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Something Had to Give

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I have not been nearly as attentive on this site as I would like.

stressed

Work has been insanely busy.

My kitchen still isn’t done. Not being able to use a stove, sink or dishwasher adds a whole new level of stress, especially as we’ve been without them for over thirteen weeks. There has also been an insane amount of stress dealing with contractors. Like when they put our island in crooked, or when they put the cabinets in at the wrong height.

This all hit after a delay in Seducing the Ice Queen because of some vision issues between myself and the cover artist.

Something had to give.

First, it was presence on social media.

Then it was sleep, because I wasn’t doing that anyway with the stress.

Then it was this blog.

Then it was the writing itself.

StruggleIsReal

On a side note, I am lucky in so many other ways.

I am healthy. My family is doing well. We are all safe and together. With the California wildfires still in my thoughts, Sandyhook, and the like, I’m reminded I do have a lot to be grateful for.

And yes, I am slowly getting back into writing. My creativity has taken a beating, but I’m developing some new characters that may make an appearance in future books. Even if they don’t, the exercise of creating them is helping to bring back some of the joy and alleviate some of the stress.

As long as you all aren’t too mad at me for being a bit absent, the worst thing that may come of this is a delay in releasing Knight of Valor.

Well, if you exclude the mess that is my kitchen!

Writing Process: I Figured It Out

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After taking a hard if biased look at my current WIP, I figured out what’s been causing the writer’s block.

WritersBlock2.png
But less cute.

You don’t see the antagonist.

At the 45k word point, you still haven’t met him.

I have read a great deal of writing help on making sure you develop your villain. Make them a hero in their own story.

While I know a great deal about the antagonist, everything he has been doing is behind the curtain. It’s something the characters must respond to, but the reader doesn’t see him.

This is partially on purpose as the antagonist doesn’t want you to know it’s him. He wants to stay hidden. He wants you to think it’s someone else, and he’s done a decent job of setting up that person.

Villain
More he loves power. But not too far off.

However, at this point in the story, I really need him to take a more active role. His plans are hanging in the balance. He wouldn’t allow them to fall apart because of inaction.

But, I haven’t shown him yet. It’s hard to do a big reveal when the reader doesn’t know him or anything about him.

At the same time, as a romance story is traditionally only told through the eyes of the hero or heroine, I can’t just jump into his head and show my audience what’s happening.

I need to go back and rework the story. Find a way to show who he is without revealing him.

That means a pretty significant rewrite on a piece of work that isn’t complete.

I try really hard not to do this, but I truly see no way forward. He must step up now and take action.

I suppose I could try the random reveal and then work him back into the story later.

I will ponder both options and see which way has the characters talking to me again.

writers-block-when-your-imaginary-friends-refuse-to-talk-to-24442489

 

Writing Process: World Building

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There is more to history than Medieval Europe and Vikings.

Based on much of the fiction out there, this sounds bizarre, but it’s true.

For me, I chose to base much of my current romance novels in a world somewhat like ancient Rome. I mean, there will be dragons, but there’s still a civilization that supports them.

romans-60601_640

Magic mirrors technology, and vice versa, but I needed to create a base grounded in reality before adding magic.

And no, I’m not talking about the Rome Hollywood feeds us. I’ve decided almost nothing that we see on a screen, small or large, is real. It’s better to accept that. Really.

Rather than bore you with all of the things I learned about horticulture, infrastructure, and aquaducts, here are a couple of more interesting things about Rome:

 

They Were Wealthy Enough to Avoid Expensive Sporting Events

Gladiators really existed. Sure, Hollywood told you that, but they didn’t really fight to the death. These were highly skilled combatants who were valued for their ability to entertain, and they were paid very well to do it. Much like our modern sports stars.

Yes, there were the occasional fights to the death, but these were usually prisoners sentenced to die.

RomanGladiator
Not about to kill this cash cow.

What Hollywood didn’t tell you was that Romans really, really liked chariot races. Kinda like the ancient version of NASCAR. The Colosseum that hosted gladiators could hold 50,000 people. Yeah, 50,000. The Circus Maximus where the chariot races were held? That contained space for 250,000. One of the greatest chariot racers in all of Rome was Gaius Appuleius Diocles, and he amassed a fortune worth $15 billion.

 

Massive, Long-Lived Empire

Rome was a true empire. It spanned from Spain and Portugal, across northern Africa, and up to modern day Scotland. It also included parts of Germany, southern Europe, over to the boarders of Iran and Iraq. There is some evidence it expanded farther, and included the parts of the Arabian peninsula and delved further into Asia.

A large, expansive empire that managed to last almost a thousand years. The Republic lasted just over 500 years when the Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus. This began the Imperial age, which depending on who you ask, lasted approximately another 500 years.

Basically, their empire spanned across any area where they could grow one of their two cash crops: grapes or olives.

 

Technological Marvels

Rome was a massive empire, and that required them to develop technology to support it. There are concrete dams the Romans built in Spain still standing two-thousand years after they were built.

Yeah. Two thousand years of withstanding water, but the civil engineers in my state can’t get the freeway I drive to work on to last more than twenty-years.

These vast distances also required a way to communicate to keep the empire together. The Romans became famous for their roads. Wherever Rome went, the road system followed. These roads were paved, lightly arched so water drained off of them, and were flanked by footpaths, horse trails, and drainage ditches. The roads were built along accurately surveyed courses, and some were cut through hills, or constructed over rivers and ravines on bridgework. Sections over marshy ground would be supported on rafted or piled foundations.

As you can tell, they didn’t mess around.

romanroad
Not messing around is why some Roman roads, like this one, are still is use some 2,000 years later

 

The Romans took their roads seriously. Very seriously. They were very well built, and many were still used as main thoroughfares until they were paved over for modern cars. These roads had to be spectacular. It’s how the Romans transported troops. Supplies. And supported a state-funded courier system, allowing messages to make it across great distances.

 

As history so often does, it reminds us that people have been smart for a really long time. And it reminds us again that the feudal system is not all of European history.

How about you? Ever discover some interesting bit of history that changed your perception of the past? Or perhaps showed you how “creative” Hollywood can be with history? Maybe something interesting that you think I especially cool?

Micro Fiction: The End

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SirMarcusLichCrown

Sir Marcus’s steps sent the dusty remains of the undead abomination up in puffs around him.

The Knight covered his nose as he crushed the lich’s jeweled crown beneath his steel boots.

But Sir Marcus felt no joy at the victory.

He was the only thing that stirred as the blood of his comrades congealed on the cold stone floor.

So much for being a hero.