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Don't forget to check out the previous day's challenges here at The Writing Challenge Category
Today's challenge: A random sentence from your favorite novel. Well, my favorite novel is THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien. I did choose a random sentence at first, one that mentioned Radagast, but I just couldn't use it. I wanted to use my favorite one. So I went from the random to using one of my favorites: ...said Thorin "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended with measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world..." That sentence has always gotten me right in the heart, ever since I was a little kid. Thorin went through all the fuss and angry upsets to get his stupid mountain and hoard of treasure, only to learn at the end of his life that he had thrown away one of the dearest treasures any person could ask for: friendship and a happy life. At least he had the chance to make it right. That's more than what many people in this life are able, or even willing, to do. ![]()
I am really excited about today's challenge, because I get to share something from book #2 of the Tales of the Wovlen series - The Dragon's Due (the book that everyone has been waiting tirelessly for). But first, if you haven't been keeping up with this challenge so far, you can catch up by clicking "The Writing Challenge" category.
And now, today's challenge is: A random sentence from your WIP So, forget just picking a random sentence. I'm going to give you a 2 whole paragraphs! This is part of a scene from Chapter 7, and we get to be inside the Crystal Witch's palace, hearing a conversation she has with her most trusted minions! She turned away, climbing back up to her throne. “Rise, my servants. There is much to be done and little time to accomplish it all.” She turned to face them, and the wraith all rose to their feet in unison. “I have learned that one of our old enemies has resurfaced, and there is a rumor spreading that he has found one of the ancient dragon blades. He is under the Dayspeaker’s blessing of protection, so none of you can kill him, but there is one who can.” She paused a moment. “It is time to release the Nightstalker. It is time for him to play his part.” She turned away, climbing back up to her throne. “Rise, my servants. There is much to be done and little time to accomplish it all.” She turned to face them, and the wraith all rose to their feet in unison. “I have learned that one of our old enemies has resurfaced, and there is a rumor spreading that he has found one of the ancient dragon blades. He is under the Dayspeaker’s blessing of protection, so none of you can kill him, but there is one who can.” She paused a moment. “It is time to release the Nightstalker. It is time for him to play his part.” Now, I can already hear the ever present question: WHEN IS BOOK 2 COMING OUT?! Soon. Very soon. Like, V-E-R-Y soon. It is going through the last stages of editing (YAY!) and I should be setting a release date any day! Hopefully it will be sometime THIS month! Whoohoo! I promise that I'll keep everyone updated on my progress. I'm really upset that it has taken me this long to get it on a roll (I wanted this book done and published in March... of LAST YEAR), but I guess it's better late than never, right? ![]()
Ironheart: The Primal Deception
Coming May 12th 2016 Ironheart: The Primal Deception introduces a brand new world of science fiction and fantasy, where deities dominate a civilization dependent on steam-powered marvels. For Jack Booker, an orphan from the cutthroat streets of Victorian, life is about survival. The squabbles of the imperial aristocracy are of no importance to him; neither does he concern himself with the machinations of the empire’s gods, the Primals, who rule humanity with indifferent disdain. Power plots amongst the mighty mean little in the grungy alleys of the undercity, where the only rule that truly matters reigns supreme: Only the strong survive. It is a daily struggle. This struggle becomes even more deadly when Fist, an underworld mob boss with delusions of grandeur, embroils his gang in a game far above their league. Soon, Jack finds himself thrust into a web of intrigue, subterfuge, and rebellion when he encounters the enigmatic Freedom, a revolutionary with an uncompromising vision for the future and a deep hatred for the Primal Empire. Forces beyond Jack’s comprehension command subjects like pieces on a chessboard – and, somehow, he may have just become the most important pawn… ![]()
Dakota Kemp is a seriously talented author and has been listed on my "Other Authors" page on my website for a long time. You may have heard me talk calmly (rave) about one of his other books in my YouTube book review video "The Arrival by Dakota Kemp". The depth of his story and characters far surpass anything I've ever written, his story telling technique had me eating every word up, and his plot left me hanging and begging for more. So, as you can imagine, I am pretty psyched for Ironheart (it's not a sequel to The Arrival, though... *cough, cough-Dakota'sKillingMe-cough*).
Ironheart is a steampunk/fantasy novel said to be suitable for YA readers and up. The release date is May 12 and it will be available on Amazon, the Kindle version being about $2.99 - an excellent price! If you would like more information about Dakota and his books, please check out his website at www.dakotakemp.wordpress.com. Of course, don't forget to keep an eye out forIronheart! I have a feeling it's going to be a good one to read! ![]()
So, I feel like I am going to fail at today's challenge... BUT, I have made up for it with the previous challenges up till now, haven't I? If you haven't been keeping up with my challenges, catch up on them here: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT & NINE.
Today's Challenge: The first sentence of the first chapter of your WIP (work in progress). Let me tell you something: this challenge made me seriously reconsider all my opening sentences. They are TERRIBLE! Well, that's my opinion. They don't seem that catchy to me. Anyway, I have three WIP that I'll share the first sentence from... I actually have more than that, but I only wanted to share three with you, because the rest of my WIP don't have opening sentences (I start in the middle of a story and work my way out). Enjoy! "Keegan looked up and smiled as the door finally opened, and Alia and Brainna stepped out, faces beaming." Tales of the Wovlen Book #3 "Kyra stood frozen on the cold metal table, head tilted, and listening intently to voices coming through the ceiling above her." Plasma Chrysalis - SciFi book "The azure sky was bright high above the tall, green trees of Deepwood Forest." An unnamed fantasy story
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Don't forget to check out the Other Challenges up to this point!
Today's Challenge: Your least favorite character out of all the characters you’ve ever written. Oh gee. This one is hard. Honestly! I like all my characters in My Book, even the nasty ones. This would seriously be a toss-up between Demetrius - the bad guy who killed my main character’s father - and Keegan, the main character. Yes. My main character is one of my least favorite characters. He can be such an idiot! And talk about being a whiney baby ALL. THE. TIME…. gag. But, despite that, I still love him. Now that I really think about it, I think Demetrius is really my least favorite. He’s just downright, flat out nasty and revolting. He’s a coward, he’s a thief, he snarls, he fights dirty, he’s arrogant, and on top of it all, he’s not very pretty to look at. So, yes, Demetrius is my least favorite character. In fact, he makes Keegan look mighty good!
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If you haven't already, be sure to check out DAY ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE & SIX of this challenge!
Today's challenge is: Your favorite character out of all the characters you’ve ever written. This is really hard. It would either be Pharrgon the regal dragon, Walneff Feldost the riddling prophet, Gillion the Jester, or Vliron Nightstalker the rogue assassin. If you’ve read my first book, then don’t worry - you haven’t met Gillion or Vliron yet. They are introduced in book #2, which is coming out really soon (No, really! It really is! I swear!). Trust me when I say that Gillion and Vliron are AWESOME. Because, they really are awesome. And you don’t have to take my word for it. You can ask any of the testers who have pre-read the 2nd book (or parts of it). I have heard that they think Gillion and Vliron are awesome, though, they are starting to split into teams on who they think is more awesome - Team Gillion and Team Vliron.... my awesome characters may end up starting a fan war.... Anyway. Where was I? Oh yes – favorite character. If I judge by which character is fun to write, I think Gillion would be my favorite. He is such a cut up! If I want something funny said or done, Gillion is my man. If I want something crazy or spastic done, Gillion is also my man. If I want someone to make some awesome ninja moves and kill monsters Legolas style, all while smiling and cracking jokes, Gillion is definitely my man. However, on the other end of the spectrum, I've had a lot of fun with Vliron. He is just the opposite of Gillion. If I want somebody to do or say something mean and cold, Vliron is my man. If I want somebody other than Pharrgon to scare the monsters, Vliron is my man. If I want someone to be a suspicious, sneaky, and befuddling character that the reader likes one minute and hates the next, Vliron is also my man. If I want someone to take a really bad beating..... then Keegan is my man. Though, Vliron has taken some really nasty ones as well. Picking a favorite character is impossible. I like them all for different reasons. I like writing them and learning their styles. I like torturing them and seeing how they respond. I like killing them too. Yes. I know. I have issues. I plan to capitalize on that though! Would any of you be interested in buying one of these T-shirts should I start an online shop?:
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Today's challenge is going to be fun! But first, if you haven't already, be sure to check out DAY ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, & FIVE.
Today's Challenge: You are somehow transported into the world of your story. Name the biggest challenge you would face having to transition from living in the real world to your story world. Be as detailed as you like. Camping. Plain and simple. I have never done any real camping before. Camping has always entailed sleeping in an air conditioned camper with a soft foam mattress under me and warm fuzzy blankets on top of me and a self-lighting stove to cook on in the kitchen area of the camper. Yes, I am ashamed that I have never done any real camping before. Of course, the first monster I came across – Roshar, anyone? – would mess me up pretty bad too. Hand me a sword and I can do some impressive fun stuff with it, but if I had to depend on a sword for survival… yeah. Forget the sword. I’d rather have a dragon. It’s long range, it’s effective, has impressive fire power, and nothing is walking away from it. A dragon could also come in really handy for camping, come to think of it! If I had a dragon, all my problems would basically be solved. The only one remaining would be the lack of chocolate. There is chocolate in my world, but it has limited distribution. Sure, I could fix that, but what is life without challenge?
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Hello everyone! Don't forget to check out DAY ONE, DAY TWO, and DAY THREE of this challenge.
So, today's challenge is: a book you can't live without. Oh man. That's easy: The Bible. Seriously. I would not be alive today without that Book of books, and my imagination would be really flat without it as well. BUT, just to be a little less of a "Bible-Hugging-Christian" about this answer (which I am not being that way at all, but I know how the "oh she's so christian, meh, meh, meh" people act - they're all brats - so I'll just humor them), I'll give you an alternate answer: The Hobbit. I just love The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is so much fun to read. Plus, there's a dragon in it... admittedly, he's a bad dragon and he dies in the end, but he's still a cool dragon to read about! I read the Hobbit at least once a year. Probably more. I want to get into that habit with the Lord of the Rings, but those books are a little thicker and a little harder to read. I also want to start that habit with the Silmarilion, but that one IS HARD. It is the most beautiful book to read EVER, but it is a very hard one. Shakespeare is easier to read than the Silmarilion. No, I am NOT kidding.
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Make sure to wear green, or you'll get pinched (that's what happens in my house)!
By the way, don't forget to check out DAY ONE and DAY TWO of this challenge, if you missed them. So, today's challenge is: a trope in your genre that gets on your nerves. I'll be honest; I had to look up what "trope" meant. Trope - a: a word or expression used in a figurative sense : figure of speech ![]()
Ooookay. A cliche! I got it now. Why didn't you just say so?
So, what is a cliche in my genre (fantasy) that gets on my nerves? I have no idea. Cliches very, very rarely get on my nerves. There is something about the predictable that makes it familiar, like an old friend, and I like that. Thinking about it now, there is one cliche in fantasy that, only recently, I have come to find a little annoying. It is the super strong, tough, battle hardened, young female characters. In most of the fantasy books I have read, the female characters are either warriors, assassins, mages, barbarians, or some other type of Xena Warrior Princess or Red Sonja "bad-A". Plus, they are always young and hot. Now, I'm not saying that tough, young, hot chicks are bad or unrealistic. I'm a tough, young, hottie if I say so myself, but not all women are young, hot warriors. Some are gentle and delicate - the healer, and the priestess. Some are quiet, regal, and proud - the queen, the duchess, and the farmer's wife. Some are fun-loving and flirty - the bar maid, the gypsy girl, and the merchant's daughter. And don't forget about the sassy boss - the cook, the store keeper's wife, and the governess. Not all women are Xena warrior princess, or Lessa the dragon rider, or Arya the elfin princess. Also, battle hardened warriors are definitely NOT young and hot. They are beautiful in their own way, but they have many scars and they are tired and worn thin, because they have seen many, many gruesome battles. The only reason this cliche has started to bug me is because of the reviews a friend was getting on his first book (The Heroes of Ravenford by F.P. Spirit). I LOVED his book. I adore one of the female characters introduced in it. But many of the reviewers who read it were upset because of the "lack of strong female characters". Excuse me? What in the cube kingdom of gelatinous are you talking about? What happened to the "stop using cliches" sermon? Everyone wants "fresh content", but as soon as one of their favorite cliches are avoided, they throw a fit. I guess what actually gets on my nerves in the fantasy genre is the readers. Authors are always getting preached at to create original stories free of cliches. But then they get bashed if they publish a book without cliches. Shut up, you picky readers! Either read the book and enjoy it, or go write your own. Then let's see how well you handle criticism from other readers like yourself who love/hate/love/hate/love/hate cliches. OH! And one other thing that annoys me about the fantasy genre: NOT ENOUGH DRAGONS. When I read a fantasy book, and there aren't any dragons, I feel just like this chick from Game of Thrones:
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Don't forget to check out The Writing Challenge - Day One.
Today's challenge: a one sentence summary of your current WIP (work in progress). Oh boy. Let me see. How do I put this? The witch did not really die at the hands of the hero and has possessed an important character, causing the dragons and the giants to emerge from hiding and help the Dragon's Son stop her before she summons an ancient demon and starts a world war. Can you guess which book it is that I am working on? That's right: book #3 in Tales of the Wovlen. Now, I will leave you to fret about your favorite characters because, yes, they are in peril and, yes, some of them are going to die! Be afraid. Be very afraid. |
Kathryn FoglemanAuthor of the fantasy series, Tales of the Wovlen, Kathryn spends a great deal of time in the world of her imagination, having tea with fire breathing dragons, writing books on flying space ships, and practicing her mad scientist laugh with gusto. However, on occasion,she returns to this world just to play with her dog and blog about her fun. My BookGrab a Button!![]() Archives
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