Writing

Turning out quite differently from what I expected…

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I’m commencing work on The Continent now that it is WWII oriented. Alas, the first thing that got scrapped was the characters. Well, the main character and his brother, definitely. Liv’s been replaced with a kid named Jim (for now), a pilot in the RAF.

Why?

Well, first off, Liv’s name. Livius is more a sci fi/spec fic name, not that of a WWII pilot. Secondly, I hope to tell his story eventually, and I can’t have two Livs running around. It would get too confusing.

At the moment, Jim is Liv’s shadow; they are both incredibly patriotic and would gladly sacrifice themselves for their respective countries. But I’m working on making Jim very different from Liv. I think the situations Jim finds himself in will define him.

I just realized that I like short, one syllable names for my protagonists.

By the way, does anyone know any good books about WWII era RAF?

Thank you, RAF and Leslie Howard.

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

As of late, my WIP has had a bit of an identity crisis. Should I be spec fic? Should I be historical fiction? Should I be flat out space opera sci fi?

I think I’ve finally figured it out.

Historical. Historical historical historical.

What is this madness?

Well, as I’ve previously said, I’ve been researching WWII/The Resistance for said WIP, as some historical inspiration. Turns out WWII is even more fascinating once you get down into the more obscure aspects of it (okay, maybe not obscure, but definitely not what I learned in high school). There’s so much potential for my characters, and the betrayals will be much more “oh crap.”

I might keep something of a fantastical element, as my main character Liv is now an RAF pilot…gremlins galore. Or at least mentions of them.

Leslie Howard gets the nod because the circumstances surrounding his death are fascinating, and, perhaps, a subplot/novel in its own right.

Changing for the sake of simplicity…or greater insanity?

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I’ve been thinking lately about my current WIP, The Continent. My current reading list includes several books on espionage during WWII, and The Resistance for means of inspiration and ideas.

I’m beginning to wonder if my story would be better suited taking place during WWII. Logistically it makes a little more sense, but at the same time it would require dramatic reimagining of different characters, their relationships, etc.

I still want to keep the vaguely sci-fi, alternate universe vibe it has. But how to do it without being ridiculous? And how to write it without TC becoming just another war book?

I’m sure I’ll figure it out in time, with more thought.

Inspiration from Art, or, Why I Love Museums

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The old adage says a picture is worth a thousand words.

The same is true for a house, a sculpture, even an old necklace.

Museums are a treasure trove of ideas. When I’m at school, I’ll spend hours wandering the corridors of various museums, notebook in hand. A damaged Sphinx provides a line of poetry. A painting inspires a scene or brings back memories (I have a fondness for Saint Sebastian after the Uffizi Gallery, so every painting of him I see reminds me of Italy).

When I was in high school, I often flipped through my massive European History text. One painting (I wish I could remember who painted it) caught my eye, specifically one individual. It was a painting of an Italian family, huge and varied in ages. Towards the back there was a young man, staring out at the viewer. Captivated, I later wrote a few scenes about him, alas, they came to nothing.

I always want to know what happens in the dark corners of paintings and photographs, or what has just been interrupted. Telling the stories myself is a lot of fun.

Slowly destroying the rainforests, one notebook at a time.

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I finished the journal I was writing/planning in last night.

A new one is waiting for me, and another after that. This one’s special. My parents gave it to me for Christmas; it comes from Florence, Italy.

I’m almost afraid to write in it; this hasn’t happened to me before. There is so much potential in those empty pages. The book itself is so beautiful; I hope my words can do it justice.

I’ll take a photo at some point.

Libraries: What wonderful way to jumpstart the imagination!

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I love libraries. Books spread as far as the eye can see, the quiet, the hiding amongst the stacks while perusing through an art book…ah! What joy!
To the library I went today, grabbing some fiction (Alexander McCall Smith, of course, along with some classic sci fi) and stumbled through the reference section.
Countless scores of topics live in the reference section, and from them millions of ideas conceived.
Research for The Continent commenced. I picked up a book on The Resistance during WWII, which I’ll attempt to read in the near future.