The interesting thing about episode 26 is its English title "Eternal Love" in the original Japanese title is actually "Eien no omoi" (永遠の想い).
想い "omoi" has many many meanings, some of which are:
thought
feeling
emotion
expectation
wish
longing
yearning
the heart
desire
(from http://thesaurus.weblio.jp/content/%E6%83%B3%E3%81%84)
While I agree with the English translation for the episode title, I always thought of the actual meaning as "eternal longing," and that's what I'm trying to put into DS.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Skipping Ahead
Frustrated by my crappy dialogue efforts in chapter 6, today I skipped ahead a few chapters to write a different scene. The writing went well and I completed 500 words, but as I wrote more and more I realize that the scene was highly dependent on Van and Hitomi's relationship and how it developed during the intervening chapters. I mean, I wrote it based on their relationship as I think how it should have progressed to by that point, but as to whether or not they decided to get there or to another direction entirely is dependent on their interactions with each other up to that point, and by chapter 6 they haven't yet made those decisions or even knew these things are coming!
Earlier when I was considering if I should skip ahead, I did think about this possibility. But I was--and am still--unsure if this is A Bad Thing because I am making tons of assumptions about the characters, and the round peg characters will be totally incompatible with the square hole scene. Or if this is A Good Thing since I'll have an idea that the characters should become square pegs and in the intervening chapters they need to do x and y to get there.
What I do know is that I need to keep writing. Not to allow myself an excuse to shrink away from difficult writing situations, but I think at least at this point in writing DS, I should commit any possible scenes and ideas down on paper so they are all there, and then when I have more content I will be able to convert and rewrite to make an actual story.
Well, that's the plan so far, anyway.
Earlier when I was considering if I should skip ahead, I did think about this possibility. But I was--and am still--unsure if this is A Bad Thing because I am making tons of assumptions about the characters, and the round peg characters will be totally incompatible with the square hole scene. Or if this is A Good Thing since I'll have an idea that the characters should become square pegs and in the intervening chapters they need to do x and y to get there.
What I do know is that I need to keep writing. Not to allow myself an excuse to shrink away from difficult writing situations, but I think at least at this point in writing DS, I should commit any possible scenes and ideas down on paper so they are all there, and then when I have more content I will be able to convert and rewrite to make an actual story.
Well, that's the plan so far, anyway.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Another Day's Work
Wrote a bit of chapter 6 within SimpleNote this afternoon, it's really great to have the text handy all the time via browser or my phone. I'm struggling on the dialogue, though; it just seems so lackluster. Will give it another night and see if I have better ideas tomorrow.
Today's favorite sentence is totally spoiler, so here is my second favorite passage:
Today's favorite sentence is totally spoiler, so here is my second favorite passage:
She was lying in the middle of a large grassy field, shielding her eyes against the afternoon sunlight to look at the passing clouds. The grasses undulated in the breeze like jaunty cat tails. There was a clump of trees at the very edge of the field just out of her sight, and a little brook.One handwritten notebook reconciled into Scrivener.
On. A. Roll.
With a glass of Negroni by my side the evening pile of work seemed to go fast. I am two-thirds through chapter 6 first draft, found my missing Esca drawings on a harddrive, updated my fanfiction.net profile (last updated in 2008!), uploaded a "bookcover" image for DS (this is a great new feature), signed up for beta-reading on ff, updated my character sheets and notes in Scrivner (still have 6 more handwritten notebooks to convert), and synced Scrivner with SimpleNote.
Speaking of SimpleNote, I haven't used it in a while and I logged into this note:
2012: Be Awesome!
1. menigioma protocol
2. triathlon
3. gym 4x/wk
4. finish Deeper than the Sky
5. plan events
6. homecooked meals gourmet style
7. 115lbs
I did not accomplish a single thing on that list.
It doesn't mean that 2014 won't be awesome though.
I read through the first 5 chapters of DS that were released, and damn, was the writing terrible. I had to skim through some passages, I didn't really want to read them. Ah well, the only way to get better at writing is to write.
The storyline and ideas are fine, though, and I found a few interesting details I had forgotten that I put into my notes so I'd remember those little bits later. I didn't realize I had so much backstory about Escaflowne and the start of Fanelia, and I'm sure there are tons and tons of backstories in those handwritten notebooks. I think I even sketched some maps and clothing styles.
I really want to finish ch6 and also a much later chapter that I finally solved the puzzle of presenting the story, but sadly, it is way past bedtime and I should really head to bed.
Speaking of SimpleNote, I haven't used it in a while and I logged into this note:
2012: Be Awesome!
1. menigioma protocol
2. triathlon
3. gym 4x/wk
4. finish Deeper than the Sky
5. plan events
6. homecooked meals gourmet style
7. 115lbs
I did not accomplish a single thing on that list.
It doesn't mean that 2014 won't be awesome though.
I read through the first 5 chapters of DS that were released, and damn, was the writing terrible. I had to skim through some passages, I didn't really want to read them. Ah well, the only way to get better at writing is to write.
The storyline and ideas are fine, though, and I found a few interesting details I had forgotten that I put into my notes so I'd remember those little bits later. I didn't realize I had so much backstory about Escaflowne and the start of Fanelia, and I'm sure there are tons and tons of backstories in those handwritten notebooks. I think I even sketched some maps and clothing styles.
I really want to finish ch6 and also a much later chapter that I finally solved the puzzle of presenting the story, but sadly, it is way past bedtime and I should really head to bed.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Hitomi's character
Okay okay, I know I said just a few hours ago I would commit to writing and here I am, back on the blog. It is addicting to just post whatever I want. I did write for 3 hours...on 2 pages.
On my walk home I was thinking about Hitomi's character. So far in DS I've written her as if I'm Hitomi--a bit arrogant to put myself into the story to fulfill my fantasy of Van--but really she is:
- straightforward with her emotions
- impulsive, immediately thinks of what to do (eg pushing Van on the bridge)
- cheerful
- brave, and also doesn't really see potential risks (eg jumping across the cargo hold)
- generous, forgives easily
- takes everything literally, and says what's on her mind--I don't think she's ever made a joke in Esca
- charismatic--she's not a leader but everyone is attracted to her for her qualities, they can't tell her no
- nosy, but genuinely want the best for people (eg Naria)
- persistent, particularly with Van when she thinks she is right
- kind hearted
- loyal
- more timid to contradict older, authoritative men (eg insisting that Allen let her dowse for Van, her relationship with Folken)
- attracted to a "type" of men like Allen and Amano
- packs a lot into her bag, so she is particular of her personal items
- willing to sacrifice for the greater good, especially for her friends
Now that she is 25, she is still impetuous and butting in if she feels like it's her duty as a friend. Her current character in DS is much more reserved, I need to put her emotions and her straightforward talk back into it. Van's character is a bit reserved too but I think I don't quite have a grasp on Hitomi's character and that's why my writing process suffers.
On my walk home I was thinking about Hitomi's character. So far in DS I've written her as if I'm Hitomi--a bit arrogant to put myself into the story to fulfill my fantasy of Van--but really she is:
- straightforward with her emotions
- impulsive, immediately thinks of what to do (eg pushing Van on the bridge)
- cheerful
- brave, and also doesn't really see potential risks (eg jumping across the cargo hold)
- generous, forgives easily
- takes everything literally, and says what's on her mind--I don't think she's ever made a joke in Esca
- charismatic--she's not a leader but everyone is attracted to her for her qualities, they can't tell her no
- nosy, but genuinely want the best for people (eg Naria)
- persistent, particularly with Van when she thinks she is right
- kind hearted
- loyal
- more timid to contradict older, authoritative men (eg insisting that Allen let her dowse for Van, her relationship with Folken)
- attracted to a "type" of men like Allen and Amano
- packs a lot into her bag, so she is particular of her personal items
- willing to sacrifice for the greater good, especially for her friends
Now that she is 25, she is still impetuous and butting in if she feels like it's her duty as a friend. Her current character in DS is much more reserved, I need to put her emotions and her straightforward talk back into it. Van's character is a bit reserved too but I think I don't quite have a grasp on Hitomi's character and that's why my writing process suffers.
A poem
A poem I wrote last year when I lay awake in bed with nothing to do:
My heart passed me by
On a train to neverwhere;
Sitting at the window
Looking faraway
Dreaming of adventures.
The train passed me
With a flattened whistle
Before I could wave.
My heart passed me by
On a train to neverwhere;
Sitting at the window
Looking faraway
Dreaming of adventures.
The train passed me
With a flattened whistle
Before I could wave.
Working on Chapter 6
After putzing around on the storyline, I finally have some real content that I want to write. I am pretty excited since this fanfic is never far from my mind all these years--mostly feeling guilty about not finishing the story.
In the intervening years though, I've entered my 30s, and I hope that I will still be able to write from the perspective of 25 year old Hitomi and Van.
Some house cleaning stuff:
- will need to update this website, not sure if I still have the main graphic anymore
- re-read the first 5 chapters
- clean up my notes from these years
- read the Compendium again for facts, although I don't think I'll need to re-watch the series since 1) it will take time, 2) I'll be too tempted to do a bunch of other things that are not writing, 3) I probably still have so much of it committed to memory since I am a ridiculous fanatic.
I've started on chapter 6 though it will take another few hours of work to finish the first draft. I think this time I'll attempt to write the story and then do the editing separately, to try to preserve the inertia of committing the story down to paper. Let's see how it goes!
In the intervening years though, I've entered my 30s, and I hope that I will still be able to write from the perspective of 25 year old Hitomi and Van.
Some house cleaning stuff:
- will need to update this website, not sure if I still have the main graphic anymore
- re-read the first 5 chapters
- clean up my notes from these years
- read the Compendium again for facts, although I don't think I'll need to re-watch the series since 1) it will take time, 2) I'll be too tempted to do a bunch of other things that are not writing, 3) I probably still have so much of it committed to memory since I am a ridiculous fanatic.
I've started on chapter 6 though it will take another few hours of work to finish the first draft. I think this time I'll attempt to write the story and then do the editing separately, to try to preserve the inertia of committing the story down to paper. Let's see how it goes!
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