The Prince and The Darkness
6: The crowning of a king.
-Prince Baku and Shen Taba argue about where to lead their people.
-Kazo finds the Emperor's crown in the pile of bodies, and crowns Baku king.
-King Baku proclaims Anae and the other slaves free, and arms them for battle.
7: The end of the wall.
-The King's group fights through the Ape Men to rescue Klevok and the others.
-They flee the city, but later lose Ru, the only Metal Maker, to an infected wound.
-At the end of the wall they meet Hoon, a hunter who has kept a small group alive.
8: Betrayal.
-Hoon becomes loyal to the king, but Shen Taba convinces some of Hoon's men to rebel.
-Shen Taba tries to kidnap Anae, and Baku fights to save her.
-Klevok arrives, and Shen Taba flees, his men steal many slave women and supplies.
9: The Water Men.
-Beyond the wall, Hoon's hunting skills become less useful in new terrain.
-With hunger looming, the group finds evidence of men fishing along the coast.
-They reach their destination, the Twin Lakes, and find the huts of the Water Men.
10: The Settlement.
-King Baku decides not to attack the wary Water Men, even though they are not human.
-The Water Men take what they can carry, and leave the area anyway.
-King Baku commands Hoon and his fellow hunters to begin making a new Wall.
The Three Sacred Lies:
Baku and a few others know at the start of their journey that the Three Sacred Truths are not true, and are actually called the Lies of Leadership. According to tradition, these lies must be believed by the people, or the Empire of Attla will fall into ruin. At three different points in the story Baku chooses to leave tradition, and direct his people away from the Lies.
At the end of chapter two, the priests are barricading themselves in the temple in the hopes that the gods will spare them somehow. Baku breaks the first sacred truth by turning from the temple, and fleeing the mining town along the Wall.
At the end of chapter six, Baku is trapped in a room with mostly female slaves, and a few men who are not warriors. He knows that women can be strong, and he breaks the third sacred truth and arms them over the objections of Shen Taba. He knows the women must feel free and strong if they are to survive the journey.
At the beginning of chapter ten, King Baku is asked whether the soldiers should attack the Water Men and seize their food and fishing nets. The soldiers believe that the Water Men have no souls, and no gods because they are not human. This thinking lead to the unending war with the Ape Men that ultimately killed Baku's father, the Emperor. Even if he had the men to wipe out the entire village, which was questionable at that point, it wouldn't gain them enough to be worth the destruction of a native people that had shown them no hostility. He breaks the second sacred truth, and tells the soldiers to treat the Water Men like equals, and then watches them gathering food from the coasts.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Ten Chapter outline, with chr names in place. (Part One)
The Prince and The Darkness
Characters:
Baku, the Prince
Orana, the Star Seer
Klevok, the Bodyguard
Kazo, the Priest
Shen Taba, the Rival
Ru, the Metal Maker
Anae, the Slave
Hoon, The Hunter
The Three Sacred Truths:
The Gods watch over our people, and protect them.
Our people are the only creatures the gods gave souls.
Men are strong, and women are weak without men to lead them.
1: The fall of the mining town.
-An unnatural darkness falls upon the Empire of Attla.
-The miners grow restless, and a ritual at the temple fails to maintain the peace.
-The mining slaves rebel, and begin destroying the city.
2: Fleeing along the wall.
-Klevok, Kazo and Prince Baku, with Baku's bodyguards, fight to the docks.
-All the rafts are all burning; Baku protects Orana, and they return to the temple.
-The other priests barricade themselves in the temple, Klevok gets Baku, Kazo and Orana to safety.
3: Meeting Shen Taba.
-The Darkness lifts, and Baku's group catches up with another group fleeing along the wall.
-Shen Taba is not prepared for a long trip, his men brought more money than food.
-Prince outranks Shen, so Baku leads them to the capitol in the hopes of finding a safe refuge.
4: The fortress of Attla.
-The group reaches the capitol of the Empire; it has been sacked by Attla's enemies, the Ape Men.
-In the ruins they find the slave girl Anae, along with others.
-She tells them the Ape Men attacked just after The Darkness lifted.
5: The map in the throne room.
-Orana tells Baku of a map in the throne room's mural, but a large group of Ape Men are in the way.
-Klevok and the other soldiers distract the Ape Men so Baku can see the map and decide where to go.
-Baku ends up trapped in the throne room with weapons and dead soldiers on one side of the room.
Characters:
Baku, the Prince
Orana, the Star Seer
Klevok, the Bodyguard
Kazo, the Priest
Shen Taba, the Rival
Ru, the Metal Maker
Anae, the Slave
Hoon, The Hunter
The Three Sacred Truths:
The Gods watch over our people, and protect them.
Our people are the only creatures the gods gave souls.
Men are strong, and women are weak without men to lead them.
1: The fall of the mining town.
-An unnatural darkness falls upon the Empire of Attla.
-The miners grow restless, and a ritual at the temple fails to maintain the peace.
-The mining slaves rebel, and begin destroying the city.
2: Fleeing along the wall.
-Klevok, Kazo and Prince Baku, with Baku's bodyguards, fight to the docks.
-All the rafts are all burning; Baku protects Orana, and they return to the temple.
-The other priests barricade themselves in the temple, Klevok gets Baku, Kazo and Orana to safety.
3: Meeting Shen Taba.
-The Darkness lifts, and Baku's group catches up with another group fleeing along the wall.
-Shen Taba is not prepared for a long trip, his men brought more money than food.
-Prince outranks Shen, so Baku leads them to the capitol in the hopes of finding a safe refuge.
4: The fortress of Attla.
-The group reaches the capitol of the Empire; it has been sacked by Attla's enemies, the Ape Men.
-In the ruins they find the slave girl Anae, along with others.
-She tells them the Ape Men attacked just after The Darkness lifted.
5: The map in the throne room.
-Orana tells Baku of a map in the throne room's mural, but a large group of Ape Men are in the way.
-Klevok and the other soldiers distract the Ape Men so Baku can see the map and decide where to go.
-Baku ends up trapped in the throne room with weapons and dead soldiers on one side of the room.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Project Ten: Revision
Here we go, once more into the fray. I've been marinading some ideas for almost half a year, and I finally regained a flicker of the spark I had for this story. Key changes to the outline so far: The Prince (whose name is Prince Baku.) tries to flee the mining town on boat, but is forced to flee on foot instead; upon reaching the capitol, he must lead a charge against the Ape Men in order to access the great library's atlas; once the group decides to head east, they build a raft to travel the river down to the ocean; and lastly, the people he finds in the north at the two lakes settlement aren't human, and King Baku decides to coexist with them for as long as they can.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Project 10: Step Four (2)
"With a small number of rafts, The Prince leads his people northward to The Great Fortress, believng that his father, The Emperor will have fared better through the Evernight, only to discover that The Great Fortress is destroyed, and his father is dead."
6:10 pm 1/2/12
Once the Prince and his guards get to the harbor, they board some fully stocked rafts, and flee The Mining Town. The slaves are too busy tearing down the temple to see them flee in the darkness. The Prince, his Bodyguard, and The Priest, along with a handful of soldiers soon overtake another group fleeing the city. The Rival, a noble who was closer to the harbor when the trouble started, had time to load a small fortune of gold and copper onto his rafts, but is having trouble moving them northward. The Prince claims command of both groups, and when the Rival objects, the Bodyguard reminds him that traitors to the crown get executed. The Rival stands down, and some of his rafts are dumped to make room for more suplies. The Prince meets The Astronomer, who assures him she can navigate the rafts to The Great Fortress, if the clouds ever lift. Several days after their escape, the sun finally returns, though it seems weak, and cold. The Prince performs a sacrifice of supplies at the prompting of the Priest, in order to win the favor of the gods, despite having no faith in the actions himself.
6:35 pm
10:07 pm 1/2/12
Their journey doesn't improve. They reach a point as they travel northward where the trees are all fallen, as if the ocean had knocked down the entire land. Foraging gets harder at this point, and tempers flare between the Prince and the Rival, who's lack of supplies put a strain on the entire group from the start. Finally they reach the turn for heading inland to reach the Great Fortress of the Emperor. Unloading the rafts, and travelling on foot, the Rival is finally forced to abandon the last of his gold and copper riches. Before they reach the Great Fortress, they are attacked by the wild Ape Men, who shouldn't have been able to reach this far south normally. The Great Fortress is empty, it's holdings burnt and broken, evidence of a slave uprising. They find a pile of dead, burnt and abandoned, an effort to stave off disease after the uprising. Everyone's gone or dead. The group settles in for a time, gathering food, and eventually drawing the attention of some slave children who were hiding in the ruins being tended to by a young slave woman who sees herself as their protector. The Prince consults with his closest friends to decide what to do next.
10:25pm
No fist pump this time, I've been gone from this project for the entire holiday season, and it's a little stale. I'm not sure if this is more like a paragraph or a page. Either way, I'm off for work.
6:10 pm 1/2/12
Once the Prince and his guards get to the harbor, they board some fully stocked rafts, and flee The Mining Town. The slaves are too busy tearing down the temple to see them flee in the darkness. The Prince, his Bodyguard, and The Priest, along with a handful of soldiers soon overtake another group fleeing the city. The Rival, a noble who was closer to the harbor when the trouble started, had time to load a small fortune of gold and copper onto his rafts, but is having trouble moving them northward. The Prince claims command of both groups, and when the Rival objects, the Bodyguard reminds him that traitors to the crown get executed. The Rival stands down, and some of his rafts are dumped to make room for more suplies. The Prince meets The Astronomer, who assures him she can navigate the rafts to The Great Fortress, if the clouds ever lift. Several days after their escape, the sun finally returns, though it seems weak, and cold. The Prince performs a sacrifice of supplies at the prompting of the Priest, in order to win the favor of the gods, despite having no faith in the actions himself.
6:35 pm
10:07 pm 1/2/12
Their journey doesn't improve. They reach a point as they travel northward where the trees are all fallen, as if the ocean had knocked down the entire land. Foraging gets harder at this point, and tempers flare between the Prince and the Rival, who's lack of supplies put a strain on the entire group from the start. Finally they reach the turn for heading inland to reach the Great Fortress of the Emperor. Unloading the rafts, and travelling on foot, the Rival is finally forced to abandon the last of his gold and copper riches. Before they reach the Great Fortress, they are attacked by the wild Ape Men, who shouldn't have been able to reach this far south normally. The Great Fortress is empty, it's holdings burnt and broken, evidence of a slave uprising. They find a pile of dead, burnt and abandoned, an effort to stave off disease after the uprising. Everyone's gone or dead. The group settles in for a time, gathering food, and eventually drawing the attention of some slave children who were hiding in the ruins being tended to by a young slave woman who sees herself as their protector. The Prince consults with his closest friends to decide what to do next.
10:25pm
No fist pump this time, I've been gone from this project for the entire holiday season, and it's a little stale. I'm not sure if this is more like a paragraph or a page. Either way, I'm off for work.
Project 10: Step Four
A detailed summary, growing one paragraph for each sentance in my Step Two paragraph. Each paragraph should end in a disaster.
"When the sun fails to rise, the slaves in The Mining City panic and turn violent, and The Prince is forced to flee to the rafts in the harbor."
9:12 pm 11/27/11
A loud roar is heard all throughout The Empire, unexplainable, and terrifying. The slaves in the southern Mining City grow restless, and the temple staff are nervous as they prepare for the sunrise ceremony the next morning. The Prince, eldest son of The Emperor, is the chief figure in the sunrise ceremony. Before it begins, his friend The Priest reminds him that they need to do well to show the slaves that the gods still watch over them, and put the people back at ease. The sunrise is always harder to time when the stars are obscured, but the lightening horizon usually permitted the priests to begin with certainty that some light would fall upon the Stone of the Year before they were completed. This day however, the stars are hidden, and the light doesn't come. The temple workers mutter their concern, and with all the Mines waiting to begin their day after the ceremony is finished, the priests begin the ritual anyway. The Prince plays his part, and concludes the ritual, stalling as much as he can, but ultimately he proclaims the last words of the ritual: "Unless we have become unworthy, shine upon us and guide us in all we do." The skies remain dark, and night persists. The guards in the mines try to send the slaves to work, and the slaves revolt, tearing weapons from the guards, and pressing their way up the cliffside, intent on winning the favor of the gods by destroying the temple. The Priests turn to the Prince for guidance, but he is at a loss, still in shock at the turn of events. His Bodyguard, however, sees the danger, and sends the temple guards out to hold back the wave of slaves long enough for the Prince and his guards to escape to the harbor, and flee the burning City.
9:47pm
Yes, yes, yes. I'm liking this story! This worked out quite well. Next time, sentance two gets the works. *Fist pump*
"When the sun fails to rise, the slaves in The Mining City panic and turn violent, and The Prince is forced to flee to the rafts in the harbor."
9:12 pm 11/27/11
A loud roar is heard all throughout The Empire, unexplainable, and terrifying. The slaves in the southern Mining City grow restless, and the temple staff are nervous as they prepare for the sunrise ceremony the next morning. The Prince, eldest son of The Emperor, is the chief figure in the sunrise ceremony. Before it begins, his friend The Priest reminds him that they need to do well to show the slaves that the gods still watch over them, and put the people back at ease. The sunrise is always harder to time when the stars are obscured, but the lightening horizon usually permitted the priests to begin with certainty that some light would fall upon the Stone of the Year before they were completed. This day however, the stars are hidden, and the light doesn't come. The temple workers mutter their concern, and with all the Mines waiting to begin their day after the ceremony is finished, the priests begin the ritual anyway. The Prince plays his part, and concludes the ritual, stalling as much as he can, but ultimately he proclaims the last words of the ritual: "Unless we have become unworthy, shine upon us and guide us in all we do." The skies remain dark, and night persists. The guards in the mines try to send the slaves to work, and the slaves revolt, tearing weapons from the guards, and pressing their way up the cliffside, intent on winning the favor of the gods by destroying the temple. The Priests turn to the Prince for guidance, but he is at a loss, still in shock at the turn of events. His Bodyguard, however, sees the danger, and sends the temple guards out to hold back the wave of slaves long enough for the Prince and his guards to escape to the harbor, and flee the burning City.
9:47pm
Yes, yes, yes. I'm liking this story! This worked out quite well. Next time, sentance two gets the works. *Fist pump*
Project 10: Step Three
I have had the hardest time with step three of the snowflake method, the part where the characters are written about. I have a great story, inspired by some pretty cool sources, but when I sit down to play D & D, the other players provide the character. This project, I need to do all the character work, and it's not my strong point. On the other hand, if I can't create a handfull of decent characters, I should just pack up and quit now, because no one wants to read a story with bad characters in it. So right now the plan is 10 minutes to write all I can about as many characters as I can think of.
11:56pm 11/23/11
-The Prince, main character. He will be one of the overseers of the sunrise ceremony in the mining city. He flees the city, and leads the survivors first to The Great Fortress, and then north in a search for a new home.
-The Bodyguard, protector. He has watched over The Prince since The Prince was born, and first saw the need to flee the Mining City. He commands the surviving soldiers well, and acts as an advisor to the prince. He will most likely not make it through the lands of the Ape Men. His pressence kept the prince from being questioned.
-The Rival, a challenger. The Rival is a noble of high lineage and ambition, with men loyal to him, and little interest in following the young prince except out of necessity. The rafts he takes out of the Mining Town are foolishly overloaded wth gold instead of food. After the prince is crowned king, and the survivors clear the lands of the Ape Men, and the Bodyguard is dead, The Rival will lead his own group into the west rather than head north with the prince.
-The Astronomer, Haughty. One of the few females of the higher castes to make it out of the Mining City, she catches the prince's eye, but is very self important, and unfriendly. The Prince might have tried to make her The Queen of his new kingdom, but she succumbs to illness once they mingle with the other human settlement.
-The Priest, zealous. While the prince suffers constantly with his faith, the priest never fails to invoke the right god, or to keep the passage of time for noting holy days. While traveling, he is both storyteller and historian, recalling the past tales, and endlessly reciting pontoums to memory, as he has no other means of recording with him. Near the end, he advises the King to act against the other humans while he still can.
-The Slave, defiant. In the Great Fortress, one of the survivors who joins the group is a woman who was badly burned saving children from the chaos of the Evernight. She has contempt for the prince's group, but believes him when he says he will protect the children. Her burn will require the prince to take steps to ward off blood poisoning. They grow closer after the Astronomer dies, and he will likely keep her as his first concubine.
12:44am
And the problems with Little Bit continue. Why won't she stay in bed?? I could have typed more if I wasn't dealing with fatherhood.
11:56pm 11/23/11
-The Prince, main character. He will be one of the overseers of the sunrise ceremony in the mining city. He flees the city, and leads the survivors first to The Great Fortress, and then north in a search for a new home.
-The Bodyguard, protector. He has watched over The Prince since The Prince was born, and first saw the need to flee the Mining City. He commands the surviving soldiers well, and acts as an advisor to the prince. He will most likely not make it through the lands of the Ape Men. His pressence kept the prince from being questioned.
-The Rival, a challenger. The Rival is a noble of high lineage and ambition, with men loyal to him, and little interest in following the young prince except out of necessity. The rafts he takes out of the Mining Town are foolishly overloaded wth gold instead of food. After the prince is crowned king, and the survivors clear the lands of the Ape Men, and the Bodyguard is dead, The Rival will lead his own group into the west rather than head north with the prince.
-The Astronomer, Haughty. One of the few females of the higher castes to make it out of the Mining City, she catches the prince's eye, but is very self important, and unfriendly. The Prince might have tried to make her The Queen of his new kingdom, but she succumbs to illness once they mingle with the other human settlement.
-The Priest, zealous. While the prince suffers constantly with his faith, the priest never fails to invoke the right god, or to keep the passage of time for noting holy days. While traveling, he is both storyteller and historian, recalling the past tales, and endlessly reciting pontoums to memory, as he has no other means of recording with him. Near the end, he advises the King to act against the other humans while he still can.
-The Slave, defiant. In the Great Fortress, one of the survivors who joins the group is a woman who was badly burned saving children from the chaos of the Evernight. She has contempt for the prince's group, but believes him when he says he will protect the children. Her burn will require the prince to take steps to ward off blood poisoning. They grow closer after the Astronomer dies, and he will likely keep her as his first concubine.
12:44am
And the problems with Little Bit continue. Why won't she stay in bed?? I could have typed more if I wasn't dealing with fatherhood.
Project 10: Step Two (4)
This is my latest attempt at following the guide and creating a quality paragraph that will summarize my entire story. I keep doing research into the things I want to include, and changing my outline to accommodate. Here goes:
9:40 pm 11/16/11
When the sun fails to rise, the slaves in The Mining City panic and turn violent, and The Prince is forced to flee to the rafts in the harbor. With a small number of rafts, The Prince leads his people northward to The Great Fortress, believng that his father, The Emperor will have fared better through the Evernight, only to discover that The Great Fortress is destroyed, and his father is dead. The Prince is crowned The People's King, and with no reason to stay at the ruin, they gather up more survivors, and head northward into the lands of the Ape Men, where they fight for food and supplies, and lose many friends. Once they are past the worst of the lands of the Ape Men, they come across a simple fishing folk who claim that more Men live in the northern lands, but a rival to The King leads some of The People west instead of continuing north. When The King reaches the other land of Men, he finds a group of survivors living in squallor, their culture also destroyed by the Evernight, and being unable to persuade their leaders to join him, The King sends the last of his force out to either secure the land, or die trying.
10:07pm
9:40 pm 11/16/11
When the sun fails to rise, the slaves in The Mining City panic and turn violent, and The Prince is forced to flee to the rafts in the harbor. With a small number of rafts, The Prince leads his people northward to The Great Fortress, believng that his father, The Emperor will have fared better through the Evernight, only to discover that The Great Fortress is destroyed, and his father is dead. The Prince is crowned The People's King, and with no reason to stay at the ruin, they gather up more survivors, and head northward into the lands of the Ape Men, where they fight for food and supplies, and lose many friends. Once they are past the worst of the lands of the Ape Men, they come across a simple fishing folk who claim that more Men live in the northern lands, but a rival to The King leads some of The People west instead of continuing north. When The King reaches the other land of Men, he finds a group of survivors living in squallor, their culture also destroyed by the Evernight, and being unable to persuade their leaders to join him, The King sends the last of his force out to either secure the land, or die trying.
10:07pm
Project 10: Step Two (3)
12:18am 11/12/11
Straight into random notes:
The Emperor will be in a walled city called The Great Fortress when an eruption in a distant land blocks out the sun for days, and the weather chills immediately after. The people turn against him, and in a moment of pure hubris, he orders all but the noble class and the warior class cast out of the city. The workers and slaves, scared and upset by the dark, attack The Great Fortress.
The Emperor's eldest son is in the sothern part of the empire, overseeing the religeous duties of the port city that ships mined gold to The Great Fortress, when the darkness falls. In the chaos of the Evernight, his faithful Bodyguard leads him and other nobles and priests to the shipyards, and they sail away while their city burns. The Prince determines to lead everyone to The Great Fortress, certain that The Emperor will know what to do.
When the sun returns, it casts little light, and no warmth, and a storm arises out of the bleakness, wrecking the ships on the Forbidden Isle. The Prince must chose to stay upon the shores until all the ships are repaired, or leave some behind and press on. Unable to sacrifice a few for the many, they all band together to repair the 'fleet'. Then the creatures of the Forbidden Isle attack the camp, and The Prince is forced to leave others behind, including his Bodyguard, who holds the monsters off until The Prince is safely aboard ship, but is overpowered before he can reach the boats.
The remaining force then continues on to the Great Fortress, first by ship, and then on foot, picking up survivors, and fightng the Ape Men that were normally non-threatening, but have been driven towards violence out of hunger and desperation. When The Prince finally reaches the Great Fortress, he finds that it has been destroyed, that his father is dead, and that there is no food or saftey in the surrounding lands. One of his allies finds The Emperor's crown in a charred pile of dead, and presents it to the prince, asking if the gods have chosen him to lead them out of the disaster. He excepts his father's crown, and becomes The King of a northern bound people, still at odds with the Ape Men in the northern lands.
The King comes to a river that flows north, and his people build rafts, and follow this long river to the sea. The river's delta is fertile, the climate is moderate, and the area is relatively free of Ape Men. The Kingdom is marked out, and a fortress is made, and The King meets a new people, not Man, but not Ape either, simpler but with language and tools, and they trade and prosper. The King, at the end of his journey, admires his kingdom from the vantage of his fortress wall, and imagines the future, with great monuments, and calanders they can plant by. The Kingdom numbers no more than 2,000 people, all that remain of the race of Man, but they still survived the end of the world. He ends by thanking the gods for his good fortune.
1:11 am
Edit (1):
9:07 pm 11/14/11
The last paragraph felt a little choppy and rushed. Let's rewrite it!
The King leads his people north, along the coast, until he comes across a simple fishing folk, with shell necklaces and strong spears. They take on a guide who claims there are more Men in the northern lands where the sea ends. Once they journey to the land, a fertile place with two lakes, and many streams, protected from the Ape Men by tall mountains in the north, and rivers and coastland in the south and west, The King realises that this is where his people could be safe. The land was occupied by another human group, as the guide had said, but they had fallen hard after the Evernight. With no chance of a reconcilliation, the King is forced to fight the folk.
After the battle, the men of the natives were killed, and the women were left to join his people on their own. In time, The King will rebuild a slave population, and build a new fortress in the shadows of the mountains. Finding gold in the rivers is seen as a sign that the gods want his people to settle here. In time, the King's lands prosper, and he imagines the future his people will build. The Kingdom grew from only 150 people, all that remained of the race of Man, but they still survived the end of the world. He ends by thanking the gods for his good fortune.
9:40 pm
Straight into random notes:
The Emperor will be in a walled city called The Great Fortress when an eruption in a distant land blocks out the sun for days, and the weather chills immediately after. The people turn against him, and in a moment of pure hubris, he orders all but the noble class and the warior class cast out of the city. The workers and slaves, scared and upset by the dark, attack The Great Fortress.
The Emperor's eldest son is in the sothern part of the empire, overseeing the religeous duties of the port city that ships mined gold to The Great Fortress, when the darkness falls. In the chaos of the Evernight, his faithful Bodyguard leads him and other nobles and priests to the shipyards, and they sail away while their city burns. The Prince determines to lead everyone to The Great Fortress, certain that The Emperor will know what to do.
When the sun returns, it casts little light, and no warmth, and a storm arises out of the bleakness, wrecking the ships on the Forbidden Isle. The Prince must chose to stay upon the shores until all the ships are repaired, or leave some behind and press on. Unable to sacrifice a few for the many, they all band together to repair the 'fleet'. Then the creatures of the Forbidden Isle attack the camp, and The Prince is forced to leave others behind, including his Bodyguard, who holds the monsters off until The Prince is safely aboard ship, but is overpowered before he can reach the boats.
The remaining force then continues on to the Great Fortress, first by ship, and then on foot, picking up survivors, and fightng the Ape Men that were normally non-threatening, but have been driven towards violence out of hunger and desperation. When The Prince finally reaches the Great Fortress, he finds that it has been destroyed, that his father is dead, and that there is no food or saftey in the surrounding lands. One of his allies finds The Emperor's crown in a charred pile of dead, and presents it to the prince, asking if the gods have chosen him to lead them out of the disaster. He excepts his father's crown, and becomes The King of a northern bound people, still at odds with the Ape Men in the northern lands.
The King comes to a river that flows north, and his people build rafts, and follow this long river to the sea. The river's delta is fertile, the climate is moderate, and the area is relatively free of Ape Men. The Kingdom is marked out, and a fortress is made, and The King meets a new people, not Man, but not Ape either, simpler but with language and tools, and they trade and prosper. The King, at the end of his journey, admires his kingdom from the vantage of his fortress wall, and imagines the future, with great monuments, and calanders they can plant by. The Kingdom numbers no more than 2,000 people, all that remain of the race of Man, but they still survived the end of the world. He ends by thanking the gods for his good fortune.
1:11 am
Edit (1):
9:07 pm 11/14/11
The last paragraph felt a little choppy and rushed. Let's rewrite it!
The King leads his people north, along the coast, until he comes across a simple fishing folk, with shell necklaces and strong spears. They take on a guide who claims there are more Men in the northern lands where the sea ends. Once they journey to the land, a fertile place with two lakes, and many streams, protected from the Ape Men by tall mountains in the north, and rivers and coastland in the south and west, The King realises that this is where his people could be safe. The land was occupied by another human group, as the guide had said, but they had fallen hard after the Evernight. With no chance of a reconcilliation, the King is forced to fight the folk.
After the battle, the men of the natives were killed, and the women were left to join his people on their own. In time, The King will rebuild a slave population, and build a new fortress in the shadows of the mountains. Finding gold in the rivers is seen as a sign that the gods want his people to settle here. In time, the King's lands prosper, and he imagines the future his people will build. The Kingdom grew from only 150 people, all that remained of the race of Man, but they still survived the end of the world. He ends by thanking the gods for his good fortune.
9:40 pm
Project 10: Step Two (2)
"The heir to a broken empire survives a volcanic winter, and tries to rebuild his kingdom"
Not bad for a one line summary, right? Now I need to write a paragraph built on this sentence, but better than yesterday's attempt. My heart's not really in it, but I'll give it 10 minutes.
8:43 am 11/9/11
"A darkness falls over the empire of Man, and the people turn violent, slaying the decadent Emperor, and destroying the Empire's..." garbage...
"A darkness falls over The Empire, and the people kill the Emperor in their panic." Good line one.
"The Prince escapes the city, and leads a group of survivors through enemy lands."
"The group sails for warmer lands, but flees from an Isle full of dangerous creatures."
"With few resources, the new King leads his people into warmer lands, that are already occupied."
"He leads a desperate people on a conquest for survival, that will only end when one side has destroyed the other."
That's more like it, but still not quite right. There's always tomorrow. I think the basic storyline is compelling. Would any of you read this book if the above 5 lines were all you got from the back cover?
9:01 am
Not bad for a one line summary, right? Now I need to write a paragraph built on this sentence, but better than yesterday's attempt. My heart's not really in it, but I'll give it 10 minutes.
8:43 am 11/9/11
"A darkness falls over the empire of Man, and the people turn violent, slaying the decadent Emperor, and destroying the Empire's..." garbage...
"A darkness falls over The Empire, and the people kill the Emperor in their panic." Good line one.
"The Prince escapes the city, and leads a group of survivors through enemy lands."
"The group sails for warmer lands, but flees from an Isle full of dangerous creatures."
"With few resources, the new King leads his people into warmer lands, that are already occupied."
"He leads a desperate people on a conquest for survival, that will only end when one side has destroyed the other."
That's more like it, but still not quite right. There's always tomorrow. I think the basic storyline is compelling. Would any of you read this book if the above 5 lines were all you got from the back cover?
9:01 am
Project 10: Step two
I sure hope this project works out for me. It's so cold in my living room that I have to warm my hands every few minutes just to type at the computer. We're trying to keep the furnace off for as long as possible to avoid the heating bill. Wherever the baby is, there's a space heater for her needs. I'll just muscle through somehow.
The last time I wrote about step one, a one sentence summary of my story. "The heir to a broken empire survives a volcanic winter, and tries to rebuild his kingdom". The method I'm following guides me to use this sentence as the launch for step two. Writing a paragraph about the sentence. Here goes.
9:16am 11/8/11
As before, I'll write whatever comes to me.
"A civilization with advanced mathematics and science rules over all humankind, using steel, plumbing, and other innovations to maintain their grip on Man, while other races have barely begun using stone tools. This empire boasts the safest, and most fertile territory that history has ever recorded, and seems as though it will go on forever. Then, without warning, the skies darken, and against the advice of his only son, The Emperor closes the walls of the capitol city, and tells his people that the Gods have chosen the nobles to live, and..."
Too wordy... The first line was ok
"The Empire had ruled over Man for all of time, and The Emperor belived that his line would continue to rule forever. Then came a darkness that drove his people to turn against him, and he did not survive their wrath. His son, The Prince, fled the doomed city, and with few other choices, banded the survivors into a force capable of journeying through the Evernight, in hopes of finding warm and fertile lands that were free of the darkness and the cold. Even after the Evernight came to an end, and the sun returned, food remained scarce, and the winter persisted year round. The race of Man had iron weapons, and far more knowlege than the peoples whose lands The Prince travelled through, but the darkness had hurt these folk far worse than his people, and the way to warmer lands was full of danger. Once their journey reached the sea, The Prince, who was now a King in his own right, constructed a small fleet of ships, and sailed along the coast, finding an Isle with warm weather, plentiful food, and more than enough materials to rebuild his Empire. The Isle, however, was home to monsters The Prince could not have expected, and when they came crashing down on his people, they had no choice but to flee. Finally settling in lands only slightly warmer and safer than the lands they had fled, The King built a defensible fortress, and started to rebuild, and though much that had been known was lost in The Empire's fall, his people had survived the end of the world."
The baby got up in the middle of this paragraph. That lengthened the time quite a bit. This is a good summary, but I was instructed to keep it to 5 sentances. I'll try again tomorrow to shorten my work. I think this paragraph says what it needs to. Most of the things with capitol letters will get really cool sounding proper names later.
9:59am
The last time I wrote about step one, a one sentence summary of my story. "The heir to a broken empire survives a volcanic winter, and tries to rebuild his kingdom". The method I'm following guides me to use this sentence as the launch for step two. Writing a paragraph about the sentence. Here goes.
9:16am 11/8/11
As before, I'll write whatever comes to me.
"A civilization with advanced mathematics and science rules over all humankind, using steel, plumbing, and other innovations to maintain their grip on Man, while other races have barely begun using stone tools. This empire boasts the safest, and most fertile territory that history has ever recorded, and seems as though it will go on forever. Then, without warning, the skies darken, and against the advice of his only son, The Emperor closes the walls of the capitol city, and tells his people that the Gods have chosen the nobles to live, and..."
Too wordy... The first line was ok
"The Empire had ruled over Man for all of time, and The Emperor belived that his line would continue to rule forever. Then came a darkness that drove his people to turn against him, and he did not survive their wrath. His son, The Prince, fled the doomed city, and with few other choices, banded the survivors into a force capable of journeying through the Evernight, in hopes of finding warm and fertile lands that were free of the darkness and the cold. Even after the Evernight came to an end, and the sun returned, food remained scarce, and the winter persisted year round. The race of Man had iron weapons, and far more knowlege than the peoples whose lands The Prince travelled through, but the darkness had hurt these folk far worse than his people, and the way to warmer lands was full of danger. Once their journey reached the sea, The Prince, who was now a King in his own right, constructed a small fleet of ships, and sailed along the coast, finding an Isle with warm weather, plentiful food, and more than enough materials to rebuild his Empire. The Isle, however, was home to monsters The Prince could not have expected, and when they came crashing down on his people, they had no choice but to flee. Finally settling in lands only slightly warmer and safer than the lands they had fled, The King built a defensible fortress, and started to rebuild, and though much that had been known was lost in The Empire's fall, his people had survived the end of the world."
The baby got up in the middle of this paragraph. That lengthened the time quite a bit. This is a good summary, but I was instructed to keep it to 5 sentances. I'll try again tomorrow to shorten my work. I think this paragraph says what it needs to. Most of the things with capitol letters will get really cool sounding proper names later.
9:59am
Project 10: The first step
I was searching on google for 'steps to writing a novel', and I came across a 10 step process called the snowflake method. It seemed like fate, and should pair perfectly with Project 10. The link is here: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php
2:10pm 11/5/11
The first step is to write a one sentence summary of your story. My gut sentence is "A super volcano erupts, creating a volcanic winter, and ending a civilization." This doesn't even mention the main character, though. I still haven't decided who the hero should be yet. Is he a survivor of the 'Winter' trying to teach the next generation? Maybe he's the grandson of a survivor who only knows the tales of how things used to be? Is he a prince of sorts, trying to warn his ruler of the dangers they face while it's happening? "One man struggles to survive a volcanic winter, and rebuild society in a broken ecosystem."
One last try
"The heir to a broken empire survives a volcanic winter, and tries to rebuild his kingdom"
2:25pm
2:10pm 11/5/11
The first step is to write a one sentence summary of your story. My gut sentence is "A super volcano erupts, creating a volcanic winter, and ending a civilization." This doesn't even mention the main character, though. I still haven't decided who the hero should be yet. Is he a survivor of the 'Winter' trying to teach the next generation? Maybe he's the grandson of a survivor who only knows the tales of how things used to be? Is he a prince of sorts, trying to warn his ruler of the dangers they face while it's happening? "One man struggles to survive a volcanic winter, and rebuild society in a broken ecosystem."
One last try
"The heir to a broken empire survives a volcanic winter, and tries to rebuild his kingdom"
2:25pm
Project Ten
So, the start of project 10: My goal is to spend 10 minutes a day, just after work, writing a story of 10 chapters, each to be at least 10 pages long. It is ok if I miss a day or two, here or there. I will likely grow bored with this idea, and just stop doing it. Then some later day, I'll spot this first note, sitting here and reread it, and wonder what happened. "You are awful at following through on anything," I say to the future Me, "And you should just decide to start back up again. Even your worst story is better than some hollywood movies. Stop being so judgemental and critical of yourself, future Me, and just get back to work." This story is not that large of a task. Grind it out, welcome feedback, but don't let negativity rule your story. Write what you want, and let the work speak for itself.
From 11/05/11
From 11/05/11
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