Fantasy-writers from australia??

Sorry to hear your story is dying. I'm also on fantasy, if it helps! I usually write science fiction-y, magic realism-y stuff, and I guess the best category to shoe-horn it into is fantasy.

This year's novel, Heaven and Hello Kitty is set in the future when everything starts winding down. There's stories within stories, legends about insane kings, suicidal princesses, mythical animals that turn up for no apparent reason...

Is your story really dying? What's it about? Maybe if you go through the plot in your head or write it down you might get some ideas

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2005: Jimmy and the Magical Pants Lord (pwned)
2006: The Life-Giving Waters of the Nazi Handkerchief (pwned)
2007: Heaven and Hell-o Kitty (in the process of pwning)

It's...*sigh*...random...

I'll try to do that...

I don't even know what it's about, really. Got a vague idea of the plot that only stretches about two sentences ahead of me, so that's not really great...

I'll help if you need it. I write anything from "high" fantasy to mixed historical/romance/fantasy (with a few others in - like my nanovel.)

~ Mythic Writing
Mastermind of Boredom
Join Us, Or We'll Bore You Some More...
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/2009342
The World's Most Boring Book - And How You (Yes, You!) Can Help!!

xD Hi.

-Will slap you if you don't guess who this is, not that it's not obvious enough-

You already know I'm a fantasy writer and as for your story dying...

If it's only because you don't know the plot, just ignore the plot. x_X; My plot got trashed within the first hour of writing. Now I'm just going wherever I'm getting taken. And hoping for the best.

All that matters if that you keep getting down the words. That's my excuse for rambling.

And I just read your excerpt. xD It's going well so far -- keep going. And by the way, this -is- the story with the painting prologue, right...?

Or am I just being forgetful as usual?

Sorry for not being very helpful. I just realised how close the exams are. And how NaNo's... addictive. x_X; Which means this year, my marks are going down the drain.

Not good.

Best of luck... you won't need it. xD

Sup?
*grins*
I be of the fantasyy-ish inclination also.
And my story too is dying. Well, the plot's still okay- it's finding writing time that's really getting at me.
Hopefully tonight will be a majorly productive one ^_^
What's your plot?
Mines about Charon (the dead ferry guy) and an angel called Zeke/ Ezekiel. They're doing the heaven/ hell conflict dealio, along with killer kebabs and flaming, harpy destroying swords thrown in for word count =P
kinda random :)

Sometimes sucess demands a certain refined insanity

*cough* I know it's a lsing battle, and it's probably stupid to obsess over it, but I hate it when people get mythology wrong, or alter it. Like, Charon had no connection to Hell. At all. Except to shepherd souls from the surface to the Judgers, Sarpedon, Rhadamanthys and another person to judge and sentence.

Yeah, pet-peeve. Sorry 'bout that. As you were.

~ Mythic Writing
Mastermind of Boredom
Join Us, Or We'll Bore You Some More...
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/2009342
The World's Most Boring Book - And How You (Yes, You!) Can Help!!

to zaiapha or someone; no, it's a new story. i decided to start a new one.

hey, you're writing a mythological one!!! i love those! i think they're really cool...
but i'm missing out on something... - who's ezekiel? a made-up character, or is he part of myth as well?
sorry i'm being so stupid. xDDD

*grins*
Maybe i should have been more specific.
In my story, Charon has no connection to Hell.
Background:
Basically, i started with the premise of mythological characters embodying places.
So, Hades and / or Lucifer had Hell
God/ Yaweh/ angels had Heaven
Morpheus had "in between- dreams, lost souls etc.
Charon had the gateways, the rivers, the borderlands.

So, in the story, Zeke (an angel from Heaven) is in Hell.
Charon is also in Hell- well, he goes there. Why?

Okay, this is where my philosophical ramblings turn pratchett-ish.
He missed the food.
He was lonely
Hell tends to be more welcoming to him than Heaven.

Zeke's there to kill Lucifer, as you do. (but we don't know that yet!!!)

So- rest easy. Charon's not a part of Hell, nor will he ever be a part of Hell. He's just a visitor.
I'm a bit of a classical buff myself, and my Charon is very heavily based on Virgil's descriptions of him, right down to the rust coloured skirting on his boat.
The idea for this story actually hit me upside the head whil i was translating Aeneas first experiences in Dis.
*runs away*
That's not to say it's not going to get crazy weird down there. I mean, Kebabs and Victorian England architecture, people...

Oh, and yes- Zeke's my own character. His name i stole form Ezekiel, who does appear in the old testament? I think.
He's a gay angel.
So he's basically good- just very basically.
The Throne Angels are kinda blackmailing him into hiding down in Hell and killing off Lucifer. He's a bit of a ditz, but i think he'll realise his buddies won't be all that forgiving once he's done the job.
Well, i hope he does, anyway.

Sometimes sucess demands a certain refined insanity

Zaiapha or someone... Nice. xD

Well, good luck with yours anyway. And good luck in the yearlies.

I haven't spoken to you for a while... uh, a day. xD

*mutters vaguely concerning the words 'Hades' and 'Hell'*

Still need help, silver angel?

~ Mythic Writing
Mastermind of Boredom
Join Us, Or We'll Bore You Some More...
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/2009342
The World's Most Boring Book - And How You (Yes, You!) Can Help!!

Try letting the characters lead the way. What do THEY want to do? what do they REALLY want to do? And this does not necessarily mean what do YOU want them to do. Your characters might have a power you don't know about? Something they can do?

If the character is slightly uptight or glum, loosen them up a bit or turn their depressing characteristics into something more comical but still sad. If the character is happy, loosen the reins and let them decide what they want to do with the plot you gave them. Same probably goes for the sad characters too.

Go to the NaNoisms thread (sorry I can't remember which forum it is in :/) and do as they did, just keep writing even if it doesnt sound right or your repeating yourself. This usually loosens up the characters as well, and through them you might discover more plot to work with.

I'm only just catching up now with the NaNoism method (wrote 2K about an 1hr). And even though I know what happens and how it ends, it's made me more interested in the characters cos they seem to have loosened up, or has gone slightly off-centre.

tchah. it's oky guys. btw, trillium, your story sounds really interesting. i'd love to read it - not the usual cliche stuff floating around novelists...(like me)
ummm...yeah, life has interfered!!! with my life! what with exams and stuff with my relatives in hospital, it really is getting a little daggy (my story)
i had better brush up after this week cos' after this, i've got no excuse to be behind so many other ppl.

silverangel
ps - thanx 4 the help, everyone. i'll try to keep all of it in mind

Hehe. I have two humans and thirteen horses, all of which share a telepathic connection and they're on the run through a made-up world where evil priests try and torture anyone with sentient abilities. I'm guessing that has to be fantasy. If I'm wrong, or if someone can think of a better genre, please tell.

For dying story, if you really can't think of anything else: Take one day off writing (this method works best with one month/year, but you know, Nano...) and then read your entire novel. Whenever you reach something you don't think you've explained fully or delved into in enough depth, add it in or create another chapter.

Also, the cheating method: FLASHACKS! Just go ten eyars in the past, and explore why your character is the way they are. Or even go back five thousand years to the beginning of whatever... but yeah. Flashbacks are for word counts. I made six thousand words off one :) in 2 days 0o...

Good luck!

One day, I will think of something funny, yet profound, intelligent, yet easily understandable, to post here.

Sounds more like a bonnet drama to me.

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2005: Jimmy and the Magical Pants Lord (pwned)
2006: The Life-Giving Waters of the Nazi Handkerchief (pwned)
2007: Heaven and Hell-o Kitty (in the process of pwning)

*laughs*
Hades + Hell comes form smashing every kind of 'western' mythology i could find together.
It's wonderfully cringeworthy =P

And silver angel, thanks for your comments ^_^
How's yours going? Inspiration hitting you over the head with multiple sledghammers now ? I hope so.
Fantasy is so cool.

- Trill

Sometimes sucess demands a certain refined insanity

Hey, my nano this year is more soft sci-fi, psychological drama, with a bit of fantasy thrown in...

I will let you know though... The first 14k was easy, then i had to force through the next 10k... i didn't want to write it, it seemed to have no oomph, it was totally lacking and i didn't know where i wanted to go... But then i got back into the action, and two new character's barged their way in...

I guess what i am trying to say is that it just needs to be pushed through, and when THEY can see what they want to do, the characters will just drag you along!

Hope that helps somewhat... I feel so glad that i am at 30k FINALLY!

5k days from now on i think!

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NaNo 07: A Ghostly Belonging
Genre: Sci-Fi / Drama / Psychological
Deaths: 5 featured, and about 20 in the battle.
Mutants: 90-ish
Status: First Draft, Complete.

Dedicated to Dragon; the best ra