I like making myself work or something

EDIT: So I was lying awake this morning and not wanting to get up because it was raining outside (again.) and I realised that if I write this as a two viewpoint book, I can be more subtle about Will's feelings like I was in the comic, and I can also write in some of Tyrian's ridiculous romantic musings to boot X3  I mean, the thing is supposed to be an expanded version of the comics so I suppose I ought to try and use what made the comics work.  It can be dangerous because comics don't work the same as books and books don't work the same as comics.  But it might be a solution to a problem I have.  I suppose I could also use a different writing style than usual.  I could use 'camera third person' instead of 'tight third person'.  Hmm.  These are all things to consider.  Just writing my rambly thoughts down is all.

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I can't believe what I've decided to try and do.  I really can't.  I would have laughed in your face a few years ago.

I'm about to attempt to write a romance. 

Why do I think this is a good idea?! 

So, one of my problems with Tyrian's book is something that I noticed I had a problem with watching something else.  When you pack in too much plot or action, your character development can suffer.  If your characters are so busy getting the MacGuffin or fighting the Big Bad or whatever, there is a danger that all you will learn about them is that they really want that MacGuffin/to stop the Big Bad ...and little else.

One of the solutions I thought of to this problem was simply to write another book.  Not all my readers read the comics, and much as I wish they did, it's not like I can make them and in any case I want the books to stand on their own.  My problem with writing another book was that it would be half a story.  The focus on Will ends when the war in Fairyland starts.  So the book would end when the war starts, and that would just frustrate people.  The plot starting at the end?  What?  However.  Will's story is not about the war.  You've all seen his story - which is why for once I am spouting spoilers with reckless abandon - and I bet most of you are going 'What war..?'  Despite the fact that I CHECKED and only 22 out of my 70 comics are even slightly romance based, Will's story is mostly about his developing relationship with Tyrian, and as I revealed not so long ago... that strayed and then stayed in romantic territory.  I have never written a romance before.  I don't like stories that focus on romance.  But since romance stories are, well... about the romance... that kind of fixes my plot problem.  I mean, I don't think I can write romance to save my life and I have never wrote it and I think it will be terrible.  But if I never try, I won't ever know if I can do it.

What has sparked this is...  I was reading Wrede on Writing today, as I really want to improve, and it boosted my confidence.  I'm reading it because I know I need to get better and I know I am still doing things wrong.  But what I did find was that thankfully, I do appear to be doing a lot of things right.  Nice to know.  But something that Patricia Wrede wrote sparked my interest.  She was on the bit about different writing styles, third person viewpoints etc, and she mentioned that when she started writing, she made herself write in different styles to push herself.  When she settled into one style later, she used new ways to stretch her abilities.  And I thought... I should do that.  So I've never written a romance.  If I decided I wanted to draw something I'd never drawn before, I wouldn't just go 'Welp, never done it, never will.'  I'd sit my butt down and I'd get some references and I'd work to try and draw that thing. 

There are SO.  MANY. PITFALLS.  I am going to have to cope with writing a genre I am unfamiliar with coupled with the fact that it's same-sex romance and I am TERRIFIED because I really want to make a good job of it, not to mention the still lingering stigma against women who dare to write same-sex romance because OMG BURN THE WITCH SHE MUST BE A FETISHIST.  There is a problem with this kind of thing, still.  I'm still struggling with the issue myself.  I grew up with nothing but straight couples in official shows, so all I saw of same-sex relationships was almost exclusively dreadful yaoi summaries on fanfiction.net.  If that's all people see, it will continue to be seen as fetishy.  I think that's a problem.  I don't want to contribute to that problem, and one of the reasons I kept the romance on the quiet side was because I was scared of coming off as fetishy.  But then I started to see that wasn't helping, so I thought... 'Just try.  Trying is better than not trying.'  And that's the other reason I want to try and write this thing.  Because trying ought to be better than not trying.

I anticipate a disaster. 

But I won't know unless I write the thing.  And I honestly think it will keep haunting me until I do.

I suspect that my making this public is in the NaNo realms of 'Tell everyone so that fear of public failure drives you to succeed'.

We'll see~

Just wanted to share these thoughts. 

Alicia



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Progress:

Tyrian's book:

Status: Redrafted.  Awaiting feedback. 
Version 8.


Joshua's book:

Status: Awaiting feedback.
Version 2. 



Word count: 46000

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To-do list:

-Read and review The Medium
-Read and review Primal Storm - up to chapter 12

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Booked conventions-

Manchester Comic Con - 30th-31st May

Wigan Comic Con - 18th June

Manchester Children's Book Festival - 27th June

Mancstercon - 29th August

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'I'll get a job', she'd thought. 'Earn my own ticket,' she'd thought. Lucinda's parents had agreed that it was a good idea. 'It'll teach you some responsibility,' they'd said.  

Lucinda was currently staring down a dragon, dressed as a man, on only her first day in gainful employment. She suspected her parents would not think it such a good idea if they knew.

~ from Miss Prince

You can read a sample here - tannbourne.com

On Amazon  - www.amazon.co.uk/Miss-Prince-A…
Amazon.com - www.amazon.com/Miss-Prince-Ali…

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"Ambrosia. The Drink of the Gods. Thick, syrupy and vanilla flavoured, for some reason. It also contains enough calories to kill a mortal on the spot, so it's just as well that mortals are no longer mortals by the time they finish drinking it. Like Seralina, for example. She hadn't really meant to become a god. She hadn't taken the warning 'This will make of ye a god' seriously. It was her general policy not to trust any claim beyond 'It tastes all right, really'. She certainly didn't trust anything that sounded made-up or used words like 'dynamic'. Going round trusting words like 'dynamic' could get you into trouble. As it turned out, so could ignoring warning labels."

~ from Eggs, Butter, Sugar and Disaster

You can download a sample chapter of EBSD here: tannbourne.com

Buy it on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/Butter-Sugar-…