Words/phrases you will find in the novel, as well as what they stand for.
HUD--Heads Up Display
Lt, Loot, Lieut--Lieutenant
Rash’lavikh (RAHsh-lawVICK)--Mar'ahli derogatory term for drones (both living and mechanical)
Plasmacid blomb--a plasma and acid bomb
LRC--Libertia Rangers Command
LMI--Libertia Military Intelligence
RMI--Rulnudor Military Intelligence
SOB--Special Operations Brigade (used for both Rulnudor and Libertia commandos)
VIP--Very Important Person
LRaD--Libertia Research and Development
RRaD--Rulnudor Research and Development
Magtrain--magnetic train
CDF--Calassa Defense Force
[will update as I write more and find more in the book]
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
An update on the book
I'm nine-and-a-half chapters in, over a hundred pages, and still going strong. I have five-and-a-half chapters left to go before I'm done. Then I will put it aside, and start something new. I don't know what, yet, but I hope it will occupy my time so I unwind and disconnect from the novel. Then, I will go back and edit the hell out of it.
This first draft stage is the (as a writer friend of mine says) "Junk It Through" stage. It's just supposed to be crap, and written as crap. None of the words are supposed to stay, scenes can be rewritten and reordered. As with any draft though, I have to RUE (Resist the Urge to Explain) every little detail about the world. Thankfully, I can do that with my blog ;-)
Blogging about the backstories and histories and cultures helps me to categorize them and acts (for me) as a fact-checker. This way, I can't contradict myself, and am able to keep things consistent. That's another thing I see in some novels. Some writers don't keep consistency within their own work. This speaks as unprofessional and turns the reader off. Not editing a book/novel also does the same.
I write to show people the worlds I create. If I wanted to tell you about them, it would be like a history book; flat and boring and stale. Granted, some people love history. Good for them. I don't and probably never will enjoy history.
This first draft stage is the (as a writer friend of mine says) "Junk It Through" stage. It's just supposed to be crap, and written as crap. None of the words are supposed to stay, scenes can be rewritten and reordered. As with any draft though, I have to RUE (Resist the Urge to Explain) every little detail about the world. Thankfully, I can do that with my blog ;-)
Blogging about the backstories and histories and cultures helps me to categorize them and acts (for me) as a fact-checker. This way, I can't contradict myself, and am able to keep things consistent. That's another thing I see in some novels. Some writers don't keep consistency within their own work. This speaks as unprofessional and turns the reader off. Not editing a book/novel also does the same.
I write to show people the worlds I create. If I wanted to tell you about them, it would be like a history book; flat and boring and stale. Granted, some people love history. Good for them. I don't and probably never will enjoy history.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Races of Crandox
No, this is not about sports racing. It is about the races that make up the population of Crandox (CRAHN-dosh). There are five races, and only three of those are prominent--meaning they are the most seen.
The first are, of course, the humans. Native to the Northern hemisphere of Crandox, they used up most of the resources available to them. Infighting and thousands of wars have forced them to split into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The two major countries/territories are Rulnudor (ROOL-new-DOOR) and Libertia (LIE-ber-SCHA). Libertia is in the North and Rulnudor is in the South.
The second are/were the Mar'ahli (Mahr-AHlee). Humanoids with chitinous skin, they are warriors as well as builders, artists, farmers. They have one leader and rarely an historian. They used to belong in the Southern hemispheres, but the humans drove them out, butchering their peoples. They drove the warriors into extinction, killed their leader and historian, and left the race in ruin. They disappeared overnight, but make no mistake. They are still out there, waiting for the next leader to return to them.
The third are the Ji-Jorhans (Szchee-Szchor-hahnz). The Ji-Jorhans have lived their lives in peace. They have martial experience in defense. They never attack their "opponents" unless there is no other option available to them (for example, the Ji-Jorhans would rather disarm an opponent, sometimes this means breaking an arm or knocking a weapon away). They are pacifists and are skilled in diplomacy. They are often used to negotiate between people, organizations, territories. They live on the equator, in between Libertia (LIB-uhr-schia) and Rulnudor (RULE-new-dohr) Territories
The fourth are the Azhiiry (Ash-IRE-ee). They are water-based sentients who live entirely under water. They have bases all over the bodily waters of Crandox. Their height ranges from five feet to five inches. If you can picture them like this: teeth of a shark or piranha, human-like exoskeleton, fins on the back of their arms and legs for propulsion.
The fifth are the Hydronkkers (HIGHdrunkKERS). The Hydronkkers are disowned beings from all the races. They take new age technology of Crandox and run it off ancient hydro machines. This powers their ships and machines (and the machines are said to be far better than the human technology). If you want a comparison to real day life, they would most likely be Steam Punk. They live in the South-Eastern hemisphere.
Of those five, only the Mar'ahli and Ji-Jorhans are in the minority. Two thousand years before the humans wiped the Mar'ahli warriors, it used to be the Ji-Jorhans and Hydronkkers in the minority.
Today, humans, Azhiiry, and Ji-Jorhans are the majority forces on the planet. If by some miracle any one of those groups falters, either the Mar'ahli or the Hydronkkers could take their place.
The first are, of course, the humans. Native to the Northern hemisphere of Crandox, they used up most of the resources available to them. Infighting and thousands of wars have forced them to split into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The two major countries/territories are Rulnudor (ROOL-new-DOOR) and Libertia (LIE-ber-SCHA). Libertia is in the North and Rulnudor is in the South.
The second are/were the Mar'ahli (Mahr-AHlee). Humanoids with chitinous skin, they are warriors as well as builders, artists, farmers. They have one leader and rarely an historian. They used to belong in the Southern hemispheres, but the humans drove them out, butchering their peoples. They drove the warriors into extinction, killed their leader and historian, and left the race in ruin. They disappeared overnight, but make no mistake. They are still out there, waiting for the next leader to return to them.
The third are the Ji-Jorhans (Szchee-Szchor-hahnz). The Ji-Jorhans have lived their lives in peace. They have martial experience in defense. They never attack their "opponents" unless there is no other option available to them (for example, the Ji-Jorhans would rather disarm an opponent, sometimes this means breaking an arm or knocking a weapon away). They are pacifists and are skilled in diplomacy. They are often used to negotiate between people, organizations, territories. They live on the equator, in between Libertia (LIB-uhr-schia) and Rulnudor (RULE-new-dohr) Territories
The fourth are the Azhiiry (Ash-IRE-ee). They are water-based sentients who live entirely under water. They have bases all over the bodily waters of Crandox. Their height ranges from five feet to five inches. If you can picture them like this: teeth of a shark or piranha, human-like exoskeleton, fins on the back of their arms and legs for propulsion.
The fifth are the Hydronkkers (HIGHdrunkKERS). The Hydronkkers are disowned beings from all the races. They take new age technology of Crandox and run it off ancient hydro machines. This powers their ships and machines (and the machines are said to be far better than the human technology). If you want a comparison to real day life, they would most likely be Steam Punk. They live in the South-Eastern hemisphere.
Of those five, only the Mar'ahli and Ji-Jorhans are in the minority. Two thousand years before the humans wiped the Mar'ahli warriors, it used to be the Ji-Jorhans and Hydronkkers in the minority.
Today, humans, Azhiiry, and Ji-Jorhans are the majority forces on the planet. If by some miracle any one of those groups falters, either the Mar'ahli or the Hydronkkers could take their place.
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