pulled most from during my current rewrite, involved Cheryl playing both the hunter and the hunted, stuck in a Rizen-faith town while on the run from a crime she hadn’t comitted (killing her sister/family, something the Rizen had actually done). Along the way, as she explored the town, she’d come into contact with various people (Johnathan, a woman named Anna who was scrapped in rewrites, a young girl named Anne who was meant to be Cheryl’s child self taking form, Cheryl’s shadow doppelganger who would persist throughout many, many rewrites, and a few others).

This draft would progress into a time-shattering horror story where Cheryl meets a young woman named Lynn (about as on the nose as I could get it to be), and the two would hunt the Rizen down, hopping in and out of the Nightmare as they did so and trying to stop the Rizen from bringing a horrible God to life.

Now, to bring this all to the forefront: I crystalized the core parts of Cheryl, the things I kept carrying over between rewrites, and finalized it into who she is in this book. Cheryl is angry, bitter, depressed, full of stress and anger issues and struggling to enjoy time with her family. She keeps having nightmares about this "Great War”, keeps exploring a desolate mirror world, and keeps feeling like she’s missing something.

Cheryl in the current draft is a person weighed down by self-hate and self-loathing, someone who lashes out at those closest to her and can’t control her temper.

The Rizen faith has changed across drafts too, though mainly in size and scope. In its current form it comes after a decimating world war, rising from the splintered aftermath of the Sprialist religion (itself a malformed and twisted form of the Karsk steppe-people’s beliefs). The Rizen are a powerful, iron-fisted force, using their connections to hunt for those their Goddess told them to find.

That’s about it for this one! Thanks for tuning in. Next post will probably be about Marie and how she’s changed over the course of the drafts.

On Chapters, Segues, and Hooks

Credit goes to Carly Kewley @ckdesign

Something I struggled with (and only realized with help from my editor) and have been focusing on is the chapter-by-chapter segments. It’s good if a story hooks you, but what’s equally important is that the story’s individual chapters sink their teeth in too.

Ever read a book and not feel compelled to flip to the next chapter? Me too! In fact, I’ve written a few of those myself (ouch). The big focus of today’s update is on how integral these things are, and how hard it can be to write that thing.

I’ve been working on this rewrite for months now, struggling to make sure I craft a working, breathing world while ensuring it’s able to hook people. It’s hard. I’ve always struggled to learn things, regardless of how passionately invested I am. I’m hoping by breaking my focus into chunks I can better force my brain to understand these things.

And so, segue! (Does that count or is the joke lame? Both? Both.) I’m still on the rough draft, of course, but I hope to be done with it (relatively — weeks or a month?) soon. Fiona’s story is paced a little differently from Cheryl or Marie, in that her overall story takes place over a longer period of time (years compared to the overall days/week that the main timeline is set in). With each flashback chapter comes a lead-up, a reason to care (I hope!). As her story progresses, and the discoveries she makes grow more grave and concerning, she’ll find herself back in the modern day (post the initial argument on page one) and her story will resume in tandem with the other two. A way to mix things up, to keep it all fresh.

The hook of it all is what I’m placing at each chapter’s end: that little line or paragraph that I hope will make the reader not want to stop reading. Again, time will tell how well it comes out. I’m hoping to refine this as I progress as an author, and I know it won’t be perfect from the get-go, but that doesn’t mean I can’t (and won’t) give this my all.

Let’s see, main points covered! I’m putting a write-up out for S. A. Barnes’ Ghost Station soon, working on that Pathologic 2 review, as well as an eventual review for Alan Wake 2 and Silent Hill 2 (2024). Beyond that? The draft calls!

Two of the Three having run away

Credit to Derek Story

April is here, I’m slightly behind on the blog, and my rough draft is 2/3’s done!

Marie’s story is finished for now, her plan of escaping Lissi coming at more than just monetary costs. With that done, I move onto the sprawling confines of Fiona’s manor and the threats that the town of Wellbay holds.

I’ve also been engrossed in a book (The Screaming Staircase by Johnathan Stroud, a write-up on that is coming soon! Great book) during my free time. I struggle a lot with keeping myself focused on specific tasks, to a point where I ping-pong between interests and hobbies and tasks with alarming recoil. It’s infuriating, but when I get into that focused zone I’m there for good. Marie’s draft, once I was able to sit down for extended periods, was finished in record time. I’ll still need to tweak things, adjust scene pacing, make sure my characters feel like they’re deep and layered people, but I’m really loving how these two (soon to be three) different stories are weaving together.

I’ve got a few game write-ups as well, one for Cry of Fear and one for Alan Wake.

This update’s a little shorter than some for sure, but that’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see y’all in a few weeks.