ROW80 Week 7: Dilemma

(other participants)

Editing was my most successful goal this week. The first draft of my short story had a very long and rambling lead-in, which I’ve managed to shorten quite a bit.

Reading it aloud definitely helped. I’ve had a few people suggest I should do this, but I usually avoid it for fear of annoying other people in the house.

For now, I’m compromising by reading quietly.

I also spent some time reading, but wrote on only five days out of seven.

Good luck and happy writing!

ROW80 Week 6: Tired

(other participants)

The past week has been tiring. I’m not really sure why — possibly lingering effects of being sick.

Despite that, my progress has been pretty good. I met my goal of writing on six days, and spent some time reading and editing on the weekend.

I also finished reading Book 1 (out of five) of The Wealth of Nations.

Adam Smith’s writing is interesting, if a bit wordy. While I didn’t pick it up as research, the book’s got me thinking about the economics around the heroes’ abilities in Conkers, and how that could change the setting I’m imagining.

Good luck and happy writing!

Complete Enough

The fist that governs from a gauntlet grim
Will one hand honour with a velvet clasp;
To one mind speak, when cause for hope grows slim;
One true advisor, trust beyond its grasp.

To Shadow Queen, one soul is sacrosanct:
For it no weapon is a worthy trade;
Against its need, a separate sum is banked.
Its lone rejection sees a plan un-made.

Just one can challenge pride, and never fear;
A word alone is evidence enough.
They light the Shadow Court by being here,
For love is shared, though words are rare and gruff.

The Shadow Queen found loves in many ways.
But one yet lives, on whom no hand she lays.

ROW80 Week 5: Adjustments

(other participants)

This week has been busy:

I finished rewriting my short story on Tuesday. I’m still not happy with it, but the re-write has given me a much clearer idea of what I do and don’t want to change.

On Friday, I had roleplaying again.

We’ve started sharing the work of running the game, which will hopefully make it a bit less of a time sink in future. However, I do have to make some game-mechanics decisions about my own character, which took up a lot of time this week.

I’m reluctant to count that as writing, which leaves me with four days of proper writing this week (two short-story, two on other stuff).

Hopefully, this coming week will be one for editing.

Good luck and happy writing!

ROW80 Week 4: Reviving

(other participants)

Last week I decided to relax my writing goals so I could recover from being ill.

That’s had the expected result: I’m now feeling much better, but I only wrote five days out of seven, and made no progress on my other goals.

Beyond that, this has been a week for new ideas. A lot of my writing was notes for a new setting I’m considering using for roleplaying, and I finally started reading a book I bought ages ago.

Good luck and happy writing!

Castle in Smoke

Would I could sing a universe to be!
By means of music, set my soul aflame,
In smoke describe the air, in tar the sea,
And continents of ash, let life reclaim.

Through primal trees would echo tread of beasts,
Till rivers trolls control were bridged and drained.
Their founding kings would lay out heroes' feasts,
Till fresh-cooled stones, by blood betrayed were stained.

That day in hearts takes root, and sprouts to grow
To legend, then a myth, and thence a song.
The theme that fire picked out long ago
In blood reprised, crescendoes, then goes wrong.

Its fuel consumed, too soon my world must end,
Or else on souls not mine it must depend.