I write stuff. Here's what.
I got started writing novels as a direct result of National Novel Writing Month, usually referred to as NaNoWriMo. Held every November, it's a challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. It's a wonderful exersise, and very demanding, but also very rewarding.
On the Fall of Evarim
Written November of 2003 this is my first novel length work, though it's really more of a novella at this point, at roughly 52,000 words. Based in the SpheresMUX roleplay universe, it tells of the chain of events that lead to the fall of the great ancient gryphon civilization... as told by a storysinger several hundred years later. Following both timelines, you learn a great deal about why things are the way they are today, and about what motivates the players of both ancient and modern.
This is a second draft, still in the process of being edited. Contact me for the password if you would like to read and critique - suggestions and comments are very welcome!
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A Natural History of Gryphons
Started in November of 2004, this is at around 84,000 words and climbing. I had hoped to finish the first draft at around 140,000 words sometime in January, but now it's looking more like April or May. Based in an alternate 1700's to 1800's Europe, it follows the story of Almara, a woman adventuress in her mid-20s as she builds a team to search for a lost city of the Alnahuae peoples somewhere in the depths of the largely unexplored continent Aurus. Things do not go as planned, and she has to survive the wilderness alone... until she meets the creatures who will eventually become her life's work.
On hold while I reconsider the way I want it to end.
This is a first draft. Contact me for the password if you would like to read and critique - suggestions and comments are very welcome!
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Worlds Apart
Started in November of 2005, this is a more 'accessible' fantasy. "The Seven Oaks" has been in Jaris' family for generations - a quiet inn in the outlying reaches, far from anywhere. He lead a quiet, predictable life until war, and a gryphon-riding mercenary, came into his life. Now the unlikely companions join forces to overturn a devious plot to overthrow the rightful leader of a foreign land, and bring peace once again.
Yep, gryphons again! I particularly like the way this one's coming together, but it's also only about half done right now.
This is a first draft. Contact me for the password if you would like to read and critique - suggestions and comments are very welcome!
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The Black
Work in Progress, still just at the outline stage. Nasty alien does horrible things people... then nastier aliens show up. The enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend. A bit of a cross between Alien and Silence of the Lambs, with an homage to Dark Star dusting the leading edge.
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There's an interesting discussion that's been going around, regarding the use of serif versus non-serif fonts. The traditional wisdom is that serif fonts are easier to read, and that's generally true... in print. On the web, however, given limited screen resolutions, sans-serif fonts are actually easier to read, as a rule. That's why I use Verdana on my web pages. I used to use 'comic sans ms', which I still like, but it's really not as legible as I wanted.
Here's an example of a line written in Times New Roman, a font with serifs.
Here's an example of a line written in Verdana, a font without serifs.
The first example was forced to a font size of 4, the second to a font size of 3. I find the second much more legible.
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