Journey to Chaos: A Mage's Power. Chapter 5 preview

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3008794/5/Journey_To_Chaos_part_1_A_Mages_Power

I had a lot of fun with this chapter. I looked forward to designing the guild and introducing its eccentric members. "A naive newcomer is introduced to their weird teammates and is subjected to comedic hijinks" is one of my favorite plot points. Their colorful and chaotic nature will be a plot point later in the series and more than one Chekhov's Gun is introduced.

More importantly, this is the chapter where Eric officially becomes a mercenary. This job will drive the rest of the plot and remain a guiding element in Eric's mind for the rest of the series.  Its also where he meets his teammates. They will become main characters from this chapter forward. I had rough ideas for their characters starting out and now I know them very well. Still, I'm surprised at the influence they came to have on the plot.

Fuel

One of most frustrating parts about being a novelist (if not THE most frustrating) is having an outline and knowing exactly what you want to write, only to lack the energy to actually put it to paper. I refer to this as 'lock up'. Avoiding this state lead to the experiments I mentioned in my previous "In the Zone" post with the result being "Oh The Rush" and the chapters in the latest two links. Somehow I forgot to mention food.

Having food handy always seems to help; something to munch while I think and brainstorm. Right now I'm into peanuts because they're tasty, nutritious and don't make a mess. Something to drink too: I like energy drinks (I tried this Neuro Sonic last night and it worked great but Gatorade works too) to get that little 'kick'. I would be munching and drinking and thinking and suddenly DING! It clicks.

Its a mysterious force. Socrates, and many others in his day, thought that rhapsodies went into a trance when they recited plays. 'Divinely inspired' was the term. I read an entire argument in college where Socrates backed one of his friends into admitting he was nothing more than a guy inspired by the gods. I guess that's why I call myself "The Trickster's Scribe". Maybe all that food and drink isn't fuel but instead an offering to my muse.

A Mage's Power Chapter 4 is up

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3008794/4/Journey_To_Chaos_part_1_A_Mages_PowerThe four chapter is up and, as always, free to read. In this chapter Eric is offered a job at a guild of mercenaries, but first he has to endure his recruiter's training and pass an entrance exam while continuing his school work.

Like Chapter 3 "Proof of Skill" has also gone through numerous revisions. Its another exposition chapter and so I've had to change things as I've discovered them. When I started the last major revision I realized just how much was missing and how much I could do to make things clearer for the reader. The mechanics of spiritual power and how they're developed are explained here but more important is Eric's personal development.

From the very beginning I wanted Eric to be a mage because of my realization of how magecraft works. It requires a strong spirit which implies a strong mind and a strong will. Eric had none of them and would have to develop them as he went. Thus, the stronger he became as a mage the more confident he would become and the more confident he became the better mage he would be. Its a direct feedback loop. Of course, there are other reasons to develop Eric's power besides an analogy for confidence building. They're hinted at later in this book but don't become relevant until the second one.

Oh the Rush!

I love the feeling of creative power! It is invigorating and lifts my mood and makes me feel accomplished. You know those 'my anti-drug is x' commercials? Its like that. I feel hyped up on something that I created myself, with nothing but my own thoughts and drives. Does that make me my own personal anti-drug dealer? I've had Five Hour Energy before and I can get a jolt from that if I'm feeling drowsy but this feels so much better. On TvTropes there's a page called "The Sacred Darkness" which is about 'darkness' in fiction being portrayed as this noble and benevolent force and contrasted it with 'corrupted darkness' which was about evil and nightmares etc. To show what a nerd I (and by extension, pretty much all other tropers are) the page used the example of RPG 'death magic' to illustrate their point. The death magic of 'corrupted darkness' would make the death long and painful while the death magic of 'The Sacred Darkness' would be "peaceful sleep or simply dropping dead" as the page says. Anyway, my point is that the jolt I get from Five Hour Energy would be like the 'corrupted' variety in that it was forced and caused by an outside agent while the jolt I get from writing is the 'sacred' variety in that it spontaneous and caused by the inside. By the way, that was all a stream of consciousness I wrote because I felt the writing rush. That's why it sounds a bit disorganized.

To see the results of the rush click here for a free preview of my debut novel "A Mage's Power"
http://tinyurl.com/c9drhbt

A Mage's Power Chapter 3

The third part of the Journey to Chaos Book 1: A Mage's Power is available on fictionpress. This chapter has been revised more often than either of the other two. Not only did I want to include some base line mechanics (the origin of monsters for one) but also some foreshadowing for later events; all in addition to the on-the-ground action. It wasn't easy but I'm happy with how it turned out.  http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3008794/3/Journey_To_Chaos_part_1_Trickster_Help_Service

"In the Zone"

When I was in college I was always searching for someway to 'get in the zone'. Once there I would fly on writing sessions: I would write page after page and it would all be effortless. I'm sure anyone reading this knows what I'm talking about: that state of mind where one is focused and productive and everything else (up to and including hunger) is ignored. I tried reading, watching short videos on Youtube, meditation, exercise (usually Tae Known Do) and other things. I had limited success with those methods and, while I'm better at it today, its still more art than science. The most reliable method was to brainstorm, but not outline, future events. Outlining never seemed to work as well as brainstorming. Maybe because it was too mechanical or didn't have that 'primordial' sense to it. If I hit on an idea that was brilliant or exactly in tune with the characters then I would feel this rush and slip 'into the zone'.

I have included that in Journey to Chaos. In-universe its called 'Videlicet Mens' which is (hopefully) Latin for 'Clear Mind/Intention'. It refers to a state of mind where the user is 100 percent focused on a task and a state of enchanted physical and spiritual capabilities. Novices can only reach it through extreme emotion but veterans can achieve it at will. 

For a free preview of the first book in the Journey to Chaos series click here.

Bottom line: What I would recommend is to create an outline, however threadbare, and then do some favorite activity while thinking about the outline or general scene you want to write. Don't think about time, just enjoy the activity. If nothing else you'll be in a better mood. That in and of itself can be enough to get the writing juices flowing.

A Mage's Power Chapter 1

I've posted the first chapter of Journey To Chaos Book 1: A Mage's Power on fiction press. I'll post another one every Wednesday starting tomorrow. If you like what what you've read here so far I think you'll enjoy it. Journey To Chaos part 1: Trickster Help Service, a fantasy fiction - FictionPress.com Please let tell me what you think.

This chapter is something of a relic as the first part was written before any of the mechanics of the Chaos Universe were created. Back then the fantasy elements would be downplayed; only Tasio pranking Eric under the guise of 'helping him'. The bulk of the book would be him causing comedic hijinks in Eric's daily life. Soon after his introduction, however, I realized two things:  that formula could get old fast, and that it sounded like a sitcom. So I took a break for months to overhaul it and think about how magic would work if it were going to be 'real'.

Then I added a fantastical element (other than Tasio) to the first chapter and ended it with Eric traveling to Tariatla. I feel I've made the right choice. I've had a lot of fun writing the four book series (originally it was going to be a two book series) and I've inspired myself for other plots taking place in the same universe. It just keeps growing and growing and growing.

A world of monsters

Do I have any fans of Final Fantasy reading this? How about Dragon Quest or Star Ocean? Or any RPG that involved encounters with monsters in the environment? Those games played a key role in the development of Tariatla, the world Eric finds himself in at the start of his Journey to Chaos. I wanted to create a world that was similar to the games I'd played growing up. In keeping with the idea of "Tariatla as a real world" I thought about how such a world would cope with monsters in everyday life.

"Well," I thought, "there would be a lot of walls". So I looked up cities in medieval Europe and ancient China and other places for how they built walls. What they were made of and how they were maintained and defended; the details for keeping a city safe.

Then such a society would need someone to fight the monsters. They would need soldiers employed by the local government and professional warriors hired by private citizens. In other words, the world would need mercenaries and their newest one came from another world. In college, I took a class about medieval European warfare and my professor spent the bulk of it talking about logistics: food, equipment, payment, soldiers and their organization etc. Naturally Eric and his team would have to take care of this and I think it adds a layer to the constructed world. It can make one more understanding of a mercenary's insistence on getting paid; it worked for me.

Finally the society would need a mindset that included the 'monsters outside the walls'. There would be those stayed in the city to avoid them, those that liked to fight them and those that held the same opinion of monsters that real life people would have of mosquitoes: annoying and possibly dangerous, but a fact of life.

If you want to read more about this world, its monsters and its mercenaries, you can browse the Tvtropes page here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/JourneyToChaos

Journey to Chaos, Book 1: A Mage's Power, is available at Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/A-Mages-Power-Journey-Chaos-ebook/dp/B00AVMAISG

Modern Magic

One of the things I wanted to achieve with "Journey to Chaos" was a modern world that had magic. In all the shows and games and books I've enjoyed over the years I noticed a pattern: magic was only out in the open in settings with a medieval bent or outright fantasy world. In all the stories taking place in modern day it was hidden. Sometimes there was a reason (fear of witch hunts for instance) but other times there was nothing but a handwave. It was as if the magical masquerade was just an artificial source of conflict. With that in mind I created the world Eric arrives in, Tariatla, to parallel the real world things like its schools and sports and technology. It was a fun experiment and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Revise, Revise, Revise

Writing is a process that never seems to end. There's the initial writing where I figure things out but it's just a fuzzy glorified outline. Secondary writing comes next and then it can be called a first draft. After finishing the book it gets revised a second time. A few days later a third time. Only then does someone else read it and when they're finished I incorporate their critique. Any time a new scene is added or a scene rewritten the process starts over. I may feel inspired at random times to revise in addition to the above. At times I want to pull my hair out, but I want it to be the best it can be. There's a story that illustrates my point. I read it somewhere but I forget where. I'll update this post when I find the source.

A writer made a manuscript and thought it was pretty good so he sent it to publisher. The publisher replied with a note, "Is that the best you can do?" So the writer looked it over again, revised it, and sent it a second time. "Is that the best you can do?" So the writer revised again and sent it a third time. "Is that the best you can do?" The writer finally said, "Damn it! Yes it is!" The publisher said one more thing, "Then I guess I'll read it this time." No one wants less than your best.

See Useful Problems for how all these repitions make the story stronger. When it comes down to nuts and bolts, however, you may just want to find an editor. See Editing; Professional Help or Not for more information and self-editing tips.

I am The Trickster's Scribe

Once I become a professional writer I'll put 'Author' on my resume, but I when I actually write I don't feel like one. I feel more like a scribe. I feel like someone else is telling me the story and I'm just writing it down. Sometimes they don't mention stuff the first time and that's what revisions are for, or they'll tell me just what to write but not why I should write that. Its confusing, especially when I already have an outline. Then, sometime down the road, I discover the reason and I'm like 'wow. I had no idea that was going to happen'. There is one instance in particular that I felt more intensely than any other but I can't mention it because it would a series wide spoiler. I'll just say that writing seems to flow better when I'm not trying to force a certain story. I can insist on certain plot points but the process is smoother when I'm the accomodating one.

Shame and Pride

Previous writing has a strange effect on the writer.  I've looked at some of the stuff I've written in my teens (thoughts, fictions, etc) and its like looking at someone else's writing. The ideas are different, the prose is different, and usually there are more spelling mistakes. Even "A Mage's Power" (a.k.a. Journey To Chaos book 1) is like this: I've changed scenes that felt wrong to me, perhaps because I know the characters better or the world better or maybe my style as a writer changing. I started Journey To Chaos before I started college and only now am I in the final stages of revision. Of course I've been writing other things since then (most notably the other three books in the series) but still its been a while and its nostalgic and embarrassing to look at the earliest drafts.

Opening post, what I'm about

Hello BlogSpot! I'm Brian Wilkerson and I'm an aspiring novelist. As of this post I've written two and two halves of a four part series I'm calling "Journey To Chaos".  'two halves' because as I was writing the third (and at the time, final) part of the series, it split on me. Now I'm writing book three of four instead of book three of three. A preview of the first book, "A Mage's Power" is available for free on fictionpress.

The star of this show is Eric Wately. The first book starts off with him as a loser and Tasio the Trickster molding him into a hero. The first step is to send him to another world where magic and  monsters are as common as homework and hotdogs.

The idea was to take a general hero, subtract confidence, and make him into a hero.  With such an abstract plot, it was interesting to see the nuts and bolts events take shape. The final arc of book 1 went through three forms by the time I wrote it. Its still happening three-four books in. Now I'm at a place I couldn't imagine when I started. I see this as a good thing; if I don't know what's going to happen, how could a reader?