The State of the Chronicles, May 2010

We began rebuilding Shokiyu from the ground up, something I hope to pick up the pace on as we head into the summer.

Thank you to all that read and support the blog

What I don't like in a story

Now for the flip side of Wednesday's post--what I don't like in a story:

--Purple prose (I don't need 50 pages just to describe a piece of grass)

--Wasted potential

--Characters that are unlikeable

--Mary Sues/Gary Stus (unless the author really knows what s/he is doing)

--Plots that are too preachy (I don't mind a moral, but I don't want said moral shoved down my throat)

--Drama for the sake of drama

--Angst over the stupidest things

--Gore/sex for the sake of sheer shock value (if handled tastefully, done well, and crucial to the plot, I will tolerate it)

--Plot holes

--Books that take forever just to get started

--Infodumps (now, if you spread them out, I'm okay, but if you leave me before a wall of text, I'm gone)

--Unbelieveable plots (unless it's a parody and meant to be over the top)

--Flat and cliched characters (unless it is a parody or you know what you're doing)

What I like in a good story

One piece of advice I've received in my writing is to make two lists before you begin writing--what you do like in a good story and what you don't.

The reasoning is if you know what you like, you will enjoy writing the story more, and you will not put in what you don't like.

That said, here is some of what I like in a story:

--An epic quest to save the world (that may or may not include the gathering of shiny things)

--The hero/ine discovering powers that s/he never knew s/he had before

--A group of friends that stick together even through the worst of circumstances

--Happy endings

--Plenty of adventure

--Magic powers/creatures

--Bad guys that you love to hate

--True love (when written well)

--A well built world that feels if it could be a real place

Book Habits Meme:

Credit goes here

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:
Nope, I'd hate to get crumbs or Cheeto crud all over my books.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Usually a soda or juice if i have to get a drink.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
No--I like to take care of my books

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark.

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?
A little of both, but leaning towards fiction.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I try to get to the ends, because I don't like to be left hanging. This has gotten me in trouble before, because sometimes chapters can run a little long.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No--I'll just shove it back on the shelf and never pick it up again

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Depends on the context--if there's enough that I can figure out the word's meaning on mu own, I don't

What are you currently reading?
The Curse of the Mistwraith (Janny Wurts is AMAZING!!!!)
Dragons of Autumn Twilight (it may be a cheesy 80's fantasy set in a tabletop game's world, there was enough info for me, a non tabletop player, to get what was going on.)

What is the last book you bought?
Don't quite remember

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I prefer to read one at a time, but I have had multiple books going before

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
Just before bedtime.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
Series

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Quite a few, but I'd be here all day listing all of them.

How do you organize your books?(by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)
By genre--Fantasy stuff is on top, folktales and reference in the middle, and comics scattered throughout

The Basics, Day 3

◦Are there different human races, whether or not there are non-humans like elves or dwarves? How does the cultural and ethnic diversity of this world compare to the real world?

Non-humans aside, Shokiyu is not that diverse when it comes to human diversity--there are tribes of nomads that live around the desert areas (that look like a Hispanic on Earth), but other than that, most humans appear Caucasian. If they have non-human blood in them, they often look like another Earth race. (For example, a human or elf with avri blood in them will appear Asian--elves believe that "oracle-eyes", as these half-elves are called, have especially strong magic power)

If we account for non-humans, then Shokiyu is pretty diverse--there are five distinct races, each with their own culture.

The Basics, Day 2

◦Is this generally an earth-like world? Is it an “alternate Earth”?

While Shokiyu has some similarities to Earth (i.e. there are sixty minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year, one moon, etc.), it is not an alternate Earth.