Blade Edge

Transposed from Gaiiden’s Scroll

NaNoWriMo Entry #1

I finally spent some more time writing tonight, another 1:48 that netted me only 1,602 words, which is just beneath daily quota and so I’m still behind 5,515 words. But if I fall further behind at least this Saturday I actually have the entire day to myself with which to spend writing and catching up, so that’s nice. I managed to make it through Chapter Two, which does more initial story set up, as we’re introduced to another supporting character familiar to the protagonist but who is yet still unidentified like the Old Man from Chapter One. Don’t worry I won’t hold you in suspense too long, but for now there’s simply no reason for you to know their names, so I’m not telling. Plus it gives me longer to think about their names myself, haha

Speaking of which, I was asked by someone recently why I chose to name my main character Nilehm (pronounced knee – lem), as it’s a rather strange and uncommon name. However that is the point. I don’t like people being able to associate in any way to my characters, especially my main characters. If I named him George or James or (god forbid) Michael, well there are plenty of people out there with those names or people out there who know people with those names and when they see my main character being named after them or their friends they immediately picture that person, and this can possibly skew their perspectives. I like my characters being their own character, and to that extent I try to create uncommon yet still believable names (this isn’t a sci-fi novel after all, and I can’t name anyone Yychuk).

So I rethought my idea about taking the story back to the past in the second chapter and working my way back to the present (as established in Chapter One). I regret not being able to do the alternate-angle technique when the storyline would have returned to the present (the events in Chapter One), but I like my new idea better. As Nilehm cooperates with the man in the brown suit, I flash back to the part of his life he’s divulging. When we return the present, we know a little bit more of what’s going on in the current time period and we slowly start to uncover a whole new side of the story. So it’s like you’ve started in the middle of the book, and you’re reading the rest leap-frog style (past/present/past/present/etc). But towards the end it will all make sense slowly with a big reveal at the climax.

I hope 😛

Well, without further adieu allow me to present Draft Three. I’ve changed some details of Chapter One, so you’ll want to read the whole thing if you read Draft Two in my previous entry. As always, comments are welcome!

Oh yea, and this is crazy cool!! I didn’t know electricity could do that…