Betas, Background and Blood Bowl

Beta:  I went back to the drawing board with the “final draft” of my first completed novel.  After some in-depth research for future books, things weren’t quite complete, a few secondary plot points and arcs required to drive the story in further books and reinforce the plot of Days of Reckoning.  A few additional characters and their influence on both the main characters, Soki and Tagaretsu, were in dire need of inclusion.  To keep the word count under control, I went back and started trimming things even tighter; some of the cuts were relatively painless, others downright gutt-wrenching.  The overall effect is one that I am very happy with, which is all in preparations to get this out to some Beta readers, which in and of itself is both motivating and scaring the crap out of me….

Background:  One of the side-projects I’ve been working on is a series of short stories.  The first I’ve completed is actually the background story that explains what happened to Tagaretsu.  I always thought it an important story, one of epic impact on him as a character.  Much of the motivations that drive him in Days of Reckoning can be traced back to the specific events detailed herein.  I’ll be submitting this short-story to a number of competitions in the hope this will help launch the Ochra series.

Blood Bowl:  Huh?  Yeah, this is nothing relative to the writing genre, at least not directly.  Blood Bowl is a Games Workshop product, where models are used to represent players on teams that play something akin to UFC-meets-rugby.  Set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, there are 21 different teams with individual strengths and weaknesses.  Not content to just collect and paint models, I’ve actually plot-pointed a series of short stories that could be extended into a novel.  It’s a fun diversion from the slogging of Beta-prep and editing the final version of my short stories for submission.  With the release of the video game and the recent Super Bowl, it’s a timely outlet.  It is a total piece of procrastination, yet something that keeps me from going absolutely insane and bug-eyed from staring at the screen too long.

deviantART Spotlight

The artwork below is copyrighted to Viktor Fetsch.  I make no claim to this work as my own.

One of the many things I do to stem writer’s block and keep the creative juices flowing is surfing (insert link) deviantART.  Just by checking out the most popular submissions over the last eight hours every couple of days is more than enough to give some flash of insight into a story arc that may be waiting to burst, or un-stall one waiting to carry on.  It may not be a full-fledged story, but a component on one I’m currently working on – scenery scenes are spectacular for this.  In my own way, I’d like to recognize these artists for truly amazing artwork, be it photography, ink on canvas, or manipulated photons in digital form.  Each week I will endeavour to spotlight a certain artist, as well as the particular piece that caught my attention.

Tyrant Dragon

Tyrant Dragon really catches a piece of action, conveying layers of detail in a snapshot that I can only hope my writing is able to emulate.  The obvious draw is the dragon, which deviates nicely from the standard form we seem compelled to repeat; this great horned beast is akin to the wild boar of its species, and it is angry!  The interplay between the dragon’s breath weapon and the shield thrown up by the magic user is superb; the weapon effects coalesce to a point where they are rebounded and directed by the shield.  The secondary effects used for rendering rocks flying and the mists coming from the snow through lessening the definition make it an all around masterpiece of action.

The scene itself also renders a clear example of a scene I envisioned within the Ochra Cycle.  Although the dragon’s physical appearance differs, the power and overall feeling this piece generates inspires the scene I intend to write.

This is by far one of the more potent and impressive pieces I’ve seen under the Painting and Airbrushing sub-category in some time.  I hope others find it and the other works by Viktor Fetsch to be equally inspiring.

Viktor Fetsch's Blog

deviantART Spotlight

One of the many things I do to stem writer’s block and keep the creative juices flowing is surfing deviantART.  Just by checking out the most popular submissions over the last eight hours every couple of days is more than enough to give some flash of insight into a story arc that may be waiting to burst, or un-stall one waiting to carry on.  It may not be a full-fledged story, but a component on one I’m currently working on – scenery scenes are spectacular for this.  In my own way, I’d like to recognize these artists for truly amazing artwork, be it photography, ink on canvas, or manipulated photons in digital form.  Each week I will endeavour to spotlight a certain artist, as well as the particular piece that caught my attention.

Gorgon Medusa, Mirror of Memory

Gorgon Medusa, Mirror of Memory is one of those pieces that really sparks the imagination.  Aside from the obvious quality of the work, it speaks to an idea that I keep trying to incorporate into my writing.  Fantasy, in particular epic and sword & sorcery fantasy, can easily dive into the tropes and stereotypes that set the groundwork for the genre decades ago.  A magic object needed to slay the Big Bad Guy or some such is pretty obvious and generally over-done.  Treasure is sought, often found at the far end of a quest, under a mountain or protected by some monstrous creature.  What could a Mirror of Memory be worth?  What kind of creature and/or person would make us of it?  How could it be used?

This piece really set me thinking about quests and the like.  What if this Gorgon was someone the protagonist had to appease by presenting this mirror as a gift?  What secrets could a Gorgon possess?  Who would you have to retrieve it from in order to gift it to the Gorgon?  What enemies would be made?

Aside from that, it also lends itself to something ‘outside of the box’ for normal treasure and quest items.  The magic sword of all-slaying, the orb of super-magic, what have you, it all seems to be pretty straight forward.  What if the item provided a secondary effect, such as providing the Gorgon the chance to see itself before changing into a monstrosity?  Even there, it implies the Gorgon was a woman changed, subject to a curse or magical effect.  What benefits could be rendered by changing the stereotype, by escaping the trope?

As far as photo manipulations go, this is also one of the more seamless I’ve seen in some time.  I hope others find it and the other works by liliaosipova to be equally inspirational.