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Milestones & Musings
May. 30th, 2011 01:14 pmAs of yesterday, An Artist of the Heart is now over 80 pages and 40,000 words.
I was expecting some sort of climactic feeling--the longest I had ever written until now was 80 pages (of an unfinished thing when I was in 8th grade), and now I've finally one-upped myself. Woot.
It's hard for me to estimate how long it'll end up being (since I didn't write it in chronological order), but the first draft is not too close to being finished. I also tend to add stuff when I edit, since I skimp on details and descriptions during the first draft.
Meanwhile, I've still been trying to do research, although I've found it difficult to find books that talk about what I'm specifically writing about. I found a lovely book on the Gilded Age upper class/pseudo-court, A Season of Splendor by Greg King, but unfortunately it doesn't really apply to the 1920s. Aww.
My goal is still to finish the first draft of AotH by the end of July.
On to other things...
I like the Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan is the only writer (aside from maybe Ari Marmell) who can make me laugh out loud while I read, which I think is a rare talent. Especially these days, when it seems like everyone treats fiction as Serious Business and apparently Real Fantasy Hates It When You Smile.
I don't quite understand the charges against PJO of "bastardizing Greek myths." Now, I don't exactly consider myself a Greek mythology buff--by which I mean, don't ask me how many Hesperides there are, because I don't know. But I grew up reading the D'Aulaires' illustrated Book of Greek Myths, and I read The Odyssey in school, so I like to think I have a general idea of basic, more famous Greek mythology. I thought PJO was reasonably accurate; in fact, the first time I was reading it, I was a little disappointed that Riordan stuck to preexisting myths so closely.
Is it a problem, anyway, if there are deviations? I thought the whole point of Greek myths (and mythology in general) is that there are many different variations and interpretations. When I was a kid, I always stuck to the D'Aulaires' version of the Bellorophon story, since that was the only happy version I'd read. And if the myths are changed around a little to create a better story--what's the loss? When I first watched Disney's version of Hercules (which, believe it or not, was only a year ago), I was kind of grumpy at first and kept thinking, "Hercules wasn't Zeus and Hera's son! Hades doesn't have a flaming head! Hercules didn't kill the Hydra the right way!" etc. But as the movie went on, I stopped complaining and got absorbed into the story. It was a good story, and that was the most important thing.
Anyhow, if we're talking bungled mythology, I think PJO is far better off than The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott. (Valkyries are evil? Joan of Arc survived being burnt at the stake? *head asplode*)
...I also don't understand the comparisons of The Red Pyramid with Maximum Ride. I think that's a bit harsh. Maximum Ride was random and long-winded, which The Red Pyramid was not.
I was expecting some sort of climactic feeling--the longest I had ever written until now was 80 pages (of an unfinished thing when I was in 8th grade), and now I've finally one-upped myself. Woot.
It's hard for me to estimate how long it'll end up being (since I didn't write it in chronological order), but the first draft is not too close to being finished. I also tend to add stuff when I edit, since I skimp on details and descriptions during the first draft.
Meanwhile, I've still been trying to do research, although I've found it difficult to find books that talk about what I'm specifically writing about. I found a lovely book on the Gilded Age upper class/pseudo-court, A Season of Splendor by Greg King, but unfortunately it doesn't really apply to the 1920s. Aww.
My goal is still to finish the first draft of AotH by the end of July.
On to other things...
I like the Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan is the only writer (aside from maybe Ari Marmell) who can make me laugh out loud while I read, which I think is a rare talent. Especially these days, when it seems like everyone treats fiction as Serious Business and apparently Real Fantasy Hates It When You Smile.
I don't quite understand the charges against PJO of "bastardizing Greek myths." Now, I don't exactly consider myself a Greek mythology buff--by which I mean, don't ask me how many Hesperides there are, because I don't know. But I grew up reading the D'Aulaires' illustrated Book of Greek Myths, and I read The Odyssey in school, so I like to think I have a general idea of basic, more famous Greek mythology. I thought PJO was reasonably accurate; in fact, the first time I was reading it, I was a little disappointed that Riordan stuck to preexisting myths so closely.
Is it a problem, anyway, if there are deviations? I thought the whole point of Greek myths (and mythology in general) is that there are many different variations and interpretations. When I was a kid, I always stuck to the D'Aulaires' version of the Bellorophon story, since that was the only happy version I'd read. And if the myths are changed around a little to create a better story--what's the loss? When I first watched Disney's version of Hercules (which, believe it or not, was only a year ago), I was kind of grumpy at first and kept thinking, "Hercules wasn't Zeus and Hera's son! Hades doesn't have a flaming head! Hercules didn't kill the Hydra the right way!" etc. But as the movie went on, I stopped complaining and got absorbed into the story. It was a good story, and that was the most important thing.
Anyhow, if we're talking bungled mythology, I think PJO is far better off than The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott. (Valkyries are evil? Joan of Arc survived being burnt at the stake? *head asplode*)
...I also don't understand the comparisons of The Red Pyramid with Maximum Ride. I think that's a bit harsh. Maximum Ride was random and long-winded, which The Red Pyramid was not.
