NaNoWriMo is approaching!

Hello all! It has been a long time since I missed an update completely, but again I had some health issues, (minor stuff really, but annoying as hell) and work has taken over my life, and I would not have it any other way.

Bu I am glad to be back!

On to this week’s post!!

Books

Well, yesterday I finished Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn: The Final Empire, book one of the famed Mistborn trilogy. This is the second Sanderson book I have read, the Way of Kings was the first one, (not counting the Wheel of time books, which I have also read), and I have to say that I am now, a true Sanderson fan. I like how he writes, which is important, I like how he constructs the world around his characters, I love the way he throws us into his world head first, with no noob manual about his cities, its costumes, folklore, legends, fetishes and more importantly, its inhabitants. Also, and I believe this is what I like the most, the books have depth. I live in Mexico City, a third world country, where the wealth is distributed unevenly, to say the least. In his books, Sanderson always tackles the inequalities in his world, harshly and dramatically, but in a sense that one can relate or at least understand to how the wealth of the world is distributed, and I truly like that. I love to feel a connection with the story per se, not only the characters, and The Final Empire gave me that opportunity.

The amazing use of metals (Allomancy) integrated into the story is the icing in the cake, a great use of magic in world devoid of hope.

Sanderson is a brilliant story teller but he also makes me think, and I do value that from my fantasy.

I did not have much time to read the last couple of weeks, The Final Empire is a large book, but yesterday I began this books: (Some were already started :D )

Shadow Games

The Hand of Oberon

The Well of Ascension

Writing

Phew! It has been a very good two weeks for me in terms of writing. I finally have found a way to write 2,000 words per day, but I have not been able to discipline myself into writing on Saturday’s and Sunday’s, it is as if on the weekends, the portion of my brain that allows me to write is turned off. However, I am getting somewhere and I am enjoying the process immensely.

The Druid’s Grove

Is coming along nicely, the Elven story is done and the Human Story is flowing quite nicely. I have been able to write some acts, just random scenes that pop into my head every now and then, for when the three stories merge into one, and being able to write them, and then move on to the chapters has been quite satisfying.

X

I will be working on the story for the remainder of the month, aiming at having an actual first draft done by Oct 31^st. I am in no rush of getting this story done, because I feel that it is good, so I will take my time to edit and rewrite it.

NaNoWriMo

I am excited and, to be honest, afraid, of what I have signed up to do. Beginning on November 1^st, I will have 30 days to finish a novel. :D The goal is to write 50,000 words in a month, and I don’t know if will be able to do so, but I will certainly try. I am going to write a novel that has been inside my head for more than half my life now, Children of Sea, and I cant wait to see what I have done a month from now. This is an excellent tool to get my lazy butt off and running, and will be a great exercise as well. I am confident that I will be able to write the 50,000 words, but I do not know if I will be disciplined enough to do so, if that makes sense.

So, all of November, in terms of time and resources, I will spend them writing the novel I have wanted to write all of my life.

Games

With me being under the weather, again, I decided to relax and to revisit one of the games that I believe to be one of the greatest RPG’s ever made: Dragon Age: Origins.

It still is.

The music is just one of the many details that create a whole that is better than its counterparts, it elevates you when you need a boost, it brings you down when you are talking to your companions, and it urges you to go in the missions and makes you peek around corners looking for enemies. The voice acting is exceptional; each character is played with care and knowledge.

The story, much like the world, is enormous and generous, and it actually feels like you are part of the story, rather than only an spectator.

The graphics are good and the overall quality of the game is superb. I don’t think we will ever see another RPG quite as complete and beautiful than this one.

I will see you all next week!