Unstuck.com

I found a site that helps writers move on from 'writer's block'. I go through this all the damn time--more than I'd care for. Sometimes, without realizing it, the reason for why I'm stuck is because of something going on in my personal life. I know, it's odd. How can something like a break up, change in career, losing someone, or simply not reading mess up your writing?

Simple.

When we write, we don't just pull from nothing. We're not magicians, nor should we be. We write from experience, from what we've seen, felt, and heard. How can you write about New York if you've never seen it? How can you describe how the city looks like? It's not all skyscrapers and taxis, I assure you. How can you describe what love truly feels like if you've never felt it before? Sure, you can fake it and describe what you think it is, but there is no authenticity to it.

Back to the point--You cannot write about what you don't know. So, if let's say you're writing about love and how the girl is falling in love with the boy. Then the next day you and your significant other break things off. Do you think you could start writing about love again? No, and here's the thing, most times we don't associate what's happening in our personal lives can affect our writing, but it totally does. So now, you're staring at your computer screen, completely frustrated and confused as to why you can't write like you used to. It's because of the break up!

Personal changes will always affect how you write.

Fortunately, there seems to be a website that can help you pinpoint the problem and why you can't write anything. It's called Unsuck.com. It's a nifty little site that helps you figure out why you're stuck. I tried it, and though it didn't get it entirely right, I found things in their solutions that I could actually use. Not to mention it actually tells you which celebrity writers have gone through he same thing.

Good luck!

Thrall's Backstory

This is the unpublished backstory for Thrall. I didn't add it because it didn't drive the story forward, but here it is for you!

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A question nagged her. “If they don't have servants, how did you become Jeo’s slave?”

He sighed and looked away. “I’m sure you can see from my pale skin, I am not kin to these tan warriors. A barbarian from Jeo's village found me when I was about 10, wandering the surrounding forests, delusional and traumatized by whatever had happened to me. Whatever had happened it was enough for me to completely block it out, and to this day I still cannot remember. They brought me to Jeo's father who was the clave member charged with protecting that village. I wasn’t his blood, but he gave me shelter, despite warnings from villagers that an outsider would only cause them harm. ”

“Over time the seeds of jealousy grew in Jeo. His father began favoring me more than him. He took me on hunting trips and village gatherings. Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with the young water user.  There was a gold Talisman sacred to the people of that village. It connected those without magic, to the fates. One night when we were about 13 years, I awoke to a sound in my room, and noticed Jeo slipping out into the night. Curious, I followed him into the gathering hall where the talisman was kept.”

Leiv could feel where this story was headed and she didn’t like it.

“There was a tall stranger standing next to Jeo, speaking to him. It was no one I recognized. There was a reason something as important as the Talisman was allowed out in the open. Those who the fates have bestowed their magic upon were the only ones capable of touching it. Jeo’s father had warded this particular talisman with his fire energy. Anyone without magic that touched the item would be burned."

“Jeo was an energy user…”

Thrall nodded. “He was able to hold the object without pain. I saw Jeo use his energy to shield the talisman so the stranger could hold it. The minute I realized his intentions, I ran for them. At this point I believed I was a part of their village and protecting that Talisman was my duty. I bounded up the stairs and lunged to grab the object, causing Jeo to lose concentration on his shielding. The talisman burned my hands as I crashed to the ground, knocking into tables, chairs and whatever else was in the way. The sound woke many people. They all rushed into the gathering hall and saw me on the ground with my hands burned and Jeo on the other side, bleeding from a cut on his head. Jeo’s father entered the room, and before I could explain what happened, Jeo began calling me a treacherous thief.”

“Why did you not explain yourself?”

“I tried. The minute I opened my mouth to counter everything, Jeo had jumped on top of me. After a few blows to the face and throat areas, I blacked out. As I swam in darkness I could hear the villagers telling Jeo's father that their suspicions about me were correct. When I woke, Jeo was there, warning me of all the things he would do if I ever spoke the truth. He told me he would hurt people in the village and make it seem like it was all my doing.”

“Surely no one would think it was you.”

“To them I was still an outsider, one they had warned their clave leader about. It would have been my word against that of a clave’s son. There was no chance for me. “

“Why did you not leave?”

“There was nowhere else for me to go. The barbarian villages are secluded. If I would have escaped I either would been an animal’s dinner or the barbarians would have attempted to find and punish me even further.”

“So you became Jeo’s slave.”

“That was my punishment.”

“No one cared you were being tortured?”

“Not that they longer cared, but Jeo would tell people I inflicted harm upon myself. That I had gone mad and had to be tied up at night.”

“That is horrible.”

“That was my life.”

How to build a fictional world [Video]

I stumbled across the video and really enjoyed it. How do the big names authors do it?

Watch this.

Radio Silence

It's been quite some time since I've written anything in this blog, and for that I apologize. Not only have I been ignoring my duties here on blogger, I've been doing the same on Wattpad as well. It's all unintentional, I assure you. I didn't expect to go this long without an update. 

My mother has been on vacation for about a month now, and during that time I am the only person who can take the reins to her business. As the acting administrator to all of her senior care homes, the responsibility and welfare of those in these homes are mine and mine alone. If something happens under my supervision I become liable. So now you see why writing and updating have taken a backseat lately. But I promise you as soon as my schedule starts clearing up I will start writing again! 

I used to be able to read 5-10 books a week, and now I'm lucky if I can finish one in a month. So sad. Hopefully I'll have more time on my hands once my mother gets home. 

Fingers crossed.

Teeny Tiny Excerpt for Dragon Blade Chapter 7

Keep in mind, this is raw. But I decided to tease you with a teeny tiny snippet of what's to come.

Remember, this is when Leiv escapes Talen by putting him to sleep with the powder. She has just defeated the guards who were on their way back to guard Talen's door, and now, a voice has pulled her back into the abandoned house she was hiding in earlier.

It wasn’t the creepiness in their voice, but the desperation in those two words that forced Leiv to turn and walk back into the dark house. “Hello?” She said slowly, her voice drifting off towards the corner shadows.

A stick-thin man emerged from the inner depths of the building, moving with the fragility of a scared animal. There was a pause in every step, a limp holding him back. He approached with forced courage, attempting to meet her eyes, but failing miserably. There was a slight slump to his posture, his body seemed almost unable to carry his own weight, as if it could give out at any time.

When his dark walnut eyes looked her way, she saw the fear in them, the storm brewing in their depths. It wasn’t until those eyes came into full view did Leiv see the pain hidden behind each one.

This man was, without a doubt, a slave. Red chaff marks ran around his wrists, the flesh peeling around that area. Bruised skin stretched over sharp protruding bones, his emaciated body dangerously deteriorating from years of servitude. Leiv couldn’t quite tell his age. His frail form made him seem closer to 40, but there was something about the man’s face, especially around the eyes, that made him seem younger.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Crossroads

Growth. A little word. 6 letters. One syllable.

How could such a small thing, that takes less than an inch in the dictionary mean so much?

At some point in our lives we all have to learn to grow up. Some, have no problem making this sacrifice. I say 'sacrifice' only because in order to grow, you are required to give up a part of yourself in order to make room for something new, something more mature. Think of us like jigsaw puzzles. We are made up of many pieces that are scattered in this box called life, and eventually, to make this picture whole you have to find the pieces that fit. Sometimes, you grab a piece, and no matter how hard you think it will fit, and how many times you hope it's the correct one, it's not. But, why do we try so hard with one piece when there are lots of others scattered next to it?

Why this one?

It's because that's what we thought would fit. It's what we wanted it to be. We become stuck in our ways and believe there are no other pieces left when in fact theres still hundreds. That's where I'm at. I've recently removed a piece in my life and replaced with a new one. A new path. A new choice.

I made a personal decision in regards to Dragon Heir that I know will get both positive and negative feedback. Due to my horrible time restrictions and busy schedule, I've decided to halt the publication of Dragon Heir. This also means it won't be edited, and will be left as is. But no fear! Dragon Heir will be remain on Wattpad. The good news is, I will be continuing Dragon Blade. It feels wrong to leave Leiv in the middle of her journey. I know it's been a long while, but I'm hoping to continue with it soon. Dragon Heir had always been a sort of 'fun project' for me. To see if I could really write a story. Turns out I can write one, but my grammar was atrocious, as was my punctuation and sentence structures. The first pages of Dragon Blade will be most likely stay the same, so expect a shift of writing style in the next chapters.

As you may or may not know I am currently also working on another story 'The King's Empath', which is also available on my Wattpad. I'm honestly not sure how i'll be writing both of these stories simultaneously, but i'll sure as hell try. Seeing as I haven't read DB in months, I'll have to read and reacquaint myself with it before I begin writing it again.

I can't promise fast updates, but I can promise that I will certainly be finishing both stories over time. Be patient with me as I go down this new path. Along with my budding new business, classes, writing, and about a million other side jobs, I'm hoping for your consideration and support while slowly writing both stories. You've all been so amazing, and I thank you for every ounce of love you've shown my stories.

Read on!

Tiny excerpt from Empath

One of the things I love about female characters is their attitude. It's fun to add dialogue when you have a character as strong as Thea say these kind of things in your head.

Excerpt from The King's Empath, chapter 4.

“Why is a lovely thing like you sitting here all alone?”

 Thea didn’t answer.

 “Well,” he took her silence as permission to sit, “how about I keep you company?”

 “I’m fine. You can leave.”

 The man’s looks reminded her of a fish. With puckered lips and eyes too big for his flat face, it was no wonder he had to pay for a woman’s touch.

 “Come on sweetheart, don’t be like that. I can make this a night you could only dream of. Just say yes and we’ll have a great time.”

 “No, you may leave now.”

 His cheeks reddened, but he kept himself calm. “Darling—“

 “Don’t call me that.”

 “Honey—“

 “That either.”