Qalataqa, City of the Elves

 My second book of the Chosen series was Qalataqa, City of the Elves.  I believe that the name is Lakotah, but I can't remember what it means.  Apologies, my notes are a mess in this regard.

The premise is the Chosen find out there are still Shaniko supporters and there might be a chance he is alive.  (Imagine that, apologies for cliches). The group splits to head out on different tasks with plans to return to Battlefield to finish all that needs to be done.

They all find some new people to lead them on their ways, either good or bad. to help them on their way.  Eric and Mouse are sent on one task, Amber and Richard on another.

It's this book I introduce Akicitia (I know this is police in Lakotah!) and the legendary Mahatalo, Krom's great, great, etc.... grandfather and bring in the mythical city of Qalataqa.

I'm working on editing it right now, so more specifics are on the way, since, sadly I remember few of the details of my first baby.  Sadly.

So not only should you keep writing, go back and look at your old writings, just to remember all the good  you've written in the past.  My suggestion for the week.

Happy Writing!

A Brief Synopsis on My Never to Be Seen Original Books

 Okay, so definitely not doing well with keeping up on my blog, but here I go in trying to keep up with the world I created and love!

So originally, I had 3 or 4 books/stories with my main characters the Chosen.  These four characters are often referenced in my published books, sometimes by name, sometimes by actions, sometimes in passing.  They shaped the world of Martapa, or at least got me on the path to writing.  So, I figured, since they are so important to the history of my High King's Sword series I would touch on these short novels I probably will never publish.  (Never say never, because you never know about anything in life!)

The first book I named The Chosen. It is essentially the bringing together of all the main characters, the main villain and the back story of the world.

We start with Eric Calabay and Richard of Varanath.  These two are human squires and House Leaders.  They are young, twenty at the oldest. Their families were taken from them by Shaniko and so they are technically Leaders of their Houses, though at the beginning of the story they have regents appointed by the High King that deal with the day-to-day activities until they are Knights themselves.  Eric is the happy-go-lucky one and Richard is the thoughtful and brooding one. 

Then we meet Mouse, or Jared Swiftarrow.  He is a human gypsy thief who only wants to be loved by his father and do what is right, which is hard in his life situation.

And lastly, we meet Amber Blackwolf.  She is a half elf and the last Wolf Warrior of the elven kind.  She takes her duties very seriously and doesn't know how to handle other people well, since she was raised pretty much in isolation.

Amongst the chapters you also meet Shaniko, a Wizard who follows the God of Undeath, Kahalla.  You discover some of his plans, but only a tidbit, since I was hoping to throw in a few twists here and there later on.  You also meet Ukiah, Amber's human father who has had an extraordinary long life, due to some godly intervention.  He has been working centuries to keep Shaniko in check until the time was right and the Balance could be maintained.

The book eventually ends with the four thinking they have defeated Shaniko and they go back to Battlefield/Devonshire.

I have been slowly going through each story, just so I can remember everything I wrote, (with a few, "oops" moments that don't mesh with the current books), and see if I can make them a decent book or just keep popping in lore in other, newer books.

Happy writing!

New Year, New Promises

 I keep telling myself I will get this stuff done.  That I will sit and write and finish all these wonderful ideas floating around in my head.  This coming year I'm hoping to do this. 

I'm done editing book 3 and am waiting on my very busy cover artist.  She's a senior in college, working on a biology major and hoping to become a vet, so her time is limited.  But she is also cheap. (Round of laughs here).  So, my hopes for the coming year are this:

1) Finish editing book 4, the final book in this series.

2) Publish book 3 and 4 this coming year.

3)Edit and print (not publish) at least 2 other stories I have hanging out so my kids aren't like me and cursing me for not finishing my stories.  (Yeah, looking at you dad somewhere in the afterlife.)

I hope to accomplish all this in the coming year, but life happens, so we shall see.  My suggestions for you are to make a list of goals, try to stick to them and if you don't completely finish, don't berate yourself.  Just try to get more butt in seat time and keep working at your goals.

A late Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy Writing!

Book Two Has Hit The Shelves!

 Finally, after some family issues and health issues I have book 2 of my High King's Sword series, Memories of Stone, up on Amazon.

If you search for Memories of Stone by Heather Woodhurst on Amazon it should come up, but if not, the link is below:

Memories of Stone: Book 2 Of the High King's Sword: Woodhurst, Heather: 9798325112829: Amazon.com: Books

I'm excited to finally have the second book done and published and I am moving on to the third.  It's my bucket list to get all four books published before I go.  I may not be a big hit or anything, but the idea of having my name on a book and people actually looking at it is awesome!

Remember, keep writing and follow your dreams!

Happy Writing!

Those Old Stories...

 As I clean up and go through everything from my mother's house, I realized there are a few things I want to finish before I go.   A lot of them are personal projects or simply trying to organize things so my kiddos won't have to do it when it's my time.  But one thing is for sure, I wish to hell my father had finished some of his stories he started as he sat up in his lonely fire lookout stations.  Which got me thinking, how many stories have I started and not finished?

I decided I can't finish all of them right off the bat, but I'd like my kids, (or grandkids) to know how things should have gone, so here are a few things I'm doing:

1) Picking one story I started and actually finishing it.  Even if I never mean to publish it, I want to feel like I completed it, and it's a nice distraction from editing! At the moment I'm finishing the story I wrote in college about Lady Noshi.  She's just a supporting character in my main story line, but at one point she was my main character. (Yippee for Warhammer roleplaying, right?)  I had a trilogy planned in my head, but I never got it down on paper.  So, now is my chance.

2) Outline the stories you aren't working on at the moment and put it with your scribbles.  I've got way too many started but never finished stories, but I figured at the very least I could outline it so my kids can one day say, hey, mom had a great idea, at least we know what she wanted to do with it.  Plus, once I get the one story I'm trying to fully flesh out done, I can go back and start a new one!

3) And outlining and looking over old stories may give you a good idea to rewrite or even start a new story to turn into a novel.  And that is, of course, the reason we want to write!

Happy Writing.

Get Your Book Out There!

 I talk about writing goals and then forget to do what I preach.

I have been writing and almost have book 2 set up for Amazon.  Stay tuned on that!

As I work on getting my second book out to the public, I think on how I can sell my story to the wide world.  Here are a few things you could do once you have your book ready to go.

1) Take advantage of what your self-publisher offers.  I'm bad about this one.  I know there is an author page I should work on and other features Amazon has that I should use.  But I suggest, unlike me, look into what you can do on these sites to get the word out.

2) Craft fairs and swap meets.  It sounds weird, but it works for some authors.  Piggyback at a table with someone you know.  Our grange has lots of members who work the craft fairs and I'm going to ask a few if I could help pay for the table fee and put a stack a book at their table.

3) Use your friend groups, or groups you are associated with, to spread the word.  Most of my sales have been because they have found out about my hobby and then told other people.  Free advertisements are great!  

4) A Youtube channel!  My son streams and has convinced me people do talk about just about everything on Youtube.  You just have to find the right mix that catches those search engines.

Happy Writing!

The Unfinished Ideas

 

As we go through life we make plans, goals to reach as we continue on.  Like you, I have goals, such as writing a book or getting published.  Meeting those goals seems like a good thing to reach, but it isn’t always at the forefront of my mind.  But sometimes those things become very clear.

 

When someone passes that is close to you, it brings to mind what you want, no, need to finish.  This Christmas was one of those times.  My mother had a wonderful day with us, talking, eating, and opening presents.  And then she went home and we never were graced with her presence again.  She died of a heart attack that night, and all we are doing now is picking up the pieces.

 

It makes you think of wanting to finish your goals.  Apparently, my daughter thought the same thing because she suddenly had my second book cover done.  When I finish with my mom’s stuff, I will get that second book on Amazon.  Because time is short, and you need to do what you want to get done.

 

So, don’t give up and give your hobby a good try.  Don’t let time pass you by.

 

Happy Writing.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

 

Sometimes you need to expand your horizons because sometimes we all fall into a rut.  I mean, I like High Fantasy, it’s my favorite and I like the idea I can add anything I want without having to deal with science and physics.  I mean, I still have to take into account a dagger is not going to do enough damage to hurt a dragon, but I don’t have to know the diameter in kilometers of how big the nuclear blast zone will need to be.

So, I encourage you to try something new.  If you are into fantasy, write a short sci-fi story.  If you like mystery, maybe a romance. It doesn’t have to be the genre you write in forever, but it will help you strengthen your writing skills by getting out of your comfort zone.  It doesn’t have to be in-depth or even long, just something to get your creative juices flowing.

My own example is I’m working on an end of the world story.  There is a lot of tech, science and rules of modern day living that I have to stay within.  Luckily, I have a science degree, so that helps, but it pushes me to think differently then when I’m writing fantasy.

 

So, my writing prompt for this week is to write two pages about a character being chased by the bad guy of your choice.  Write the short chase scene but use the surroundings, terminology and character descriptions that would fit with this different genre.

Writing Prompts

 Sometimes we need a little kick in the butt to get us to start writing.  To do something to get those writing juices just flowing.  So here are a few idea. 

    1) Make a group who takes turns coming up with the writing prompt.  The group can make up the rules as they go or set it up ahead of time.

      2) Google, (or your search engine of choice), writing prompts.  Be careful what you put in.  Some topics may not be what you think they are or should be.  There are a lot that are meant for school age kids, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work.  Sometimes those teachers have some great ideas to start with.

    3) Make your own list!  Take a few days, or weeks, and just write a list of ideas that might be good or not good.  Then take one a day, a week, a month to get you going. Who knows? Maybe it will turn into something grand!

         4) This can also work for campaigns for roleplaying.  If you write down a list of ideas then take one a day or a week and try and flush it out, it may help you with campaign ideas.  Obviously, not every one is going to work, but it will get you thinking.

To help you on your way my idea for the week is the end of the world.  Now I know this is overdone, but it doesn’t have to be zombies or nuclear war, but your own twist.  Just something to get you writing!

 

Happy Writing.

New Ideas and Butt in Chair Time

 New ideas are always a good idea.  As is refining old ideas.  I decided, since my main series was done and just awaiting the cover artist, that I would go back and fix the god-awful stories I had started about characters that make cameos or are mentioned in my main series in passing.

One such idea was the story of Noshi and Sebastion and how they became entangled with each other’s fates.  I wrote this story in college, or slightly after, and then let is molder on a back shelf.  I mean it was fun to write at the time, but on to the next story.

So now, as I have been trying to do, I take one, (or more) pages and go through and fix or completely overhaul each day.  Maybe someday I will have it, and maybe the series I have thought on for the two, ready for publication, but at the very least I’m sitting in the seat and writing for a few minutes a day.

Happy writing!

Feeling Guilty

 My last post was July and now it's October.  As I have pointed out in the past, sometimes it's hard to keep to a schedule.  This summer has definitely been one of those times.  Let's just say anything that can go wrong has, but we have plowed through it and now we are all trying to get back on track.

As I wait for my cover artist to finish my second book's cover, (I forgive her since she's in college right now), I try to get back into the writing mode.  And I suppose mood, as well.  I realized that writing is my way of escaping the everyday worries that everyone has and I haven't been doing it enough.

I'm currently working on a prequel book to my stories I'm still trying to get out, (My fist book is the High King's Sword by Heather Woodhurst on Amazon, if you are interested 😊 ), but that is going slow.  I feel as if as I get older that I subconsciously think that I don't have time for my "hobby".  But I love my hobby. It gives me freedom that you can not get anywhere else.

So my point to this is keep writing!  Don't give up on your "hobby" even if it's just to make an awesome gaming night for your friends.  Someone, somewhere will enjoy sharing your hobby with you!

Happy Writing.

The Art of Rewriting

 So, you have your ideas all sketched out or even a "manuscript" all done.  Now comes the fun part, (sarcasm intended) the editing.  Here are some things I do to make this task less tedious and maybe even a little fun.

1) Take it in chunks.  Do a chapter, a section, even a scene at a time.  If you try to digest the whole book at once you are going to miss those subtle tweaks you need to do.  Sometimes I just do a page a day, (on several different stories), so I can catch grammar errors as well as plot and flow.

2) Instead of editing purely, line by line, take a chunk you don't like and rewrite it separately.  Sometimes you have to look at things out of context to make it flow better.

3) Don't get frustrated.  I know, easier said then done.  Look something over, and if you have to, walk away for a bit.  Let the ideas and the scene ruminate in your brain away from the computer.  Sometimes that is all you need.

Happy writing!

Characters, Characters, Characters

 No story is complete without characters.  You may have a few or hundreds, or somewhere in between.  But sometimes, as you write, you may forget a character name.  Here are some ideas so to make it easier to remember or at least find if you can't remember.

1) First off, just make a list.  It seems simple enough, but when you are writing, you may forget to do things like this.  The inspiration comes and you just write.  I like an excel sheet, myself, but a word processor sheet, such as Word or Google docs works just as well.

2) Add in where they appear in the book.  Just by putting a page number where they appear is a great idea.  At the very least, you might be able to find a description or how they are important to the story.

3) Relationships in the story.  I don't mean just wife/husband relationship, but are they protagonist, a wizard, a mage, a warrior for some great nation, even how they are important to your main character.  This would be important when you are dealing with interactions between characters if you are using a character very infrequently.

4)Descriptions.  I like having these at a glance.  Did they have blond hair or brown, blue eyes or green?  If you just have to look in one place instead of flipping through drafts of your story, it makes that writing streak keep going.

Happy Writing!

My Projects and Your Lists

 Happy New Year!

Like many of you, I had made resolutions to write more and give myself more time to work on the hobby I love, but I have failed, miserably. So lets start the year off now!

I have made quite the list of projects I want to do this year, the most important is actually get the 3 books in my series published.  Just have to coordinate with my cover artist.  Maybe if I help her pay the rent while she goes to school... But I thought I would share my proposed projects and maybe it will inspire you to make a project list of your own.

1) Publish my 3 books.  As I stated, the reason I haven't is my cover artist.  But do you really want to interrupt a Pre-Vet student when you know down the road you get a free Veterinarian?  But if your story is done and ready to go at the very least self-publish on Amazon.  Or if you are feeling ambitious hawk your novel to a publishing house.  At worst, they will just say no, but at least you tried.

2) Outline all my existing and future story ideas.  I have several "stories" that I started while in college and when the kiddos were first born but never really took them any where.  I figured if I outlined them, one, I would see if they were viable, but, two, get my thinking on them again.  You might have those odd story ideas hanging out why not go through them to see what you can do with them.

3) Take one of my outlines and finish one book this year.  This is a big, lofty goal.  With all that is going on with life I may not get finished, but I'd like to make a good start.  Look at it this way, if you want the same goal: Some progress is better then no progress.  And it will get you doing what you obviously like to do, write!

Happy Writing!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 And Happy Solstice and Chanukah and so on and so forth.  I hope what ever holiday is important to you and your family is wonderful and safe.  I hope all your memories you make are wonderful and that you remember those who have gone before with happiness, (though tinged with sadness they are not there).

And don't forget to write!

Happy New Year!

The Holiday Season and Writing

 It is the holiday season, keeping us all busy and seeing friends and family we haven't seen in months, maybe all year.  It is a happy time, but our writing suffers.

This last month has been horrible for myself for writing, between being super sick and the holidays my writing is suffering.  I can't remember the last time I had "butt in chair" time, other then right now.  So here are some things I plan to do for the rest of the year and all of next year.

1) After I check my email in the  morning, I will give myself 15 minutes to write.  Either its to pound out some word count or editing some standing stuff I have.  Maybe it's an outline, maybe its just organizing, but I will give myself time.

2) Don't be too mad with yourself if that time doesn't happen.  I'd like to see myself writing every day, but life happens.  But don't use that as an excuse.  

3) Do what you say  you are going to do.  Today, I plan on doing some organization.  I better well do it. :)

Wishing you a happy holiday season and see you next year!

Happy writing.

The Problems of Story

 We love to write.  The creative juices start flowing and a world comes a live.  Characters become more then words, you can see yourself in the places they are, the situations they find themselves in.  You want to follow the story and see what happens.  It's all a wonderful feeling.  The problem with this is that once you head down a path, you are kinda stuck if you publish one book at a time.  So here are a few ideas I might suggest.

1) Before you publish that first book you know is going to be a series, at least have an outline of the whole series.  Better yet, finish them all then publish one at a time.  Either way, you  have exactly where you want to go and not where the book leads you.

2) By  having at least an outline you can weave stuff in.  I dislike when books or tv shows try to say person A really did love person B without any back ground to back that up.  Or where did that bad guy come from and do they really have a reason to be the bad guy.  As I wrote my following three books, I had to go back and weave in some details because I came up with some good ideas as I went.  That isn't bad, just you have to make sure it works.

3) Have someone else check to make sure it all makes sense.  This really goes with some one editing your book, but if you just have a friend read through it you can ask them to be brutally honest on if it flows.  It might hurt to hear some of their critiques, but it will help you be a better writer.

Happy Writing.

Story Pathways

 If you write, which I'm guessing you do, sometimes your thoughts wander from where you planned.  In this case, it's story ideas.  As I was writing my High King's Sword, (I'm hoping my cover artist can stop being a pre-vet student for a few minutes and whip me a couple covers out so I can publish the last 3 soon!), I would get ideas for side stories or full blown series.  My biggest side trek was taking a story I'd made about Noshi into a better story and a series, but I wanted to finish my High King's Sword first.  So here is an idea to not lose that spark.

1) Notebooks.  Okay, spirals, google docs, Word, what ever works for you, but write down your thoughts before they wonder away.  There has been times I will be traveling to my mother and mother-in-law's and think of great ideas, but I often forget them by the time I get there.  If I don't forget, I have a spiral to jot down my idea to add to my growing idea list.

2) Feel free to take a break from your main story.  Sometimes you get stuck and need a change of venue. There were a few times I just couldn't figure out where to go with the Sword or I couldn't edit anymore and I needed to do something new.  A little writing isn't bad on a different project.  It might even get your creative juices flowing again.

3) Feel free to scrap the idea.  I know I've jotted down a lot of ideas that will never go anywhere, but getting them out or down helps clear your mind to get on to the projects you really want to do.

4) This works for roleplaying campaigns, as well. Say you have a main campaign going on, but you think of a side adventure or even a new campaign idea.  Write them down.  Even a good, long term campaign might need a break now and again. And you might be able to work the ideas into your main campaign.

Happy Writing.

Rules for the Roleplaying Table

 I thought I'd take a short off the path delve into roleplaying.  Not much to do with my story, but I thought I would share some ideas.

1) Everyone pitches in for dinner, (or lunch, or what ever).  Maybe this is in the form of a side dish or snacks or drinks.  We found that you, as a group, don't feel so upset at someone for eating all the food if they did contribute.  Roleplaying with a group of young men made me realize they eat a lot, so making sure it wasn't just one person bringing the food was a good idea.

2) No politics.  Or what ever you know is going to set someone off.  Our college group of roleplayers had some very different politics and though, unlike today, we could have a civilized conversation and agree to disagree on stuff the roleplaying table is not the place to bring this stuff up.  Stick to the game.  Yes, you can tangent to horrible professors, homework due, work assignment deadlines, or even the commute if you  have one, but stay off the sticky topics if you want to have a fun night.

3) Make sure as the GM you have everything ready to go and extra stuff for your players.  Our newer group of roleplayers didn't have dice and the like, but we knew that going in, so we made sure they had some dice to role and we had crisp new character sheets printed so they could make up their first ever characters.  It makes it so much smoother to have everything prepped, sorta like real life :)

4) Establish rules on rolling, take backs, and what a character knows.  This is much better to figure out before you sit down.  They don't have to be perfectly specific, but some guide lines are good.  Like everyone, except the GM, rolls out in the open and don't help a player if your character isn't in the room.  (This is tempting as a player all the time.)

Happy Gaming!

I Want a Campaign They Love

 Many of you may just write stories and have no idea about being a Game Master for a roleplaying game.  In this day and age of roleplaying online games, why do you need to do paper and pencils.  Personally, yes, it takes a long time to go through one battle with paper and pencil and dice, but it's the time with friends that really makes it worth the time and effort.  But unlike video games you want a good plot when you do the paper and pencil version.  Here are some ideas I hope help you find that good story:

1) So is this a one off or a campaign?  It does make a difference.  Long term you want to work in the plot line early along with any bad guys or friends.  One time game, just find a goal for the night, (rescue the prince, storm the castle, clean out the dungeon, etc.).

2) For a long term campaign, just like a story plot outline what you want to do with the characters or would like them to do, (players don't always go along with what you want them to do, trust me).  For me, originally my High King's Sword was a roleplaying game and I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do, so I had a sorta outline of what I'd like them to do.  Problem was, the players went and took my flavor text and ran with that instead of my plots sometimes.  So don't be married to your outline. Be flexible, but do try to keep the players on the main path.  How they get there isn't as important as the goal as long as they are having fun. 

3) Have a notebook with you at each game.  Sometimes they ask the name of a barkeep or innkeeper.  Keep that for later.  You might be able to use it later.  Maybe you add in something you hadn't planned, but will now be important.  It also helps to have some names, descriptions and random encounters already rolled up.  You never know when your players are going to go off the path, trust me.

4) For the one offs, don't get too specific, unless you know every direction your players are going to go, but have a general idea and pre-rolled bad guys.  Just because they don't go to the bandit camp, doesn't mean you can't have an ambush of bandits on the road to where ever they are going.

5)Ask your players what they are looking for.  Do they want dungeon crawls or an in-depth murder mystery?  It will make a difference.

Happy Roleplaying!