So I have quite a few scenes of Henry Rayne written or re-written in my head but I can't make myself take the leap and jump back into the story full hearted.  I think there is a part of me that doesn't want to go back to the dark emotional place because it messed with my head so much--but I REALLY want to finish it.  I think after Christmas I will be able to concentrate more.  Here's hopin' 

In the meantime I am working on the biographies of my member of Her Majesties Esteemed Time Traveling Society, for my Sketchbook Project and having a lot of fun.  They are turning into  a little bit of Victorian superheroes ala League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  I can't wait to start drawing their portraits! I'll start posting their stories as soon as I get them all together.

Off to finish Christmas shopping today!
Ciao!

So I did not win NanoWrimo 2011 like I had hoped.  I know I started out strong but other things, life things--emotional things, that needed to be addressed came up and took precedence and I am alright with that.  I also feel like I cannot properly write Sebastian's story until I am finished writing Henry's... and I got to take a creative break during November, which I needed very badly so all is not lost!  

During November I was able to really focus in on the world building for my version of London which I think will only help Henry's story.  I got to take a break from the heavy emotional scenes I was writing and now have some ideas on how to finish the story as soon as I am ready to go back to that dark place.  I call it a dark place but really it is more like a very sad place, which can be two very similar things for me.  I don't know how other writers do it--writing deeply intense emotional scenes, but I haven't figured out how to write it and then let go of it and walk away. I guess I am that attached to my characters that I can empathize with them? I am their creator after all, and I think no matter how hard an artist tries there is always a bit of you in your characters... 

I am looking forward to going back to their story.  I have learned a lot about their characters in the past month as well as learned a lot about my own writing style and process which has also renewed my energy in the project. I am going on four years working pretty intensely on the story which might be a record for my attention span.

My goal is to have a draft to send to my Beta Readers by January or February! We will see how it goes!

Off to write a little before my call this evening!

At work today and on my lunch break. Just thought I would take a break from pounding out novel-ness to say hello, we're doing alright here at Two Dimensional Ephemera and are currently only 4,000 words behind! We will make up for that, never fear!

I am enjoying where the story is going now that I have stopped fighting it and decided to let it go with with the flow.  Work is picking up so that creates another interesting challenge, but again, one we will overcome! I am starting to figure out my characters too which is a great feeling.

Alright, back to work! Ciao!

I don't know what is going on... I just don't care about my characters anymore!  It is terrible.  I have never felt this way about character or a story... I don't know if it is because this one comes in the wake of the giant epicness that is Henry Rayne that I have been working on for so long or that it is because my usual project ADD has kicked in and I want to move onto the next thing--even though I don't have a next thing!!! Arrrrrrggh!  I am frustrated, and I have been doing so well.

Don't worry I have pushed forward and am still writing I am just starting to fall behind and I don't like it.  I am going to have to give myself (and Gizmo) a stern talking to and get back on it this afternoon.  I am half way there and am NOT giving up no matter how strange the story is!

Time to get ready for work.  I will write on my lunch break and this evening until I get caught up!

Hello,

I haven't been writing much here because I have been actually writing!  Yes, it is that time again--National Novel Writing Month, although if anyone follows my Twitter or Facebook you are well aware of my word churning these past ten days.  So far I am rather pleased with where I stand headed towards my goals.  Because I won last year I have decided to up my goals to either 65,000 words OR actually finishing my novel by November 30th.  I'd much prefer to do the latter but we shall see.  I have a pretty strict schedule in order to pull this off and I'm not sure if I will make it or not.

Characters are behaving themselves relatively well...although writing two teenage characters has certainly taken some getting used to style wise.  I am also starting to realize that there is more of myself in Sebastian than previously thought... this is both helpful and a little alarming since it is forcing me to recall my days, nearly a decade ago, when I was a teenager!  It makes sense though if Spencer is so much of me in a character that her daughter would also be a little bit as well... just different parts. Nicholas is surprisingly easier to write, as a teenage boy--not quite sure why either.  

Only on Chapter Three, but things are finally starting to move! Keep in mind I write pretty long chapters and I have a prologue so really I have made it to the fourth chapter, but really its all semantics.  I learned that I just write better in the mornings and during the day--for some reason every time I start writing at night I get this overwhelming since of "I suck" ness going on.  I don't know what has caused me to get into the mental funk, and why it is only at night, but I decided that I will do a bit of editing at night if I can't sleep and feel the need to write and do the bulk of my writing during the day.  This story will need a lot of details added to it, since I am trying to get through the main action of the story to see where it goes and then going back to add visual details. It is the exact opposite problem I have with The True History of Henry Rayne and the Airship Pirates where I think I got bogged down in detail, since I already knew where the action was going and am going to have to hack and slash so that it is a manageable balance between detail and action.  I am glad I have realized this since I think I prefer writing out mostly action/character development and then going back and expanding rather than having to cut things out.

Anyways off to yoga this morning and then some writing before work!
Ciao!

So it is getting to be that time.  NanoWrimo 2011 starts tonight at midnight!  I have my outline in place, character biographies at my fingertips, world building is set, and wrist brace at the ready.  I think I am ready to go!

I do want to say for those who are wanting to read The True History of Henry Rayne and the Airship Pirates I have not forgotten you!  I did not get to the end of the story when I had hoped and will return to this story in December.  My goal is to finish The Remarkable Journey of Sebastian Starling by the end of November so that I can finish Henry Rayne for December SO that 2012 can be totally devoted to re-writing both of those stories.  So have no fear I will be getting you your copies of the story for help proofreading by January.

Now the countdown to Nano!  Woot!

Another piece of artwork I had commissioned of Captain Spencer Bartholomew! This is by the great artist painted-bees on Deviant Art. Go check out all of her art! I love the expression and the blue/purple accents on her coat!



What character should I get artwork done of next? Aicilla, Vincent, Henry? Character with the most votes I will get a piece of artwork done of next (as soon as I save up some money!)

So I am usually pretty good at getting inside the head of my main characters because I put a little bit of myself into them: their personalities, problems, and tactics. It might be revealing a lot about myself but I really understand why Spencer has a hard time with relationships.  Her emotional problems were my emotional problems at a certain point in my life (minus the sword fighting unfortunately).

 Her daughter Sebastian is not being so helpful. Even Henry with his ever elusive character arc makes more sense to me than she does.  I know part of it is she is so much younger than me (almost a decade) and that her family problems are harder for me to imagine because although my parents did get divorced I had a really good childhood. My life was not nearly as tumultuous as Sebastian's.  I am slowly getting into her head, but it isn't happening quite as quickly as I would like given that NanoWrimo starts in four days. 

I will keep chugging away!

To change subjects for a moment. I would like to introduce the cast of characters for my Sketchbook Project 2012 art project.  Arthousecoop.com puts this on and it is a lot of fun.  You pick a theme, they send you a sketchbook, you fill it with art somewhat related to the theme and send it back, it travels all over the world as a piece of a great collection of art that people can check out and look at. The theme I picked was Time Traveler (d'uh) and have decided to create a Compendium of Her Majesty's Royal Time Corp. A series of portraits of time travelers and a brief biography.

 I also enjoy getting ideas from my friends on Facebook so I asked for names and character ideas and got quite a bit of interesting stuff to work with.  What I have since then done is taken those names and ideas and started to mold them to the world of my stories Clockwork London circa 1886 (the setting for my story The Chronicles of Captain Stormhaven although I think their story really picks up after the Automaton Wars and Winter's big story) Everyone who contributed ideas will be given credit in my little artist biography, and I may be asking for some more help throughout the drawing and designing process.

So without further adieu I give you the Esteemed Members of Her Majesty's Time Corps. (details subject to change!)

The Members of the Corps are in the service of her Majesty making sure that those villains that might seek to upset the flow of the Timeline are kept at bay. They use The Library to catch Anomalies in the Line and go back in time to correct the situation. Their sneakiest nemesis is Lord Copperwell a mysterious ne'er do well scientist whose ultimate goal is to re-write history to his liking. 

Sophie von Ilderlien     Hand to Hand Combat Specialist
  She was a prodigy student at the Academy for Chronological Studies blowing past every other student by the age of fifteen.  However, her love and interest lies not in books or learning but in her rapier which she practices with every day.  Her father is the esteemed Baron von Ilderlien and her mother is Lady Isabelle de Leilanye of Northumbria.  She is a great fighter but does not always know how to play nice with others.  She does not get along with Dr. Crane or Sawyer in particular. Eighteen years old.

Iphigenia Cobblepot & Emony Bickle     Retrieval and Extraction
  Iphigenia, or Phig as she prefers, is an orphan who grew up as part of the legendary Piccadilly Circus until such time as it needed to disband for awhile.  She was taken in by Lady Irontower after she noticed the girls extraordinary agility, dexterity and no fear or heights (She caught her on top of London Bridge). Phig is about fourteen although an exact age is difficult given her orphan state. 
  Emony is much younger than Phig but the two are inseparable.  Emony demonstrates an extraordinary magical talent and shows prodigious skills in the areas of Magic Manipulation.  This is very rare given that physical use of magic faded away seventy years prior, being overtaken by Alchemy.  Her family used to be quite wealthy but after the dabblings in the Timelines by the dark Lord Copperwell her family's reputation and wealth has been destroyed irreplaceably before they disappeared.  She is quiet and very perceptive of all that goes on around her in contrast to Phig's more talkative nature. She has a small black cat named Duce that is the only thing left of her former life. She is somewhere between seven and nine.

Dr. Ophelia Crane    Historian and Chronicler
  Ophelia is following in the footsteps of her older brother Ichabod who was an agent in the Time Corps.  She spent several years trying to find her brother after he went missing during an investigation in the village of Sleepy Hollow, but with no luck.  He sent her his casebook and she spends a good deal of her free time trying to decipher its meaning in hopes that it will give her a clue to where her brother has gone. Lord Copperwell is suspected but so far there is not concrete proof.  Dr. Crane's job is to research time periods and specific events for the other agents so that Line Distress is kept at a minimum--in other words, helping them blend in so they can get the job done.  She has a doctorate from Cambridge in both Historical Research and Botany.  She is rather somber and focused.  Does not like spiders. Twenty-eight years old.

Lady Evangeline Irontower     Matron of the Lines
  She is the head of the Corps and it is her duty to keep a watchful eye on the Timelines and detect any anomalies that might occur and dispatch the proper agents to set it right.  She is also in charge of training new agents along with Ketcherson and making sure they behave (which is harder than it sounds!).  She is a stern woman who adheres to a strict sense of decorum above all else.  However, Iphigenia, her ward can get her to smile sometimes.  There might have been a family once, but the Lady does not speak of it with anyone.  She is in her late fifties but has an energy about her that is much younger.

I will post the gentlemen tomorrow!

I saw a lot of new movies the past few days and here are my mini reviews:
(There may be spoilers!)

The Three Musketeers
  I went with a good friend to see the Three Musketeers, Friday.  I enjoyed it as I usually do with action filled extravaganza movies because I'm slightly attention deficient and all the movement keeps me happy!  The acting was decent (even Logan wasn't -that- bad!) and the writing was... interesting. Overall, it was fun and I think that was the point.  It had sword fighting (Yum!) , airships (yes, I know the purists are going WHAT?!) and good natured romance (aw!). I enjoyed Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham because he was just so smarmy and good for the part, and you could tell that he was really enjoying the part.  It finally seemed like a part he could go all out with.
   The three musketeers themselves were good: Athos (Mathew Macfayden) was his usual leadery type self, Aramis (Luke Evans) was his usual dour intellectual self, and Porthos (Ray Stevenson) was his usual larger than life self. They even gave Planchet (James Corden) an actual part, and he was really funny! The only character that was done a disservice by the writing was Rochefort who is one of my favorite villains.  I love Mads Mikkelsen but he was given nothing to go with. Another pet peeve is the terrible lack of accent! Or at least not being able to pick one!  Either all be American sounding French, or British sounding French! Would an attempt at an actual French accent be nice? Yes, but at least keep it all consistent!
  Now back to the airships--that is the most bizarre twist of this beloved adventure story that I have seen in all the versions I have watched.  I commend them for fitting it into the plot fairly seamlessly, although they did have to turn Buckingham into a villain to do so, but he is a much more exciting villain than Cardinal Richlieu.  I love the book.  It is what I grew up on and is what inspires me to write my own swashbuckling adventures and part of me wishes they could have stuck to the original story that has enough of its own swashbucklingness, but I also understand the need to update and do something different with a story.  My hope as that young boys and girls will go see this and want to read the book.   It is a classic after all! I will definitely buy this on DVD and probably go see it again!

Soldier (1998)
  Saturday I watched Soldier with Kalin and if I haven't already confessed a love of Kurt Russell as an action hero then let me now because this movie sealed it for me!  I am used to seeing Kurt Russell play the tough mouthy action hero type and to hear maybe three lines out of him the whole movie was something very different.  He plays Sergeant Todd an engineered soldier, who along with his men, is being replaced by a new squad of genetically enhanced soldiers. After being left for dead on a trash planet he finds people and slowly learns what it is like to live as a real person and to have a family to fight for, because of course the genetically enhanced soldiers led by Jason Isaacs (he's just good at the asshole characters!) comes back to eliminate the settlers and Sergeant Todd promptly whoops their butts and saves the day! He even has a show down with his nemesis Caine 607 played by a very refrigerator-like Jason Scott Lee who beat him in the beginning proving his kind were obsolete--boy is that a great showdown!
  The writing is nothing too special: stranger who is used to being a loner learns how to have humanity again through living with a group going on to prove this by defending them. Albeit this version is a little bit on the extreme with all the military training you see Todd and his squad go through at a very young age.  What I like about this movie is that they show just how hard it is to overcome that training with several incidents that happen between Todd and the people who have taken him in, and even at the end of the movie he isn't a touchy feely sort of guy--just a less "I'm going to kill you on sight" sort of guy.  I also like the subtlety of the character of Sergeant Todd.  Kurt Russell does more acting with his eyes than I have ever seen before and it is heartbreaking! You can see all the conflicts between training and his brain and heart through the tiniest movements that if you blinked you might miss.  I never noticed how expressive his eyes could be because I'm usually laughing at his mouthing off (ahem, Tango and Cash!).  This movie is definitely going on my movie list, even if I didn't like Kurt Russell so much!

Silverado (1985)
  Yes, we seem to be going back in time with the movies! This was our Sunday movie that came on television. I had been told by several people that if I enjoyed Westerns that I should see this movie, and although I feel asleep during the middle because i wasn't feeling well.  I won't go through the whole plot because that would take forever, but suffice to say it is about four characters (Scott Glenn, Kevin Kostner, Kevin Kline, and Danny Glover) that end up righting some wrongs together in that wild west sort of way. That being said I really enjoyed the different kind of character that Kevin Kline played.  Rather than his usually quipping sort of smart aleck character (although he did have some of that) he was a gunslinger with some moral difficulties but one that ultimately comes through in the end.  Scott Glenn and Kevin Kostner play brothers on their way out to California, and are pretty good--I think Jake (Kevin Kostner) the younger brother had eaten too much sugar though.  He was bouncing all over the place!  I don't have much to say about this one because overall it was pretty good and it is definitely going on my list of westerns to buy!

Whew! That was a lot of movie watching to write about! I also watched Once Upon a Time on ABC, but we're going to wait and see how that one develops before really putting any opinions out there!

Off to work on my outline some more!