paragraphs | Falling down the research rabbit hole.

Entry tags:

Falling down the research rabbit hole.

This morning work was hell. I suck at mindreading and my one attorney seems to not understand that - it is usually just when she is under enormous pressure. Argh. All ended well and as always, after the calm had been restored, she thanked me for putting up with the madness and doing so much. Makes it hard to be grumpy.

But this afternoon was blissfully quiet, so I got the chance to do some more poking around at magic systems. For various reasons, I really love water element magic. And I love love love color magic - today I stumbled onto a paper in the US National Library of Medicine, under Evidence-Based Complement Alternative Medicine, A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and Its Scientific Evolution. I am fascinated by the thought of using chromotherapy/hydrochromotherapy and as the basis for a magic ability. Now to mull endlessly over this but what I am thinking of doing will work very well with what I already have in place. There have (needless to say) been a number of excellent fantasy novels that use color magic (most recently Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson). So I have to find a different way of doing things. What a headache! I gotta be creative???? *whine*

But I can't go forward from where I am right now until I figure out some stuff. Sigh. So, I think I will go watch the last episode of Westworld. That's productive.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hope the rest of the week is a breeze!

When I read that you are looking into colour magic, I thought about the seven main chakras or energy centres. Each is represented by a different colour and associated with different life themes and energy. You may find some inspiration there, too.

Thank you! More rabbit holes to fall down. :)

This one is particularly colourful! :-D

Oh also are you doing GYWO again? I'm upping to 200k though this year I haven't quite reached 150k. I only have 18k to go though. *determined*

I pledged 150K for 2017. 2016, when I had pledged 250K, was such a disaster, with writer's block in summer, a shoulder infection and impingement syndrome that fucked up NaNo, and now I'm in bed with a mean cold. I wrote about 154K, and I'm not going to add a lot more. It would be nice to reach my goal for once, and I find it discouraging to always be behind.

On the positive side, I found out what caused my writer's block in the summer and I have no appointments from December to the end of February. So there is enough time to get cracking ...

I still need to rewrite my novel (first priority) and finish my other novel (second goal). And I have very vague ideas how to turn a H/D plot bunny into an original novel.

150k was perfect for me this year - JUST making it. Sounds like it is just what you need for this year. I'm glad you figured out what stopped you writing - had a few weeks of that but going to Sirens in October was just the kick I needed, along with a really truly awesome workshop I attended that gave me new direction. :)

Now we both just need to KEEP that positivity.

Writer's block lasted all summer, because I felt that I had to prove my decision to write more and work less was worth it. Sure way to do nothing. *headdesk* But I'm glad I figured it out. Now I'm refraining from plans of the kind "thing X has to be done at this date", and hope that I will be able to give writing the time it needs to get rolling.

Glad you had that workshop giving you a new direction!

We will keep and nourish that positive streak!

(I miss talking to you. Are you maybe more active on facebook? Want to be friends there?)

YES, I am! Though I don't write deep meaningful posts there. ;)

https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.gray.184007

I just added you. :-)

Also, I am glad you found a way to halt that kind of thinking. I know you know that was counterproductive (yeah) but mostly, I hope you know that you were being overly hard on yourself! Like really hard. Oh self guilt! You are so evil!!!

The workshop focused on just the end of Act 2b, and where one's main character should be at that point. More specifically, the 'mirror moment' is that moment where the character reflects on the journey thus far and what all was learned, and accepts it so they are armed and ready at last to become the warrior they need to be to conclude their story. Such a simple concept and seen over and over and over again in fiction and movies. It helped me so much. :)

It was like: "I have to justify throwing away time with clients by rocking this novel." What utter BS! Best way to write nothing! :-D

That sounds like a really helpful insight you gained in that workshop. Didn't you post about it on GYWO? I had that tab open for a long time to come back to it ... *shameful blush*

LOL yes I think I did because it was HUGE in my head. It made it necessary to revamp everything that came before up to that point, and rework everything after, but then, it all fell into place beautifully.

I still have a terrible handle on magic. I do prefer soft magic....

Most of the time, writing down what's in one's head is a really good way of clearing it up. Glad it worked so well for you and you could apply theory to the practice of your novel.

Soft magic like foolish wand waving? ;-)

LOL maybe not THAT soft, kind of more GRRM style magic. I like magical creatures more than magic magic. :)

I see! :-)

I think it's my inner scientist who loves to set up magical systems and such. That's what gets me all giddy about my science fiction novel - apart from the characters. And the H/D turned original would need its own magical system, too. *bounces*

Ohh magical systems are my bane! I think I have original ideas then find something so close I just can't go there! I've read (listened to really) a LOT of fantasy over this past year and some do magic systems so well (Brent Weeks, I am GLARING AT YOU, MAN. I love his magic system so MUCH). But, I find myself more a writer of fantasy with magic systems that are not a huge part of the story, like my other, most favorite ever fantasy author, Michael J. Sullivan. Magic is scarce. I do think I can manipulate the color magic into something different than what Weeks is doing (which has clear rules and definitions and and is pretty cut and dried, know what to expect).

Really my book is more girl adventure store in a fantasy world with some magic but it was destroyed. Except of course she is part of those who will bring it back, she just isn't entirely aware of that until the end of book 1. :)

I am excited you are writing science fiction. My friend/roommate for Sirens is published in Sci Fi (Behind the Throne) and her book is doing SUPER well. The 2nd will be out soon.

I think what matters most is that you feel comfortable with the level of magical nerdiness you have to operate in your story. You would probably feel lost in a strict magical system, and a loosely defined magical system lets you play to your strengths.

I wish we could all write in one universal language, so that I could share my SF story with you. Since I'm writing in German, I picked Frankfurt as the setting, and I tried to use the current political situation as a jumping board, extrapolating whatever I could about water crisis and refugees. Plus a human-machine-interface and people trying to reduce PTSD reactions in humans by manipulating their amygdala (a part in the brain responsible for emotional validation of stressful situations).

See, science geek all over ... :-D

Yay for your friend's book being successful! It seems there is a revival of Sci Fi - I hope it lasts a while!

Well, when you sell and then it is translated into English, I will cheer. (I will cheer regardless). I LOVE YOUR HAIR. I was on the phone with Nick when I bopped over to FB (he is there under Elyan Smith - when he does post it is about his puppy, Malory :). Yes, he got a dog! A husky!). I may have screamed (exclaimed ok) OH MYGOSH THAT IS CAT'S NAME? lol. :)

And your book sounds amazing.

Being translated into English - now that would be a dream!

Thank you! (I love it too. :-) My BF took the picture and did the nice effect of graying out everything but the rainbow. He's a picture wizard.)

It's actually my pseudonym, but I'm going by that in private these days, too. Switching names again, since my "real" name is connected to my website and such, and I want to keep seminars and writing in two separate boxes. And I can't publish as Cats, can I? :-D Would be fun, though ...

Also, I wanted a gender neutral name - there aren't as many in German as there are in English - and I really like that one. The last name is a Swedish translation of my granny's last name - which makes it special to me.

Nick got a husky? OMG that's awesome!!! Since when?

I post super seldom, most of the time I just like stuff or reblog articles I don't want to lose. I'll try and give an English version when I post. And I want to be more active on LJ again, too. So much has happened. I need to blog! :-)

Edited 2016-12-16 09:28 (UTC)

FB has a nifty and somewhat hilarious translation thing that pops up on friends' walls that write in other languages. I have a Cuban friend who often writes in his native language and I get a kick out of seeing the garbled English mess. :)

Okay I TOLD Nick that I was befuddled by the new name. :) And the hair!

Am counting the minutes until I can leave. 1 hour and 15 to go....

Oh yes, that translation is hilarious. And not helping. It translates into German, too, but it creates no meaning. :-D

The hair has been growing shorter (Ha!) during the last few year. I should do a hair post, I guess. The rainbow stripes came this summer. I'm going to have them refreshed next week. *happy dance* It sends messages, just like the short hair. I like. :-)

Enjoy your weekend and happy writing!

As a color-emotion synesthete, I love the idea of color magic. :-)

Tell me more!!

I experience emotions and pain as an extremely diverse set of colors. So a painfully achy knee could be a bright yellow-green, while a moment of deep contentment while reading a good book on a rainy day is deep blue-purple. I also experience things like musical tone as color; John Philip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever is a boisterous, aggressively cheerful fuchsia.

I just started the Lightbringer series (on your recommendation!), but it's a much more nuanced and sophisticated system than the color magic in those books (as far as I can tell). For instance, some blues are happy and peaceful, but others are menacing or melancholy or searing pain.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Falling down the research rabbit hole.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject