STATUS (DAY 8)

Word Count*

11600 / 50000 words. 23% done!

(This meter brought you by languageisavirus.com)

*(An approximate number, and not updated on my profile yet due to technical wibbly wobbly difficulties with the wi-fi at home).

Creativ-O-Meter Scale Rating = 4

The Story: Approximately 1/4 of the way through.

What I Am Writing About

I don’t think I made this clear in my previous post, but I scrapped all of my planning and preparation for a new and mostly uncharted adventure.

The booty-kicking, action-adventure, sci-fi novel I was planning has a good foundation, yet I haven’t found the right voice for it yet.

And, I was distracted as my imagination wandered down the lane and discovered another story.

The Inspiration

Over the years, I have studied Grimm’s fairy tales closely while attempting to write a film noir-esque series in the vein of the Dresden Files meets Discworld. However, most of what I have written for that series so far has come across as copy-cat and unoriginal. There are entertaining and fun moments, but not enough to hang a full story on.

Also, I grew up with my mom telling us a ridiculous version of Sleeping Beauty every time we went camping. It involves lumberjacks, Star Trek, toilet paper, and junk food. My two older sisters and I have shared it with many campers over the years as we have worked as camp counselors. With the help of friends and campers, I have since gone on and added other inter-connecting fairy tales such as Snow White and the Seven Clog-Dancing Dwarves and Handsome and Pretzel.

I am also a fan of period movies set between the 1800’s to 1900’s, as well as novels by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and George Elliot, in addition to Oscar Wilde’s society plays and Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas. During high school, and early college, I attempted to work on a series I called ‘Victorian Melodramas’. I was attempting to write parallel stories of a group of high society aquaintances. There were some bright moments in these early projects, but there remained something lacking.

Then, in 2010, I discovered a rich imaginative path and, over the course of a few days, wrote a novella titled “The True Bride and the Shoemaker.” It combines the magic of fairytales with the societal drama portrayed in the British novels of the 19th century, and brings everything into a light-hearted, warm and fuzzy, fun tale. Lately, I have been considering building other stories in this world, and expanding this into a series.

With all of this in mind, a story unfolded in my mind on November 1st on my ride home. The characters were vivid, the narrative clear. Holding onto these thoughts, I decided to set aside my Epic Space Adventure, and dabble in a more quaint world.

The Working Title

The Frog, The Lady, and The Beanstalk.

This is a working title, and may be changed or developed as the narrative takes form and I am introduced to the deeper layers of the characters and story.

The Synopsis (For Now)

In a world where magic’s existence is denied, Jack Kingston finds himself transformed into a frog and trapped in the bottom of a well. His only hope is a kiss from the woman who sent him there: the beautiful Cassandra Astrellar.

Henry Kingston lives in a world of orderly precision, until the night his brother Jack goes missing. Henry’s search leads him to the house of Cassandra Astrellar, and into a world of glamor, intrigue, and magic.

Henry must struggle against his own sensibleness in order to rescue his brother and himself, and gain the heart of the girl he truly loves, Miss Evelyn Havish.

This tale is a mixture of the Frog Prince, Jack and the Beanstalk, and the world of happier Dickens novels.

Tune In Tuesday For The Next Update…

I have a 3 day weekend because of the US observation of Veteran’s Day. While I have some other activities that need to be done, this, hopefully, will create an opportunity to push hard toward 50,000.

How is your novel going? What inspirations drive you? Where is your Creative-O-Meter at? Are you going to set aside part of your precious weekend to see Thor 2?

SIDE NOTES:

• December 15, 2015 will now go down in history as the release date for Star Wars: Episode VII – unless future changes push back the date to 2016.
• The Day of the Doctor (November 23, 2013) is approaching, and here’s a new clip.
• In the first 15 minutes of the video below is an interview with Patti Post, who is basically the real live fairy godmother to three of my siblings. My siblings and I had the honor of going to her art class during high school, and while I don’t practice my drawing and painting skills much, I still use the creative ideas and exercises I learned from her.

• Shout out to my awesome cuz Krista, and other members of the military as we head into Veteran’s Day

• And most importantly, my brother Michael has just been called to go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In March he is headed off on a two-year Spanish speaking mission to boldly go and serve the people in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma region.