Up Until Now

Oops, I meant time to play catch up. English nuances, am I right? Before I delve into each and every mistake and failure that I encountered on this journey of writing this novel and series I thought it prudent to share the previous experiences. Ill advised, I know. Let me tell you, there have been a whole slew of them! World building got so intense that I got stuck plotting or forgot that there were other things to do. Linguistics hates me with a fiery passion. At one point I had so many characters all of which were up to no good. Depression shoved its pet Procrastination in my face expecting me to babysit while it raided my home. Oh! Speaking of babies Depression and Anxiety had a baby called Imposter Syndrome and I'm the little Monsters Godmother. Oh Joy! What even is Math doing and their cousin Science really does exist. All the while my personal favorite song is playing, "That Scene Is Books Away," by ADHD. Gotta love it when the family comes to visit for the holidays.

I knew that for this fantastical story that I thought of, with this stupid creepy animal that I would cry if I ever saw it in real life, I needed a place that made sense. Creating a planet in another solar system and galaxy worked. I wanted to create my own laws, SNAG. I needed reasons behind them. Why is the sky purple? What does having this core instead of the earth's core do to the planet? Why are the people here able to do the things they can and others can't? How do they write? What is the fashion like? What do they look like? What does the planet look like? I was not prepared for this! I knew that world building would be a lot of work, I didn't expect as much as has happened. Drats that red pill.

The books will be written in English, but that doesn't mean that's what they speak. Why would they? An entire planet and only one language that just so happens to be one of the ones we speak on Earth... I think not. The first thing that I focused on that I shouldn't have was the shapes of the written characters and a couple hand signs. Written characters for a language whose sounds I know not yet. Smart Nik, smart. We might have reached the root of why Linguistics would like to see me disemboweled while it watches for several hours. I've researched and read works on this topic but somehow I will understand it for a second and then confuse myself all over again.

I found one of my original notebooks for this project and though it didn't have every character with a highlighted P.O.V. it did contain the lives of nineteen. This sparked the idea of maybe having each book focus on a new character, however that left one character out that I needed to follow the entire time. Then two characters I needed to have access to at anypoint one of which was completely unplanned and was supposed to be more of a breath in the books. Maybe no on the extra characters? Have it just be my main for a third person P.O.V. and the squirrel moments with the other? That started to work. I had one hundred and forty-ish pages written when it hit me that I really did need some of those other characters to round out the story. The expansion was too quick and I ended up at twelve or so. That won't do, too confusing for readers and if one character was already one hundred and forty pages with only being halfway there, long story short yikes. I cut down how many main P.O.V. characters I had but the others still wanted to be part of the experience, their parts in this war were important too. Okay second blog later to accompany the first one. Done.

Depression.

Procrastination.

Anxiety.

Imposter Syndrome.

These aren't the only relatives that showed up but the others can be met at a later time. It appears that if you want to join the Oh So Cool Club of Artistry one of the requirements is some sort of illness. Especially mental. It's not, but I've yet to meet one who doesn't. Depression tells you that there is no point in writing, or getting up. Even though you love to write it puts that feeling of I don't want to and in many cases just sucks the energy out of you. You know, so it has the energy to raid your home. Procrastination pees on the carpet so you can't write, and opens up a page on your electronic device and you just have to know what it was reading, and then reminds you that depression didn't let you wash your hair for a week even if you did shower multiple times and it might be about time you go and do that. Oh look at those pretty swirls in the clouds! Anxiety is that person in your life who only talks to you when there is something wrong. Imposter Syndrome is the cape you wear while you are being your Super Self that screams to the world that you're not the person who should be doing this project. Asking what makes you think you're good enough to be a writer, because you're obviously not. Gives you example after example of all the reasons why you're not and all the times you failed. Life experiences does not a novel make. Why you, why you, why you. It's not even asked like a question but spoken by a snake as a statement of the lack of worth. Lack of talent. Lack of ability. Well tada! Merry Christmas Imposter Syndrome, a blog to put it all out there in the open. What you tell me might just motivate someone else to punch their Monster Baby of Depression and Anxiety in the face.

Please don't punch a real baby...

They really are related. Math is all up in Sciences grill. Rather complicated and co dependent relationship. How to split up time zones based on how large the planet is, why does anything have the color it does, would an electrical core change how the planet functioned, and in turn change the biology to the life indigenous to it? I want purple sky, so what would the atmosphere be like to make it happen and how would someone be able to breath both there and on earth. What side effects would appear to someone breathing on earth versus on this planet? Could a light prism bird really exist and function? How is the life there so intuned including the people that they don't need to have a watch to know the current time? Why would they need to tell time? That's not a science question, just one I had to work out.

Not in this. Many obstacles have been overtaken in the process to get here. Many more to come. Tell me, what do you fight while writing or if there is a different hobby that you have some of the same issues let me know!

For Your Entertainment

N.F. Havock