Category: Plots

Characters · Plots · WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday – The Ghost Stories

paulaacton22 Comments

I decided today to take a break from the medieval but don’t worry another dungeon tour is imminent, instead I want to talk about ghosts.

We all grew up hearing ghosts stories you would think they would be easy to write but they are not.  First the very fact we all grew up hearing numerous variations on themes makes it incredibly hard to actually come up with original ideas. When I first got the idea to do this story collection it was because I already had a couple of ideas, then others started coming the problem was obviously my muse had the same childhood I did and was retelling me stories I was convinced I had already heard.  Eventually I came up with 15 ideas that I am happy are original enough to continue with that even if not totally original I can put my own voice into enough to make them my own.

I found myself asking several questions as I vetted these ideas..

  1. Who is the ghost?
  2. Why are they a ghost?
  3. What do they want?
  4. Can they have it?
  5. Who sees them?
  6. How do they react?
  7. Is there a resolution?

The last one is most interesting does resolution mean the ghost moves on in very case in my stories it turns out the answer is no.  Sometimes they merely provide a resolution for the breathing characters.

I also wanted a couple of more humourous stories and hopefully when they are done a couple will have people laughing out loud but that will depend on my storytelling abilities, if I could show you them the way I see them in my head I know you would but it is the transference from mind to page that is hardest for me.  Ideas have never been a problem but I get incredibly frustrated at times trying to project the image to paper, to find the words to express my vision, I know I am probably not alone in that but it can feel that way at times.

Like so many others whose posts I read I do not believe in my abilities at times, I feel the desire for others to justify my words and it is a feeling I hate, it makes me feel like a needy child demanding praise, I even wonder if that is part of the reason for doing this, but then I get scared I will hear not praise or even censure but indifference.

I told my parents about being accepted for publication their response was hardly overwhelming especially as it is unpaid, but the comments I received here and from friends both real and online compensated and I feel that possibly strangers know me better than my own parents.  Don’t get me wrong if the novel was published and made money they would be proud of me but they would not read it still (possibly for the best given a few scenes) but to them it’s not real unless you make a living from it, and I wonder if that is why I feel the way I do about my work though in my case it is not the money but the seeing my name in print which is the main concern.  Having someone think I am good enough to print, someone who selects me above other choices, which makes me feel bad then thinking I may be taking the spot of someone more talented more worthy of the recognition.

I know it sounds like I have gone off topic but I haven’t you see these doubts are my real ghosts, the ones that haunt my dreams.  I do not fear the dead but I fear joining them never having silenced the doubts which plague me. And for that is the real essence of the ghost story, why we all love being scared by the imaginary ghouls because ultimately nothing out there can be as scary as the fear of failure.

WIP Wednesday – Where it all began?
Characters · Plots · WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday – Where it all began?

paulaacton6 Comments

As this is the first real post regarding my WIP I guess it makes sense to discuss where it all began.  Three years ago I found a facebook game I loved and in some ways it would be easy to claim that as the starting point.  But that wouldn’t be quite true.

Screenshot from my KOC account

You see the reason I enjoyed this game so much initially was I already loved the Medieval.  I was a tomboy growing up more at home climbing trees than playing for hours doing dolls hair.  Most times people play knights, and castles the only role for girls is to be the princess waiting to be rescued but then I found her…..

Boudicca!  Now to be fair she lived earlier than the medieval period generally tends to include as she died around 60 AD .

Now history in acedemic terms is not my strong point and I will not insult you my lovely readers by trying to explain in great detail her life story or the politics of the Roman Invasion at the time   For those history buffs out there or those who want to learn a great deal more from better qualified people than I  here is the first part of Battlefield Britain’s take on Boudicca’s Rebellion. http://youtu.be/8hpC44KD3O4  

If you have the time to watch it it really is a fascinating programme sadly embed was disabled so I could only provide the link.  So in simple terms Boudicca was the Queen of the Iceni tribe who led a rebellion against Roman soldiers who wished to enslave her people. The problem here is that many of the stories are as much myth as anything else as history tends to be written by the victors.  No one is actually even sure what she looks like take this composite image I found online

The centre image is from the film Warrior Queen

She was a figure that disappeared from history for many years being made popular again during the reign of Queen Victoria.  Infact it would appear that down the years it is only when a female monarch is in charge that this strong woman is remembered.

She was the isnspiration for my main chararcter Jacantha.  Women were seem as the equal of men at the very least.  They fought alongside them many being considered far more dangerous than the men.  But as in my novel being a female warrio could lead to their sex being used against them if captured,  It is reported that when Boudicca’s daughters were captured they were raped an outrage that only fuelled her hatred for the Roman invaders.

The Roman’s accused the Briton’s of barbarous horrors to justify their slaughter and anyone who questions some of the graphic sexual violence this is a quote from Wikipedia ‘Tacitus says that the Britons had no interest in taking or selling prisoners, only in slaughter by gibbet, fire, or cross. Dio’s account gives more detail; that the noblest women were impaled on spikes and had their breasts cut off and sewn to their mouths, “to the accompaniment of sacrifices, banquets, and wanton behaviour” in sacred places, particularly the groves of Andraste.’

This is a clip from the film Warrior Queen for those of a squeamish disposition I should warn it shows sexual violence as well as normal violence and it is a little longer than I would have liked but it also demonstrates as well the belief in magic held at the time.

 

Next week I shall discuss how the cast of other characters formed around my Queen.

 

A Peek in a Notebook
Characters · Plots · Research · WIP Wednesday

A Peek in a Notebook

paulaacton17 Comments
Monet’s living notebook

Years ago when I first left school I went to Art College instead of taking A levels we had just moved towns and it seemed like a good idea at the time.  In hindsight it was wrong but there was one experience which made the failure worth the lost years.  That was the college trip to Paris. As a city I hated it wander off the tourist paths and you found dirty grubby streets, we even had our own adventure walking through the red light district trying to get back to the youth hostel from one gallery but that is a story for another day.

My best memory of that trip was a little obscure looking gallery filled with the most amazing treasures…Monet’s paintings.  I was fascinated by Monet for two reasons.  First of course were his wonderful paintings, I loved Impressionists but especially Monet.  To stand before the sheer magnitude of his canvas’ to see each individual brush stroke up close was breath-taking.  For me I think it was the first time I truly understood the meaning of the word genius.  But it is the second reason that is the focus of this post.  It is the fact he created and grew and entire garden just so he could paint it.  He planned the views, the colours, the layout all so he could paint his visions.  And in a lesser way this is how I view my note books.  They are my garden starting out as ideas, seedlings planted some to grow to maturity some plucked away.  I thought it might be fun to share a few picture of the note-book I use for my novel.

These are early pages after all I don’t want to give too much away lol.  I started off with collections of images…no thats not true. I started off with the idea I had idea’s about how certain characters would look and act and I searched out images which fit what I envisioned.   I scrawled on around and even over certain images taking notes of the parts that fit with what I wanted, asking myself questions, working out what research I needed to do to find the answers I needed.

I saw those early scribbles as the first tentative brushstrokes or the skimming of charcoal on paper providing an outline for what I wanted to create.

As you can see these early pages become more and more filled with my looping scrawl as more thoughts come to me.  You will also see I love to doodle on the pages as I think.  It has been a long time since I took the time to practise my drawing skills maybe in time if I put in a little more effort as I doodle they will be worth looking at once more.  You can also see on these first pages the skeleton for the novels structure just a quick note in chapter form of the novels timeline.  It held it most of the way with obviously more details and a few changes in later versions.

I did lose track of myself on the occasional page where my terrible scribbling become too confusing to read myself later but as the note-book was only ever meant for me to see I did not think it neccessary to worry about nice neat flowing handwriting but as the book continues as the note-book begins to contain facts and ideas for actual use then it does get better.  no point having a great line if you can’t read what it was.

Someone else made a comment to me that one day if I ever got published people would want to see my note-books and I laughed.  Maybe if that day ever came it might be wise for me to destroy them and pretend they never existed rather than disappoint with my terrible drawings and appalling writing but I don’t think I could ever do that.  Disorganised as they are this is how my ideas have grown, the pages where my characters were born and took their first breaths I don’t think I would ever want to part with them.

I didn’t want to carry on further into the note book afterall pages of text are no where near as amusing as scribbled pictures and random notes but I hope you enjoyed a little peek into how my mind works. Maybe in writing this I have learnt a lesson myself not just about realising myself how I work but also that spending a few extra minutes when writing in my note-books would not only ensure I can read my own writing but one day might make me feel more comfortable about sharing more from them.

Do you use a note-book or are you a straight to computer writer?  If you do what is scribbled in the margins of yours?

Lets call it a taster..WIP
Characters · Plots · WIP Wednesday

Lets call it a taster..WIP

paulaacton8 Comments

I have been debating how to celebrate 3000 views on my page and I thought this was the way to go.  I have read so many of your excerpts from your books and WIP and you have repaid me by coming bac over and over again without the slightest evidence that this WIP of mine is actually going to be worth the effort.  So I decided that I would give you a taster the first few paragraphs of Queen of Ages.  Now please be kind and bear in mind this is only the first draft I am aware of a few glaring grammatical issues, and as I have progressed writing it there will probably be quite a few changes to this but I wanted to share with you where it all began for me.  So here goes I hope you like…..

She pulled her cloak tighter around her, the soft fur brushing against her cheek.  She was alone now. She would stay here the full night paying her last respects to her father until the flames died to smouldering embers.  Despite the warmth from the fire itself she could see her breath as she exhaled. The night was clear, the moon shone brightly.  She turned her gaze towards the sky, picking out the constellations she recognised from her childhood lessons. Each pinpoint of light seeming brighter than the last. Finally she settled on one concentrating her gaze on it.  She picked out each individual star that made up the constellation. She wondered how far away each one really was.  Childhood lessons talked of each star being as big as the land she walked upon.  It seemed as unbelievable to her now as it had as a child.  She found herself going dizzy at the thought of the insurmountable distance between her and the star.  She lowered her eyes back to the ground.

As the flames flickered and danced before her eyes. She allowed her mind to drift back over the last few hours. Everything had happened so quickly, yet she herself had felt as though she had been moving through water.  Everything seemed to have happened in slow motion, as if she were watching it and herself from a distance.  The men had carried her father’s body back from the battle. They had fought valiantly and on pure skill should have been victorious but it had not been skill which had determined the outcome.  The few warriors who had returned had described strange circumstances occurring during the course of the skirmish. She hadn’t been able to take it all in.  There would be time for the stories to be retold in the next few days but first the formalities must be performed with the solemnity they deserved.  Her father was a bear of a man, tall and broad. She had gained his height but had inherited her mother’s willowy build.  In her memories of childhood he was alternately the kind loving father who lifted her into his lap and regaled her with stories of wolves, and witches, faerie folk and elves. Or he was the strict ruler impressing upon her and her younger brother the importance of their future roles.  A strict taskmaster on the training field, he taught them to wield various weapons. Forcing them to practice for hours, even though their arms ached and they had reached a point through weariness where it was all they could do to lift the huge broadswords.

A brief smile escaped her lips at the thought. She bore him no ill feelings for the fact the hours training had far outweighed the precious hours of stories. She understood why things had been that way, the smile faded as the realities of the warrior life returned as she thought of the lifeless body carried back through the keep gates. Without his fearsome spirit the body had seemed smaller. Now she would take his place as the leader of their tribe, and would be expected to lead her troops with the same bravery and skill as he had.  Tomorrow she would take the crown and her brother would receive the heir’s diadem that now sat upon her chestnut tresses.

Characters · Plots · WIP Wednesday

Getting Intimate

paulaacton4 Comments

Okay there comes a point in a book, well okay in most fantasies of any genre, where someone has to get it on.  Okay so it did happen in chapter two so you didn’t have to wait long.  But it is further into my novel where it gets uncomfortable.  I will admit that the first sex scene I wrote I did blush a little as I wrote it.  But if I am honest after that it came fairly easily.  It could not be a medieval fantasy without its share of rape and pillaging.  The problem starts when I am trying to write lovemaking as opposed to violent, rough sex and rape.

Am I the only one who finds lust so much easier to write than love? And if so what does it say about me?

I think in part its due to the visuality of the words.  If I say he thrust into her or impaled her there is no doubt as the the force used.  Words like caressed can be so ambigeous, finding the right word to explain the exact nature of the touch is harder.  Maybe this is due to my inexperience in writing on the subject.  Lets face it unless you decide to write a novel, the only experience most of us have are in naughty messages to our other halves.  They of course have the bonus of knowing exactly what it is that presses our buttons so even if the message is poorly written they get the message.

I have had the pleasure of reading several blogs by other writers some of whom seem to have far more ease in this department than me.  Or at least their writing would suggest they do, I know one author did tell me she still finds it awkward.  I wonder whether it is because writing the lovemaking scenes is more intimate.  Are you giving away part of yourself, your own experiences.  When I write a rape scene it is what I believe the character would do, whereas with a love scene does my own experiences creep into it a little more.

I would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this.  Is there a difference between writing love and lust?

Characters · Plots · WIP Wednesday

Fatal Attraction

paulaacton4 Comments

Recently I read a Blog by Heidi on her page Inside the mind of a Fantasy Writer about wanting her readers to side with the bad guy.  I think that as in reality most of us have a thing for the bad boy.  We wouldn’t want to marry one and generally we out grow them but they are always there lurking in our fantasies.  The bad boy respresents everything our parents warn us against. We know he will probably break out heart, he is dangerous but damn he is sexy.

Throughout the press we see bad boys on self destruct, yet these are the guys who would seem to have everything going for them, looks, fame and women falling at their feet.  The say that good guys always finish last I don’t agree with that I think they start last.  They are the ones we are friends with, the ones whose shoulders we cry on when the bad guy breaks our hearts.  But as we get older the good guy comes into his own.  We reach a point where sitting looking longingly at the phone waiting for a call has lost its charm.  It is the the stability of the good guy comes into its own, he is the one we want to father our children, the bad guy well thats another story.

The bad guy is our fantasy, the guy who dominates us in ways we never thought we wanted.  He is the guy who backs you into a corner and ravishes you. The problem is you know the minute he knows he has you hooked he is onto his next target.  And that is why the bad guy makes such a great character for a writer.  With the baddie you can let your mind run free.  You don’t need to think is this in keeping with his character, will he regret it later, no he will do what ever it takes to achieve his own agenda.  The bad boy can never really be the victor without reforming, the problelm is that reformed he loses his appeal.  He may still have his looks and be a sexy guy but he stops being the fantasy.  I decided on my bad guy had to die.  It is sad and I find myself dragging my heels slightly writing as I approach his demise.  That he has to die I have no doubt, it is not so much that he is killed as he self destructs.  The interesting thing is the emotions he inspires, not just in me but in the way I write the way he interacts with other character.  My heroine has every reason to hate him, yet is physically attracted to him.  This battle of emotions is fascinating me even as I write it.

I did for one brief moment consider a different ending but it just wouldn’t fall into place.  My characters will mark his passing in different ways and I will mourn him.  Yet, as I believe in reincarnation who knows if he will reappear at a later date.