Writing

Hmm. I think it's about time I posted something here. This will be my first step into blogging and I don't really expect much of it. At least it should be cheaper than a psy.

So I took up writing again recently.

Some twenty years ago I first thought of the Fantasy world of Kemenfae, at the time it was little more than Ray Feist fan-fiction. Since then I learned of that author's dislike of fan-fic (which I fully respect) and spent some time developing an entire world instead of the single continent I had planned. First ideas about the plot appeared around the same time. But when I sat down to actually write about this world I was stuck and I mothballed all my material.

Roughly eight years later I went to college in the US and took a creative writing class (in truth to be near to the girl I loved). After a while, I wrote a few Fantasy short stories and was astonished to find my teacher actually liked it. You can imagine my surprise when I recently learned he'd actually written a few published short stories in the Dragonlance world in addition to the western novels he'd told us about. In any case, this class and my almost simultaneous discovery of on line role playing (text) urged me to start writing again. Unfortunately I found my earlier design of Kemenfae and its cultures unsatisfactory. So instead of writing my stories I redesigned the world.

A few years after that I remembered all the fun I'd had writing. This time I'd learned from my previous experience and started writing right away. I finished a few short story drafts introducing myself to characters and cultures. I also joined an online writers' workshop as I had returned to Europe recently and was no longer submerged in an english-language culture. But again, after a few weeks of writing I despaired over my apparent lack of talent and threw the towel once more.

Almost exactly three years ago I once again fell hopelessly in love. As a gift for her birthday I started to write a short story about a beautiful, shape shifting unicorn (her) and an ugly warrior (me). Soon I realised this story neatly fit into my world of Kemenfae, so I quickly rewrote it and a new story line evolved. Through sheer coincidence I had stumbled over the fitting ending of the trilogy I had so long envisioned. I never sent the girl her story and half forgot about her.

It should be noted that all those years, even when I was not writing, I kept developing Kemenfae. It had become fairly alive in my mind and it's history seemed almost as real as that which I'd studied back in college.

Since my return from college I had never really managed to make a living. I never got a decent diploma out of my studies and for some employers I was under-qualified, for others over-qualified. So I just spent ten years in politics, running for office, participating in day to day brain storming, co-founding the local peace movement etc. In all those years I couldn't afford to maintain any of my hobbies and interests. Then, late last year I was told I might be eligible for welfare. So I applied and after some tribulations I ended up with a thousand euro income I had never expected. This might seem like nothing much to some, but to me it's a fortune.

So this January I started subscribing to magazines, buying games and books of all kinds. I spent about a month reading Fantasy and Science Fiction non stop. When I finally ran out of books I started writing again.

Kemenfae was by now fully developed so I could start with writing right away without bothering about research or anything of the kind. Still, I felt pretty weak concerning writing technique and grammar. So I started slow, writing a couple of short stories I might try to publish at some point. Within a week I wrote some fifty double spaced pages of such stories. I realised I'd desperately need some feedback, so I rejoined the mailing list I'd been on twice before. Overeager and feeling this list might be too slow for my needs, I also joined a fantasy writers' website. Lastly I asked two friends and an English teacher I knew to take a look at my current writing.

Early last week then I started work on my actual trilogy. The Gatelands. In those two weeks I wrote the prologue and two chapters (the first I'd already partially written five years ago and I was astonished it actually read nicely, though I ended up changing the chapter's structure). I have roughly fifty double spaced pages (some twelve-thousand words) finished now and will start work on chapter three tomorrow.

So where I stand now I hope to write an average thousand words a day. Today for instance I wrote slightly less than two-thousand words and proofread a chapter draft. Two days ago on the other hand I only managed some six-hundred words. So it varies daily, I just hope I'll keep it up at this overall pace.

But I've rambled long enough now, time to post this then.