A continuation of the post previously published & a major update on my novel. Taking a break isn’t giving up, is it?
(I’m complaining again, so turn back now. Or stay to chat; whatever works.)
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Consistency is a fickle thing, so I’m taking whatever badge of accomplishment I can get. Good golly, 25,000 is a big number. Expect a writer-to-writer encouragement at the end and another post in conjunction to this one.
Drafted: 3/20/2024
We’ve come this far.
Thank you to my over-half-a-decade laptop for not giving out on me, Google Docs for not crashing, and NaNo for stressing me with my deadlines by simply existing.
To the slumps and bouts with doubting everything, you can eat my dust while you rot.
There are days and weeks when you feel like a machine, chugging through 4,908 words in 15 days, which is the best run in my book, bestowing upon myself generous extra points since it was the holidays. Then comes the subsequent period when you forget all about your draft because . . . life. And school. And extracurriculars. And committee work.
Sometimes, you get discouraged, comparing yourself to people who’ve “made it”âwho finished their drafts in 60 days or less, who have been writing for years, and who can juggle three drafts and other responsibilities like a champ. Those who know what they’re doing lightyears better than you.
Who are lightyears better than you.
Oops, wait a second. Wrong post. Self-deprecation is scheduled for 30 minutes from now.
Ahem, sorry about that. There’s a but meant there. Let’s try that again.
Who are lightyears better than you, but, as my Pinterest board of writing quotes says . . .
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
Terry Pratchett
“You fail only if you stop writing.”
Rad Bradbury
“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
Margaret Atwood
You can be sure a heartbroken me pinned those to her board after an emotional drop from thinking her writing was flawless to rereading what she wrote. Why do I mention that a lot? I never learn my lesson.
But if you’re a writer, don’t you, too? Don’t you keep writing even when you don’t believe anything you say has value? Don’t you keep writing even when it seems impossible to get anywhere with it?
As far as I know, we all go through these mental obstacles (thanks, Pinterest!). If you feel alone or discouraged, maybe remember not every short story out there is Pulitzer-prize worthy. Not every piece will become critically acclaimed.
And whatever small step you take toward completing your goal is still one step closer to THE END. If anyone hasn’t told you yet, congratulations. You’ve reached whatever point you’re in on your writing journey without becoming bald from constant hair-pulling. (I hope.)
Ultimately, the world needs more writers. We’ve stuck with this masochistic road this long, so why stop now, right?
Future-but-pretty-much-present me here. This post is pretty outdated since I made this decision recently that, well. . . Eh, we’ll talk about that later. (Later as in, 30 minutes from now.)
If I was too vague, the “hitting 25k” part was for my Swan Lake word count. I wanted to celebrate 20k at first but somehow postponed this post long enough to reach 25k before releasing this. This is nearly a month later than its original draft on March 20 last month and then again with the new milestone on March 31, but who’s keeping track? Ha. Haha.
Now, excuse me, I must make more content for you all.
I’ve returned with Part 2! The ramblings are a little niche, and that’s because I’m barfing a monthâs worth of pent-up frustration onto this post. If you’re willing to hear a stubborn, creatively blocked writer complain for 6 minutes, welcome.
My January was packed, to begin with, but insert my brain taking twice as long to process what’s in front of me because I’m mentally stuck in my draft, and you have a lovely little disaster.
With the encouraging reception of Pt. 1 of my Swan Lake tirades, here’s the second part for you, fellas!
1/4/2024
I’m stressed. SL has so much potential and could be spectacular if I pull it off.
*distressed swan honks*
Nah, scrap that. Let’s opt for Plan B.
1/31/2024
I’m doing a ballet variation from Swan Lake, and in the class where I started learning it, my teacher told me my character was performing for the guests in the courtyard, and I had to acknowledge the Queen and prince at the start to pay my respects.
It was like a lightbulb dinged over my head.
The timing was immaculate; I’d come to the class stuck on a chapter for SL, but my dance gave me a creative shift in course, served to me on a silver platter. (Is God saying something?!)
Scene: Siegfried follows an inkling, which should lead to a primary plot point, but the suspense falls flat. He was practically ambling around with no strong enough motivation.
What if I switched up the location from the ballroom to the courtyard, where all guests of different ranks were gathered, plopping them smack-dab in the middle of dangerâupping the stakes and potential loss? It was perfect!
2/1/2024
I’ve reached a milestone: showing a whopping total of three people my messy first draft. Three!
Throwing the advice of “Never show anyone your first draft” to the wind, I’ve earned an “I LOVE IT” and an “I LIKE IT” from the same person, a “DUDE 18K MY DUDE” from another, and an enthused “SWAN LAKE, SWAN LAKE, SWAN LAKE” chant from the first to have heard the title A Swan Lake Retelling (aka “that writer friend”). And get thisâone of them read and reread it, which flatters me to no end, but she did so in an hour or less when I spent months slaving away to hit the 18k mark.
So, you know, whatever.
I’m actually not 100% sure why I shared it when I’m . . . *counts finger* not even 1/3 of the way finished if my estimate is correct, but I needed an ego boost. And when you have kind writer friends who’ll tell you what you want to hear, it’s the perfect equation!
2/3/2024
Oh, to be young and think that 321 words in 20 minutes wasn’t a good run. Now, I can hardly reach 200 in 15 minutes. Because you know what? I’m stubborn.
I’m fully aware that the more efficient, rewarding path is plotting or plantsing, but my brain refuses to cooperate and insists on winging it. Every. Single. Writing session.
I’ve been forwarded articles on how to deal with this by generous people who share my plight, but do I listen? No!
I shouldn’t worry, though. If anything, I should learn that trial and error and a “what’s the worst that could happen?” attitude can bite back. Procrastination, in the long run, is not worth it. I’ve got to get that through my thick skull.
One day.
My NaNo profile says SL’s reached 18,793 words, but the Google Doc file where I’m writing the novel says it’s at 19,141 words. We’re believing the Doc, and that’s not just for my ego. Okay? Okay.
The above list consisted of my NaNo stats in the first series of ramblings, but since I haven’t maintained a streak recently nor regularly updated my stats, I don’t have the same updates to offer. Oopsie.
But I do feel better about this. There was a time when I was bound to my stats and focused less on the writing part of writing. This is healthier, right?
2/6/2024
(sitch: having to incorporate a thingamajig in the story that you know nothing about)
I currently have five tabs openâa Quora, two Google searches, an image, and some other websiteâall dedicated to crossbow research. I’d have more if I could, but I’m afraid my 8-year-old laptop couldn’t handle it.
So, apparently, you position the weapon on your shoulder when aiming. Unlike the traditional bow and arrow, the crossbow’s string doesn’t need to be drawn back, which means the user doesn’t need to exert as much effort. In practical translation, my flimsy-armed peeps with a passion for bowhunting, this one’s for you!
(I’ve opened three more tabs here.) An arbalest/crossbow was made of wood and later substituted with metal, making it much more fearsome, and consisted of a bolt, sear, and trigger. In its original version, there was a stirrup that the crossbowman put his foot through to stabilize the weapon while he put the bow in.
Do you know what I’m talking about? I sure don’t.
ðđ Pew pew. ðđ Pew pew pew.ðđ
Ugh, why did I spend time playing with PinyPons and Barbies as a child when I could have been finding out about crossbowsâ
*smacks bloody fingers on random keys in frustration* aekakjdsafhkldhafkakjsdowuiqsjhsakhwoui
(Don’t try that at home. I summoned an app I’ve never opened when I did that.)
Why, yes, I used a lyric for an actual line of dialogue in my draft. Laziness? Well, I like to call it “reused creativity.” (Copyright? Never heard of him.)
Ha.
Yes, I have lost the will to show anyone else my first draft.
What have I become? Who is this person who listens to classical music by already deceased composers? And of her own volition?!
This is why I’ve been labeled a grandma in various friend groups.
But we don’t gatekeep, so here’s some Rimsky-Korsakov for you.
You’re welcome.
This was less relatable than Pt. 1 since it’s just me on the brink of good ol’ sanity. No uplifting ending. No encouraging message this time.
And if you’re wondering why I mentioned “bloody fingers” in the 10th ramblings, that’s because I’d punctured myself with a needle while sewing my pointe shoes before writing that. Five times, on different fingers. But the grind never stops! Huzzah! ðĪšâ
Someone restrain me.
What’s one major roadblock you’re facing with your story? Let’s hear it!
(Why is this post 1,116 words if I don’t have the strength to add 150 to my Doc? ð)
For those who don’t know, Swan Lakeâwhich I might call SL or A Swan Lake Retellingâis the romantasy novel I’ve been working on. It follows Siegfried and Odette as they navigate through an arranged marriage and a rocky past. But circumstance isn’t the only thing out of them; it seems a vengeful outcast wants more than just freedom . . .
Narrated by a rambling, elusive sorceror. A story of love, magic, and . . . well, swans & lakes.
Drafted and Forgotten: 12/22/2023
Yep, Swan Lake. That WIP I started earlier this year and didn’t take seriously at first. I am now working to complete it to say I wrote a novel once in my lifetime.
Boy, did all those articles I read do nothing to prepare me for the absolute joy and horror of writing the first draft. 11 chapters in, I’ve executed virtually zero out of a thousand things I aim to convey. The high of typing the words on the keyboard; the low of accidentally rereading your brain barf and finding a million and one plot holes. The bursts you get after imagining what its polished version would look like. The slumps where you can’t get more than 300 words on the page in one sittingâit’s different when you actually experience it.
In short, the journey’s been wild, you guys.
I’ve wanted to share glimpses of the bumpy ride for a while, but they didn’t come out enough for the regular length of a blog post each, and I didn’t think you’d like reading two sentences passed up as a post.
But I delivered! I scrounged up a few to reach a reasonable length, so I hope you enjoy it.
The frustration of knowing who your characters are to the T and dying to show your audience how lovable or horrible they are when you’re not yet at the scene where there’s the reader’s determining that “Oh, yeah, I definitely like/hate him/her” hits hard.
I created a NaNo account to track my progress and force myself to reach deadlines to form some semblance of achievement. The most recent deadline I’ve been working on is hitting the 30K mark by December 31, which was a foolish decision. It’s the Christmas season, and I can’tâcannotâlose my streak. I have relatives from abroad coming over, impromptu trips, school deadlines, and what was I thinking?!
But it wasn’t too terrible an idea because yesterday I came home at 11PM after going to a theme park where I realized my athleticism needs a lot of work (but I’ll deal with that later; right now, I need to shut myself in a room and just writeâ) and attending a family dinner get-together. I was dead tired but slogged away for 20 minutes and got 321 words onto the page, so yay. That’s 321 words closer to The End. *fist punches air weakly*
NaNo Stats as of December 24 (in the website’s words)
The NaNo site has got to be perky and overuse its exclamation points while it reminds me of how much the opposite of on-time I am with my novel, huh? Isn’t that fun?
My profile: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/brebs
I don’t recall when I realized Swan Lake would essentially be a romance fantasy story if I played my cards right, but I did some time ago. I was this close to abandoning it. ðĪ A tiny pinch. But I pep-talked myself out of it and discovered my aversion to romance was a front. Those romance novels I’ve been reading did something, after all.
Oh, but writing a romance is a whole different story. I don’t know how I feel about that.
Fantasy is tiring to write. Thank goodness I’m only learning the ropes because I’ll turn over in my grave before releasing this less than a decade after I finish the draft and improve myself as a writer. And the improvement must make you guys gasp and wonder if it’s even me.
I’m serious. I think.
It’s imperfect. So much so that I hardly even glance at the words as I type them because I have to get it over with while I’m still in the fEeLz.
Writing is messy. I once woke up believing I’d finished writing a chapter, only to discover I did . . . but in my head.
Internal pain. Suffering. Tears I shed in my imagination.
RIP to that chapter because I’m avoiding getting it done at all possible costs for no justifiable reason.
I’m bound to that streak. It’s Duolingo all over again. (Plot twist! After I lost my 52-day streak, he captured me, and I’ve been writing from his basement ever since. I can hear his flippers waddling in threat above me. SOS!)
The pain of knowing those who meet your children, or, er, I mean, characters, might not love them as much as you do is unbearable. ðĪ§ I’ve nursed these people into being, you heartless creatures. What more dost thou require?!
Looking back at previous chapters, I noticed that my writing style changed. (That’s looking back, but not reading through it since my ego has endured enough already. Thank you very much.)
The (tedious? lengthy?) journey to finalize this reads like a fictitious documentation of my growth as a writer, which makes it painful to even skim through, but nevertheless. I remember updating my Docs right after getting discouraged from a ballet class and working on it cheered me right up.
Maybe even if I don’t finish this by my set time, I’ll leave with something I worked hard onâfinished or unfinished, polished or unpolished.
But I’ve come too far to even try giving up. And I have an issue with giving up, so in your face, procrastination!
And after that venting, this is still pretty short. Man, I should write down my weird ramblings when they come.
Let me know if I should do a part two with those and some others coz your friendly blogger here has much work to do this ho-ho-holiday season. ð
PS I’ve been out of practice, and you’ve probably noticed. Oopsie. Sorry if this flowed more chunkily than my other posts. I’m working to release better and more consistent content, so don’t you worry, my fine fellows.
PPS It’s giving Tumblr, not gonna lie.
The promised follow-up to my assumptions about “Better Than the Movies” by Lynn Painter.
I traversed YA Romance territory.
Dun-dun-duuuun!
And I returned unscathed! Then, I updated each of my WIPs to avoid any blogging commitments I’d made. But you know what they say: your procrastination will find you out.
Consider this part two of this post. I’m following up on my assumptions. Did they live up to my expectations? Read on!
Indeed I did! The first POV and conversationalist style fit well with the gist of the story. They were very YA (said the girl who’s read three of the genre in her life). I will admit that the Gen Z slang sprinkled around felt off by a smidge. Since Lynn Painter is not a Gen Z-er, this is the closest replication she could render, and I’m satisfied enough.
I said that?!
Note to self: Mellow down with whatever that was. What is going on with the inner workings of your brain, miss?
It-It has truth in it, in its own extremist way. But did Liz plan on settling down with him in the future? She didn’t touch on that, so I’m not sure. She did, however, call Michaelâthe dreamboatâher “endgame” somewhere if memory serves me right.
Unlike most things, however, this is about me, so what did I think?
It didn’t stick out to me. I’ve had friends with crushes and said friends tend to be…how to say this…enthusiastic about them.
I disagree with my assumption.
Correct! As shown by the title.
I like Liz. I really do. She’s eccentric, girly, relatable, and extroverted. It was a gust of fresh air when many of the female protagonists I encountered were quiet, moody, emo, great at miscommunication, and, for some reason, painted (Hah! Painted. Painter.) as if they had to possess such qualities to be likable.
Common Sense Media gave BTTM a low score in diversity since all the characters are assumed to be white, but I felt represented by Liz’s personality and thought process. Isn’t that the kind of diversity we should be vouching for? Or should a story be measured by its including black, Asian, Hispanic characters, and/or other race minorities? Just some food for thought.
Certain Goodreads reviewers hated “Lying Liz,” as they called her, but I understood the build-up. She didn’t plan to weave a mess of rumors and then get tangled up in them. Is it okay? No. Is it plausible? Sure.
But, actually, the fake dating aspect of the book wasn’t what I expected. The trope wasn’t trope-ing. But Wes, he…ðĪ You know what, I’ve said too much.
I’ll even say I like her better than Wes. She stood out more. However, the sequel is coming out in Fall 2024, and Lynn promises Dual POV, so perhaps he’ll redeem himself with his inner monologues. Perhaps.
There was a lot of swearing. And there was kissing. And there were jokes and innuendo. So, despite this book being enjoyable, I wouldn’t recommend it out of conviction. Sure, you may have heard about it from me, but you also know about the questionable things that come with it from me.
Keeping that in mind, lynnpainter.com has scenes rewritten from Wes’s POV, and the Simon & Schuster official website for teens has a free ebook in Wes’s POV of the prom and succeeding chapters, plus an epilogue. This stuff isn’t too clean, and language abounds, so use discernment.
This book was marked 13+; CSM put it at 14+. I place it at 15-16+, for conscience’s sake.
And the good parts:
I can see myself rereading BTTM in one to two years. I manually censored the swear words during the first half but gave up in the second. Seeing so much cussing discouraged me, but not emphasizing it allowed other parts of the book to shine.
But I will go back and cross them off for future reading. Soon. Right before I reread it. Which is later.
Later rather than sooner, am I right?
The Caraval follow-up is coming soon! Sorry for the delay. Life got hectic. 
Were you convinced to get the book? Have you heard of it before? Did you already read it? Is there anything better than an Enemies-to-Lovers, fake dating mash-up? What do you think about YA?
You know those moments when you just don’t want to create? The inspiration is uninspiring, and the motivation unmotivating. You just lay motionless, waiting for something to happen.
I’m experiencing it now. Making myself start writing this took a lot of coaxing. It’s hard to combat, and sometimes the answer is stepping back for a bit.
If you assumed that this was a hiatus announcement, think again! You…probably didn’t because of the title. Yeah, I have to work on my subtlety. Next time.
The other sometimes is looking back at what you have done for encouragement. I can’t do that because I haven’t finished any writing projects I’ve begun yet. But I initiated stuff, which is better than nothing, right? Right?
If you’re curious, stick around for glimpses into my less-than-half-formed WIPs.
Description: ðđðĶĒððð§ðŧââïļ
Stage: Drafting (Planning isn’t complete yet, so what possessed me to start is beyond me.)
Completed Chapters: 3, currently in 4
Characters
Goal(s): 15+ chapters âĒ over 20,000 words âĒ succeeding in writing from a narrator’s POV âĒ giving Siegfried and Odette’s relationship some much-needed depth (as compared to their The Swan Princess counterparts)
Related: What’s Your WIP? (in which you will find a blurb, a snippet, and other important things)
The moment you realize your so-called “original work” is nothing more than fanfic of a specific Swan Princess movie…
…is not a pleasant moment. My apologies to anyone who thought I could pull that off. Original work. Ha, hilarious.
I’m a baby writer, so I’ll jump for joy if this first attempt at a novella passes 10,000 words. Don’t expect…a plot. Or do expect it and then be disappointed. But in truth, the only reason anyone would read till the end would be for the action, not my sorry, unpolished writing.
Enough self-deprecation for now. Moving on.
Description: ðšðĪðŧððĒâ
Blurb:
The village electing her father as chief changed a lot of lives: her father’s, her family’s, and her own. Nothing changed, they said. They were wrong; everything did. An ever-increasing burden of pressure was laid on Alessia’s shouldersâshe has to be the best. She has to prove herself. When the opportunity to go on a quest affecting not only her village but the surrounding ones, friend or foe, is presented to her, she grabs at it. So what if her father doesn’t know? She’s assembled her little band of coworkers, the best of the best: Brielleâher sharp, analytical, and strategical best friend, Siennaâthe history buff with access to forbidden maps, and Zedâthe self-claimed tech whiz with a sense of humor. Everything will fall into the plan, the plan she’s planning to make sometime in the future. So, imagine her dismay to having to work with a stowaway, a spy, from a neighboring tribe, with which they weren’t on good terms. How’d her life become such a mess?
It’s pretty vague, but it’ll become something one day.
Stage: Planning
Characters
Goal(s): 30+ chapters âĒ over 30,000 words âĒ developing the individual characters âĒ *gulp* pulling off the hero hating herself and finding peace at the end arc âĒ Enemies to Lov- say what? Who said? Huh?… Ignore that. âĒ and other stuff
If you’re like me, you were too lazy to read the blurb. Chunky paragraphs induce headaches.
To summarize, my MCâAlessiaâis a troubled girl; she goes on a quest with friends; an enemy was there (a “there” I will not disclose) before they set off and has to come. Gasp. Originality and articulateness abound.
I haven’t got a plot, but, funny thing, I’ve been brainstorming on this since last year. How sad is that?!
And yes, we are equipping children to do such outrageous things. Perfect!
I’m taking this opportunity to apologize for not yet posting this. It’s not professional or ethical.
I haveâHow do I say this?âgiven up on it. So, either someone requests me to complete it, or you, my dear reader, refresh this post once or twice to see what the outline was for the rest of it. No, this isn’t an attempt to get more views. I’m being serious. (Do the second one! Do the second one! ~your conscience)
Edit: Never mind, Iâve made it easy.
2. The Clark family is on a kalesa, exploring the walled city. Adamâtheir charming tour guide with impressive fluency in Englishâgets along with Dad just fine and regards all sites with respect. He claims they’re ancient, and Thomas can’t help but agree as the carriage’s horse trots past a historically significant Starbucks.
3. Thom and company return after strolling around Baluerte de San Diego. Marie (his sister) thought it was pretty, and he genuinely agrees that the site was interesting, more so after Dad gives some insight. Thom gets jittery after finding out they had one last stop: Fort Santiago. They reach there as quickly as he’d hoped, and Adam tells them all about how American and Filipino soldiers died there due to suffocation and the heat. Thom is moved and asks if his grandpa might’ve died there. Dad says it was his own great-grandpa, Thom’s great-great-grandpa. Thom is silent for the rest of the travel. He asks his dad if they could visit again sometime.
Goodness me, I feel so evil.
Descriptions: 1. ðĨžðĨ―ðĪĶðžââïļð·ðļ , 2. ðŽððĐðŧðŧðŋð
Which begs the question: Should I get an AO3 account? We’ll see.
Share in the comments how you feel about certain platforms where fanfics are regularly published. (AO3, Fanfiction.Net, Wattpad, etc.) Which do you prefer? Which gave you the best experience? The worst? Any advice is appreciated!
And come back next time oooooooon CKJ!
Would you look at that, I’ve started something! A Retelling of Swan Lake is . . . well, it’s self-explanatory, but I’ve embarked on a journey of crafting this well-known ballet/romance to explore the depths of the charactersâsome of which are Siegfried, Odette, and Von Rothbartâwhilst adding my own and some flavor.
Will this be good? Probably not, but have mercy, please; this is my first attempt at a novel/novella. This post will include where I got my inspiration, a snippet, a blurb, and some extra stuff to get to know my WIP.
I stole this from Rebekah @Books And Hooks, and below are the posts in which she did the tag. Thanks for allowing me to snurch this, Rebekah!
Rules:
A Retelling of Swan Lake. It’s straightforward, cut to the chase, and incredibly uncreative. It’s perfect, and I’m too lazy to change it, so that’s that.
I haven’t got one down officially (if anything related to this can be counted as official), but I’ll have a go at it. This isn’t polished and will change, so forgive me.
But before that, let me ask an AI to give a synopsis of the Swan Lake ballet.
“Swan Lake is a ballet that tells the story of a young prince, Siegfried, who falls in love with a swan princess, Odette. Odette has been cursed by an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, and can only take her human form at night. During the day, she is a swan and can only be saved if a man swears to love her forever. Siegfried promises to do so and invites Odette to a ball to present her as his bride.
At the ball, Von Rothbart arrives with his daughter, Odile, who looks just like Odette. Siegfried mistakes her for Odette and swears his love to her instead. Odette, heartbroken, runs away, and Siegfried realizes his mistake and goes after her. In the end, Siegfried and Odette jump into the lake, breaking Von Rothbart’s curse and living happily ever after. Swan Lake is a timeless classic and one of the most popular ballets.”
So, those are the original happenings. I played with it, adding some changes, but you can expect a similar gist.
Being a royal was never an easy role. Prince Siegfried’s been running away from this fact since his chilhood, before he even met the posh princess. But without his father by his side as he turns twenty-one, he has to brave the title that’s been staring at his face all these years. King. Maybe, hopefully, not alone, but that depends on if he can save his betrothed from the hands of the Shapeshifting Monster.
OoooOoOoOoOoooh, mysterious. I don’t think I captured the main plot, really, but that’s okay.
That’ll be changing from time to time. Do you find the story interesting? I might just post regular updates on it if so.
Mock cover? Goodness, no. Not when I spent hours working on this:
So what if it looks unprofessional.
I really like the upper half. I slaved on that gradient background and the shadowy text. Even that little crown at the top. The bottom looks a tad too cartoonish, but oh, well.
My sister played Odette in my ballet school’s most recent production. She danced her heart out that recital day with much grace. It was magical. If you’d have seen it, you would’ve agreed.
But behind the scenes were hard work, diligence, perseverance, and sacrifice. I witnessed the sweat and tears (who said pointes were ever easy?), which greatly inspired me.
Tchaikovsky was a sucker for love stories, and I wanted to try it. I did some research, yada yada, and now we’re here.
Longer than I’m comfortable with. I have this toxic trait where I start a captivating storyâor I’d like to thinkâonly to drop it at a point where there’s “closure, but not really” because…fear of commitment, maybe? I’m not sure. This is stepping out of my comfort zone. Oh, but did I mention I may or may not have forgotten I had this for a month? If not, then I did.
The typing.
Aside from the sister mentioned earlier, no one, really.
My favorite scene might be the part where Siegfried [insert questionable thing here] in Chapter 2. It showed he isn’t a heartless prankster, even if his whole plan backfires. But I haven’t got all my ideas down on parchment, so most of what I have to offer are ideas of where the scene may go. I have a plot down but not much more.
Perhaps my favorite scene will be where Siegfried and Odette have that one… ballroom thing. I plan to share the completed thing here one day, so I don’t want to spoil it completely.
Prologue
Ah, Swan Lake. A tale of two loversâone a princess beneath her feathers, the other a conflicted princeâdestined to love and fated to die. A tragic romance that illustrates what most would call the idiocy of love. The lovers would tell you otherwiseâthe true idiocy would be never loving at all. It also, when examined closely, gives insight on the consequences of tinkering with the Forbidden Magic, which, by the way, is always a helpful lesson.
But is that really how it went, you might ask? Perhaps this tale is just what it professes to beâa tale. I wouldnât blame you. Tall tales, folk tales, fairytalesâall of them, one might argue, are to entertain children and to keep them from asking deeper, darker questions that no one has answers to.
But many forget the credibility of a tale. Sure, they seem unbelievable now, but they always started somewhere, stemming from a reality to something entirely different. One element that remains unchanged is the magic that surrounds itâwhether or not you believe in magic.
The real question now is: where did the tale originate? Lucky for you, I have the answer. How can I be trusted?
Believe it or not, I personally knew this taleâs protagonists. In the most modest tone I can render, I was quite involved in their story. One might say it wouldâve turned out entirely different had I not helped. And I can say with full confidence that they are worthy of your admiration, even those of you who detest romance of all kinds.
You can judge for yourself. I present a tale of friendship, compassion, duty, title, power, and love. A retelling of Swan Lake.
sWaN lAkE (A Docs File)
To be edited.
It’s still what I thought, and think, it will be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if…if it surprised me soon enough.
Oh, man, it would be really cool if one did. But my response to that is a reluctant “no.”
The Prologue, and I know, I know, I shouldn’t have. But it was just so much fun. It wasn’t even writing, really. It was just editing.
Tchaikovsky’s story. Shocker, right? Many events are merely the original plot but modified. Not the majority because I’d be lying to your face if I said that. Speaking of which, I altered it. A lot.
Also, watching my sister practice this with her partner was a terrific catalyst for idea generation. It felt no less than 20 minutes, but it was probably 5. Either way, it was beneficial.
I used to think I was a plotter, but some inserts randomly popped up when I wrote the scene. I heard writers rave about it, but I never thought it would happen to me. So, I believe I’m both.
No, I don’t think I do.
Let’s see where God leads.
Remember all those authors saying writing is not easy? Yeah, they were right.
I didn’t expect to experience the thrill of nurturing and creating a story, but it was certainly rewarding. I pity my future self who’ll edit this, though. Sorry, me.
Docs is better than Word. Debate with me in the comments.
A Christian Kid's Journal 