I got down a massive amount of words today. It all centered around a large sea battle and the aftermath of that battle.
The fight was exciting, and it was a joy to unleash Serang and have some fun with her. I’m excited for you guys to meet her, and have a cool Lisa Burton poster planned out for her character.
This fight also revealed those fu dogs I was muddling over a week ago. Damn, they’re scary.
The fight took a heavy toll on the crew, and that’s where it’s feeling a bit like a slog. There are issues I have to deal with now. People don’t take a hit, then tap dance off to the next exciting part. They have to deal with losses both mentally and physically.
This story has a big cast, and I can bounce from character to character to keep it from being a big dose of sadness all at once.
There are some things to do between here and the next land stop that will ramp up the tension, but not in a giant jellyfish kind of way.
It won’t take long, a couple of scenes, maybe a chapter, but I was hoping to get through that part today.
I think I’ll throw in some wildlife just to remind everyone this is a fantasy environment. They are going to harvest fresh water from an iceberg, and I’ll probably have some arctic rays swimming ahead of the ship. Make them white like ice or something. This ice will also be important to the severely wounded fellow that’s dragging things down now. (Ice is a painkiller, and useful for fevers.)
I really wanted to get to the next land part of the story, but that won’t happen until tomorrow.
I did a bit of research to get ahead of the next section. It was about coins; this kind of coins.
At one time these were called cash. Not like we use the term, but these are three cash. Kind of like three dollars, marks, or francs. (Yeah, I know about the Euro.)
I thought it was interesting, and I have some fun ideas about these coins involving the root monsters. They do a lot of thieving after dark in cities, and it keeps up the ships coffers. They call money “clink clink.”
It will look something like this: “Clink clink gone bogus. Shoot hole. Shiny all gone.”
I also did some western bastardization of eastern words in the story. They are heading for a city called Cheng Shi Hua. The pirates insist upon calling it Chingy Ha. This pisses Serang off, and she’s not someone you want to piss off.
Now that we’ve seen her in action, I’m looking forward to giving everyone a brief glimpse into her tragic backstory. I should probably never use that word, but that’s what it is. I won’t go back and tell her tale, just allude to bits of it so readers can interpolate the rest.
It’s about time for baseball and beer around here. I may add some more after the game. I haven’t committed a WWI for a while, and it might be interesting. (Writing while intoxicated.)
I’m so intrigued by Serang’s character. Glad you had a big day, Craig. Now, enjoy your beer. I’m thinking about wine as I’m about to log off…
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Thanks. She’s proving to be pretty fun.
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It really is hard to come down after an action scene and not feel like you’re dragging along. I try to balance it with humor, but I’m strange. You mentioned martial arts in a comment on another post, so is it Serang who you were talking about? I like the idea of a female martial artist. You don’t see them nearly enough.
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Yes, female martial artist with a very sharp glaive. I always include bits of humor, and that’s where the root monsters usually come in.
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Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide.
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Thanks, Traci.
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You’re welcome, Craig!
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It sounds like you really know these characters and their plot lines well. Serang is going to be very interesting to meet. You’re making great progress on this one!
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And I’m having a good time doing it too. Not going to pressure myself this time. It will get finished when it happens. Might be July, might be January. I’m trying to drop more tidbits along the way to build interest. Probably should have included an early part where pirates were letting the doctor pull their teeth in exchange for bottles of rum.
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Ouch!
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Lots of words in one day always feels good. Congrats! The pirates must be inspiring you. Hope the words flow again tomorrow.
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Me too. After they get to land, I have a bunch of stuff planned out. Fingers crossed.
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The story seems to be coming together nicely. I’m looking forward to being able to buy and read it. I’m especially very excited to get to read about all those creatures you’re creating. Some of them sound really weird and interesting.
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Glad it’s caught your interest. I’ve adopted a no pressure attitude with this one. I’m prolonging the fun, so it might not get out this year. There are some strange creatures in this one.
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I’m a firm believer in stories being ready when they are, so no worries. Besides, it gives me time to catch up on reading some of your other stuff. 😉
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That’s cool. You’ll have to let me know what you think.
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Will do.
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Sounds like your most complicated one to date, but great to hear you’re having so much fun with it!
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I wouldn’t say the plot is complicated, but there is a lot going on here. Appreciate you sharing it with your fans.
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You just keep on hooking me more and more with these descriptions and discussions, Craig. I can’t wait to meet Sarang. You’re brought your characters alive so well already. Well done on the big word count. Have a great weekend 😊
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I’m sharing more than I ever have before about a story. It seems to garner more comments, and people seem interested. I’m still typing away this morning.
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WWI requires more editing but may be fun. Best to you for the weekend, Craig.
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Didn’t happen, I watched the whole ballgame then went to bed. More coming today though.
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Good for you.
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Keep writing while intoxicated. That was interesting.
I wish we worked in coin. Yes I know it is not practical, but I like coin.
I have some old Deutsch Mark coin. Got them while I was in Germany, when they were going Euro. I felt they might some day be of some value.
What exactly are the coins / tokens in the photo?
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Lots more words today too. Those are Chinese, and are the ones that were briefly called cash.
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Can’t wait to find out more about Serang. I am sure the poster will be awesome! WWI – I’ve never had much luck at that. 🙂
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Me either. I watched baseball until bedtime and called it good.
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Clink clink is a big winner for me. Sounds like something Moo or Jar Jar would say 😛
Congratulations on your writing progress!
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Cool. These guys are kind of a combo from an old video game and the Pigmy’s from Return of the Mummy, maybe with a sprinkle of Minions on top. I hope people enjoy them.
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