Vliar Excerpt

 Here is an excerpt from my "Airilie" novel. This is probably one of the most visceral things I've ever written. Comments and thoughts?      

"Suddenly he thrust forth and was atop Flynn, who was kicking and screaming – begging. But there was a ripping sound, and suddenly he was silenced and the entrails of his throat were displaced and thrown aside. Mad with an unexpected rage that shot up from the very core, Vliar couldn’t stop himself as he continued to tear at the helpless man – a man that had now become a corpse. And there it was, after digging and scooping and dirtying his hands with crimson, his prize, the curse and affliction that was his plague: the heart. The hunger he had quelled for what seemed like an eternity burst from his stomach upwards until he was salivating. Was this why he had kept hearing the heartbeat? It seemed so natural, so instinctive to eviscerate this body and retrieve the life-giving organ. It was nourishment for the soul – no, he had no soul now; it was nourishment for the body and the body only.  And as he ate it, quashed the meat in his mouth, ecstasy like a star burst rushed through his body as though it was the blood he no longer had coursing through his veins. He felt alive.

 Corpron stood there, too shocked to move. He wanted desperately to pull out his sword, restore balance, order to the scene before him, but such primal blood-lust froze him with fear.

And then Vliar, too, looked down upon the body – his victim – and the primal instinct embedded within his brain was replaced with reasoning. His eyes widened. Horror pulsed through him, replacing the ecstasy. His hands were coated with sweltering red guilt. He cowered away from the body on all fours, sliding to the corner of the room. Rocking back and forth, he muttered strange syllables, the likes Corpron had never heard before. And then something coherent: “Save me, Corpron. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

But it was all too late, for then Corpron became the next victim in a string of unforgivable transformations and deaths that tore away at the very foundations of humanity."

March 19th and other things

So, today is one of those days when you are so bored that you find a new hobby or something. And I can't find a new hobby, so instead I write a blog post.

Like I said, I have nothing going on in my life.

Well, tomorrow I have a DMol meeting with the counselor person. I will talk to him/her and see what I can do if I have this surgery this summer (which is pretty much a given that I will). I will be double majoring (I think I mentioned that already), but I don't know what other degree to get. Plus, I'd have to do speech, and I will kill myself if I have to take another speech class. I seriously hate speech with a passion. It might even be the only reason I DON'T do a double major. Yeah.

Let's seeeee ...

Oh, writing. I plan on doing that today as well. I have been a little caught up with some things (like the prospect of surgery as well schooling and, shamefully, pokemon tower defense) to get on that. But I promised myself today I will. I mean, I even did homework waaaaaaay ahead of time!!! That's not like me at all. I really, really, really, really want to get done with this Airilie story and get to the next "chapter" of it, so to speak. Can't wait for what's in store. Also, definitely have to fine tune some things, but I have a friend currently working on that. Her input is golden. Hope she's gotten a little further in the correction process.

Reading: I'm currently reading a book called "The End of Alice" for my class. It's rather disturbing, and fairly interesting. I'd recommend it, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart.

Not sure what else to say. Like I said, not much going on right at this moment. Well, off to procrastinate, collect my thoughts, and then begin writing. Perhaps I'll post a cool little excerpt later. I haven't done that in a very, very long time. Well, 2 weeks. But still.

St. Patrick's Day

Let me start this blog off right: I HATE St. Patrick's Day.

Yup. You read that right. And no, my language was not harsh. I could go a lot harsher, but I reserve that for my birthday, which holds a special place of complete contempt in my heart.

"Why?" might you say. "Why hate this holiday?"

Because of pricks, that's why.

Yes, I'm Irish, but by a small margin that seriously might not even be considered Irish at all. I am more middle European (from Bohemia, and if you don't know what that is, think gypsy country, but now extinct), with some northern such as Denmark and Sweden (I take pride in the Swedish part). But yes, there is some Irish in there. In fact, I believe that I am like most people in America. Most Americans (and I do generalize quite a bit, because I just know that someone is going to hit me back with a statistic on how only 40% of Americans are actually part Irish and blah blah blah go awaaaay), are only a small part of Irish. I don't think I've yet met someone who was 50% or more Irish. This holiday is supposed to be for people who have Irish heritage. And yes, even though you do have SOME Irish in you, in my eyes, it's not really enough to be considered Irish.

Hell, do any of you people actually know what St. Patrick's Day is all about? It was about how a man (shockingly named St. Patrick) brought Christianity to Ireland.

I bet there are some atheists out there freaking out now and trying to take off their green. Or they're too drunk to do it.

Fun facts about St. Patrick: the legend goes that he banished snakes from Ireland while on a fast. He also used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (which is why the shamrock is a symbol for this day; previously, however, it was a pagan symbol in early Ireland that represented immortality/eternal life). AND he also spoke with ancestral warriors who could not have possibly been still living.

Bet you guys didn't know that, huh?

Want to know why you guys don't know that? This is the part that really gets me.

BECAUSE EVERYONE TURNED IT INTO A TIME WHERE ALL YOU DO IS GET DRUNK.

There is no praising St. Patrick and his accomplishments, and if there is, then it's in a drunken stupor to say, "hey man, thanks for this wonderful day of beer where it's beer and beer and socially beer acceptable to drink beer ... beer."

No. Just no.

See, the problem is is that I'm not really just analyzing St. Patrick's Day as well. I'm lamenting the sad state of all holidays. They have been overly commercialized and have far strayed from their original meanings.

Go ahead; get drunk. Just understand WHY you are instead of just doing it because you can. In all honesty, today IS supposed to be a day of celebration (per the Catholic religion dictates). I just don't find it acceptable to do so without actually understanding the history and reasoning. Especially if you aren't Irish. That's what really irks me: not being Irish and "celebrating" just because you can. Or people that are all like, "Man, I'm sooooo Irish" and it's like, yeah, you are, but only 5%, and when else do ever mention your Irish heritage except for today?

And while I'm thinking about it, what's with the people that always ask: "Why aren't you wearing green?" and then they poke you, or pinch you, or whatever the stupid "punishment" is. Uhm, maybe because I'm not Irish? (Like I said, I am, but there are lots of people who aren't, so why would they be forced to wear green? Think about it.)

 And then last night I was talking to a friend, and she said, "I'm getting a whole bunch of alcohol right now for the special occasion. Preparation. It beings." And I asked: "For what?" And she as like "St. Patrick's Day tomorrow! Omg how did you not know that?"

... Seriously? You're going to inquire as to why I don't know what day it is tomorrow when all you are going to do is tell me about how you are going to abuse alcohol for a holiday that you have no idea why you are actually celebrating?

Please.

So, the point of this is to not be a downer. I'm all for a party and celebration and what not. But it's for the right reasons, not this crappy over-commercialization aspect.

asdfghjkl;'

Yes, that title is pretty much my finger going over every single key on the middle row of letters.

Anyway.

Today is a writing day for me. I plan on doing some homework later today because the prof said to get it done pretty early and not wait until the last minute. Normally all profs say that, but I believe this one. He has the most difficult test/quizzes/exams/homework. I got a B on his last exam, and I was actually pretty happy with it. I took one of his classes last semester, and pretty much you need to regurgitate EVERYTHING he says in order to get full points. It's kind of awful.

So. Today I will be finishing up a chapter of my "Airilie" novel. Super excited for this one. I don't really know how I'm going to approach the chapter afterwards, however. I actually had this plan where the characters go off and stop something (I'm being extremely vague for a reason), but my novel is already over 100,000 words. I read that most fantasy novels (especially from unestablished writers such as myself), should not aim for more than 125,000 words, 150,000 at most (even for 150,000 words most authors/publishers shy away from that). If I do this side-quest type thingy, then it will for sure put me over 125,000 words, and the total novel will probably be over 150,000.

I know it seems easy to just say "don't go there." But you have to realize that these characters have formed into real people in my mind. They have a sense of extreme justice. I can't envision them not going.

Oooooh the trials of being a tortured writer.

I also read that authors should not plan on sequels and movie deals and who plays the characters and what not. To be honest, I have not even thought about any of those at all, except for perhaps sequels, but only because I'm finding it impossible to say everything I want in one book (so in other words, it's a series). I used to be one of those people that thought They just want the money; that's why they have 5 books when it could have been condensed to 3. I literally don't believe that anymore.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more I am thinking that I have to write a series. To be honest, this book I have is . . .  okay, let me back up. You know how The Hobbit is one book, and then The Lord of the Rings has 3 books in that series? That's sort of how I feel this is ending up. This particular story is like a prequel to a MUCH BIGGER happening later on.

I seriously didn't plan it like this ... It just ... did.

Anyway, I need to get on to finishing this story. But for now, lunch, and then I'm not sure what. Woohoo.

On Names Pt. 2

So, I love how I said that I was going to do the part about names I hate "sometime later this week" on my last post, and it ends up being the next day. Anyway, doesn't really matter; I was going to get to it eventually.

So, to continue where I last left off. There are certain names that I just can't stand. I think we all have that feeling sometimes when someone tells you their name, or you overhear one, and you think to yourself, "Ew. Really? I feel bad for you. . . ." We can't help it. It's human nature to like some things, and dislike others.

Anyway, as a creative author of the fantasy genre, I find myself creating odd names (re: last post). As mentioned also, I do like a lot of pretty mundane names as well, so I'm not incredibly blinded by my ignorance . . . just a little.

I enjoy names that sound like they come from the 1920s, '30s, or around that era. Margaret, Mitchell, Joshua (Not "Josh," I do actually like the full name), etc.

It's so strange how names morphed from the previous decades to this current one. Biblical names seemed to be the hot commodity "back then," and still they are pretty prevalent today, but more and more kids are being named something extremely unique. Like actually being named "Unique" (FYI, don't name your kid Unique).

And it's not like I completely dislike that. Like I said earlier, I make up my own names all the time. It's just . . . some of those names are so strange. They are portmanteaus of their mother's and father's names. So if the child born is a girl and the the mother's name is Becky, and the father's is Shawn, the child might be named "Beshawny."

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD NAME THEIR KID THAT?!

Excuse me as I do my deep breathing exercises. 

...

Done.

Anyway, as a writer, I tend to stray away from portmanteaus of names. They just don't ever come out right. And maybe that's just my preference (actually, it IS just a preference. But it's a pretty darn good preference if you ask me). I know that that sort of name is supposed to be a "tie" to the parents. And as cute as that sounds, it's just that I feel like you are holding back your child from certain aspects of life. The problem with society and culture today is that we are constantly trying new ways of being our self and expressing who we really are. There is nothing wrong with that by any means. But also as a culture, we were always, and will continue to be always, extremely judgmental of others. If I were an employer and I saw such a strange name, I would immediately (and begrudgingly so) think bad thoughts of that person before I even met him/her.

... How did a talk about names I dislike somehow morph into this attack on names and society?

Anyway. I think the point I was trying to make with that is that when I create a name, I try to have it fit the story, but also be respectful and not completely wacky at the same time. There's an "air of Latin" to my names. In other words, strange, but it looks good, and sounds good.

I'm actually a huge fan of changing around spelling of a name. But there are tacky ways that it can be done, and there are definitely great ways it can be done to enhance a name. Sometimes it's better to add letters to a name than take them away. An example: Jessie looks weird spelled Jessi (I know, only one example).

I think that this is all I have to say right now. Keep in mind, my ideas and thoughts are ALWAYS changing. Right after I publish this, I may just change my thoughts on a number of these things. But also keep in mind that a lot of beliefs take several years to change. For example, I once hated the name Sebastian, probably since 8th grade when I first saw a book and wanted to read it, but couldn't pick it just because the main character's name was Sebastian (I know, shallow, right?). Well, just recently, I've gained an affinity for the name. It took like 6ish years, but I can finally appreciate it.

Anyway, so don't take what I say as the golden standard: it's not by any means. It's an opinion at one moment in time. Who knows what one's beliefs are in the next few seconds?

Certainly not I.

On Names

I didn't really plan on doing this until someone asked me how I picked out the names that I use in my stories. It got me thinking. I wonder how a lot of other writers pick out names for their characters. So, in response to that, I am writing this (hopefully short) response.

Most of the names I actually use come straight from my thoughts. Seriously. I just pick out what letter I want the name to start with, and then I just put different sounds together. If it sounds like something that fits, I use it. Rarely have I ever gone back and changed the name of a character (Although I did in my Airilie story ... His name was "Lee," and then I decided to change it to "Reed" for absolutely no reason whatsoever).

An aside to that is this: I once read that Stephenie Meyer changed a bulk majority of her "Twilight" characters' names, so much so that when she wrote the first few drafts, she would get calls from the people editing saying, "Who the hell is this? He just randomly appears." And then she'd explain.

(I know. A "Twilight" reference. That's two now. Hate me yet?)

The fact of the matter is this: there is actually a lot of conscious thought that goes into picking a name out. We don't just go for "the pretty sounding word." And sometimes, for purely editorial/appeal concerns, the names of certain places and characters have to change. So to the world, a character might be known as "Bob," but to the author, he will always be known as "Jim." And so we type "Bob" down when writing, but sometimes a "Jim" slips in there. We can't help it. Now, I'm not sure if this is totally true (same for the above reason), because I've never been edited, but sometimes a name just doesn't fit and that's why it has to change, but that doesn't mean the first-called name doesn't stick with the writer forever.

Sometimes I'd overhead a conversation, or watch television and they'd say a name that sounded great and had a ring to it.

However, there are also times when deliberately picking out the name to mean something must be done, aka not just putting stuff together to make it sound good. you know, actual research. I like to go to http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/ to look up the etymology of the names, meanings, and how popular the name is in the world. Also, the Social Security Administration keeps records on the most popular names of the year (like the top 100 of both boys and girls), and I believe it goes back well into the 1930's, if memory serves me correct.

Most characters I write, however, are in need of a completely made-up name; not just because I love seeing people struggle with pronunciation, but because, well, I write fantasy. It's my job to think creatively. That does not mean, though, that I don't like original, worldy names as well. In fact, I'm quite partial to old-fashioned names. Jasper, Casper, Gretchen (yes, seriously), etc. In fact, I plan on my first child's name to be something completely quote-unquote normal, if not mundane and trite.

That said, whenever I come across a name that I really like, I have a document that I have open at all times, and I place the name in there for future use. Perhaps I'll never use that name, or perhaps the next character that enters my realm calls for one of those names (or maybe even a different one altogether!). Who knows? It just has to fit the character.

And then there are names that I just can't stand. And that, my friends, is a completely different post. In fact, I'll rant about it probably sometime later this week.

Getting the hang of it

Seriously, I've posted 3 days in a row now. I'm doing pretty awesome at this whole blogging thing.

Anyway, today, since I have very, very little to do, I plan on writing a bit to my Airilie novel. Finally! So excited to get back to Eaghan, and Saoirse and all that. Don't tell, but someone major and important is going to die. Yeah. It just got real.

Later, or perhaps before I write, I will do the online quiz I didn't do today. Ugh. I really need to get on that. It's not due until next Monday though, so I'm still ahead of the time, like, majorly, but I hate having this whole entire thing just hanging over my head saying, "Tyler, do it. Doooo itttttt."

I also plan on going to Qdoba's today for lunch. That place is full of so much win. I get the same thing every darn time I go there. Because it's delicious. And because no one else ever tells me to get something different. And because I don't know why else, but you have to believe what I said previously.

Perhaps I'll do some reading as well. Get back into my "The Swan Thieves" that I started over break. Ugh. I bought that book like 2 years ago and just never got around to reading it. It's an okay book, just not usually up my repertoire that I normally read. I obviously most like to read what I write, although a fun fact is that I don't really read much sci-fi, but have extreme sci-fi undertones in my work. And strangely enough, my favorite novel is considered the first sci-fi novel EVER. I'm quite strange.

I shaved last night and accidentally cut myself (like usual). The only reason I mention this is because right now that cut is sort of -what's the word? - pulsing. Like, I can feel it. It's bothersome.

Okay, well now I must get back into this writing thing, and whatever else it was that I planned on doing today. American Idol is on tonight. Perhaps I'll blog about that later. I'm not sure. Probably not. I'll forget.