Trivas In reply to Azohwastaken [2015-05-08 18:07:08 +0000 UTC]

Sadly, I have been experiencing a horrible case of writer's block. I have tons of ideas and things I want to do, but every time I sit down to start writing, I completely lose all interest. I keep hoping to break through that wall sometime and when I do, I have the feeling there will be an absolute tsunami of chapters getting posted here.

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Azohwastaken In reply to Trivas [2015-05-09 17:20:13 +0000 UTC]

I'm sorry to hear that, will be waiting to read whatever you post when you do.

Will start writing again myself, reuploading on this account and will start reworking my older texts, specifically A Modern Necromancer. The pacing was pretty off so far, so I'll have some work to do, but if you want to read it, I will post it every now and then

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Trivas In reply to Azohwastaken [2015-05-09 19:13:18 +0000 UTC]

I just watched your account, so yes, I will be happy to read what you put up. What I have posted here is the third time I wrote it (the second full draft), so yes, I know what it is like to rewrite. I plan on going through and doing a third, semi-final draft before sending it off to be published.

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Azohwastaken In reply to Trivas [2015-05-09 21:22:27 +0000 UTC]

The time you put in is worth it. Your work will go far, I am certain of it.
Thank you!

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Trivas In reply to Azohwastaken [2015-05-11 07:12:57 +0000 UTC]

It is a very nasty case of writer's block. I had hoped going to China and then visiting SE Asia would provide massive amounts of inspiration, but it was quite the opposite. The society and mentality of that place sapped out all inspiration and left me without inspiration. Ever since, I have been unable to write. I think I have maybe written three chapters since going to that country. I have plenty of ideas, tons in fact, but actually writing them down is just not happening right now. On the bright side, I have a good number of fundamental changes to bring forth to the first novel for the third rewrite. I also have worked out a good number of hurdles on how magic works in Teladia, so that is a major plus.

Anyway, I am glad you are interested. Your interest has given me a small measure of drive to start writing. I have about 3 incomplete chapters in the words and hope to finish them soon. Check back in the next week or so and hopefully I will have a few of them ready.

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-11-14 04:47:39 +0000 UTC]

Well, having moved to China was a pretty big change for me. While DA isn't officially blocked by the Great Firewall, it is also considered a Western site and therefore, is slow. Of course, that assumes that I can even get the internet, something that is not a guarantee here.

I also have a great amount more things to do. Travel takes forever which eats up my time, I have a good bit of work to do teaching, and I have far more friends and social requirements here than back in America. I would say that my free time is about half or less than what was, and the internet is quite poor. All of those things have contributed to completely destroy my writing inspiration. It is a shame because I have ideas, but can't sit down and write them either due to time or lack of inspiration.

I am rarely able to check DA so it is really not good. Sometimes, it won't even load for me, and that is most annoying.

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-11-15 12:26:43 +0000 UTC]

Oh man, that sucks..

Well, I hope China is treating your well otherwise. We'll talk whenever you get back or when you're able to get on DA. I'll be waiting for next update even if it takes years

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Trivas In reply to WitchyMomo [2013-07-03 00:14:04 +0000 UTC]

I have no objections at all as long as it isn't for profit. It is the first time anyone has offered, so I am quite surprised. Without trying to sound uppity or anything, I tend to have very precise ideas of what certain things and people look like which is why I made my own map and stuff, so I haven't gone out to try to get any artwork done for the series. You are free to make whatever you wish from the series as fanart, but it wouldn't likely be adopted as "official." I am sort of flattered that you would be interested in making fanart. I will definitely keep an eye out for whatever you come up with.

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Trivas In reply to WitchyMomo [2013-06-23 21:06:24 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the compliments and the watch. There is a lot of great stuff here, but I fear that most deviantArt people are simply looking for a quick view or a few lines of poetry and aren't willing to sit through and read a rather long novel (easily in the 600 page range). I think that is why I don't have more watchers or fans.

If you are willing to brave things and read the chapters, I ask that you at least provide one thing you like and one you dislike from each so that I may improve. I am not perfect and have had great success in correcting flaws with the feedback that I received so far.

Also, if you want any help creating a map, feel free to ask. Everything in my map was taken from free software (the GIMP) or stock. I haven't made a tutorial because it would simply involve so much and I don't have time (would rather focus on writing).

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WitchyMomo In reply to Trivas [2013-06-23 21:23:00 +0000 UTC]

You're very welcome have you considered uplaoding to wattpad (i think its called) or other writing sites? there very qood for getting critque. i will defiantly give you the like&dislike for you and if i can think of anything you might want to add etc.

And thank you! i guess the main problem is scaling stuff >.< i have a entire world inside my head that i've based many stories and manga's etc. on thats been there since i was a young child but i can't quite get across the scale of places to the reader :/ also adding symbols for cities etc. is something i have trouble doing

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Trivas In reply to WitchyMomo [2013-06-26 00:13:15 +0000 UTC]

I have considered uploading to some other places, but I don't want my work getting too spread around where people can start ripping it off and claiming it as their own. DA is fairly good with providing proof of copyright and ownership in case there is a question as to who originated the work, so I am sticking with them. Maybe in the future I will explore other venues, but for now, I am comfortable here.

The scaling issue is a hard one even for me. Most people want their characters to be able to travel around places fairly quickly simply so they can have the story progress and people interact. I choose to make my world rather large, so large that it takes weeks or even months to travel it. It has posed some challenges in fitting storylines together because of how long it would take for someone to actually get where I am wanting them to go (especially since I post the date at the head of each section break), but I am working around it. I think it really adds to the epic scale of things when it takes weeks to travel from place to place.

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-04-02 20:05:37 +0000 UTC]

That depends. Sometimes, I can't get over it. I do the same as you and end up playing video games or surfing the internet. I think I have mentioned it before, but I tend to go in phases where I focus intensely on one thing. That can be a TV series, a video game, a book series, or writing. When I am in that phase, that is all I care about and anything else I try to do will be a waste. When I have a block, I just finish what I was doing prior and I usually end up finding the motivation to write. It is like all of my creative writing juices build up during that time away and explode into a writing frenzy.

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-04-02 20:24:26 +0000 UTC]

As I mentioned in my latest journal, it's not the lack of inspiration, but the lack of motivation. I'm almost overflowing with ideas, but I have no idea where to start, and it's killing me. What's the absolute worst is that every time I write a single stanza, I can't help but KNOW that it can't be as good as - for example - yours. It just can't be. That sort of thinking paralyses me from writing a single line, since I know people won't like it. Looking back at my previous work, I can confirm this theory, in that my work is not very good in comparison to many people whom I admire, and knowing that, I just can't write.

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-04-02 21:04:40 +0000 UTC]

Sounds like a self esteem issue more than a writer's block. Don't compare yourself with what others do or you will never survive in this world. There will ALWAYS be someone who is better than you in every single category of your life. It won't be the same person, but pick some element of your life and there is going to be someone who is better.

I can't go around comparing myself to various masters of writing because then I will end up being paralyzed and unable to do anything. There have actually been times when I have become depressed after reading other books and thinking "I will never be this good." It takes a while but then I eventually recover and say "who cares? Those sods have had decades to write and I am only just starting." You can't expect to be as good as other people without working at it. You are young, truly, and just starting your life. I wouldn't dare publish some of the things I wrote when I was your age because of how bad they were. What I did was, instead of giving up, I pushed myself further and further by reading more, practicing more, and working harder until I began to improve. Writing is just like any other exercise: if you don't work out your writing muscles (by reading other works and writing yourself), you will never get stronger.

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-04-02 21:33:33 +0000 UTC]

I know, it's the same with my music. Every time I try to practice I just hear how bad it sounds and get discouraged. And then I know that I can't throw away four years worth of practice and force myself to practice some more and it all just becomes work, and then I have my days of depression... uhm, yes. I guess the same goes with writing. I wish I didn't think like that, but sometimes I do.

I'm going to try and write the first part of the adventure me and my friends completed this weekend. That's the primary reason as to why I want to write today, because it actually unraveled into an actual story, with dirty tricks, betrayal, friendship, battles, assassinations, narrow escape, diplomacy, and most aspects that kind of book would require. I feel inspired, but unable, to write. And it hurts.

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-04-02 22:13:23 +0000 UTC]

You can't force writing, it has to come naturally. I wish it weren't so, but it is and nothing will change that.

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-04-02 22:17:24 +0000 UTC]

Well, I've begun writing something now. It's okay, and it goes somewhat natural, even if it's slow as all hell.

Thank you for the help m'friend. It's nice to have a fellow writer to talk to.

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Trivas In reply to ForgetDeny [2013-03-26 05:02:13 +0000 UTC]

It is an amazing tutorial and I hope it will help me figure out how to make maps like what you did once I study it and follow it step by step.

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ForgetDeny In reply to Trivas [2013-03-26 09:12:55 +0000 UTC]

Thanks again, let me know how you get on

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-02-20 06:31:14 +0000 UTC]

If you look at any deviation here, right below the picture/text is the title, who it is by, and then a third line with the category. After that category is a little copyright logo with your username after it. That, my friend, is a copyright notice that means whatever you submit is legally yours (unless someone can prove they had it somewhere first which means you simply stole it).

In the United States (where I am from), anyone, by virtue of having written or created something, automatically holds the copyright. The biggest problem most people have is proving that:
1. they actually wrote/created the piece in question, and
2. that they had it written/created before someone else.

DA is a BIG help because it records all submissions and edits, so you can prove that way that you published/submitted it at X time. As for proving you wrote it, well, unless someone else somehow stole a copy of my first draft, edited it exactly as I did/would, and submitted it somewhere on the web before I posted it here (or on a forum I am on), then I am pretty safe. Not only that, but I have the entire first draft submitted on that other site, so that is even more proof of my ownership.

No, it isn't a foolproof plan, but it is better than nothing. A lot of people e-mail themselves documents and stuff to prove they had it at a specific time and to prove ownership (you sending it to yourself is kinda hard to disprove that it was you). DA helps, but there may be someone who does try to rip my work off. It is a risk I must take, as must everyone. If I find someone did try to rip this off and is making money, then I will very likely bring legal action against them as I do plan on publishing a polished version of this one day.

Also, this is but a second draft. Yes, it is a functional story (and thus not really classified as a WIP), but it is hardly final. I plan on a third draft after I finish two drafts on the second novel. Then, I plan on submitting it to a professional editor to help me even more on it.

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-02-20 11:51:16 +0000 UTC]

Well, it's basically bulletproof. If it gets to the point where someone wants to go to court about the ownership - by claiming its theirs - then you can prove it's actually yours. Not to mention the fact that you had a trademark style of writing that I doubt anyone could copy.

Thank you for clearing this up, it has bugged me for a while now, but now I feel safer about posting my story here. Not that I think it will be something worth stealing, but still.

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-02-04 19:38:01 +0000 UTC]

I am willing to help out and offer advice. What stage is this in? Have you began writing it or are you preparing for it first?

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-02-04 20:19:31 +0000 UTC]

It's in the planning and spreadsheet stage at the moment. I have an interesting idea as of now, but when I actually write the thing, I will need a bit of response on the route I'm taking. Mostly this is because I'm not a native speaker and there are times when my language-style changes drastically, which may ruin a medieval/fantasy story.

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Trivas In reply to luffluff [2013-02-04 21:39:10 +0000 UTC]

I have worked with someone who did not speak English as their first language before and can help out. You have a pretty good grasp of the English language, so much so that I thought that you were raised bilingual.

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luffluff In reply to Trivas [2013-02-04 23:37:39 +0000 UTC]

Seriously? That's great!

But all right, great that I know you can help. I have a lot going on in school at the moment, and seeing as I want to make the chapters more descriptive and detailed, it may take a while until the first part is out.

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Trivas In reply to LittleZoefje [2013-01-26 00:46:32 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the welcome. I hope to both contribute and give back to the group by reading other people's works.

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Trivas In reply to LupusIntus [2013-01-23 04:22:21 +0000 UTC]

I didn't just comment to get comments. I enjoy the Hunger Games and like what you have done with the story.

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LupusIntus In reply to Trivas [2013-01-23 04:30:00 +0000 UTC]

I did not mean to imply that you were doing that, or that I would comment simply because you had commented on my own work. I simply meant that I hope to give the same time and dedication to reading your story as you clearly have given to mine.

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Trivas In reply to LupusIntus [2013-01-23 04:33:21 +0000 UTC]

That works for me. There are so many people here that I wish I could dedicate time and effort to, but I am but one man and there are only 24 hours in the day.

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Trivas In reply to Mirdala [2012-07-15 03:35:42 +0000 UTC]

You are most welcome.

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Trivas In reply to WorldBuilding [2012-06-06 11:01:07 +0000 UTC]

My week has been full of work, both the dreary paying kind and the labor of love that is working on maps and novels. I hope to begin on more detailed closeups of the world I started on soon and will be glad to submit them to the World Builders Guild.

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WorldBuilding In reply to Trivas [2012-06-08 09:34:40 +0000 UTC]

haha yes I know the feeling of both dreary paying kind of work and labouring over love. I look forward to the close ups of your map I'll keep an eye out on The Guild.

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