(no subject)
Aug. 9th, 2009 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessI've already announced the big news about sending out another story.
I've already whined a bit about what to do with that old vampire story. The more I look the more I'm not sure I CAN pull New Orleans out of it and yet I have too. It's cliched beyond belief and it would embarrass me at this point to keep it (unlike nearly 20 years ago when I wrote it)
I just have to get into the mind set that about the ONLY thing I'm keeping is the scenario and it's not a bad thing. It IS very old and I'm better now. This story can be better.
Of course right now I'm not feeling 'better.' I'm feeling like my characters are all flat and dull and I have the descriptive ability of a 5 year old.
But on a better note I DID promise to put up a character sheet. Back in the days of paper zine fandom you just didn't write and shove it out there you belonged to a group. Writing was highly interactive especially since Elfquest and Pern (back in the days when McCaffery wouldn't SUE you) didn't allow you to use any canon characters. You got to invent your very own and worked with others in the group to use their characters. It was interesting and fun BUT how was anyone to keep track of 100 characters and what they looked like. Character Information Sheets was how. I STILL use them today for stories. It's handy especially if your character has scars and tatts and you have the memory of a sieve and are sitting there is that scar on his left cheek or his right. (think you can't mess this up, I've seen in professional print!)
So here's James Whirlwind Soldier (the first one I found on my hard drive when I went to look) He was invented for The Cauldron a shared world started by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evil_little_dog
THE CAULDRON
NAME: James Whirlwind Soldier (Akicita Wamniomni)
SEX: male
DATE OF BIRTH: June 12th 1969
HAIR: long, raven hair worn to the waist often in plaits
EYES: deep brown, often very haunted looking
SKIN TONE: coppery
BUILD: lean bordering on skinny
HEIGHT: 5’8”
MARKS/SCARS: many especially across the back and buttocks, several under his hair. Twin Sundance scars over either breast. Has a small blue and black stylized butterfly on his left hip (painting butterflies on themselves made the Lakota warriors as elusive and swift as the insect). He also has an eagle in flight on his left shoulder blade.
FAMILY: Gene Whirlwind Soldier (father), Sue (mother) Mato Nanji (cousin)
Kangi Waste Win (cousin), Tatanka Wakan (grandfather)
SEXUAL RELATIONS: hetero and whoever’s willing. He’s not too picky.
CHILDREN: none that he knows of until 1997, Wambli (son)
OCCUPATION: book seller (until 3/95. He gets rehired in 1997), bartender at the Lion’s Den from 3/95-11/96, country rock singer & guitarist
HOBBIES: song writing, ceremonial dancing.
HABITS: avoids taking the blame for things, drinks when the stress gets too much
MAGIC – James can see ghosts, call spirits and perform other rituals. He knows how to make a sticky web-like somesubstance thanks to Iktomi. He will have other abilities as he matures.
VOICE & ACCENT: tenor, very melodic, has a Lakota sing-song accent
CLOTHING: everything is well-worn, simple and poor, favors cowboy boots
JEWELRY: occasionally wears hair-pipe chokers and beaded items
PETS: Sunka, a large neutered half Lab, half Rottweilier mix. He favors his Lab half in temperament, easygoing and eager to please
VEHICLE: none, he walks everywhere and can easily go for a few miles. He has access to a ‘70’s land barge of uncertain pedigree for part of 1995 but rarely drove it since he’s unlicensed.
PERSONALITY/PERSONAL HISTORY: James was born into a dysfunctional family. His mother was in love with a man more interested in drinking, gambling and stealing than he was in his wife and son. Sue became withdrawn from her family entering a grim world of schizophrenia. She was in and out of hospitals for years and was committed permanently when James was 13.
Since his father was often gone James was dependent on his other family members especially his grandfather Tatanka Wakan, a holy man, (otherwise known as George Holy Buffalo). George believed James had the power of a healing touch. He began training James as a Wicasa Wakan (holy man).
James enjoyed that training and loves his family very much. He also enjoyed country music and showed aptitude as a singer and guitarist. He began to try and write songs of his own often trying to incorporate some of his grandfather’s teachings. However, his external life proved to be too much for him. He began falling into his father’s lifestyle, drinking and gambling.
James barely got through high school. He became an alcoholic and after repeated tries to help him, his family finally gave him up as a loss. James quit his shamanic training and broke all ties with his family.
When he was 19 he and two friends were driving drunk. The driver wrecked into a school bus. While no children were seriously hurt, the drunk driver died, James’s other friend was left blind and severely mentally handicapped. James walked away with only minor injuries. However, his inability to help anyone in the accident convinced him his healing powers were gone.
For the next four years his drinking became worse. Finally hitting rock bottom, James went on a search to find his cousins who tried to help him before. The path led him to Riveroak where his cousins reluctantly helped him. After a few false starts James went through an AA program and stuck with it.
With a few months of sobriety under his belt, James got a job with a local book store as a clerk, and got into a country rock band as a guitarist and singer. He is desperate to make a change in his life, regain his powers a live a normal life but has no idea how long he’ll be able to fight the demons in him that drive him to drink.
He did until an old girlfriend moved back in with him in March of 95. In Riveroak he was sober from 10/94-3/95. He will sober up again in 12/96 for however long it lasts. He will learn more of the shamanistic ways eventually as Riveroak seems to help him focus. He finds himself growing fond of Concetta and knows the vampiress has made him a special project for rehabilitation but he knows he doesn’t make it easy. James is able to sense many kinds of vampires, lycanthropes and ghosts.
I wrote over 8,600 words of original fiction this week.
83988 / 100000 words. 84% done!
I've already whined a bit about what to do with that old vampire story. The more I look the more I'm not sure I CAN pull New Orleans out of it and yet I have too. It's cliched beyond belief and it would embarrass me at this point to keep it (unlike nearly 20 years ago when I wrote it)
I just have to get into the mind set that about the ONLY thing I'm keeping is the scenario and it's not a bad thing. It IS very old and I'm better now. This story can be better.
Of course right now I'm not feeling 'better.' I'm feeling like my characters are all flat and dull and I have the descriptive ability of a 5 year old.
But on a better note I DID promise to put up a character sheet. Back in the days of paper zine fandom you just didn't write and shove it out there you belonged to a group. Writing was highly interactive especially since Elfquest and Pern (back in the days when McCaffery wouldn't SUE you) didn't allow you to use any canon characters. You got to invent your very own and worked with others in the group to use their characters. It was interesting and fun BUT how was anyone to keep track of 100 characters and what they looked like. Character Information Sheets was how. I STILL use them today for stories. It's handy especially if your character has scars and tatts and you have the memory of a sieve and are sitting there is that scar on his left cheek or his right. (think you can't mess this up, I've seen in professional print!)
So here's James Whirlwind Soldier (the first one I found on my hard drive when I went to look) He was invented for The Cauldron a shared world started by
evil_little_dogTHE CAULDRON
NAME: James Whirlwind Soldier (Akicita Wamniomni)
SEX: male
DATE OF BIRTH: June 12th 1969
HAIR: long, raven hair worn to the waist often in plaits
EYES: deep brown, often very haunted looking
SKIN TONE: coppery
BUILD: lean bordering on skinny
HEIGHT: 5’8”
MARKS/SCARS: many especially across the back and buttocks, several under his hair. Twin Sundance scars over either breast. Has a small blue and black stylized butterfly on his left hip (painting butterflies on themselves made the Lakota warriors as elusive and swift as the insect). He also has an eagle in flight on his left shoulder blade.
FAMILY: Gene Whirlwind Soldier (father), Sue (mother) Mato Nanji (cousin)
Kangi Waste Win (cousin), Tatanka Wakan (grandfather)
SEXUAL RELATIONS: hetero and whoever’s willing. He’s not too picky.
CHILDREN: none that he knows of until 1997, Wambli (son)
OCCUPATION: book seller (until 3/95. He gets rehired in 1997), bartender at the Lion’s Den from 3/95-11/96, country rock singer & guitarist
HOBBIES: song writing, ceremonial dancing.
HABITS: avoids taking the blame for things, drinks when the stress gets too much
MAGIC – James can see ghosts, call spirits and perform other rituals. He knows how to make a sticky web-like somesubstance thanks to Iktomi. He will have other abilities as he matures.
VOICE & ACCENT: tenor, very melodic, has a Lakota sing-song accent
CLOTHING: everything is well-worn, simple and poor, favors cowboy boots
JEWELRY: occasionally wears hair-pipe chokers and beaded items
PETS: Sunka, a large neutered half Lab, half Rottweilier mix. He favors his Lab half in temperament, easygoing and eager to please
VEHICLE: none, he walks everywhere and can easily go for a few miles. He has access to a ‘70’s land barge of uncertain pedigree for part of 1995 but rarely drove it since he’s unlicensed.
PERSONALITY/PERSONAL HISTORY: James was born into a dysfunctional family. His mother was in love with a man more interested in drinking, gambling and stealing than he was in his wife and son. Sue became withdrawn from her family entering a grim world of schizophrenia. She was in and out of hospitals for years and was committed permanently when James was 13.
Since his father was often gone James was dependent on his other family members especially his grandfather Tatanka Wakan, a holy man, (otherwise known as George Holy Buffalo). George believed James had the power of a healing touch. He began training James as a Wicasa Wakan (holy man).
James enjoyed that training and loves his family very much. He also enjoyed country music and showed aptitude as a singer and guitarist. He began to try and write songs of his own often trying to incorporate some of his grandfather’s teachings. However, his external life proved to be too much for him. He began falling into his father’s lifestyle, drinking and gambling.
James barely got through high school. He became an alcoholic and after repeated tries to help him, his family finally gave him up as a loss. James quit his shamanic training and broke all ties with his family.
When he was 19 he and two friends were driving drunk. The driver wrecked into a school bus. While no children were seriously hurt, the drunk driver died, James’s other friend was left blind and severely mentally handicapped. James walked away with only minor injuries. However, his inability to help anyone in the accident convinced him his healing powers were gone.
For the next four years his drinking became worse. Finally hitting rock bottom, James went on a search to find his cousins who tried to help him before. The path led him to Riveroak where his cousins reluctantly helped him. After a few false starts James went through an AA program and stuck with it.
With a few months of sobriety under his belt, James got a job with a local book store as a clerk, and got into a country rock band as a guitarist and singer. He is desperate to make a change in his life, regain his powers a live a normal life but has no idea how long he’ll be able to fight the demons in him that drive him to drink.
He did until an old girlfriend moved back in with him in March of 95. In Riveroak he was sober from 10/94-3/95. He will sober up again in 12/96 for however long it lasts. He will learn more of the shamanistic ways eventually as Riveroak seems to help him focus. He finds himself growing fond of Concetta and knows the vampiress has made him a special project for rehabilitation but he knows he doesn’t make it easy. James is able to sense many kinds of vampires, lycanthropes and ghosts.
I wrote over 8,600 words of original fiction this week.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 03:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 03:59 pm (UTC)or into American manga...
no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 06:53 pm (UTC)Still say we should look into that online anthology
no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-10 03:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-10 04:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-11 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-11 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-11 07:53 pm (UTC)Sophie, you could sleep with me to make a point - James
no subject
Date: 2009-08-12 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-10 01:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-10 02:16 am (UTC)i probably should
no subject
Date: 2009-08-11 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-11 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-12 07:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-12 03:41 pm (UTC)