ROW80 Round 1 - 10th Update

As I briefly mentioned in my last update, while going over my novella outline and map earlier in the week, the idea for a short story drifted into my head. After having a whinge about it getting in the way of my novella, I dashed out a few hasty scenes of the short story, wanting to at least keep the idea for a later time. Then I opened my novella document and stared at it for a while.

And then I had another short story idea.

Once again I typed out the ideas and scenes I'd thought up, pounding away at my keyboard like a monkey on LSD. As with the first story, I got an almost complete (albeit dodgy) first draft before abandoning it and returning to Dark and Silent Waters. That was on Thursday. Since then, I pretty much haven't touched the short stories, but I have been flying through more of my novella. Chapter 1 has had a good shake-up, with some unnecessary crap cut out and other bits moved to later chapters, where they're more relevant (and to alleviate the too-many-characters-introduced-at-once syndrome). I've also made some good progress on chapter 2, filling in more of the previously abandoned scenes. I also think I've managed to bring a lot more tension into it, which is a big step forward.

Here is my updated word tally thingy:

Dark and Silent Waters
Prologue - 804 (complete)
Part 1
Chapter 1 - 5,674 (complete, but will be cut down during revisions)
Chapter 2 - 3,821
Chapter 3 - 786
Chapter 4 - 0
Part 2
Chapter 5 - 513
Chapter 6 - 933
Chapter 7 - 1,777
Chapter 8 - 1,991 (complete)
Part 3
Chapter 9 - 852
Chapter 10 - 0
Chapter 11 - 0
Chapter 12 - 1,240
Epilogue - 1,373

Total - 18,902

The Watch Tower - 666

The Fallen City - 883

Though completing the short stories would be nice - and they are fun for me to look at my novella world from another angle - my main concern is the novella. Providing that nothing disastrous happens between now and then, I think that I should be able to reach the 20,000 word mark by the end of the week. This will fill me with feelings of warm fuzziness and so on, and will incite me into the celebratory consumption of much chocolate and alcohol and possibly another Doctor Who DVD marathon.

Victoria was hit by severe storms on Friday and Saturday as a result of the massive cyclone Yasi in Queensland. This caused flash flooding across some of the Melbourne suburbs, and though my small town escaped the worst of it, parts of it were still under a fair bit of water - including our street and property (luckily the water didn't get into the house though). After seeing his back yard turned into a swamp, Judgemental Dog was not impressed:

For other ROW80 updates, click here.

Imperial or Metric in a Medieval Fantasy World

When I had the first chapter of my novella critiqued at my last writing workshop meeting, one of the issues that was brought up was the discrepancy between my use of measurements; I had used metres at one point, only to refer to inches a paragraph or two later. Obviously keeping this consistent is important, so I'm going to have to pick one or the other, but my main issue is this; which system do I use? My novella, Dark and Silent Waters, is set in a medieval fantasy world; so far I haven't given it an exact time period, but it would closely parallel 900-1200AD in our own medieval European history. The Exile trilogy (my other major project) is also set in a medieval fantasy realm, though probably at a slightly more advanced level than in Dark and Silent Waters (perhaps 1200-1500AD).

Imperial terms - inches, feet, miles etc - are generally shorter. They are faster to write and they seem to flow better in a sentence. And they seem to be the norm, for I can't recall seeing the metric system used in any fantasy book that I've read (apart from the Australian urban/steampunk fantasy subgenres, which I don't think can really be counted in this case since it's completely different to the medieval subgenre. But I could be wrong.).

However, I am used to the metric system. Probably because I live in Australia and have been raised to think in terms of centimetres and kilometres and so on. Also, being Australian, I feel a sort of grammatical obligation (is that even a proper phrase?) to use the metric system.

What do people think? Will the story still feel natural if I use my preferred metric system? Or should I stick to convention and go with imperial?

ROW80 Round 1 - 9th Update

Since the last check-in, I've more or less been doing the same as what I was before; revising my outline and chapter 1. I did add more to chapter 2, filling out a few important scenes (though one will most likely be completely rewritten since it concerns a part of the outline I'm still not happy with). However, chapter 1 got most of my attention; there is so much to be done with it, and I think for the first chapter it's especially important to hook the reader in with not only precise and punchy writing, but with an engaging story that raises questions the reader needs to find answers to. It's still a work in progress; the more I fix, the more I find that needs fixing. *sigh*

I also had a rant about the prevalence of poor grammar in today's society (I figured that if I was going to procrastinate, I might as well still do something useful).

Yesterday as I was going over my novella outline (again), I was looking at my map, trying to work out time taken to travel a certain distance and so on, when the beginnings of other ideas began gnawing at the back of my brain, like crazy little mind termites. I have a history of getting half way through one story and then being distracted by another (I know that some of my school/TAFE/uni friends are nodding as they read this), so I was determined to ignore it and focus only on my current project. I actually said to myself out loud, "I will not touch anything else until Dark and Silent Waters is finished!"

Famous last words.

When I woke up this morning from a strangely eerie dream about the watery Underworld of my story (you know you spend too much time writing when you have nightmares about your own novel), I could see several scenes from it playing out in my mind, with words seeming to curl through them, demanding to be written. With this, I basically resigned myself to the fact that this new idea wasn't going to leave me alone until I wrote about it (damn you, ADHD writer muse!).

As I've said in earlier posts, I don't really write short stories, so I don't know how this one will turn out (probably shite, knowing my history with short stories). I hope to workshop it at either my next workshopping meeting or the one after (depending on how I go with both this short story and my first two chapters of my novella). At this stage, it is tentatively titled The Watch Tower, and it will be set at some point before the events of my novella. So far I have just over 500 words. If I can get it to a high enough standard, I will try submitting it to a few dark fantasy short story anthologies, or at least include it as a 'bonus chapter' in my novella if/when that gets published.

I just realised I haven't included a word count tally for a while, so here it is:

Dark and Silent Waters
Prologue - 804 (complete)
Part 1
Chapter 1 - 6,291 (complete, but will be cut down during revisions)
Chapter 2 - 2,468
Chapter 3 - 173
Chapter 4 - 0
Part 2
Chapter 5 - 95
Chapter 6 - 933
Chapter 7 - 1,777
Chapter 8 - 1,991 (complete)
Part 3
Chapter 9 - 852
Chapter 10 - 0
Chapter 11 - 0
Chapter 12 - 1,097
Epilogue - 1,373

Total - 17,865

The Watch Tower - 521

Judgemental Dog being all high and mighty as always:


Click here to see how the other ROW80ers are going.

Grammar Nazi goes on a Rampage

Friend: Stop being such a grammar Nazi!
Me: Well, stop raping the English language!

Those of you who know me will be aware that I am extremely pedantic when it comes to correct spelling/grammar/word usage and so on. I'm not saying I'm perfect myself - I'm sure I make mistakes here and there - but I get so frustrated by people who don't even try to speak/write with proper grammar.

I must admit that, if someone can barely string together a coherent sentence, I quickly lose the desire to converse with them. Is this judgemental? Most likely. Unfair? Perhaps. I can't help it, it's just how I am. However, I know that I'm not alone in this attitude. Many employers look for good written and verbal communication skills, so not being able to express yourself eloquently can put you at a serious disadvantage in the workforce (depending on what industry you are in, of course).

Disclaimer: I understand that things like Facebook are not formal means of communication, so I'm not expecting everyone on there to have the vocabulary of a university lecturer. People who correct every little typo on status updates or in online conversations etc. are almost as annoying as the people molesting the English language in the first place. But the problem is, most people who use poor grammar/spelling on Facebook do exactly the same thing in other places - including formal communication channels - and this is where it becomes a problem. (I've had this discussion with friends recently so I thought I'd include this point)

People who TyP lYk DiS need to be hunted down and killed. Slowly. But I digress.

Anyway, in the hopes of reducing the amount of horrendously written prose I am faced with (and, in turn, the amount of head-desking I do out of sheer despair at said prose), I decided to throw together a post on commonly misused/mis-spelled words and punctuation. It is by no means a complete guide to grammar, but it does contain the issues I find to be most common (and annoying). As I stumble across more instances of our language being abused, I will add to this post, so if you have any other suggestions that you'd like to see included, feel free to comment :)

Affect/Effect
'Affect' means 'to influence.' Eg. "The hot weather will affect the garden."
'Effect' means 'the result of' or 'to bring about.' Eg. "Adding vinegar to the bi-carb soda had an explosive effect."

A lot/Allot
'A lot' (note that it is two words) refers to a great quantity. Eg. "There are a lot of weeds in my garden."
'Allot' is a verb meaning 'to distribute between or among.' Eg. "The General will allot a ration of supplies to each soldier."
'Alot' is not a word.

Angel/angle
'Angel' refers to spiritual beings. Eg. "The angel fell from heaven."
'Angle' refers to a cognitive standpoint or a geometric space within two lines diverging from a common point. Eg. "The hill slopes at a sharp angle."

Bare/Bear
'Bare' means naked or exposed. Eg. "The wind was cold on his bare skin."
'Bear' is a large furry mammal that typically lives in forests and mountainous regions. Eg. "The bear chased the hiker because it wanted to eat him."

Been/Being
'Been' is the past tense of 'be.' Eg. "I have been ill."
'Being' is the present tense of 'be.' Eg. "I am being silly."

Bought/Brought
'Bought' is the past tense of 'buy.' Eg. "I bought a sonic screwdriver from eBay."
'Brought' is the past tense of 'bring.' Eg. "I brought a book to uni so I could read it on the train."

Brake/Break
'Brake' refers to stopping or at least slowing down. Eg. "When approaching traffic lights, you should brake your car."
'Break' refers to ruining or destroying something. Eg. "If you drop a glass vase on the ground, it will probably break."

Coarse/course
'Coarse' refers to a rough texture. Eg. "The sandpaper had a coarse surface."
'Course' refers to a systematised or prescribed series, or the path along which something moves. Eg. "I took a course on creative writing before going into IT."

Current/currant
'Current' means 'now' or 'at this time', or refers to the flow of water. Eg. "The current temperature is 24 degrees."
'Currant' is a raisin-y sort of dried fruit, made from grapes. Eg. "I ate a currant."

Defiantly/Definately/Definatley
'Defiantly' means 'with defiance.' Eg. "He defiantly stared down his enemy."
'Definately/Definatley' are not words. The word you are looking for is 'Definitely,' which refers to certainty. Eg. "It is definitely going to rain today."
There is no 'a' in 'definitely.' The Oatmeal said it best: "If you put an A in 'definitely,' then you're definitely an A-hole."

Discussed/Disgust
'Discussed' is the past tense of 'discuss', meaning 'spoke about.' Eg. "The students discussed their assignment during their lunch break."
'Disgust' refers to the feeling of horror or abhorrence towards something unpleasant. Eg. "She stared at the squashed spider in disgust."

DVDs/DVD's
'DVDs' is the plural of 'DVD.' Eg. "There are three DVDs on the shelf."
'DVD's' is the possessive form of 'DVD.' Eg. "The DVD's label is tattered."

Have/of
'Have' means 'to possess or own.' Eg. "I have a dog."
'Of' is a preposition indicating 'distance, direction or separation from,' 'concerning' or 'the origin or source.' Eg. "He is of the northern tribe."
Saying "should of done something" is incorrect. It is "should have done something."

Hear/Here
'Hear' refers to the sense we perform with our ears. Eg. "I can hear a jet flying over the house."
'Here' refers to the present location or time. Eg. "The treasure should be buried here."

He's/His
'He's' is a contraction of 'he is.' Eg. "He's going to write a novel."
'His' is a possessive form of 'he/him.' Eg. "The man dropped his wallet."

Its/It's
'Its' is the possessive form of 'it.' Eg. "The dog licked its paw."
'It's' is a contraction of 'it is.' Eg. "It's going to be a sunny day."

Less/Fewer
'Less' refers to something that must be measured. Eg. "There is less water in the pond."
'Fewer' refers to something that can be counted. Eg. "There are fewer people in the building."

Loose/Lose
'Loose' is an adjective, describing a lack of tightness. Eg. "My shoelaces are loose."
'Lose' is a verb, which can mean either to misplace something or to not win. Eg. "If I don't train hard every day I will lose this race."

Paw/Poor/Pore/Pour
'Paw' refers to the thing on the end of a dog's leg. Eg. "The dog's paw had a thorn in it."
'Poor' refers to something that is not in good condition, or a person with no money. Eg. "The man was poor because he wasted all his money on gambling."
'Pore' refers to either the small openings in the skin or to the act of studying something intently. Eg. "She decided to pore over her textbooks until her maths exam."
'Pour' is a verb meaning to send fluid/fine particles etc flowing. Eg. "I will pour the water into the jar."

Plain/Plane
'Plain' means 'uninteresting' or 'unadorned.' Eg. "The walls of the house were plain white."
'Plane' is short for aeroplane. Eg. "My plane to England was delayed."

Taut/Taught
'Taut' means 'tight.' Eg. "The rope went taut when the acrobat put all her weight on it."
'Taught' is the past tense of 'teach.' Eg. "The teacher taught the students how to solve algebra problems."

Than/Then
'Than' is used in comparative statements. Eg. "Cadbury chocolate tastes better than Nestles chocolate."
'Then' is used to mark time or show a sequence of events. Eg. "I will finish my assignment, and then I will work on my novel."

That/Which
'That' should be used when referring to one of multiple instances. Eg. "Bring me the pen that is on the desk." (there are many pens, we want the one that is on the desk)
'Which' should be used to add more information about an object being referred to. Eg. "Bring me the pen, which is on the desk." (there is only one pen, and it is on the desk)

There/Their/They're
'There' is an adverb meaning 'in that place' or 'in that respect.' Eg. "She will go there as soon as she can."
'Their' is the possessive form of 'they.' Eg. "Their house was burned down."
'They're' is a contraction of 'they are.' Eg. "They're going to be late for school."

Tire/tyre
'Tire' means 'to reduce the strength of' or 'to make weary.' Eg. "Running around the block three times will tire me out."
'Tyre' refers to the rubber band fitted around the metal rim on the wheel of a car. Eg. "I ran over a nail and got a flat tyre."

To/too/two
'To' is a preposition, generally expressing motion or direction towards something. Eg. "I am going to the supermarket."
'Too' can mean 'in addition' or 'to an excessive extent or degree.' Eg. "This lemonade is too sour."
'Two' is the written form of the number 2. Eg. "There are two cans of V left in my fridge."

Visualize/color
These are the American spellings. In Australia (and the UK), we use 'visualise' and 'colour.'

Weather/Whether/Wether
'Weather' refers to the climate. Eg. "The weather has been warm and humid lately."
'Whether' refers to conditions being met. Eg. "I will buy a new car whether I win the lottery or not."
'Wether' refers to a castrated lamb. "The wether has been shorn."

Whose/Who's
'Whose' is a possessive form of 'who.' Eg. "The person whose lottery ticket matches the numbers drawn will be very happy."
'Who's' is a contraction of 'who is.' Eg. "Who's going to go to the beach tomorrow?"

Your/You're
'Your' is a possessive form of 'you.' Eg. "Your fly is undone."
'You're' is a contraction of 'you are.' Eg. "You're not invited to my party."

Yous/you's/youse
None of these are proper words. Stop using them. Just stop. They make you sound like a bogan. The word/phrase you are looking for is 'you', 'you guys', 'you lot', 'you three' etc.

Remember: Every time you use bad grammar, a fairy dies.

ROW80 Round 1 - 8th Update

While I haven't got as much done in the way of adding word count done as I would have liked, I have nevertheless made some important headway on my novella. This has mainly taken the form of revisions to my outline and to what I had of chapter 1. I had already made some minor adjustments in response to feedback received from my writing workshop, but there was still a lot to be done (and there still is). I have started doing a more serious rewrite of this first chapter - including reducing the amount of characters introduced in this section and making them more believable - as well as adding in other bits that had previously been left out. It is now a complete chapter, though it still needs to be reworked. Chapter 2 didn't get much attention this week because I was labouring over chapter 1, so in a way I've failed one of my minor goals (I was hoping to have chapter 2 finished by this weekend).

Yesterday afternoon I discovered a major plot hole in my outline. I don't mean just a little inconsistency, I mean a gaping abyss of logic and reason so big I could probably drop all of Australia in there and no one would ever find it. Well, I guess it wasn't exactly a plot hole, but it was a clear case of a character only being somewhere at a certain time Because The Author Needs Them To Be. After throwing a bit of a tanty and indulging in some chocolate and energy drinks, I sat down and pulled my outline to bits, trying to work out how I could get around it. What I've come up with isn't perfect, but it's better than what was there before, and while trying to fix this plot hole, I managed to stumble across ideas/solutions for other, smaller plot holes (as well as discovering/introducing new ones :| *sigh*).

In light of the work I have undergone revising my outline and beginning to rewrite my first chapter, I have definitely decided to aim to get three chapters finished, and only to attempt the fourth if I have extra time at the end. I suppose I could possibly get four chapters done, but they would be rushed, and the quality would no doubt suffer; I'd rather get a bit less of it done but have it to a higher standard.

As usual, here is Judgemental Dog guilt-tripping me into writing:


To see how the other ROW80 participants are going, click here.

P.S. My Doctor Who sonic screwdriver keyring torch arrived on Friday. If I said I hadn't been pretending to unlock my car with it, I'd be lying ^_^

A Note on Writing Journals

Something else I found during my late night cupboard-ransacking a short time ago was the corpses of several writing journals from TAFE.

In a few of our classes, we were asked to keep a journal. In it, we were to write down or thoughts and ideas, goals for writing, notes for our stories or poetry and anything else we could think of. If I remember rightly, the class was evenly split; half were in favour of keeping a writing journal, while the other half felt that their energy could be better spent elsewhere.

I belonged to the latter half. As much as I wanted to be organised enough to keep a journal, every attempt I made to do so lasted no more than a few days. I think the closest I ever got to keeping a journal was having a large Cadbury chocolate tin stuffed with wads and wads of random papers - including notepad pages, shopping receipts and restaurant serviettes - upon which I had scrawled various scenes and ideas for my multitude of novels. Usually when I had an idea for something, I would write it down straight away. If I saw a scene in my mind, I had to get it down there and then, not just write a few notes about it and then do the rest later (and yes, this frequently interfered with such activities as eating, sleeping and doing homework). I also tend to get a bit fussy with keeping things in order, so the idea of writing something down, only to realise that I should have written something else before it, grated at me (yes, I have been described - somewhat accurately - as being anally retentive about these things haha). Having loose sheets jammed into a tin allowed me to organise things in whatever order I liked.

I don't know... Maybe I was going about keeping a writing journal the wrong way. Perhaps other writers have other methods that make them more successful with it. I can see the value in them, but I just was never able to make them work.

How about the other writers out there? Writing journals, yay or nay? How do you think they help or hinder you in your own writing?

P.S. I have just begun an exercise book, in which I make a summary of all notes from workshopping feedback on each chapter as I workshop it, as well as ideas for changes. I'm hoping that having all the notes in one place will make it easier to work from. But we'll see how long I keep it going for...

The Judgemental Dog Chronicles - Volume 1

Because I like taking photos of my dog (much to his dismay), and because I like wasting time in Photoshop captioning things, I thought I would give Judgemental Dog (a.k.a. Rex) his own post, in which all of his LolDog-esque appearances from my blog posts could be brought together in harmony (or some sentimental rubbish like that). Many a time he has provided helpful comments/threats to writers around the world. Perhaps he will inspire/intimidate other writers into getting more work done :)

And for those who want some Judgemental Dog love in the social media world, your favourite condescending canine is on Facebook and Twitter! You can Follow him here, or Like him here.
























The adventures of Judgemental Dog continue in Round 2.