Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Back to the Phoenixes

Well yesterday was a big day. My daughter started Kindergarten. So far she is quite happy at school and she’s earning her Dino Dollars. Dino Dollars are the school’s way of positive reinforcement for being Ready, Respectful and Responsible. They get to spend them on a items, or save them for drawing and what not. I think I should institute a program like it at home. She bought home four of them today.

But, how about I get back to my main project; Phoenix Triumphant?

I haven’t be very diligent about recording my editing, or technically writing, hours lately, but I’ve been getting work done. It’s going the way it wants to go, not the way it was previously written. I’m cool with that now. It’s working out well.

General Jakubas Wholawski is as dastardly as ever and even if Sarah doesn’t tour his dungeon, you’ll want to kill him. SpookOfNight is sharpening her spork for him. Saddly rather than seeing it as a threat it gave him ideas and he wants a spork in his torture device bag of tricks...

Sarah is getting along well, though she’s not too happy at the moment. You can’t blame her, but Jason’s working as hard as he can to get them out. She’s cocked up an idea to rescue Lady Miriam though, if the other cast of characters lets me get that far.

Anyway, it’s time to write out Sarah’s dinner with Wholawski. Or, at least, fill out the school paper work my daughter brought home.

:} Cathryn Leigh

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Choosing A New Adventure

I’ve found myself a new writing project. I have at last started a Choose Your Own Adventure style story. I’ve got two chapters and an introduction written, but I’m wondering if I’ve gone too big for my first time. I have a tendency to do that you know.

When I picked up quilting, did I start with a single block pillow? Nope, not me. No I started with a full size quilt, that still isn’t finished; fifteen years or so later. I did at least finish the quilt block I did for the one quilting class I took. I also have another, three block piece ready for hanging someplace. Oh yes and the baby quilt I put together for my Godson... But that first quilt, is still not finished.

Anyway that’s just one example of my biting off more than I can chew. But, you might ask, how is it I’m making this story more complex than a novice at Choosing your own adventure writer should go. Well perhaps if I give you the introduction, you’ll see what I mean.

Jordan, Peyton, and Riley find themselves locked up in tower cells, with most of their memory lost. Can they recover their memories and remember why they are locked in a tower of Solaris? Can they make it onto the Barrio ship before it leaves port?
Hop on into this Choose Your Own Adventure story and be anyone of the three characters. Make your choices wisely and you'll manage to accomplish everything! Make them poorly and you'll have to start all over again.

But hey, isn't that the point of the Choose Your Own Adventure, follow every single path you possibly can?

Notice that I have chosen three androgynous names, they are also three different age groups, the youth, the adult and the elder. Their stories will interweave. The basic idea is that Jordan stowed away on a ship and ended up in Solaris, where adventures occurred. Peyton, the experienced adventurer, was hired by Jordan’s family to find Jordan. Riley is the mage sent after Payton and Jordan when the two don’t return promptly. The story starts with a lost memory, and they’ll be unraveling as they go.

Personally I think this is going to be a lot of fun. Especially if I can do it well and pull off avoiding mentioning the gender of the characters. See, I’m trying to leave it open to whoever reads it, so that they can truly feel part of the story.

What do you think? Have I bitten off more than I can chew? How long do you think this will take me?

:} Cathryn Leigh

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Trio of Tasks

I must once again apologize for my day late blog. I don’t suppose anyone noticed.

There isn’t really much to say this week. I’m not working on my costume, I’m not working on my story, and I’m not working. Well, okay that’s not entirely true.

I did do some work on my costume in the last week. Everything has been cut out, so I started with my wings. The idea being I go for the hard part first. I’ve gotten so far as to sewing the three sections wing sections together for each one. Between each section is a channel in which I’ll put dowels to help the wing hold its shape. I need to do the leading edge (that’s the top part), which will hold two more dowels for stability, and a string, which should let me spread them. I’m still working on the whole how to attach them part.

As to my story, I’m posting it. I haven’t really done much for writing on it. I do hope to get some done on that tomorrow. It will all depend on how much time I have between my class and yoga.

I’m still working, however this week I’m not going in to work. Instead, I’m taking a class on becoming an ISO 13485 Lead Auditor. It’s a week long, starting at 7:30 am so I’ve been getting up at 5 am, so I can leave by 6 am. That way I can get into the city and be on time for my class. I only drive half way and then take public transportation in. No way I’m dealing with city traffic. So that’s why I’ve been tired. I also have a test on Friday to see if I get my certification for completion for the class. Wish me luck.

Of course, the funny part is I’ve been leading my company’s internal audits since 2 years ago or so. And if my young friends are confused by this last bit... don’t worry, it’s just my day job and someday I’ll save enough from it to buy a nice house on the water and be a full time writer without worrying too much about whether or not I make it big.

:} Cathryn Leigh

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

From One Tizzy to the Next

After a week of being a ‘single’ mom, I have the company of my husband once more. This means that childcare has become, once more, a shared duty. I have to admit that I take my hats off to all the real single mothers out there. My mom was one from the time I was 7 or 8. Thankfully, she only had me and I was as good as they come (at least, that’s what she tells me...). It’s hard taking care of two kids alone. But, I’d rather not dwell on such matters. I’ve got other things to do, more story to write, and a costume to get done.

Yes, I’m still in the re-writing phase of my plot gone wild. Okay perhaps not wild, but I am thankful I have managed to get out and walk a little bit this week. It’s just what the doctor ordered for getting through that block I’ve had. I haven’t written anything based upon my thoughts yet. I don’t really like the way the thoughts are going, but what will be will be.

As to my costume, (should I take photos as I go along?) it hasn’t gotten much past the buy additional fabric and cut out the patterns. I’m a bit stuck on how I want to attach the wings. You see I have the dress; my mother gave it to me from some lavender and lace place. I love the tie-dye purple skirt, and the tie-dye purple lace sleeves, but the bodice is stretch velveteen, not the best of basses for wings. So, I either strap them on over the bodice, thus probably ruining the look slightly, or take the dress apart a bit and strengthen the bodice to better hold the wings. Yet even if I do that, how do I attach the wings in a secure manner, but also allow them to be taken out so the dress can be washed.

Velcro is one solution, and I think I might have some that will do the job, but these are not simple lightweight Fairy wings, but Dragon wings! (Are you also now thinking that yes I should get some picture up?) Well the wing membranes will be made of very lightweight fabric, which I’m also using for the under skirt. However, I’m adding in some wire wrapped balsa wood supports. The idea is to make a wing that can be opened by pulling on string at the back.

Added to this quandary, and probably the main proponent of it is: how removable do I want the wings? Obviously this is for Halloween, but I might just be wearing it to my mom’s big 60 birthday costume dance. If I do that, then easily removable wings would be good. After all I wouldn’t want to ruin my wing before I’ve had a chance to wear them a few time. If I’m just going to be wearing them for Halloween, perhaps not so removable is better...

No, because I’m thinking they may not be all that easy to sit in a car with. *sigh*

So apparently if it’s not my story that’s got me in a tizzy, it’s my sewing project, and if it’s not that, it’s probably my kids. And now, as I continue to sketch out ideas for attaching my wings, I bide you ado.

:} Cathryn Leigh

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A Forgotten Blog and a Morphing Plot

Okay so being one day late probably isn’t too bad, but I still I feel bad for not posting last night. I got a little caught up in cutting out fabric for my latest Halloween costume; The Dragon Queen. It sounds more impressive than it probably will be, but I’m hoping that I will at least have wings that can be opened and closed.

Anyway, back to what I’d like to talk about; Phoenix Triumphant. Now, you would think that, having written the draft, editing would be a piece of cake and just a matter of working on sentence structure and warding. But no, not with Phoenix Triumphant, it is trying to go someplace completely different now.

The first half of the editing went fairly well. Not too many things were changed, and the parts that were easily slipped into the spot they replaced. Then it came time to introduce James. Obviously he was in there before, but I did some writing to figure out just why the Vervellean rescue party would trust the Azurean, who had a pretty high rank in General Wholawski’s army, to come with them.

That is where the major changes started. You see James went from a nervous, scared guy who was afraid of being killed upon return, to, well, a much stronger more take charge kind of guy. Don’t get me wrong I like this change in him, despite the fact he walks the line of double agent well. I know what side he’s really on.

Still it means that if I don’t get my but into writing gear in the next three weeks, I’m going to run out of material to post on Protagonize. Something I suspect my Vervellean fans might get upset about.

Speaking of those fans, I cannot help but return my love for them. Without them this story wouldn’t have gone nearly as far, nor been sustained for as long. It’s amazing to think that Sarah’s Phoenix was posted nearly two years ago? Craziness!

So to all the people I could list (if I was at home and had my notes) who have read and commented as well as those who have faithfully squealed when the first post date of Phoenix Triumphant was announced: THANK YOU! *Heart*

:} Cathryn Leigh