A season for Fantasy

Lanfersi Forest in Winter

I just had to make an entry here. December has arrived, and I've been holding on to this picture just waiting for a chance to use it. Nature seems to celebrate Christmas its own way...and it is breathtaking.

Here I sit at 92,500 words, and I'm trying to wrap things up in the next two chapters. Big ending? Well, not the full-scale war as at the end of Passage, so no, not as big. But better? Wow, pressures on. I hope so. The edit will offer me a better idea of how to manage lagging parts and such, then you can be the judge. I am ready to give it my best effort -- for some reason, holiday season's past saw a leap in productive writing, and I am excited to hopefully do it again. And since I've collected a bunch of fine winter scenes, here's another for your enjoyment. Happy holidays!

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Details, details...

The excuse of slow-writing knows no bounds. At 60,000 words, I could pat myself on the back; but many others crush my speed with their dedicated writing schedules. No matter - I have excuses galore. (although, I have given up some activities for Lent that directly influence my own writing schedule - so hopefully I'll get moving here) Anyone who reads my blog entries, and bless you if you do, may realize that I rarely speak of good writing/criticism/grammar/punctuation. There are plenty that do, and they do it well. To write well takes practice, patience, and a whole lot of opinion -- the friendly stranger sort. My advice to writing well: join a writing group, and there are plenty online to do it. There I learned a lot, and I learned when it was no longer useful. (it is hard to critique chapter five without reading chapters one through four - grammar aside) As you may know, I'm all about world-building and being immersed in a solid story - even if it spans many books. The ex...

A time to look back

France was my inspiration for Ainiald (and why not?) Getting into that time of year when the days lengthen and our bones warm in the sunshine delight. That's the time to crawl out of our winter doldrums and hit the road -- or air, rails, water -- whatever you favor. But in writing, you are never out of season. "Prince of the Furies" stands at nearly 70,000 words -- with much time recently spent on revising. (And no, I don't always wait until the end to revise) I had a new character to flesh out and went back a ways to make changes to the story. I'm sure she appreciates the efforts. I am building things up now, laying new foundations, darker trails ahead. One challenge rises as another subsides. Face it, Fantasy is a fun read, and just as fun to write. I realize I should be further along, but it is far more polished than earlier writings at this point. (books one and two) I also hope to put more excerpts out there, and here's a wish for a few more ...

What have you created today?

A little dryness in writing needs -- inspiration. It's not too far away. Look around, look it up, look within. Be inspired. Now write something.

James M. Vargo Books

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