Character Relationships #1: Shade and Marlu

I've managed to read through my manuscript once and made some notes. There we a few minor edits that were fixed as well, so that's another obstacle that's been taken care of.

I've also found a publishing house that I've taken a fancy to, Okatara. This would be a Christian publishing company that focuses on trying to market to people who shop on the web, but aren't really looking for a Christian book in particular. In other words, it's a ministry of sorts. One that I hope to be involved in soon. There are some other ones that have published books that I like, such as The Door Within. This book takes an abstract mind to understand, but it's good either way and teaches biblical morals.

I was considering giving a snippet of my story here, but I still feel that it needs some more commentary by friends and family before being posted. But I'll be glad to discuss some of my character's relationships.

Today I will be talking about Shade and Marlu. These two are both villain and hero in their own eyes. Now let me explain that. These two are sisters that grew up as princesses of Virgultis, the country of Aquila. Their past is something that I have not set in stone, but I see potential for a good story in their dispute. Shade always believed that people should have a say in everything and everyone should get along. So she has a democratic view. Marlu believes that the government, or in the case the ruler, should have more power. You can see that conflict arises from this. The source of this is the undeniable fact of their country's slow decline. Both see different ways to change that. Both also feel they have to do what's necessary for the country and the people.

There came a time, when they were fairly close to adulthood, that the current ruler was not satisfying the country. Both sisters noticed that. This is where the rift between the two appears. A person(s) decided that they wanted to overthrow the ruler and managed to get Marlu on his(their) side. Marlu was always one who'd rather act violently then discuss matters. With this, Shade disapproves and fights for her father. He dies and she is banished, much to Marlu's regret.

Marlu becomes ruler of Virgultis and attempts to make conditions in the country better, but soon sees that she has to gain land back that had once been part of the country centuries ago. An unseen force, Sarlin, took advantage of her nature and began to poison her mind with a lust for power. In years to come her rule became stricter and stricter.

Meanwhile, Shade had grown to resent the rule of her sister, but still loved her. Both never really did hate each other. Soon Shade found herself, with her skills in calming disputes, a part of a rebellion that would overthrow Marlu. Until a nonspecific point in time none of them knew that she was the previous princess. When she did reveal herself, the high council of the rebels began to plan something big. They would interfere with Marlu's plans and gain her trust through Shade and then she would kill the tyrant. Shade was reluctant, but she would do anything to end her people's suffering.

Skipping the events that happen within the time frame of the manuscript, Shade and Marlu conflict for one last time before Shade shot her with an arrow. But book 2 is certain to show that Shade is not ready to rule, nor happy with the death of her sister.

Hope you enjoyed!



Sea

I'm Feeling Artsy

I'm finally delivering today! I actually did my world map! Well, it's the northeastern hemisphere anyway.

This is only the rough draft though. The final draft will have more texture and less color, kind of like a sketch in an explorer's notebook. This draft also lacks lakes and a compass. Many, many things are missing. :P

Also, I have a surprise for you. It's a speedpaint. And guess what? I did it. I finally figured out Quicktime and Aftereffects. I'll be sure to make more videos once I figure out how to upload them faster. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JPluoe22Vs&feature=g-upl

Also, I have a colored picture of Nikki that I'm almost done with. Once I sit down to finish it, it should end up here. 

Also, I decided to change Demiri's design. This is an older picture, but I like it better than what I have now.

I also have a few sketches of some other side characters. I'll take pictures of them and upload them to the bio page. 

That's it I suppose. I'll be starting the editing process tomorrow. This means I won't be drawing for some time. 

Sea 

The 100 for 100 Challange

With school as it is, most of us writers take a break from hours of writing due to our grievous amount of  homework and school in general. So what would one do when all that creativity just simmers there with nowhere to go? Since I'm still recovering from my book writing, all the brain cells that survived have ended up crafting another story entirely. But how in the world does someone release all this imagination that had flowed freely before? The feeling of having the best idea and not being able to write isn't a pleasant one.

I'm a follower on the Go Teen Writer's blog. They've recently found a solution to my problem. It's something called the 100 for 100 challenge. All you do is write 100 words every day for 100 days. That's about 10 minutes of time, that's all! I already know what I'm doing for the manuscript, since I'll be busy editing Peacekeeper's manuscript. It's a short story that takes place in the same storyworld. I don't think I'll try to publish it, but I'll polish it up and find some way to self-publish it so you guys can read it.

Here's a link to the contest. Details there. http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/

Hope to see some of you doing this too! Unfortunately, this means I'll have to drop art since writing is going to take up such a big chunk of time. But it's for the best. Once these next two weeks roll by, I'm back to getting my manuscript ready for the editors. That also means I'm going to have to start getting book proposals ready. Then when summer rolls around again, I can go crazy with drawing.