Julia Benally's Blog, page 3
August 9, 2021
A Key to Happiness...GUARANTEED!!! Tested, tried, and true!
Having a hard time being happy? Is there too much stupid in your life? Are people howling about absolutely asinine things? Are uneducated suckers trying to talk politics? Is everything hearsay? Are there arguments over birds and cats? Are you getting harrassed?
Here's a quick and easy way to get rid of all those whining voices that send you to bed fuming every night.
Take your social media and throw it in the trash.
And now...
August 2, 2021
The Legend of the Earthcake
It was a two-layered disaster, bleeding Bavarian cream as the fault line widened to extraordinary proportions.
The people fled in terror as the white magma spilled from the open crevice, a wound in the realm of Cakedom.
And then the chocolate meteors fell like heavy kisses from the sky. Something rose over the horizon of this magnificent disaster. It was the number 33! What did it mean? From whence had it come?
In the next moment, it lit in a ring of fire, destroying all who were left behind. Chocolate, cream, and kisses were their besotted lot. And then it was all gone in an instant and there was nothing left but the crumbs.
July 30, 2021
A Brainstorm on the Villain of Renzhies: An Interview With Rezh (spoilers)
ME: What am I supposed to do? This man has done so much wrong to Rezh. Something must be done. Should they have a huge fight?REZH: No.ME: Why not?REZH: Because I hate his guts.ME: Well, what do you want to do?REZH: I just wanna beat his brains in! Crush him! Turn him to paste!
ME: Couldn't you do that during your big fight?REZH: No. You'll see how it works. You know you'd like to do that to him, too. Just let your feelings go. Don't hold back.ME: So, no technical stuff at all?REZH (smiling): None.ME: I think I like it.REZH: I knew you would.
July 21, 2021
Celebrating a Finished Project
I have re-written an entire section that I'd been working on for these last weeks. I am almost to the end of book three. When I get there, I'm going to have a celebration.
I like throwing little celebrations after working through a draft, or finishing a short story. There's something lovely in it. It doesn't tell me my writing is special because I already know it is. It doesn't give me something to look forward to, because writing is not a chore for me. A celebration for a finished project is like celebrating the birth of a wonderful little child. I am celebrating its existence and the joy it gives me.
July 12, 2021
Plotting or Pantsing
A plotter is a person who plots out their story, they outline it, they make the character arcs, and it's quite a meticulous and clean way of doing things. It also saves a lot of time.
A pantser is a person who just makes it all up as they go along. A lot of times, most of the time, there's a lot of re-writing that has to be done and plot holes that have to be addressed.
I started out as a pantser, but it really did take up a lot of time. One day, I decided to go the plotting way. It ended up that my pantser side was able to run freely as I plotted. I was able to go back to what I had plotted when I found a hole and just scratch a big X over what I didn't want. This saved time as opposed to going into the writing itself and having to delete hours of work. Plotting also helped me to remember what dialogue I wanted for certain parts.
I also plotted inside a notebook and not on the computer. This saved my eyes some needless blue ray light. I could take my notebook anywhere I wanted to, and if my bag fell over, there was no panic that my computer had broken. Writing things down with a pen slowed down my brain and I was able to derive some really nice scenes.
In "Renzhies," I plotted out the entire recovery section of Rezh's part since a lot of complicated things were going on with multiple characters. With everything straightened out in the notebook, I was able to write the story down nice and clean.
The madness that went on in the vozhrith was pantsing reined in with plotting. Together, they created something beautiful.
Some writers will argue for plotting, others for pantsing. For me, personally, I will use whichever suits me best. I don't always plot, for inspiration will flow straight from the pen. I don't always make it up as I go along, because that can lead to rambling. Plotting is very good for thinking about tight spots in a story that you need to fix. Pantsing can bring you to crazy plot twists and new horizons that you wouldn't have thought about.
Neither one is all wrong or all right. Work as you feel and things should turn out.
New Character Arcs
After I implemented the revamped villain, there were two characters that gained major character arcs that gave them more depth and fleshed them out.
It was a natural feature that appeared. As the story goes along, the two characters develop without anything seeming forced. They also provide juicy scenes that weren't there before.
This was a good thing since the two characters are major to the storyline and to the main character. The pair also will provide a nice kick near the end of the story that will relate to the villains in "Nri Kryne" and "Renzhies." I'm not going to reveal what that is at all while book 3 is under construction.
The character arcs for this pair is now under construction and may take me the rest of the week to work out. Some of the things will happen near the end of the book, so I will plot those out in my notebook and save them for when I get to that point.
That should be pretty quick since the portion of the book before those parts is already done and needs no changing. It hasn't needed any since the first rough draft from last summer. I believe it will remain the same like Miranel has since I wrote her down in the first draft of "Nri Kryne" in a notebook over a decade ago.
July 7, 2021
Villains
I've noticed that a lot of people, especially in movies, try to outdo their previous villain, and then completely botch the job.
I have decided that I'm not going to do that, as in, I'm not going to try and outdo my previous villains. I want each villain to stand on their own, have their own personalities and work with the powers and resources at their disposal.
For book three's villain, I have found that he is quite different from the villains in book 1 and 2, and those two were quite different from each other. What I'm striving for is not to outdo, but to be different. Each one has a different way of being killed, of going about their business, how they plan, carry out their plans, and how they kill. All three might get into an argument on how his way is the best way.
I also enjoy their backstories. I make it a point that none of them have a Disney backstory, which involves bullies. That's not the only way to become a villain or a hero. As for sympathetic, I'm not here to glorify evil or make anybody feel sorry for a creature that murders children.
Still, the backstory is what gives a villain a depth, makes them real, therefore, makes them scarier. If something bad happened in the villain's life, then it means that the villain became evil because of how they handled the situation, not because the situation happened.If a reader can relate to a villain, then a reader should fear that they can become such a creature, and so beware. That's how it should be, instead of saying, "Oh wow, I can be cool like that, too!" I would call a reaction like that an utter failure on the writer's part to convey a proper villain...or the reader's a whack job.
These were my thoughts as I cut out the character for the villain in book three.
June 10, 2021
"Renzhies" has arrived!
This morning was a mad rush to get the book published! And now, it is here in kindle format. The paperback will follow. It's pending approval right now. And so, after my stomach was hurting for weeks during the final readthrough, the knots inside it this morning, getting smacked in the head so hard I almost got a headache, and then being electrocuted, the book has arrived! Nri Kryne now has a younger brother.
You can buy it right here and claim it for your very own!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0971PKXL7
While working on "Renzhies," I had the worst time getting a bead on the villain. Every time I turned around, he was plaguing me. If he did one thing, it messed with the entire book. Whenever I wrote about him, I had problems galore. I'd spend weeks and weeks on each scene that had to do with him.
After I finished with all of his parts, I'd had it with him.
The book is separated into several parts, each with a name, like how "Nri Kryne" was separated into "The Compound," "Sweet Water Pass," and "Merisyliss." One of my favorites in "Renzhies" is the book called "Rezh." I really hope all of you love it as much as I do!
It was great introducing new characters and getting to know them. And soon, you will get to know them, too! The other favorite for me is "Rilkin." Very fun! Very scary! And it's told from Rilkin's point of view.
You know, I think I love all the books together. They were each so fun to write. The only dampening thing for me was the villain. Such a wretch if there ever was one.
Have fun hating him, have fun reading, have fun being reunited with the crew, and have fun getting to know all the new people!
Click on over and buy!
May 28, 2021
The "Renzhies" cover has arrived!
After nearly two months of waiting, the cover for "Renzhies" has arrived! Here it is! Done by the marvelous JeffBrownGraphics!
May 12, 2021
A sneak peak of Renzhies, pt. 2
Ever wonder how Zhin, Rilkin, and Ikalkor are related? Vijeren, Sibare, and N'Nar wonder about it, but especially how Zhin and Ikalkor are related. They just don't see the connection. Did they come from the same parents? Really?
Revealing this in "Renzhies" was fun. I enjoyed these parts immensely.
The "How" for Ikalkor is pretty straightforward, although the city people on Ilo wouldn't be able to wrap their heads around it. They definitely wouldn't understand Rilkin's story, either.
All I can say is that Zhin and Ikalkor didn't grow up normally.
As for Rilkin, you will see.
