In my series, Scar of the Downers, the inhabitants live in a land they call the Northern Reaches. As most lands, the people have formed their own customs, habits, languages, and songs. It is what makes each land unique. So, as I’ve concentrated on the series, I wanted to create the same sort of feeling in this world. I wanted readers to feel the that land has a real history, a real people. So, in this blog post, I’ve compiled all the songs that have been sung in the two books that I’ve written thus far: Scar of the Downers and Rise of the Branded. I’ve also included one new song that is in the third and final book. The working title of the book is called War of the Reaches. Again, that is just the working title. Crik comes across this first song as it was sung in an inn called Briars and Thickets. As you can see by the lyrics, the citizens of Ungstah have, in their past, faced starvation as well. Not just the Downers. My wine skin is empty My loaf of bread is gone A man of my size can't linger on and on My stomach's been a-rumbling My tongue is parched and sore Just give me one crumb that has fallen on your floor The dog, he doesn't like it He growls and bares his teeth To me it's but a drop; to him a royal feast We fight and bite, and bark Use claws to scrape and scratch And while we weren't a-looking it was eaten by a rat This next song is a song of history and a lost hope. Downers have known about this song by the tale it tells - a city that once welcomed them. Long ago in the Glooming East Lay a city of old where oppression ceased Freedom burned in that mountain's realm In hope of shattering slavery's helm But the sword forged in steel and war Was lifted high 'gainst Ahminnon's door That city burned; the smoke now reigned The hope of the Downers began to wane And in the blackest night of the darkest age, The fires of war continued to rage Swallowing the night; veiling the dawn When the day had come, the city was gone This next song was taken from Rise of the Branded. It is a nursery rhyme sung to the youngest Downer of the group, Jak. Now most Downers wouldn't know what a nursery rhyme is. But Chaser does. This song was sung by her. Seven little birds hatched from their eggs The first one tried to fly but broke its leg The second little bird perched in a tree Sung a little song that went tweet, tweet, tweet The third little bird lived in a hat Laid a dozen eggs that were eaten by a cat The fourth little bird flew to the sea Caught a little fish and brought it back to me The fifth little bird broke its wing Cried for help but found it couldn't sing The sixth little bird flew away from home Lost its way and died all alone So the seventh little bird puffed its chest Mourned for its brothers and stayed in its nest The last song I'm including has been written for my third and final book following the Downers. All I'm going to say about it is that it is a song sung for the dead. The north winds bore you away To where mortal man cannot follow The sons of dust mourn their fate Toiling upon this darkly hollow To where you go, we cannot So our tears and sorrows rise to thee The young man’s life, the grave has bought But it swallowed death, and set him free So fly, fly to where old men dine Away from time and bone and earthly groan The dead will toast and cheer, and drink their wine And cry, “Our son, alas, you’ve come home.” So, if you haven't read the stories that these songs are found within, I would urge you to do so. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed writing them!
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To write, you have to love it. If you don’t, you will only get so far or last so long. Why? Because, in the end, writing, for most people, isn't necessary. It's merely a hobby. I will start this off by confessing that I love that I have been published. I love that I get to see the story I created down in print form. I love to see other people enjoy that story and get to know the characters I discovered while writing it. March 10, 2015, began a new chapter in my writing career, one that I had been working toward for nearly ten years of my life. I will, however, admit that at that point writing changed for me. Not necessarily for good or ill. It was just... different. You see, early in my writing career, when I was a much younger version of myself, I would stay up late into the night and spend hours writing. I immersed myself into a story that I loved, but one that I could also control. It was novel (no pun intended… well, maybe a little.) There was… freedom, for lack of a more specific word. There was no sort of urgency, no sort of pressure. If a better idea came along, I could go back and change the story to include it. Fast forward several years and some of that has changed. While pursuing writing before being published, I considered it a career, but it never felt like one. It doesn’t feel like one now, but something is different (and it’s not my bank account). I still love to write and immerse myself into the story, but there is this unseen pressure that wasn’t there before. There is also a realization that I have had to deal with, a reality check you could say. I am no longer naive about this industry or the future. This leads me to why I began writing this post in the first place. Ten years or so ago, when I first started developing the Scar of the Downer series, I knew where I was going to go, in terms of the story and its ending . In all that time, it has never changed. The story is very similar in nature to when I first conceived it, although now it is a bit more fleshed out. And while writing, at times, has been difficult, I must admit that it’s never been more difficult than it has been lately. The story is there, in my mind, but it’s become more difficult to put down on paper (in my case, on a screen). I’ve become, in a sense, tired. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it's disillusionment. Who's to say? Despite these feelings, do I regret any of this? Not at all! Do I still want to write? Absolutely! In fact, I have other novels in the works. But like all things one tries to do for a living, even if one loves it, it becomes work. A job. That is the saddest part about this whole adventure - when what you love becomes work. That is where I am right now. It’s been a slow, difficult slog as of late. There have been days when only a few hundred words have been written, and that's been a good day. It’s been discouraging. Not just the writing, but life in general. It’s all intertwined. Does anyone really care about my story? These are real doubts and questions that haunt me still. There have been many times I could’ve quit. But I haven’t. I pressed on. Why? Because, in the end, I love it. And it’s the love of writing that’s kept me persevering.
That is why you must love doing it. If you don’t, you will stop and never look back. For me, because I deal in stories, it's easy for me to think that my life is like one. And, in a way, it is. I have a beginning, I'm currently in the middle (at least, I hope so), and eventually, on this earth, there will be an end. See, the thing about studying writing (especially screenwriting) is that you start to see things in the mindset of the three act structure. It begins with the inciting incident, and that involves a choice, a choice our hero must make. Whatever he decides, that choice propels him to action, which eventually brings about the resolution. Of course, there will be set-backs along the way for our hero, but eventually he arrives at the end. I think that this structure resonates with people because, in a sense, it's true. Life really is like this, situationally-speaking. Think about it... You meet someone. She is attractive. You have to make a choice - do you ask her out on a date or not? This choice on your end prompts her to have to make a choice. She accepts. This one situation and your subsequent choices concerning it propel you into eventual marital bliss... hopefully! Isn't life exactly like that? Umm, not exactly. Perhaps the girl that you asked out on the date didn't want to go. What then? Do you find a new girl to date? What if that girl doesn't want to go out with you? If it were a movie, it would probably be a dark comedy, and you'd eventually find yourself in some sort of weird situation where (depending on the mood of the screenwriter), you'd either die in the end or meet the quirky girl of your dreams. But I digress. You see, life is so much more complicated and boring and exciting than one story can encapsulate. In fact, I think our lives are many, many stories each. Some wrap up quickly, some last until you breathe your last breath. That's what's good to remember when you are feeling down about something in your life. It's possible that this is just one small story, one small subplot, after all. Or, it could be a big story that's just not resolved yet. That might seem depressing, but that means there's still hope to cling to. Think about the best movies you've ever seen. Isn't it when the hero is most down, when things seem the bleakest, when all hope is seemingly lost that redemption comes? That's what we all long for, and I believe if you hold out as long as you can and you keep looking for it, and you keep fighting even when all things seem at a loss... redemption will come. I'll end with a quote from one of my favorite authors. I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something.” Saturday, June 3rd, I participated in the Thousand Island Book Festival for the third year in a row. It’s a great event held in Clayton, NY where local authors and authors around the Northeast come together. Local schools participate as well, bussing in kids to attend seminars where authors teach them story, illustrating, writing, or any other topic that is relates to the author’s work. On Friday night, the night before the event, there is an author’s cocktail party where the authors can mingle, get to know each other, as well as speak to those who put together the festival (most of whom are librarians). My wife and I attended and had a good time, catching up with those we have gotten to know over the years, as well as meeting other authors for the first time. (We also had a great view overlooking the St. Lawrence River!) This was the first year I attended since my second book, Rise of the Branded, had been released. I had a lot of interest in Scar of the Downers the past two years, and so I was hoping that some of the same kids would be there. If they liked the first book, I was hoping they would want to purchase the second one. Some that did happen, but most of the books that I sold were to new readers, which is also exciting. And, this was the first time I was able to take credit card payments, and I’m happy to report that all went well with that. In fact, I think that was one of the best moments of the day for me – I had some anxiety over how it would go, and when all went smoothly, it was a big relief. And, my girls had a great time as well. They went to different author presentations and played on the playground. What more could a kid want? But, interacting with readers and other authors was truly the best part of the day for me. It’s easy to feel alone in this business. Writing is a solitary activity for the most part, and so to have an opportunity to be with others who love books (the reading and writing of them) was energizing and encouraging. |
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