I’ve been working on my MG fantasy this last month, and I’d like to say that everything is moving along swiftly—but then I’d be lying.. I’ve rewritten the first chapter several times already, and it's looking as though it's about to get another full rewrite. Unfortunately, my critique group is a rather impatient bunch and has been clamoring for something to tear apart, so I’ve jumped ahead to work on the third chapter. That’s not considered cheating, is it?
Although I’m still undecided about what will happen in the first chapter, I do have a short list of things that I want, and do not want, to occur in my story.
Stuff I Want List:
1. Magic. Not only am I fascinated by magic, but my quirky imagination and sense of humor tend to require some rewriting of the laws of physics for everything to work right (see Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), and magic lets me get away with this. I doubt I’ll ever write a story that doesn’t have some kind of magical influence running through it.
2. Castles. Love ‘em. (What’s that? The blog title and masthead didn’t give it away?) Hogwarts was my favorite part of the Harry Potter stories, so I knew I’d have to put one in my story. A really big one, with lots of tunnels and secrets.
Stuff I Don’t Want List:
3. Obligatory Sibling Conflict. I’ve posted about this before. Too many of the MG books I’ve read lately begin with an argument between siblings for no apparent reason other than to give the reader an opening filled with (artificial) conflict. I’ve seen this so often I usually stop reading by the end of the first chapter.
4. Orphan syndrome. Is it possible to write a MG paranormal fantasy without the MC having lost one or both of his parents, usually requiring him to live with a clueless relative or at a boarding school? Apparently not, based on the books I’ve read. I’ve heard this trend is due to writers attempting to create sympathy for their characters, but I suspect it has more to do with writers not knowing what to do with real, live parents. Seriously. Most of these stories involve kids getting into trouble in ways that any self-respecting parent would have crushed immediately. In my story, I wanted the challenge of keeping my MC’s adventures hidden from his parents (at least for a while) to be part of the fun.
What sort of likes/dislikes do you have on your list?
Website of Ken Rahmoeller -- fantasy author, chemist, and lover of all things Hogwarts (Photo Courtesy of Scarluuk)
Showing posts with label castles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label castles. Show all posts
Friday, June 21, 2013
Friday, August 10, 2012
Friday Links
Okay, so Friday is almost over in Michigan, but I can't miss two Fridays in a row, so here goes.
First up, we have a letter from Pete Docter of Pixar, in which he writes about how patience and working on your craft can pay off. Enlightening.
Next, for those of you who enjoy the castle I have on my blog's banner head, here's a link to more pictures of the same castle. It's called Castle Miranda and it's in Belgium.
Finally, from my CP, a periodic table for Harry Potter. This excites me both as a Harry Potter fan and as a chemist. Thanks Sheryl.
Have a great weekend.
First up, we have a letter from Pete Docter of Pixar, in which he writes about how patience and working on your craft can pay off. Enlightening.
Next, for those of you who enjoy the castle I have on my blog's banner head, here's a link to more pictures of the same castle. It's called Castle Miranda and it's in Belgium.
Finally, from my CP, a periodic table for Harry Potter. This excites me both as a Harry Potter fan and as a chemist. Thanks Sheryl.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday Links
It’s Friday, so it’s time for some fun links.
First off, “How It Should Have Ended” has released another video. In preparation of their upcoming release of “How the Avengers should have ended,” they’ve released a teaser showing the drawing session for Black Widow. I haven’t been able to watch it yet, but I’ll bet it’s good. Here’s the link
Next, a link to a story about how one guy became a screenwriter almost overnight.
And finally, because I love castles, ruins, and almost any very old building, I give you a 360 degree panoramic view of the Cistine Chapel. . They sure knew how to build buildings back in the day. It’s no wonder I love writing about Hogwarts.
And for those of you living in the US, have a Great Memorial Day weekend.
First off, “How It Should Have Ended” has released another video. In preparation of their upcoming release of “How the Avengers should have ended,” they’ve released a teaser showing the drawing session for Black Widow. I haven’t been able to watch it yet, but I’ll bet it’s good. Here’s the link
Next, a link to a story about how one guy became a screenwriter almost overnight.
And finally, because I love castles, ruins, and almost any very old building, I give you a 360 degree panoramic view of the Cistine Chapel. . They sure knew how to build buildings back in the day. It’s no wonder I love writing about Hogwarts.
And for those of you living in the US, have a Great Memorial Day weekend.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Can You Guess My WIP?
This is week #2 in the Warm Fuzzies Blogfest.
Our assignment was to post a photo that we use for inspiration when writing our stories. Here's mine.
I like to wander around this building whenever I need an additional kick in the pants to keep working on my story. It's the only building like it in my area. Too bad I don't live in Britain. Sigh.
There's no point in asking if any of you can guess the type of story I'm writing, since you've probably already seen the blog's title, but I'm sure my next story will use the same photograph.
Our assignment was to post a photo that we use for inspiration when writing our stories. Here's mine.
I like to wander around this building whenever I need an additional kick in the pants to keep working on my story. It's the only building like it in my area. Too bad I don't live in Britain. Sigh.
There's no point in asking if any of you can guess the type of story I'm writing, since you've probably already seen the blog's title, but I'm sure my next story will use the same photograph.
Monday, September 12, 2011
On a Roll!!!
Woo hoo! Not only have I posted twice in three days, but the Detroit Lions also won a game! Armageddon approaches!
Seriously, it’s not like posting every couple of days should be that hard. Most of the blogs I read do it. Even I managed to do that on my previous blog (now dormant except for the occasional comment – usually spam), but that was before my decision to learn how to write fiction. In fact, it was this obsession with fiction that caused me to stop posting at my old blog in the first place.
Rachael Harrie announced the first challenge for the Build Your Platform Campaign a week ago, but due to my being away on vacation and them being really busy when I came back, I never got around to taking up the challenge. The quality of the fiction written by those who did take up the challenge was quite good. Makes me jealous!
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Some of my fellow campaigners have been posting “10 Random Things About Themselves,” so I thought I’d join in.
1. I used to run three miles a day many years ago, even though I hated running in high school. My longest run ever was 9 miles.
2. I’m a research chemist by day, and a part-time chemistry instructor at a local community college by night.
3. I love castles. In fact, I love all old stone buildings – the older the better. Actually “love” is probably too weak a word, but if I told you how I really feel about castles, this post would most likely get banned in some countries.
4. I enjoy reading books on alchemy and trying to replicate their experiments. Hmmm, alchemy, castles, teaching at a school... Is there any wonder why I feel such a connection with the Harry Potter books?
5. My wife and I rarely watch television real time. We record them and watch them later, when it fits our schedule. Unfortunately, this often results in a three month backlog of shows by the time April rolls around, requiring marathon viewing sessions in order to finish them all up before summer.
6. My memory for names and faces is abysmal. Rarely can I make it through a movie without having to ask my wife who’s who at least once. They all look the same. And don’t even think about asking me to help the police sketch artist come up with a composite. One of my biggest fears is that all the characters in my book will end up sounding the same. I may not be able to tell!
7. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Halloween, the start of school, milder days, cooler nights (with just a hint of mystery), and my birthday. The biggest problem with fall up here in Michigan is that it doesn’t last very long. Summer hangs on too long and then it just passes right on through to winter. Sometimes we only get about two weeks of real fall weather.
8. I love video games, although I no longer have much time to spend on them. I’m also the one responsible for getting my kids hooked on Portal. Sorry, honey, I didn’t mean for it to happen. (Yeah, right.)
9. I believe I have finally entered the “Blog Event Horizon” (ala Douglas Adams), which means I am now following more blogs than it is possible to read in a 24 hour period.
10. I would love to retire in Britain someday. The castles and history alone are worth it.
Bonus random fact:
My long term plan is to eventually get around to writing my own series, sell a bazillion books, buy a castle in Britain (a haunted one would be best), spend all my time developing the Philosopher’s Stone, and pay someone else to read blogs for me.
Now all I have to do is learn everything there is to writing fiction and finish my book about Hogwarts. Baby steps, Ken. Baby steps.
P.S. You probably noticed all the extraneous qualifiers (probably, really, actually, etc.) sprinkled throughout the post. It’s best that I get them out of my system now instead of them showing up in my WIP later. Sorry if they made your eyes bleed.
Seriously, it’s not like posting every couple of days should be that hard. Most of the blogs I read do it. Even I managed to do that on my previous blog (now dormant except for the occasional comment – usually spam), but that was before my decision to learn how to write fiction. In fact, it was this obsession with fiction that caused me to stop posting at my old blog in the first place.
Rachael Harrie announced the first challenge for the Build Your Platform Campaign a week ago, but due to my being away on vacation and them being really busy when I came back, I never got around to taking up the challenge. The quality of the fiction written by those who did take up the challenge was quite good. Makes me jealous!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some of my fellow campaigners have been posting “10 Random Things About Themselves,” so I thought I’d join in.
1. I used to run three miles a day many years ago, even though I hated running in high school. My longest run ever was 9 miles.
2. I’m a research chemist by day, and a part-time chemistry instructor at a local community college by night.
3. I love castles. In fact, I love all old stone buildings – the older the better. Actually “love” is probably too weak a word, but if I told you how I really feel about castles, this post would most likely get banned in some countries.
4. I enjoy reading books on alchemy and trying to replicate their experiments. Hmmm, alchemy, castles, teaching at a school... Is there any wonder why I feel such a connection with the Harry Potter books?
5. My wife and I rarely watch television real time. We record them and watch them later, when it fits our schedule. Unfortunately, this often results in a three month backlog of shows by the time April rolls around, requiring marathon viewing sessions in order to finish them all up before summer.
6. My memory for names and faces is abysmal. Rarely can I make it through a movie without having to ask my wife who’s who at least once. They all look the same. And don’t even think about asking me to help the police sketch artist come up with a composite. One of my biggest fears is that all the characters in my book will end up sounding the same. I may not be able to tell!
7. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Halloween, the start of school, milder days, cooler nights (with just a hint of mystery), and my birthday. The biggest problem with fall up here in Michigan is that it doesn’t last very long. Summer hangs on too long and then it just passes right on through to winter. Sometimes we only get about two weeks of real fall weather.
8. I love video games, although I no longer have much time to spend on them. I’m also the one responsible for getting my kids hooked on Portal. Sorry, honey, I didn’t mean for it to happen. (Yeah, right.)
9. I believe I have finally entered the “Blog Event Horizon” (ala Douglas Adams), which means I am now following more blogs than it is possible to read in a 24 hour period.
10. I would love to retire in Britain someday. The castles and history alone are worth it.
Bonus random fact:
My long term plan is to eventually get around to writing my own series, sell a bazillion books, buy a castle in Britain (a haunted one would be best), spend all my time developing the Philosopher’s Stone, and pay someone else to read blogs for me.
Now all I have to do is learn everything there is to writing fiction and finish my book about Hogwarts. Baby steps, Ken. Baby steps.
P.S. You probably noticed all the extraneous qualifiers (probably, really, actually, etc.) sprinkled throughout the post. It’s best that I get them out of my system now instead of them showing up in my WIP later. Sorry if they made your eyes bleed.
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