Brenna had her talk with Matt, in The Soul Blade Epilogue.
Okay, now it's over. So many dangling plot points. But, the last chapter gets some explanations that didn't fit with the direction I was going in. And Brenna got to talk to Matt properly. Sort of.
Matt probably should have called first to avoid surprising Brenna. If he did, he'd never have been able to see flustered!Brenna. And while Brenna being flustered would add to a NaNoWriMo word count, I wasn't writing the epilogue for a NaNo event. She's just trying to work out her thoughts and separate them from her desires. Good thing the door is open and facing the rest of the neighbours.
Nellie's is fictional, but I searched for a typical pub menu in Brenna's area to figure out what the vegetarian offerings are. Fish and chips is a standard, though, and beat a burger. I figured Matt wouldn't go for beef when out with Brenna. He's not oblivious. The ambiance is generic, but most pubs aren't going to have specialized music mid-afternoon. Top 40 music is inoffensive, usually, and easy to come by. Matt can take Brenna to a bar that plays Japanese metal idol on a later date.
There are some quick explanations thrown in. Why Grace stepped up to fight Brenna instead of letting someone else. Why Brenna had Matt get closer in the fight. Why Brenna wears gloves and had a bed in her van. What the Ashen Man's plan was, though even Grace didn't tell the full story; he was going to open a portal, get his minions to bring his body, transfer back, then sacrifice Brenna. Grace might have seen that, but didn't tell her sister.
Brenna's psychometry is a plot-breaking ability. She just has to touch something to get a good read on what events happened with it. However, it's always on. Just brushing up against something can trigger a vision. She gave Matt fair warning about the ability, and she can refrain from looking even when curious. Try not to think about what happens in hotel rooms. Best case, Brenna gets a flash of passion. Worst, well, hotel rooms have been murder scenes, and it's awkward to ask if a crime occurred in the room she's assigned.
I have no idea where Brenna's jealous streak came from. An early version of Brenna had it, but she was sixteen and had just received the Blade, so the possessiveness came from the sudden increase in sexual desire and her not coping at all with it. But here? Brenna doesn't share, apparently. Tillie is who Matt says she is, someone who gave him advice. She has her own story, but she didn't get a chance to tell it here, so feel free to make up your own backstory for her. All characters have a story; some just don't get the time in the spotlight to tell it.
And now, that is it for The Soul Blade. I hope everyone reading enjoyed it. A new story starts next week, The Devil You Know, from NaNo 2013. Since I was able to get The Soul Blade done because of posting it here, I'm going to give that a shot with the new work. The Devil You Know is an urban fantasy crossed with a spy thriller. Have fun!
Friday, the first chapter of a new story, The Devil You Know.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, a hiatus week.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Return.
Showing posts with label NaNo 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNo 2009. Show all posts
20 Jul 2017
14 Jul 2017
The Soul Blade - Epilogue
Previously:
"Too many futures."Three days of being stuck at home alone was all that Brenna could take. Her father had his work and Amy filling his time. Grace kept busy working two jobs to raise money for her move to LA and reading ahead for her fall classes while still juggling time with her friends. Her visiting family left for home Sunday evening, leaving the house quiet again. With her van crushed, Brenna couldn't leave the house without bothering Missy. Even her sewing starting to be tedious, especially with no way to get out to a craft show or a small convention to sell the results. Joni hadn't reappeared after the fight, worrying Brenna a bit, but without being able to get to Bert Stanford's building, she couldn't just assume her mother had finally moved on. She also didn't want to know if her mother was getting friendly with Bert; it was bad enough that Brenna's own sex drive was overactive, she didn't want to know that her mother's was still working.
"Get off me, fluff."
"Get out of my body!"
"What part of 'No one dies,' did you not get?"
29 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 39 - Commentary
Brenna got her happy ending, in The Soul Blade Chapter 39.
And it's done! I had two false starts, resulting in rearranging scenes to try to get things worked out, then rearranging again because I needed a different beginning. There was a lot that wound up not getting in, in order to have the end happen.
Brenna's possession was set up back in Chapter 24. She and Matt discussed what happened on their class trip to Gettysburg. Brenna's susceptibility to being possessed was one of the core ideas I had for her, long before the story was even a concept. She refers back to the Gettysburg trip to remind readers of the conversation, so it doesn't feel like the twist came from nowhere. Grace's resistance to telepathy, empathy, and all that has been hinted as well through the story. Brenna has used the Blade on her sister a few times, though only really twice because of a major fight between them. So Grace is the one to keep the possessed Brenna busy.
I needed Brenna to come up with the solution to retake her body. She's the heroine. She can't sit back and wait for someone else to come to her rescue. The original idea was that with Grace being attacked and hurt, Brenna would be able to regain some control. However, the idea hit me that Brenna knows her own body's reactions than her unwanted guest would. Thus, Matt. The combination of Grace in danger and Matt in proximity gave Brenna what she needed to get some control back. The colours in the Blade represent that fight for control. At least there, I kept to my original idea.
The wrap up threatened to continue. Again, there was a lot outstanding that needed some sort of conclusion, from McCoy's investigation to Tricia's body. I almost forgot that she was still there, lying on the road, dead from multiple gunshot woulds. Matt's placing was good, which means he also gets to be investigated by Internal Affairs. Gary and Keith still needed one last appearance - as Greg mentioned in the comments for Chapter 37, they're not going to just leave their daughters in danger, even if the daughters are more capable in the fight than they are. I was starting to see ending fatigue, which was the reason why I couldn't finish the story in 2009.
There's still some outstanding problems. Joni is the biggest one. An idea that came to mind that I wish I had thought of sooner was that Joni's time on Earth as Brenna's advisor is coming to an end. Brenna did mention that it may be time. The day to day writing left that potential dangling, though. Oops?
Now, if I were to adapt the story, I would treat what I'd written as the pilot movie or mini-series, with a lot of editing to bring to a manageable length, then move on with a new premise. Detective McCoy gets tagged to head a special unit that investigates paranormal oddities. Not quite X-Files; McCoy is aware that the supernatural exists. He'd have a small staff, including Matt, Cruz, and Henderson, and would have Brenna on a retainer for when it really does look like the supernatural is involved. The focus remains on Brenna, though. It's her life, though she can now work with Matt. I have no idea who to cast, so feel free to suggest names in the comments below.
I want to thank a few people. First, the Ottawa NaNoWriMo Region for making November an enjoyable time, especially as one of the Municipal Liaisons in 2009. You guys made things easy and kept me going.
A big thank you to Greg Taylor, who not only left comments on the story here on the blog, but also provided an early look. Go over to his site and check out his own work, and vote on his current Epsilon Project!
And thank all of you who have read through The Soul Blade. You've made it through three-quarters of a year with weekly updates on a story that might not have been finished at all.
Friday, the first chapter of a two-part story.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Batman (1966).
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, St. Trinian's.
And it's done! I had two false starts, resulting in rearranging scenes to try to get things worked out, then rearranging again because I needed a different beginning. There was a lot that wound up not getting in, in order to have the end happen.
Brenna's possession was set up back in Chapter 24. She and Matt discussed what happened on their class trip to Gettysburg. Brenna's susceptibility to being possessed was one of the core ideas I had for her, long before the story was even a concept. She refers back to the Gettysburg trip to remind readers of the conversation, so it doesn't feel like the twist came from nowhere. Grace's resistance to telepathy, empathy, and all that has been hinted as well through the story. Brenna has used the Blade on her sister a few times, though only really twice because of a major fight between them. So Grace is the one to keep the possessed Brenna busy.
I needed Brenna to come up with the solution to retake her body. She's the heroine. She can't sit back and wait for someone else to come to her rescue. The original idea was that with Grace being attacked and hurt, Brenna would be able to regain some control. However, the idea hit me that Brenna knows her own body's reactions than her unwanted guest would. Thus, Matt. The combination of Grace in danger and Matt in proximity gave Brenna what she needed to get some control back. The colours in the Blade represent that fight for control. At least there, I kept to my original idea.
The wrap up threatened to continue. Again, there was a lot outstanding that needed some sort of conclusion, from McCoy's investigation to Tricia's body. I almost forgot that she was still there, lying on the road, dead from multiple gunshot woulds. Matt's placing was good, which means he also gets to be investigated by Internal Affairs. Gary and Keith still needed one last appearance - as Greg mentioned in the comments for Chapter 37, they're not going to just leave their daughters in danger, even if the daughters are more capable in the fight than they are. I was starting to see ending fatigue, which was the reason why I couldn't finish the story in 2009.
There's still some outstanding problems. Joni is the biggest one. An idea that came to mind that I wish I had thought of sooner was that Joni's time on Earth as Brenna's advisor is coming to an end. Brenna did mention that it may be time. The day to day writing left that potential dangling, though. Oops?
Now, if I were to adapt the story, I would treat what I'd written as the pilot movie or mini-series, with a lot of editing to bring to a manageable length, then move on with a new premise. Detective McCoy gets tagged to head a special unit that investigates paranormal oddities. Not quite X-Files; McCoy is aware that the supernatural exists. He'd have a small staff, including Matt, Cruz, and Henderson, and would have Brenna on a retainer for when it really does look like the supernatural is involved. The focus remains on Brenna, though. It's her life, though she can now work with Matt. I have no idea who to cast, so feel free to suggest names in the comments below.
I want to thank a few people. First, the Ottawa NaNoWriMo Region for making November an enjoyable time, especially as one of the Municipal Liaisons in 2009. You guys made things easy and kept me going.
A big thank you to Greg Taylor, who not only left comments on the story here on the blog, but also provided an early look. Go over to his site and check out his own work, and vote on his current Epsilon Project!
And thank all of you who have read through The Soul Blade. You've made it through three-quarters of a year with weekly updates on a story that might not have been finished at all.
Friday, the first chapter of a two-part story.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Batman (1966).
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, St. Trinian's.
23 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 39
Previously:
"Too. Many. Futures." Each word came out through clenched teeth. Grace forced herself to stand again. "Whatever took Bren, we have to stop it right here."
"That bad?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah."
Henderson raised his shotgun. "Bullets worked."
Rae ran over to the officer. She pulled the shotgun barrel down. "No! Brenna's still there!"
"Joni usually used the Blade on Brenna when she was possessed," Dawn said. "Girls, any of you feel any different? Who has the Blade?"
"You mean this?" The Soul Blade grew from Brenna's hands. Instead of the beam of pur white, the Blade was now a black so dark it drank in surrounding light.
"Larson, did you see what your girlfriend just did?"Grace crumpled on the ground, hands holding the sides of her head. Her breathing came in ragged gasps. Summer ran towards her blonde cousin. "Grace, what happened?"
"Yeah, that's going to just buff out."
"No one dies."
"Brenna can't answer you right now."
"Too. Many. Futures." Each word came out through clenched teeth. Grace forced herself to stand again. "Whatever took Bren, we have to stop it right here."
"That bad?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah."
Henderson raised his shotgun. "Bullets worked."
Rae ran over to the officer. She pulled the shotgun barrel down. "No! Brenna's still there!"
"Joni usually used the Blade on Brenna when she was possessed," Dawn said. "Girls, any of you feel any different? Who has the Blade?"
"You mean this?" The Soul Blade grew from Brenna's hands. Instead of the beam of pur white, the Blade was now a black so dark it drank in surrounding light.
22 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 38 - Commentary
Brenna and family face off against Tricia's skeletons, in The Soul Blade Chapter 38.
Writing is tough, until you get past the first sentence. I've never been one to be told, "Here's a writing prompt. Write for thirty minutes." Nothing comes out. It's not that I need to be in the mood to write. I need the scene, or at least the beginning, sorted out in my head first. I run the scene in my head so I can figure out where all the character's are. Sometimes, it takes a few passes to work out why a scene properly. And with The Soul Blade needing an ending, I imposed on myself a need to write.
However, I already knew what the ending was going to be. That made writing much easier. The problem I had with finishing The Soul Blade was extraneous plot lines that hadn't wrapped up instead of not having a clue what the ending would be. Made the writing easier. And, yet, I still left wriggle room at the end. Not "Next Week" but "Coming Soon."
The reason for the skeletal army was that, when I first started working on the story, zombies were getting overexposed. Then The Walking Dead aired. So, what do I know? But zombies have well known weaknesses - head shots are common in zombie fiction, and they still have fleshy bits like muscles that could be damaged enough to slow them down. Skeletons, though, don't have those weaknesses. There is no brain. There is no flesh. Depending on the story, even smashing them doesn't stop the bony fingers from still trying to reach out to grab throats. And, unlike zombies, skeletons are under the control of one person, who is usually evil.
The chapter is dialogue heavy. The skeletons aren't doing much beyond marching and trying to choke Brenna and her family. Everyone is just swinging bats. The action gets repetitive. The dialogue carries the plot here. Thus, Henderson blowing up Matt's cruiser. It got rid of the skeletal column just in time for the rest of the army to appear.
The story was building up to the final battle between Brenna and Tricia. Too bad for Tricia that I had other plans for her. Those plans were in mind ever since the Ashen Man appeared in Chapter 5. He and Tricia had been working at cross purposes throughout the story. The Ashen Man just never got the focus. Questions should be answered in the next chapter.
It does feel good to see progress on the story. Brenna has needed an ending since 2009. With this finally done, I can start thinking about future works featuring her or the Soul Blade itself.
Friday, the thrilling conclusion, in The Soul Blade Chapter 39.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, TV versus film,. fight!
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Batman (1966). Yeah, I miss him, too.
Writing is tough, until you get past the first sentence. I've never been one to be told, "Here's a writing prompt. Write for thirty minutes." Nothing comes out. It's not that I need to be in the mood to write. I need the scene, or at least the beginning, sorted out in my head first. I run the scene in my head so I can figure out where all the character's are. Sometimes, it takes a few passes to work out why a scene properly. And with The Soul Blade needing an ending, I imposed on myself a need to write.
However, I already knew what the ending was going to be. That made writing much easier. The problem I had with finishing The Soul Blade was extraneous plot lines that hadn't wrapped up instead of not having a clue what the ending would be. Made the writing easier. And, yet, I still left wriggle room at the end. Not "Next Week" but "Coming Soon."
The reason for the skeletal army was that, when I first started working on the story, zombies were getting overexposed. Then The Walking Dead aired. So, what do I know? But zombies have well known weaknesses - head shots are common in zombie fiction, and they still have fleshy bits like muscles that could be damaged enough to slow them down. Skeletons, though, don't have those weaknesses. There is no brain. There is no flesh. Depending on the story, even smashing them doesn't stop the bony fingers from still trying to reach out to grab throats. And, unlike zombies, skeletons are under the control of one person, who is usually evil.
The chapter is dialogue heavy. The skeletons aren't doing much beyond marching and trying to choke Brenna and her family. Everyone is just swinging bats. The action gets repetitive. The dialogue carries the plot here. Thus, Henderson blowing up Matt's cruiser. It got rid of the skeletal column just in time for the rest of the army to appear.
The story was building up to the final battle between Brenna and Tricia. Too bad for Tricia that I had other plans for her. Those plans were in mind ever since the Ashen Man appeared in Chapter 5. He and Tricia had been working at cross purposes throughout the story. The Ashen Man just never got the focus. Questions should be answered in the next chapter.
It does feel good to see progress on the story. Brenna has needed an ending since 2009. With this finally done, I can start thinking about future works featuring her or the Soul Blade itself.
Friday, the thrilling conclusion, in The Soul Blade Chapter 39.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, TV versus film,. fight!
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Batman (1966). Yeah, I miss him, too.
16 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 38
Previously:
Matt fell back a few steps from behind Brenna. "She showed me, Damaris, yes. Can we focus on the skeletons? Where's Henderson." Matt turned around. "Hey, Henderson, a shotgun? What the hell, man?"
Henderson hefted his weapon. "Bean bag rounds. They should break bones."
"Just don't hit any of us." Matt dashed to catch back up to Brenna. "Bren, do you know what you're doing? I mean, if this was a zombie movie, we'd just aim for the head."
"Do you hear sirens?""Larson, did you see what your girlfriend just did?" Cruz hurried her pace to catch up to Matt. "Did you know she could make a light sabre appear like that? How the hell did she do that?"
"We're evacuating the neighborhood, sir."
"Novotny girls never run."
"Everyone ready?"
Matt fell back a few steps from behind Brenna. "She showed me, Damaris, yes. Can we focus on the skeletons? Where's Henderson." Matt turned around. "Hey, Henderson, a shotgun? What the hell, man?"
Henderson hefted his weapon. "Bean bag rounds. They should break bones."
"Just don't hit any of us." Matt dashed to catch back up to Brenna. "Bren, do you know what you're doing? I mean, if this was a zombie movie, we'd just aim for the head."
15 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 37 - Commentary
The police broke up Grace's graduation party, in The Soul Blade Chapter 37.
The style of writing may have changed a bit between Chapters 36 and 37. When I saw the end of the file coming, I started work on finishing The Soul Blade. Going through the story again, especially after not doing much work on it since 2009, gave me a new perspective. The numerous dangling plot lines I saw at the end of November 2009 weren't there, or were easily wrapped up. Brenna's dislike of Amy was easily pulled out. Her relationship with Matt was at a good point, with room for later works to expand if I wanted. WIth the looming problems not so looming or problematic, I could find a way to end the story to my satisfaction, without having the conclusion drag several chapters longer than necessary.
As I started to write, a small detail almost stopped me. Would Grace and her friends wear graduation robes at her party, or would she have to return them after the ceremony? I asked on Twitter, and the majority of the answers I got said that she'd return the robes after the ceremony. But the one response that said otherwise came from someone in California, not Ontario. That was enough to have me wonder, so I did what I should have done in the first place and checked the web site for University of California San Diego, Grace's school, to see what graduation involved. Grads there can choose to purchase a package that includes the robes to keep. Grace did that, mainly because Gary was offering to pay and he wanted to see her in those robes. My backup plan was having Grace in a nice dress, and had put that in as a placeholder while I checked details.
Brenna didn't want her family fighting alongside her. She has the Soul Blade, she's the Chosen One, not them. However, Joni trained Grace to fight the supernatural before Brenna got the Blade, and Dawn made sure her daughters were ready just in case. There's no way to predict who will get the Blade when the previous Bladekeeper dies. Joni and Dawn made sure their girls were ready. Mostly.
The reunion of Brenna and Matt serves as the resolution of their relationship for the story. They're a couple, even if they haven't told each other yet. Grace and Rae do get Brenna to focus a little, mostly my causing her embarrassment. Rae got a good flash of what Brenna was feeling, though everyone else probably realized what was going through her mind already.
Once again, the problem of how to fight skeletons comes up. Baseball bats are good; most people have an idea of how to swing one. My experience with them is that I tend to swing under the pitch; I'd kneecap a skeleton. But the other problem is that skeletons don't have the obvious weakness that zombies have. Head shots may or may not work. Skeletons also don't have flesh, so shredding muscle isn't possible. And there's never a cleric around when you need one.
The one issue I wanted to make sure was having proper cliffhangers. Unruly and last year's NaNo let me learn how to set up cliffhangers properly. The goal with Chapter 37 was to get something a good length worth reading without being too short or too long and still get the key elements out there to set up the fight coming up. I also had a time deadline. I started the writing after prepping Chapter 36 for posting. Two weeks to get a chapter written should be enough, provided I can get the right approach. The right approach isn't always easy to work out. I set up the scene, then brought the focus on Brenna. Given that I really wanted to wrap up The Soul Blade, I didn't get into great detail. Might have been a mistake, but I've been working with it since the end of September 2016. The story needs to end. There may be longer serials out there, but The Soul Blade has been needing an end since 2009.
Friday, skeletons attack, in The Soul Blade Chapter 38.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Death Race.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, TV versus movies, fight!.
The style of writing may have changed a bit between Chapters 36 and 37. When I saw the end of the file coming, I started work on finishing The Soul Blade. Going through the story again, especially after not doing much work on it since 2009, gave me a new perspective. The numerous dangling plot lines I saw at the end of November 2009 weren't there, or were easily wrapped up. Brenna's dislike of Amy was easily pulled out. Her relationship with Matt was at a good point, with room for later works to expand if I wanted. WIth the looming problems not so looming or problematic, I could find a way to end the story to my satisfaction, without having the conclusion drag several chapters longer than necessary.
As I started to write, a small detail almost stopped me. Would Grace and her friends wear graduation robes at her party, or would she have to return them after the ceremony? I asked on Twitter, and the majority of the answers I got said that she'd return the robes after the ceremony. But the one response that said otherwise came from someone in California, not Ontario. That was enough to have me wonder, so I did what I should have done in the first place and checked the web site for University of California San Diego, Grace's school, to see what graduation involved. Grads there can choose to purchase a package that includes the robes to keep. Grace did that, mainly because Gary was offering to pay and he wanted to see her in those robes. My backup plan was having Grace in a nice dress, and had put that in as a placeholder while I checked details.
Brenna didn't want her family fighting alongside her. She has the Soul Blade, she's the Chosen One, not them. However, Joni trained Grace to fight the supernatural before Brenna got the Blade, and Dawn made sure her daughters were ready just in case. There's no way to predict who will get the Blade when the previous Bladekeeper dies. Joni and Dawn made sure their girls were ready. Mostly.
The reunion of Brenna and Matt serves as the resolution of their relationship for the story. They're a couple, even if they haven't told each other yet. Grace and Rae do get Brenna to focus a little, mostly my causing her embarrassment. Rae got a good flash of what Brenna was feeling, though everyone else probably realized what was going through her mind already.
Once again, the problem of how to fight skeletons comes up. Baseball bats are good; most people have an idea of how to swing one. My experience with them is that I tend to swing under the pitch; I'd kneecap a skeleton. But the other problem is that skeletons don't have the obvious weakness that zombies have. Head shots may or may not work. Skeletons also don't have flesh, so shredding muscle isn't possible. And there's never a cleric around when you need one.
The one issue I wanted to make sure was having proper cliffhangers. Unruly and last year's NaNo let me learn how to set up cliffhangers properly. The goal with Chapter 37 was to get something a good length worth reading without being too short or too long and still get the key elements out there to set up the fight coming up. I also had a time deadline. I started the writing after prepping Chapter 36 for posting. Two weeks to get a chapter written should be enough, provided I can get the right approach. The right approach isn't always easy to work out. I set up the scene, then brought the focus on Brenna. Given that I really wanted to wrap up The Soul Blade, I didn't get into great detail. Might have been a mistake, but I've been working with it since the end of September 2016. The story needs to end. There may be longer serials out there, but The Soul Blade has been needing an end since 2009.
Friday, skeletons attack, in The Soul Blade Chapter 38.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Death Race.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, TV versus movies, fight!.
9 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 37
Previously:
"Not enjoying your sister's party?" Keith asked.
"I am." Brenna forced herself to smile more. "Just, it's a lot of people."
"I get it. Rae's inside. You know how her empathy gets. Maybe you should go in and keep her company for a bit."
"I don't know. Rae needs time to herself."
Keith grinned. "You don't have to be in the same room as her."
"Oh?" Brenna realized what her uncle was saying. "Oh. No, I'm good. Really."
"Are you sure, Brenna?" Keith rubbed her shoulder with his free hand. He paused. "Do you hear sirens?"
"Bren, you can let go of me now."In the Halliday backward, Grace flitted from guest to guest, her black graduation robes flowing as she walked. Her friends and fellow grads, Piper and Yesi, added to the bustle, socializing with the gathered families. Brenna edged towards the Halliday home, keeping away from the centres of attention. She sipped on her cola, trying to focus on the music instead of the vast throng of people celebrating. Her uncle emerged from the crowd carrying a plastic cup half-filled with beer and approached the young woman. Brenna flashed him a smile.
"Try no skin. Detective, are those things for real?"
"Detective, I know it's a long shot, but I think I know where they're going."
"Anyone got an idea?"
"Not enjoying your sister's party?" Keith asked.
"I am." Brenna forced herself to smile more. "Just, it's a lot of people."
"I get it. Rae's inside. You know how her empathy gets. Maybe you should go in and keep her company for a bit."
"I don't know. Rae needs time to herself."
Keith grinned. "You don't have to be in the same room as her."
"Oh?" Brenna realized what her uncle was saying. "Oh. No, I'm good. Really."
"Are you sure, Brenna?" Keith rubbed her shoulder with his free hand. He paused. "Do you hear sirens?"
8 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 36 - Commentary
Grace graduated and the police met Tricia's army, in The Soul Blade Chapter 36.
When I first wrote this chapter, I had place holders. The chapter was done in the final days of NaNo, so I just getting words out was the main concern. I was pushing for a nice large number, and got it. I haven't been as prolific since, but I am getting better at pacing myself, both with how plots work out and maintaining a good writing speed. To maintain speed and the ideas I had in my head, I put in variables for the different street names and Brenna's neighbourhood. Turned out, the street names were worth more words than the variables. But, working out where San Diego's cemetaries were, then working out walking routes for the skeletal armies involved would have taken away from both writing time and mental processing power.
Grace's graduation ends her story arc for the story. She now gets a party with friends and family, works for the summer, then moves to LA to study law. Joni's appearance might be a problem, as Greg pointed out in a comment. If I had been thinking about it, Joni`s disappearance would have been related to Tricia`s blanket effect. Of course, Brenna would then be worried about her. I do have an idea, but it'd be difficult to retrofit now - Joni's purpose for remaining has been completed, so she can now move on.
Matt returns again! This time, he's actually working. Cruz and Henderson also return, mostly to give Matt a hard time. I re-used Cruz and Henderson to avoid adding more characters to track. Thus, they appeared in the chapters leading up to this moment. They know each other, having met on the job, obviously. Cruz has no problem hazing Matt, either. It's about time Matt found someone, really.
The argument Matt and Cruz have is about the effectiveness of clerics in different versions of AD&D. Cruz prefers first edition, where sixth level clerics got an automatic disrupt on the Turn Undead table against skeletons, destroying them outright. Matt's playing with the third edition, where there's no instant destruction, but he can still force weaker under to turn away even on a bad roll. Henderson prefers wizards, who can cast the third level spell fireball at fifth level, no matter what the edition.
Matt's last line, "Anyone got an idea?" isn't just him looking for options. That was the end point of NaNo 2009 for me. I let The Soul Blade lay fallow to try to clear my head and see what I could do to wrap up all the plot points I saw dangling. That time let me see which ones were the problems, which ones were illusions, and which ones were important. One thread involved Amy; Brenna did a 180 on her feelings about her. Fixing that removed Amy as an immediate plot point. On re-reading, the relationship between Brenna and Matt wasn't as urgent to wrap up as it was while writing. During the writing process, it seemed like the obvious direction for them would be into the back of her van. For now, they're in a good spot. The odd thing is, there is more romance in The Soul Blade, unintended, than there was in my attempt at a paranormal romance. Go fig.
There is more coming. Chapter 37 goes up tomorrow. There will also be a Chapter 38 and a Chapter 39. I have an idea for the end; I just have to get to it.
Friday, the stage is set, in The Soul Blade Chapter 37.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Get Smart.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Death Race.
When I first wrote this chapter, I had place holders. The chapter was done in the final days of NaNo, so I just getting words out was the main concern. I was pushing for a nice large number, and got it. I haven't been as prolific since, but I am getting better at pacing myself, both with how plots work out and maintaining a good writing speed. To maintain speed and the ideas I had in my head, I put in variables for the different street names and Brenna's neighbourhood. Turned out, the street names were worth more words than the variables. But, working out where San Diego's cemetaries were, then working out walking routes for the skeletal armies involved would have taken away from both writing time and mental processing power.
Grace's graduation ends her story arc for the story. She now gets a party with friends and family, works for the summer, then moves to LA to study law. Joni's appearance might be a problem, as Greg pointed out in a comment. If I had been thinking about it, Joni`s disappearance would have been related to Tricia`s blanket effect. Of course, Brenna would then be worried about her. I do have an idea, but it'd be difficult to retrofit now - Joni's purpose for remaining has been completed, so she can now move on.
Matt returns again! This time, he's actually working. Cruz and Henderson also return, mostly to give Matt a hard time. I re-used Cruz and Henderson to avoid adding more characters to track. Thus, they appeared in the chapters leading up to this moment. They know each other, having met on the job, obviously. Cruz has no problem hazing Matt, either. It's about time Matt found someone, really.
The argument Matt and Cruz have is about the effectiveness of clerics in different versions of AD&D. Cruz prefers first edition, where sixth level clerics got an automatic disrupt on the Turn Undead table against skeletons, destroying them outright. Matt's playing with the third edition, where there's no instant destruction, but he can still force weaker under to turn away even on a bad roll. Henderson prefers wizards, who can cast the third level spell fireball at fifth level, no matter what the edition.
Matt's last line, "Anyone got an idea?" isn't just him looking for options. That was the end point of NaNo 2009 for me. I let The Soul Blade lay fallow to try to clear my head and see what I could do to wrap up all the plot points I saw dangling. That time let me see which ones were the problems, which ones were illusions, and which ones were important. One thread involved Amy; Brenna did a 180 on her feelings about her. Fixing that removed Amy as an immediate plot point. On re-reading, the relationship between Brenna and Matt wasn't as urgent to wrap up as it was while writing. During the writing process, it seemed like the obvious direction for them would be into the back of her van. For now, they're in a good spot. The odd thing is, there is more romance in The Soul Blade, unintended, than there was in my attempt at a paranormal romance. Go fig.
There is more coming. Chapter 37 goes up tomorrow. There will also be a Chapter 38 and a Chapter 39. I have an idea for the end; I just have to get to it.
Friday, the stage is set, in The Soul Blade Chapter 37.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Get Smart.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Death Race.
2 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 36
Previously:
The drive to the University of California San Diego campus didn't take as long as Brenna's father expected. The time saved, though, was used up finding a parking space. Father and daughter crossed the paved expanse, passing by Grace's gold Beetle, to get to the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Brenna let her dad find a pair of seats, then settled in. She felt the presence of her mother hovering over her, watching the stage. Brenna looked up and gave Joni a smile.
"It's so nice you girls can work together."Sunday morning saw the Halliday household in a mad rush. Aura helped Brenna get the older woman's hair properly styled. As much as she wanted it, Brenna left out her usual ribbon, letting her hair down in a wavy cascade past her shoulders. Gary knocked on the door, giving Brenna the five minute warning. Brenna finished dressing, making sure the dress and her cardigan fit properly. She plucked at her pantyhose and chastised herself for not getting a longer skirt for the day, then ran down to her father's black Challenger.
"Then they should already be cringing in fear."
"'Everything has a price.' I believe you even said those words to me at some point."
The drive to the University of California San Diego campus didn't take as long as Brenna's father expected. The time saved, though, was used up finding a parking space. Father and daughter crossed the paved expanse, passing by Grace's gold Beetle, to get to the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Brenna let her dad find a pair of seats, then settled in. She felt the presence of her mother hovering over her, watching the stage. Brenna looked up and gave Joni a smile.
1 Jun 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 35 - Commentary
Tricia calls her legions, in The Soul Blade Chapter 35.
Once again, Brenna has a relatively normal day while Tricia continues working on her goal of absolute power. With Brenna, the idea was to show her and her extended family and the relations within. The conspiracy among cousins to get away from the parental units is one that has been used long before Rae was born. Rae was always too young to join her older sisters and cousins on their hijinks before. Back in Chapter 32, Grace complained about the last time she had to share a bed with Rae, so it has been some time. Rae isn't a child anymore, so the older girls are now including her. Not that Rae appreciates being included. She's been the young tag-along for too long to trust her sisters and cousins.
Writing this chapter, I was still trying to set myself up for the end. I could have focused on just Tricia the past few chapters, but the story is supposed to be Brenna's. So, half the chapter is Brenna spending the day out, the other half is Tricia locating Brenna and her family. I did manage to work in that Brenna was out and about into Tricia's scenes. Getting the Bladekeeper and her family in one nice neat package is a bonus for Tricia. It means she doesn't have to study genealogy to find her current and future threats.
Tricia is also taking advantage of having minions and magical power. If one can't enjoy being attended to hand and foot by magically animated skeletal minions, why bother having them? The location spell is something I used in a different story draft, one with a loose tie to the Brenna-verse. The spell tracks a known person on a map, a real one instead of a map app. Tricia's version requires a blood sacrifice, which is never a good thing, even if you use your own blood.
The raising of the skeletal army was worked out in my head before even setting words down. I pictured the scene as a movie. Tricia creeping through a cemetery, intoning mystical words, then skeletons crawling up from graves. I try to work through a scene in my head before typing. I want to make sure that I have the right point of view, the right camera angles, and the right feel. If something is out of place, I can move it in the scene in my head far easier than I can when typing. All I have to do after that is describe what I have in my head and hope that it makes the translation. I'm not saying that this is the best way to write, but it works for me.
Friday, Grace graduates and the police respond, in The Soul Blade Chapter 36.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, adapting to games featuring Cortex/Cortex Plus.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Get Smart.
Once again, Brenna has a relatively normal day while Tricia continues working on her goal of absolute power. With Brenna, the idea was to show her and her extended family and the relations within. The conspiracy among cousins to get away from the parental units is one that has been used long before Rae was born. Rae was always too young to join her older sisters and cousins on their hijinks before. Back in Chapter 32, Grace complained about the last time she had to share a bed with Rae, so it has been some time. Rae isn't a child anymore, so the older girls are now including her. Not that Rae appreciates being included. She's been the young tag-along for too long to trust her sisters and cousins.
Writing this chapter, I was still trying to set myself up for the end. I could have focused on just Tricia the past few chapters, but the story is supposed to be Brenna's. So, half the chapter is Brenna spending the day out, the other half is Tricia locating Brenna and her family. I did manage to work in that Brenna was out and about into Tricia's scenes. Getting the Bladekeeper and her family in one nice neat package is a bonus for Tricia. It means she doesn't have to study genealogy to find her current and future threats.
Tricia is also taking advantage of having minions and magical power. If one can't enjoy being attended to hand and foot by magically animated skeletal minions, why bother having them? The location spell is something I used in a different story draft, one with a loose tie to the Brenna-verse. The spell tracks a known person on a map, a real one instead of a map app. Tricia's version requires a blood sacrifice, which is never a good thing, even if you use your own blood.
The raising of the skeletal army was worked out in my head before even setting words down. I pictured the scene as a movie. Tricia creeping through a cemetery, intoning mystical words, then skeletons crawling up from graves. I try to work through a scene in my head before typing. I want to make sure that I have the right point of view, the right camera angles, and the right feel. If something is out of place, I can move it in the scene in my head far easier than I can when typing. All I have to do after that is describe what I have in my head and hope that it makes the translation. I'm not saying that this is the best way to write, but it works for me.
Friday, Grace graduates and the police respond, in The Soul Blade Chapter 36.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, adapting to games featuring Cortex/Cortex Plus.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Get Smart.
26 May 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 35
Previously:
"Yeah, I guess. You don't have to cook, Aunt Dawn."
"Let her, Brenna," Rae said. "We've had the discussion already."
"The bleach was getting to me."Saturday morning arrived far too soon for Brenna's liking. She awoke to the sounds of bustling downstairs. Slipping out of bed, Brenna padded on bare feet downstairs to see what was happening. Her father was in the living room with her uncle watching the sports highlights. Brenna peeked in to find out the score from the Padres road game, then ducked back out. In the dining room, Grace and Rae ate their breakfasts as Aunt Dawn returned with a stack of pancakes. "Good morning, Brenna," Dawn said. "Sleep well?"
"Officer Cruz is here to make sure I'm safe, Daddy."
"Detective McCoy needs available officers."
"Mom and Dad are fighting almost all the time now."
"Yeah, I guess. You don't have to cook, Aunt Dawn."
"Let her, Brenna," Rae said. "We've had the discussion already."
25 May 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 34 - Commentary
Brenna's cousins arrive, in The Soul Blade Chapter 34.
There's a callback to the start of the story, where Brenna returned from an out-of-town convention. She's starting to make her doll clothes. This bit came about after seeing ball-jointed dolls at anime conventions. After a bit of research, I discovered that the dolls come in standard scales, thus Brenna could easily start designing her own line of doll clothes for them. That catch is that while the scales - 1:6, 1:8, and all - are standardized, the features aren't. Two dolls the same scale could have different hip and bust measurements. Brenna could make some generic clothes, like robes, t-shirts, and jeans, to sell and also take commissions based on the measurements of a specific doll. Those measurements mean that she could create a new size for her standard line. Brenna could get into the fashion industry after all!
Officer Cruz's departure was abrupt on purpose. The reason is Tricia and her actions in Chapter 33. While she probably should have stayed, that wasn't her call. A decision was made higher up to get all available officers out on the street looking for Tricia. Killing police officers tends to attract attention.
Everyone has arrived! Now to set up the grande finale! Dawn is Joni's sister and Brenna's aunt. Dawn and her daughters are also sensitives, like Brenna. Grace isn't sensitive, but she still has her own abilities. In another setting that goes into details about psychic and psionic abilities, Grace would be classified as a psi-null, a person who tends to negate psychic abilities. However, The Soul Blade isn't that type of setting, so the girls don't have a ready term for Grace's lack of sensitivity.
Since the names come fast and furious in this chapter, here are Brenna's cousins once again. Summer, the middle child, should be familiar, having provided details to Brenna previously. Raven, or Rae as she prefers, is the youngest, and is an empath still in high school. Aurora, who goes by Rory for the most part and is called Aura by Brenna, is the oldest, close to Brenna's age. Summer and Aurora's abilities haven't been revealed. Rae's did get mentioned, though the girls treat it as a known factor amongst themselves.
Late night traffic through L.A. was interesting to add. Knowing everyone would be driving, I had to factor in what they'd go through to travel the length of California. Having been in L.A. very briefly for a Battlestar Galactica convention, I was able to get some details. The freeway traffic at 2am reminded me of mid-afternoon traffic on the Queensway locally. The road surface was rougher than the Queensway as well, though not as bad as Autoroute 5 in Gatineau. There are high-occupancy lanes, and the speed limit is honoured in the breach. Aura should have stopped at a motel, really.
Dawn and Keith's friction is coming from having to spend time with each other after having raised a family. Where the girls took up much of their time and gave them something in common, they're now discovering that they've drifted apart a bit. They'll need to sit down and talk and get to know each other all over again. However, their sex life is amazing. Dawn really never minded the idea that her sex drive would skyrocket if she ever inherited the Soul Blade.
Friday, the beginning of the end, in The Soul Blade Chapter 35.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, hiatus week.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, adapting to games featuring Cortex/Cortex Plus.
There's a callback to the start of the story, where Brenna returned from an out-of-town convention. She's starting to make her doll clothes. This bit came about after seeing ball-jointed dolls at anime conventions. After a bit of research, I discovered that the dolls come in standard scales, thus Brenna could easily start designing her own line of doll clothes for them. That catch is that while the scales - 1:6, 1:8, and all - are standardized, the features aren't. Two dolls the same scale could have different hip and bust measurements. Brenna could make some generic clothes, like robes, t-shirts, and jeans, to sell and also take commissions based on the measurements of a specific doll. Those measurements mean that she could create a new size for her standard line. Brenna could get into the fashion industry after all!
Officer Cruz's departure was abrupt on purpose. The reason is Tricia and her actions in Chapter 33. While she probably should have stayed, that wasn't her call. A decision was made higher up to get all available officers out on the street looking for Tricia. Killing police officers tends to attract attention.
Everyone has arrived! Now to set up the grande finale! Dawn is Joni's sister and Brenna's aunt. Dawn and her daughters are also sensitives, like Brenna. Grace isn't sensitive, but she still has her own abilities. In another setting that goes into details about psychic and psionic abilities, Grace would be classified as a psi-null, a person who tends to negate psychic abilities. However, The Soul Blade isn't that type of setting, so the girls don't have a ready term for Grace's lack of sensitivity.
Since the names come fast and furious in this chapter, here are Brenna's cousins once again. Summer, the middle child, should be familiar, having provided details to Brenna previously. Raven, or Rae as she prefers, is the youngest, and is an empath still in high school. Aurora, who goes by Rory for the most part and is called Aura by Brenna, is the oldest, close to Brenna's age. Summer and Aurora's abilities haven't been revealed. Rae's did get mentioned, though the girls treat it as a known factor amongst themselves.
Late night traffic through L.A. was interesting to add. Knowing everyone would be driving, I had to factor in what they'd go through to travel the length of California. Having been in L.A. very briefly for a Battlestar Galactica convention, I was able to get some details. The freeway traffic at 2am reminded me of mid-afternoon traffic on the Queensway locally. The road surface was rougher than the Queensway as well, though not as bad as Autoroute 5 in Gatineau. There are high-occupancy lanes, and the speed limit is honoured in the breach. Aura should have stopped at a motel, really.
Dawn and Keith's friction is coming from having to spend time with each other after having raised a family. Where the girls took up much of their time and gave them something in common, they're now discovering that they've drifted apart a bit. They'll need to sit down and talk and get to know each other all over again. However, their sex life is amazing. Dawn really never minded the idea that her sex drive would skyrocket if she ever inherited the Soul Blade.
Friday, the beginning of the end, in The Soul Blade Chapter 35.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, hiatus week.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, adapting to games featuring Cortex/Cortex Plus.
19 May 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 34
Previously:
After a quick dinner, Brenna brought her sewing downstairs. At a recent convention up the coast, she had received several requests for doll clothes. One of the people asking about the clothes had even shown her the doll in question, fragile-looking, posable, about two feet tall. Some research online gave Brenna the measurements she needed to work with. With a lull in her travels and not much else to do with her hands, she sat down and started with a simple design of her own creation. Fitting would be a problem, but she could always get the doll owners to put the clothes on before buying the outfit. On the spot alterations wouldn't take Brenna much time as long as she didn't get a sudden rush. Brenna chatted with Officer Cruz as she worked. Cruz watched in amazement as the young brunette worked on the tiny stitches needed to make the sleeves.
Grace returned home long after dark. She waved to her sister and the police officer before going to the kitchen. The younger Halliday woman returned to the living room with a can of Pepsi in her hand. She introduced herself to the officer, then asked of she needed a refill on her coffee.
"Hi, Krista, it's Brenna. I am stuck at home with a crazy sister."Brenna woke up in time for Officer Henderson's shift to end. She said her farewells to him and introduced herself to Officer Cruz, a woman taller than Brenna herself but not quite Grace's height. Although relieved, Brenna was also disappointed that Matt hadn't been assigned to protect her.
"The dead woman was Fiona Leary, a secretary for a high-priced mediator."
"Her boss's name is Tricia Meadows, and she hasn't been seen since yesterday morning."
"Tricia Meadows is the woman who attacked me last week."
After a quick dinner, Brenna brought her sewing downstairs. At a recent convention up the coast, she had received several requests for doll clothes. One of the people asking about the clothes had even shown her the doll in question, fragile-looking, posable, about two feet tall. Some research online gave Brenna the measurements she needed to work with. With a lull in her travels and not much else to do with her hands, she sat down and started with a simple design of her own creation. Fitting would be a problem, but she could always get the doll owners to put the clothes on before buying the outfit. On the spot alterations wouldn't take Brenna much time as long as she didn't get a sudden rush. Brenna chatted with Officer Cruz as she worked. Cruz watched in amazement as the young brunette worked on the tiny stitches needed to make the sleeves.
Grace returned home long after dark. She waved to her sister and the police officer before going to the kitchen. The younger Halliday woman returned to the living room with a can of Pepsi in her hand. She introduced herself to the officer, then asked of she needed a refill on her coffee.
18 May 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 33 - Commentary
Under protective custody, in The Soul Blade Chapter 33.
This chapter begins the set up for the big climax. I'm getting all my ducks in a row and all those other clichés about getting things in order. I'm also trying to wrap up all the other dangling plot hooks, like Grace's graduation, so that the climax is the end. This was a problem once I realized where I was going during NaNo. I had too much, or so I thought, that needed resolution.
Detective McCoy has the name of his prime suspect in the latest killing. No surprise, it's Tricia. And Krista now has a major scoop, thanks to Brenna. Krista should get a raise or a promotion out of this bit of investigative journalism. This is the end of Krista's story arc, such as it was. Brenna could finally say the killer's name to someone.
Grace is hitting maximum nervousness. Brenna probably should have tased her, but she's too nice. Officer Henderson, though, doesn't have a sense of humour while working and would stop her. Brenna might be able to claim self-defense; Grace is good at looming.
Tricia, at this point, isn't worried about the police arresting her. She's more concerned about her minions, in that she doesn't have a quick way to replace them if the police execute a search warrant on her home. With the Ashen Man as a passenger inside her head, Tricia has access to more magical power than ever. She also sees no reason to not use the energy. To her, there is no such thing as overkill. The result? Four dead police officers and one crushed police cruiser.
A note on the research for this chapter. I had looked into what sort of vehicle the San Diego Police Department uses. I was going to put in a place holder, a Ford Crown Victoria, since that seems to be common and was once the car of choice locally. A quick Google revealed that, at the time, the car in use was... a Ford Crown Victoria! Great! That's three words where a vehicle like the Dodge Charger is just two. Then I realized something. Tricia doesn't care what the police cruiser's make and model are, just that there are two cops inside. But, at least I knew what the car looked like before it was crushed.
Friday, Halliday family reunion, in The Soul Blade Chapter 34.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Deadpool.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, hiatus week as I will be at CanGames.
This chapter begins the set up for the big climax. I'm getting all my ducks in a row and all those other clichés about getting things in order. I'm also trying to wrap up all the other dangling plot hooks, like Grace's graduation, so that the climax is the end. This was a problem once I realized where I was going during NaNo. I had too much, or so I thought, that needed resolution.
Detective McCoy has the name of his prime suspect in the latest killing. No surprise, it's Tricia. And Krista now has a major scoop, thanks to Brenna. Krista should get a raise or a promotion out of this bit of investigative journalism. This is the end of Krista's story arc, such as it was. Brenna could finally say the killer's name to someone.
Grace is hitting maximum nervousness. Brenna probably should have tased her, but she's too nice. Officer Henderson, though, doesn't have a sense of humour while working and would stop her. Brenna might be able to claim self-defense; Grace is good at looming.
Tricia, at this point, isn't worried about the police arresting her. She's more concerned about her minions, in that she doesn't have a quick way to replace them if the police execute a search warrant on her home. With the Ashen Man as a passenger inside her head, Tricia has access to more magical power than ever. She also sees no reason to not use the energy. To her, there is no such thing as overkill. The result? Four dead police officers and one crushed police cruiser.
A note on the research for this chapter. I had looked into what sort of vehicle the San Diego Police Department uses. I was going to put in a place holder, a Ford Crown Victoria, since that seems to be common and was once the car of choice locally. A quick Google revealed that, at the time, the car in use was... a Ford Crown Victoria! Great! That's three words where a vehicle like the Dodge Charger is just two. Then I realized something. Tricia doesn't care what the police cruiser's make and model are, just that there are two cops inside. But, at least I knew what the car looked like before it was crushed.
 |
| San Diego Police Department cruiser, before Tricia crushed it, photo via Wikipedia. |
Friday, Halliday family reunion, in The Soul Blade Chapter 34.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Deadpool.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, hiatus week as I will be at CanGames.
12 May 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 33
Previously:
In the afternoon, Brenna set up her tent in the backyard in case any of her cousins wanted to use it. She disappeared into it, enjoying a brief escape from her sister's cleaning madness. As much as she knew why Grace was scrubbing the house from top to bottom, Brenna didn't want to get caught up in the madness. After an hour of hiding, Brenna returned inside. Officer Henderson sat on the couch in the living room with the television turned to a sports channel. Brenna waved to the officer before going up to her room.
"There's been another murder."Being confined to the house didn't help Brenna's mood any. With Grace becoming a taskmaster, the elder Halliday sister's thoughts turned black. She thought about asking Officer Henderson to tase her sister, then realized that the police officer probably didn't have a sense of humor about such things. Cleaning took up the remainder of the morning, leaving Brenna to fend for herself for lunch. She gave her police protector free access to the kitchen, thinking that he'd be better off trusting his skills than her own if he wanted something outside a vegetarian diet.
"Take a good look at them and tell me if you recognize any of them."
"Arrange for protection for her and her family the next twenty-four hours."
"You're not about to track blood into the house, are you?"
In the afternoon, Brenna set up her tent in the backyard in case any of her cousins wanted to use it. She disappeared into it, enjoying a brief escape from her sister's cleaning madness. As much as she knew why Grace was scrubbing the house from top to bottom, Brenna didn't want to get caught up in the madness. After an hour of hiding, Brenna returned inside. Officer Henderson sat on the couch in the living room with the television turned to a sports channel. Brenna waved to the officer before going up to her room.
11 May 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 32 - Commentary
Brenna identifies the prime suspect, in The Soul Blade Chapter 32.
The police have been keeping busy, even if Brenna spent most of her time with her friends. Now that the police have a name and a confirmation of a suspect, they can go after Tricia. Detective McCoy, who really became a major supporting character despite being an unplanned presence, has been listening to Brenna, even when she was suggesting odd motives. If McCoy does need a warrant, he can get Brenna to make a sworn statement.
The police protection came out of the plot organically. What would the police do? They'd make sure that Brenna was protected, being their best witness. Officer Henderson turned into a fun character to write, the stone-faced cop who is unfazed by everything around him. Sure, he just had to deal with bickering sisters this chapter, but he, like Carly, became useful to keep. He isn't really the Blade's type, but Henderson is in uniform, so Brenna is attracted.
Brenna's cousins get a large mention here. Aurora, who Brenna calls Aura and Grace calls Rory, is the eldest, roughly Brenna's age. Summer is the middle girl, university aged but younger than Grace, and is the one who lost the book with the magic rites written in it. Rae is the youngest, still in high school. The incident that Grace pointed out was from when Rae was three. Brenna's correct in saying that Rae isn't going to have problems in bed like she did thirteen years ago.
This chapter wound up shorter than the previous ones. When I wrote this in 2009, I was still trying to get a handle on how to chapter a book. The breaks I'm using are scene breaks I used, but they weren't meant to be proper chapters. They work as such, though. I'm getting better; writing a story as a serial helps. With a serial, I need to have a good length, a proper chapter ending, either to provide key info or a decent cliffhanger, and keep the action flowing. Works like The Soul Blade weren't written with serialization in mind, so everything is being retrofitted. With my experience writing Unruly and the unpublished project from 2016, I'm improving with creating chapters. Of course, one would think that I should have that idea after Subject 13, but I hadn't considered the concept of a serial when I wrote the bulk of that title.
Friday, protective custody, in The Soul Blade Chapter 33.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, on adapting characters.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Deadpool.
The police have been keeping busy, even if Brenna spent most of her time with her friends. Now that the police have a name and a confirmation of a suspect, they can go after Tricia. Detective McCoy, who really became a major supporting character despite being an unplanned presence, has been listening to Brenna, even when she was suggesting odd motives. If McCoy does need a warrant, he can get Brenna to make a sworn statement.
The police protection came out of the plot organically. What would the police do? They'd make sure that Brenna was protected, being their best witness. Officer Henderson turned into a fun character to write, the stone-faced cop who is unfazed by everything around him. Sure, he just had to deal with bickering sisters this chapter, but he, like Carly, became useful to keep. He isn't really the Blade's type, but Henderson is in uniform, so Brenna is attracted.
Brenna's cousins get a large mention here. Aurora, who Brenna calls Aura and Grace calls Rory, is the eldest, roughly Brenna's age. Summer is the middle girl, university aged but younger than Grace, and is the one who lost the book with the magic rites written in it. Rae is the youngest, still in high school. The incident that Grace pointed out was from when Rae was three. Brenna's correct in saying that Rae isn't going to have problems in bed like she did thirteen years ago.
This chapter wound up shorter than the previous ones. When I wrote this in 2009, I was still trying to get a handle on how to chapter a book. The breaks I'm using are scene breaks I used, but they weren't meant to be proper chapters. They work as such, though. I'm getting better; writing a story as a serial helps. With a serial, I need to have a good length, a proper chapter ending, either to provide key info or a decent cliffhanger, and keep the action flowing. Works like The Soul Blade weren't written with serialization in mind, so everything is being retrofitted. With my experience writing Unruly and the unpublished project from 2016, I'm improving with creating chapters. Of course, one would think that I should have that idea after Subject 13, but I hadn't considered the concept of a serial when I wrote the bulk of that title.
Friday, protective custody, in The Soul Blade Chapter 33.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, on adapting characters.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Deadpool.
5 May 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 32
Previously:
Missy held up the last taco. "Breakfast. Want one?"
"Please. Hi, Bren. How did we get here?"
"Missy brought us here last night."
Krista unwrapped her breakfast taco. "I trust we didn't do any dancing on tables last night?"
"None," Missy said. "However, you have footprints on my car."
"Missy, did you know your arm feels like Matt's?"Brenna finished her breakfast taco and wiped her mouth and hands. As the young brunette washed down a pill with a bottle of water, the door to Missy's office opened up. A still sleepy Krista shuffled out on to the sales floor. She rubbed her eyes. "Morning. What smells so good?"
"Gracie will make me walk on towels."
"I do not need more practice!"
"However, magic? That is power."
Missy held up the last taco. "Breakfast. Want one?"
"Please. Hi, Bren. How did we get here?"
"Missy brought us here last night."
Krista unwrapped her breakfast taco. "I trust we didn't do any dancing on tables last night?"
"None," Missy said. "However, you have footprints on my car."
28 Apr 2017
The Soul Blade - Chapter 31
Previously:
The sun disappeared behind the trees. A fire crackled in a clearing. Tricia held her hands close to the small blaze, warming them up. She was utterly exhausted from the practice she had put in. Her limits had been thoroughly tested and stretched. Tricia knew that she far surpassed her previous ability to the point she was surprised she considered herself the most powerful in the area. Her previous self was a mere pretender, a wanna-be compared to what she could wield now. There would be none who could stand up to her, power for power. With some thought, some planning, she would be unstoppable, even by the so-called Bladekeeper.
"Something just happened. Something opened and then there was, I don't know."
"No. She called it . . . evil."
"It's reactive, the Blade."
"A fraction of an infinite number is still an infinite number."
The sun disappeared behind the trees. A fire crackled in a clearing. Tricia held her hands close to the small blaze, warming them up. She was utterly exhausted from the practice she had put in. Her limits had been thoroughly tested and stretched. Tricia knew that she far surpassed her previous ability to the point she was surprised she considered herself the most powerful in the area. Her previous self was a mere pretender, a wanna-be compared to what she could wield now. There would be none who could stand up to her, power for power. With some thought, some planning, she would be unstoppable, even by the so-called Bladekeeper.
27 Apr 2017
The Soul Blade Chapter 30 - Commentary
Even absolute power needs some training, in The Soul Blade Chapter 30.
While Tricia is learning how to harness the raw power at her fingertips, Brenna's dealing with a home life that involves bizarre towel rituals. Tricia's carrying the story for now; she's the villain and her next move will be what gets Brenna going again. Yet, it's Brenna's story. She should be taking the lead. Unlike Brenna's reaction to Amy, it's not an easy fix.
Carly, who was originally meant as a one-shot and done character, returns. Her original purpose was to show that Brenna isn't alone in having paranatural abilities. However, Carly's sensitivity meant that she'd feel what Tricia had done. Opening a portal to another dimension isn't quiet, at least on the magical wavelengths. Missy did have a good point. Calling the police to say, "There's evil afoot," is going to get at best a polite brush-off. Police, at least in fiction, tend not to be as willing to believe in the supernatural without proof. Brenna did get a pep talk out of it, though. Sometimes, we all need someone who can take a look at what you've done and tell the truth and that we've done good.
Missy's line, "The ghost of the Seventh Cavalry riding down Broadway odd?" had a placeholder in for the street name. I was in the middle of an idea and didn't want to lose my train of thought by derailing it with research. I put the placeholder in to fix later by looking for popular places in San Diego along a main drag*. As with Crossover and using Washington and Main, a placeholder is good to keep things moving along. Just remember to replace it later while editing.
Tricia, now that she has phenomenal cosmic power and no itty bitty living space, has to learn how to use that magic. Mostly, she's acting as a conduit for her passenger. Of course, having someone at your ear telling you to concentrate doesn't always go well. I'm starting to set up the climax, though. I finally figured out where I was going! Problem is, everything still hinges on Tricia.
Matt returns again! Last time we saw him, Brenna had revealed the Soul Blade to him, telling him about its legacy. He's had time to think about what she said and showed. They're going to try to be a couple. Now they just have to work out how to have a relationship between his crazy hours, her crazy hours, her crazy sister, and her tendency to have full conversations with people he can't see. That should be in a follow-up story.
Friday, Brenna has another night off, in The Soul Blade Chapter 31.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Jem and the Holograms.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Fixing the 2015 Jem and the Holograms.
* If you're looking for someplace busy to have a ghost regiment or a zombie horde charge through a busy street in Ottawa, I recommend Bank Street from Wellington to the Queensway, Somerset Street from Bank to Preston (which gets you Chinatown and Little Italy), Preston Street from the Queensway to Carling, or Richmond through Westboro, from Churchill to Golden. Right now, Rideau Street, which would have been decent, is under heavy construction due to the installation of a new LRT. Another good place, though with no street names, is the Byward Market.
While Tricia is learning how to harness the raw power at her fingertips, Brenna's dealing with a home life that involves bizarre towel rituals. Tricia's carrying the story for now; she's the villain and her next move will be what gets Brenna going again. Yet, it's Brenna's story. She should be taking the lead. Unlike Brenna's reaction to Amy, it's not an easy fix.
Carly, who was originally meant as a one-shot and done character, returns. Her original purpose was to show that Brenna isn't alone in having paranatural abilities. However, Carly's sensitivity meant that she'd feel what Tricia had done. Opening a portal to another dimension isn't quiet, at least on the magical wavelengths. Missy did have a good point. Calling the police to say, "There's evil afoot," is going to get at best a polite brush-off. Police, at least in fiction, tend not to be as willing to believe in the supernatural without proof. Brenna did get a pep talk out of it, though. Sometimes, we all need someone who can take a look at what you've done and tell the truth and that we've done good.
Missy's line, "The ghost of the Seventh Cavalry riding down Broadway odd?" had a placeholder in for the street name. I was in the middle of an idea and didn't want to lose my train of thought by derailing it with research. I put the placeholder in to fix later by looking for popular places in San Diego along a main drag*. As with Crossover and using Washington and Main, a placeholder is good to keep things moving along. Just remember to replace it later while editing.
Tricia, now that she has phenomenal cosmic power and no itty bitty living space, has to learn how to use that magic. Mostly, she's acting as a conduit for her passenger. Of course, having someone at your ear telling you to concentrate doesn't always go well. I'm starting to set up the climax, though. I finally figured out where I was going! Problem is, everything still hinges on Tricia.
Matt returns again! Last time we saw him, Brenna had revealed the Soul Blade to him, telling him about its legacy. He's had time to think about what she said and showed. They're going to try to be a couple. Now they just have to work out how to have a relationship between his crazy hours, her crazy hours, her crazy sister, and her tendency to have full conversations with people he can't see. That should be in a follow-up story.
Friday, Brenna has another night off, in The Soul Blade Chapter 31.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Jem and the Holograms.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Fixing the 2015 Jem and the Holograms.
* If you're looking for someplace busy to have a ghost regiment or a zombie horde charge through a busy street in Ottawa, I recommend Bank Street from Wellington to the Queensway, Somerset Street from Bank to Preston (which gets you Chinatown and Little Italy), Preston Street from the Queensway to Carling, or Richmond through Westboro, from Churchill to Golden. Right now, Rideau Street, which would have been decent, is under heavy construction due to the installation of a new LRT. Another good place, though with no street names, is the Byward Market.
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