I told you I was going to rant about Percy Jackson and the Olympians and I totally am. The reason is, there seems to be a very prominent theme at the moment in movies and books that use Greek Mythology. Now, I don't know when this all started before it actually got popular, but that's just how it all tends to work. I mean, we've been on this stupid vampire kick for a while now. It is how it goes. We always have these trends in movies and books. We are all hoping this vampire thing ends soon.
Anyway, I was talking to my mom about my book and she was asking questions about it. She was wondering about my use of Greek Mythology and wondering if I was cutting it kind of close with all the myths that are going around right now. That's actually a very big concern. If I get in on the trend too late, I look like a knock off. If I come in on it too early, no one wants to read it because they don't have an interest. Then again, I'm taking on a genre that doesn't really get much attention. I'm hoping to change that.
Here's the benefit to using Greek Mythology as inspiration and not directly. I am taking the characters that i develop and linking them up with a myth or god or goddess. For me, this gives me something to compare it to. Greek Mythology created so many major themes in literature. You can't really escape them. There was love and revenge, there was adventure and tragedy. It took the conventional idea of god or gods being all-powerful, all-knowing and perfect beings and turned them into nearly human creations. They did the worst things. They fought with each other and betrayed each other. They fell in love and fell out of love. It was an amazing concept for an ancient culture to have developed. That is why I fell in love with it and that is why I chose it to use it as a base. I'm not taking stories directly from mythology, not completely. There are definitely parallels between my plot and characters and those found in mythology. However, there is nothing new under the sun, as they say. Everything will have come from that in the first place. So, I decided that seeking inspiration from mythology was a good way to make sure that I was hitting very human driven plots.
As for Percy Jackson, I must be the biggest nerd ever. I basically watched the movie and corrected the mythology the whole time. I understand that the author, Rick Riordan, gets creative license and I respect that. I felt like maybe there were things that could have been portrayed better. Unfortunately for me, I haven't read the books yet, but that is on my list of things to do because I'm dying to know how he approached most of mythology. Some of his ideas on the use of gods seemed a little off, but that still could have been the movie and not the actual books. We'll see. I was basically able to predict the entire thing because of the myths that were present and I could figure where it was going because of that. I felt super cool, even if it was super nerdy. It wasn't great, but that's what you get for making movies out of books. I would suggest you go see it if you like mythology. It seems to make more sense that way.
Cross my fingers that I get some work done tomorrow. I need to develop two more characters and I should be able to get writing. The first few captures should be easy enough, its going to be the rest of them when I need to know where Julian is going that I have to wait for my map to be finished. I'm so excited to get that finalized and looked at. Have a great night!
LL&P
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Clothing Research
I've been searching the interwebs for a couple hours now. Basically, it started with Victorian era fashion and spread from there. If you don't know anything about steampunk fashion, don't worry, it is pretty easy. Basically, the entire genre came from the industrial revolutions of the Victorian age. So, when our modern dreamers decided to take their imaginative inventions and push them just that much further you ended up with steampunk. It only makes sense to then meld the scifi world with that and create a fashion built on Victorian style dress.
The Victorian age spanned across the 1800's. I am deciding to go with the late 1880's to the 1890's for my clothing inspiration. For women, this mean long skirts with bustles and coats that have strange names. If you saw Sherlock Holmes recently, just think of what Rachel McAdams wore the whole time. She is a perfect example of a foundation for my version of clothing. Now, if you take that sort of look, add chains, metal, pins, buttons, corsets, gears and pocket watches, you pretty much get what I'm looking for. The skirts may be shorter and the blouses a little lower, but overall, that is a great start.
Men's fashion is trousers, waistcoats and outer coats. Oh and spats over their shoes. I love spats. That is if you are a nobleman. The areas that are stricken with poverty will have less use for those things. When it comes to accessories, you get fasteners in women's hair, men with monocles and top hats, or bowler hats for more casual days. Of course, since a lot of the men will take to the skies, I've decided to merge the era's clothing with pirates. There's also going to be a bit of World War II style fashion and traveling going on. I'm really going to do a lot of fusing with all the time periods because it's fiction, I can do that.
I'm going to be doing some artwork with my sister-in-law today. Hopefully we can get started on Julian and Milo's design. I'd like to also start on the map as soon as possible. Luckily my sister-in-law is an artist and loves drawing maps. This should be interesting. Because I don't have anything for you to look at just yet, go look through this website for some amazing steampunkish fashion. Some of it is just incredible and I can't wait to get working on stuff just like that. I wish I could sew.
LL&P
The Victorian age spanned across the 1800's. I am deciding to go with the late 1880's to the 1890's for my clothing inspiration. For women, this mean long skirts with bustles and coats that have strange names. If you saw Sherlock Holmes recently, just think of what Rachel McAdams wore the whole time. She is a perfect example of a foundation for my version of clothing. Now, if you take that sort of look, add chains, metal, pins, buttons, corsets, gears and pocket watches, you pretty much get what I'm looking for. The skirts may be shorter and the blouses a little lower, but overall, that is a great start.
Men's fashion is trousers, waistcoats and outer coats. Oh and spats over their shoes. I love spats. That is if you are a nobleman. The areas that are stricken with poverty will have less use for those things. When it comes to accessories, you get fasteners in women's hair, men with monocles and top hats, or bowler hats for more casual days. Of course, since a lot of the men will take to the skies, I've decided to merge the era's clothing with pirates. There's also going to be a bit of World War II style fashion and traveling going on. I'm really going to do a lot of fusing with all the time periods because it's fiction, I can do that.
I'm going to be doing some artwork with my sister-in-law today. Hopefully we can get started on Julian and Milo's design. I'd like to also start on the map as soon as possible. Luckily my sister-in-law is an artist and loves drawing maps. This should be interesting. Because I don't have anything for you to look at just yet, go look through this website for some amazing steampunkish fashion. Some of it is just incredible and I can't wait to get working on stuff just like that. I wish I could sew.
LL&P
Monday, January 18, 2010
Julian de Arques III
I have absolutely no idea what to post today. I'm completely lost and confused and have things to do and need to be cleaning and I'm writing a horrible run on sentence, but you will forgive me because I'm going to make it up to you by posting my (edited) notes on my main character.
Name: Julian Therius de Arques III
Age: 20
Height: 5’11
Weight: 165-185
Build: Lean, muscular
Eyes: Narrow, intense, but not intimidating, dark brown.
Skin: Tan, olive skin
Hair: Wavy, falls below his chin, often pulled back into a ponytail, chocolate brown.
Other Facial Features: Strong, able, defined jaw, narrowed eyes, intense brow, warm smile, and inviting eyes.
Occupation: Prince and heir to the throne
Personality: Free spirited, often argumentative with his family, naïve about the world, young, impulsive, driven.
Background: Born the Third Julian Therius de Arques. Will be the fifteenth son of the de Arques dynasty to rule over the land. He grew up knowing his place in the kingdom and what was expected of him.
Greek God Equivalent: Apollo
Other:
Info: Main character and protagonist. Will be written in his POV.
And of course, some of you who haven't heard already, you will be curious if there is a face that I imagine. Before I post this guys picture, I want you to know that I did not base Julian's looks on this actor. It happened exactly the opposite way. I created the character, then was watching a movie and saw him and maybe it was subconscious, but it doesn't matter. So, this is the man that is JUST FOR REFERENCE! It is just supposed to help you see him, too.
That is all for today. I don't have much to talk about because I'm totally out of it today and getting over being sick and all that fun. Then again, I am making brownies, so that's reason to be excited.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Greek Mythology and Related Gods
Oh, I am so unprepared for today's post. I was going to do the Legend of the Oracle or the de Arques family history, but realized a little too late that I'm not entirely sure how those legends/histories play out just yet. I still need to do some more brainstorming on those before I finalize them and feel confident posting it all here.
Instead, I am going to introduce you to something that I had mentioned on Friday about my inspirations. There's a running theme with all of my characters that is very specifically chosen. Each character that I create has a Greek god equivalent. This doesn't mean that their story directly follows that of the god they are modeled after, but they do have similarities. Most characters, you will notice, have been named for their greek god. Not all, of course. Sometimes it is even a far reach of the name. At any rate, they all have their parallel characters.
There's a few reasons I did this. Mostly, it is to satisfy my love of Greek mythology and to include it in my stories. I tend to use it as a model in some ways. Also, since this trilogy is meant to, in some ways, mirror the Greek epics, I knew it needed to be included. There is also the matter of using it as a familiar model. Not everyone is familiar with Greek mythology, but it allows me to include the classic themes in literature that I really fell in love with.
Here's a list of Greek gods and their qualities that you can expect to see in my own characters. There is only one character to each god/goddess.
Aphrodite - The goddess of lust, love and beauty. Known as the most beautiful goddess. Her symbols are the septor, myrtle and dove. The Roman equivalent is Venus.
Apollo - Associated with being the god of music, prophecy, medicine, health, poetry and archery. He is also linked to Light and Truth, as well as the sun. Apollo is known for being the most attractive god. His twin sister is Artemis and is the son of Zeus. His symbols are the bow, lyre and laurel. The Roman equivalent is the same.
Artemis - Goddess of the hunt, wild things and the moon. She is the twin sister of Apollo. Known to be a virgin goddess. Her symbols are the bow, dogs and deer. The Roman equivalent is Diana.
Athena - Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, handcrafts and reason. She is another daughter of Zeus. She came into being in full armor and is known to be the wisest of the gods. Her symbols are the aegis, owl and olive tree. The Roman equivalent is Minerva.
Chronos - The Keeper of Time. Often shown as the god turning the zodiac wheel. The Roman equivalent is Saturn.
Hephaestus - God of fire and the forge, or the god of smiths. He is the only god to be cast out of Olympus. He is crippled and said to be ugly. He makes the armor for the gods and some Greek heroes. His symbols are the axe, hammer and flame. The Roman equivalent is Vulcan. (This always makes me happy.)
Hera - Goddess of woman, childbirth and marriage. She is married to Zeus. Her symbols are the scepter, diadem and peacock. The Roman Equivalent is Juno.
Hermes - God of flight, thieves, mischief, commerce and travelers. He is the messenger of the gods and leads the dead souls to Hades. He is found in more myths than any other god. He is tricky and inventive, and his symbols are caduceus and winged boots. The Roman equivalent is Mercury.
Moirae - Also known as The Fates. This is the collection of three gods that control the thread of life. The first, Clotho, spins the thread of life. The second, Lachesis, measures the thread that will become the lifespan of every mortal. The final, Atropos, cuts the thread of life. Their Roman equivalent is the Parcae and were named Nona, Decima and Morta.
Zeus - He is the king of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull and oak. The Roman equivalent is Jupiter.
You can expect to see more themes, creatures and various gods throughout the characters. Its a fun game to play, trying to find the parallels between my characters and the gods in Greek mythology. I can't wait to share more with you about the characters, but for now, this will have to do.
Instead, I am going to introduce you to something that I had mentioned on Friday about my inspirations. There's a running theme with all of my characters that is very specifically chosen. Each character that I create has a Greek god equivalent. This doesn't mean that their story directly follows that of the god they are modeled after, but they do have similarities. Most characters, you will notice, have been named for their greek god. Not all, of course. Sometimes it is even a far reach of the name. At any rate, they all have their parallel characters.
There's a few reasons I did this. Mostly, it is to satisfy my love of Greek mythology and to include it in my stories. I tend to use it as a model in some ways. Also, since this trilogy is meant to, in some ways, mirror the Greek epics, I knew it needed to be included. There is also the matter of using it as a familiar model. Not everyone is familiar with Greek mythology, but it allows me to include the classic themes in literature that I really fell in love with.
Here's a list of Greek gods and their qualities that you can expect to see in my own characters. There is only one character to each god/goddess.
Aphrodite - The goddess of lust, love and beauty. Known as the most beautiful goddess. Her symbols are the septor, myrtle and dove. The Roman equivalent is Venus.
Apollo - Associated with being the god of music, prophecy, medicine, health, poetry and archery. He is also linked to Light and Truth, as well as the sun. Apollo is known for being the most attractive god. His twin sister is Artemis and is the son of Zeus. His symbols are the bow, lyre and laurel. The Roman equivalent is the same.
Artemis - Goddess of the hunt, wild things and the moon. She is the twin sister of Apollo. Known to be a virgin goddess. Her symbols are the bow, dogs and deer. The Roman equivalent is Diana.
Athena - Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, handcrafts and reason. She is another daughter of Zeus. She came into being in full armor and is known to be the wisest of the gods. Her symbols are the aegis, owl and olive tree. The Roman equivalent is Minerva.
Chronos - The Keeper of Time. Often shown as the god turning the zodiac wheel. The Roman equivalent is Saturn.
Hephaestus - God of fire and the forge, or the god of smiths. He is the only god to be cast out of Olympus. He is crippled and said to be ugly. He makes the armor for the gods and some Greek heroes. His symbols are the axe, hammer and flame. The Roman equivalent is Vulcan. (This always makes me happy.)
Hera - Goddess of woman, childbirth and marriage. She is married to Zeus. Her symbols are the scepter, diadem and peacock. The Roman Equivalent is Juno.
Hermes - God of flight, thieves, mischief, commerce and travelers. He is the messenger of the gods and leads the dead souls to Hades. He is found in more myths than any other god. He is tricky and inventive, and his symbols are caduceus and winged boots. The Roman equivalent is Mercury.
Moirae - Also known as The Fates. This is the collection of three gods that control the thread of life. The first, Clotho, spins the thread of life. The second, Lachesis, measures the thread that will become the lifespan of every mortal. The final, Atropos, cuts the thread of life. Their Roman equivalent is the Parcae and were named Nona, Decima and Morta.
Zeus - He is the king of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull and oak. The Roman equivalent is Jupiter.
You can expect to see more themes, creatures and various gods throughout the characters. Its a fun game to play, trying to find the parallels between my characters and the gods in Greek mythology. I can't wait to share more with you about the characters, but for now, this will have to do.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Question Friday 01
This is coming to you late because it has been a long day and I haven't had time to sit down and properly answer the questions. But here is the first of many successful *crosses fingers* Question Fridays.
*
1. How long do you expect the books to be?
This is tough to answer. After doing some research, it really comes down to the genre of the book for a ballpark word count to be answered. Since this does fall under fantasy and it is geared towards young adults and adults, my estimate is that each one in the trilogy will be around 100,000 words. That's quite a lot, but I'm a bit long winded when it comes to certain aspects. From what I've read, publishers are unlikely to put the money into a 'long' first time writer. My goal is to go all out, do what I have to do to make a compelling story and see how it goes.
2. Also, do you like chocolate mousse? (from the same commenter as the first)
Yes.
3. What sources/ideas inspired you to come up with your story idea?
I think the plot was a long time coming. The idea of this Greek epic of sorts has always been something I wanted to tackle, but was too afraid to jump in. I am so inspired by Greek Mythology. I have a love for the insanity that goes on in those stories, from the gods to the creatures. It is a huge resource for me when it comes to finding names, characters, themes and so much more. In everything I write, I always seem to compare it to any given myth to find where the themes come from.
The steampunk genre was scary at first. I hadn't exactly chosen it immediately. I knew I wanted to write a fantasy, because I wanted that big, unknown world feeling to it and I like the idea of creating your own world and not having to make sure you fact check every two minutes to make sure you are getting it all down right. I have so many ideas, that I knew I could combine them all into a fantasy. But, then again, I didn't just want your J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy, or C.S. Lewis. I needed something less whimsical and more rooted. I started researching and looking around the internet and when I finally saw the movie Treasure Planet, I knew I came across something good. Then, when Stardust came out, I found that it too had some steampunk tendencies. The idea of having gadgets, technology and all that metal around gave me a really interesting addition to the plot I already had.
I look to the internet for inspiration a lot. I'll just type in steampunk into a search engine or search for forums, character designs, costume designs and all that kind of art that comes with it. It just continued to expand in my head and I decided that more than anything, there was a good chance I could combine the old world of ancient Greece with the metal of steampunk to get something possibly very weird and hopefully very intriguing.
4. I'm very interested in the history of The Passing of the Crown ritual. Is it different from when the tradition first began, or has it remained completely unchanged since the beginning?
The Passing of the Crown in regards to the Quest of Kings has not ever changed. The same ritual has always applied. As far as anyone in modern times knows, there was never a time when it didn't work that way. As for the passing to a daughter, that is a more recent accepted tradition. Far back, just like in the real world, women were not allowed to take places of power. Their was no exception. The crown could only pass to a male heir, never a male married into the family. Eventually, their came a king and queen with only daughters and the eldest daughter fought like hell to take her place in the royal family. She threatened to go on the Quest of Kings, without permission or warning, just to prove her point. Laws were changed, tradition was altered and she was allowed to take the crown under the stipulation that she married first.
5.Do you have any particular music that gets the gears churning on the STC universe yet?
Not exactly. I haven't had the opportunity to actually do any writing for the books just yet. It has all been notes and planning. So, all the music I listen to is just whatever I feel like using at the moment. A lot of times I will put on instrumentals or a string quartet so I'm not distracted by lyrics. But, I will let you know when I find what band or music takes hold of me as I write.
6. So, technically a daughter could, say, have her brothers offed and then take the crown without ever having to do the quest, assuming she's the evil back stabbing type?
Assuming the worst, yes that is entirely plausible. That is, if she can have her brother(s) killed without anyone finding out it was her who set it up. Women can be sentenced to death. If they can inherit the crown, they certainly can die for it.
*
Thanks for reading! I hope this week's posts were worth your time and that you lovingly pass it on to more people so we can get a bigger fan base going. I can't wait for next weeks posts. I hope to have the Legend of the Oracle written as well as a family history of the de Arques dynasty.
See you Monday!
.
*
1. How long do you expect the books to be?
This is tough to answer. After doing some research, it really comes down to the genre of the book for a ballpark word count to be answered. Since this does fall under fantasy and it is geared towards young adults and adults, my estimate is that each one in the trilogy will be around 100,000 words. That's quite a lot, but I'm a bit long winded when it comes to certain aspects. From what I've read, publishers are unlikely to put the money into a 'long' first time writer. My goal is to go all out, do what I have to do to make a compelling story and see how it goes.
2. Also, do you like chocolate mousse? (from the same commenter as the first)
Yes.
3. What sources/ideas inspired you to come up with your story idea?
I think the plot was a long time coming. The idea of this Greek epic of sorts has always been something I wanted to tackle, but was too afraid to jump in. I am so inspired by Greek Mythology. I have a love for the insanity that goes on in those stories, from the gods to the creatures. It is a huge resource for me when it comes to finding names, characters, themes and so much more. In everything I write, I always seem to compare it to any given myth to find where the themes come from.
The steampunk genre was scary at first. I hadn't exactly chosen it immediately. I knew I wanted to write a fantasy, because I wanted that big, unknown world feeling to it and I like the idea of creating your own world and not having to make sure you fact check every two minutes to make sure you are getting it all down right. I have so many ideas, that I knew I could combine them all into a fantasy. But, then again, I didn't just want your J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy, or C.S. Lewis. I needed something less whimsical and more rooted. I started researching and looking around the internet and when I finally saw the movie Treasure Planet, I knew I came across something good. Then, when Stardust came out, I found that it too had some steampunk tendencies. The idea of having gadgets, technology and all that metal around gave me a really interesting addition to the plot I already had.
I look to the internet for inspiration a lot. I'll just type in steampunk into a search engine or search for forums, character designs, costume designs and all that kind of art that comes with it. It just continued to expand in my head and I decided that more than anything, there was a good chance I could combine the old world of ancient Greece with the metal of steampunk to get something possibly very weird and hopefully very intriguing.
4. I'm very interested in the history of The Passing of the Crown ritual. Is it different from when the tradition first began, or has it remained completely unchanged since the beginning?
The Passing of the Crown in regards to the Quest of Kings has not ever changed. The same ritual has always applied. As far as anyone in modern times knows, there was never a time when it didn't work that way. As for the passing to a daughter, that is a more recent accepted tradition. Far back, just like in the real world, women were not allowed to take places of power. Their was no exception. The crown could only pass to a male heir, never a male married into the family. Eventually, their came a king and queen with only daughters and the eldest daughter fought like hell to take her place in the royal family. She threatened to go on the Quest of Kings, without permission or warning, just to prove her point. Laws were changed, tradition was altered and she was allowed to take the crown under the stipulation that she married first.
5.Do you have any particular music that gets the gears churning on the STC universe yet?
Not exactly. I haven't had the opportunity to actually do any writing for the books just yet. It has all been notes and planning. So, all the music I listen to is just whatever I feel like using at the moment. A lot of times I will put on instrumentals or a string quartet so I'm not distracted by lyrics. But, I will let you know when I find what band or music takes hold of me as I write.
6. So, technically a daughter could, say, have her brothers offed and then take the crown without ever having to do the quest, assuming she's the evil back stabbing type?
Assuming the worst, yes that is entirely plausible. That is, if she can have her brother(s) killed without anyone finding out it was her who set it up. Women can be sentenced to death. If they can inherit the crown, they certainly can die for it.
*
Thanks for reading! I hope this week's posts were worth your time and that you lovingly pass it on to more people so we can get a bigger fan base going. I can't wait for next weeks posts. I hope to have the Legend of the Oracle written as well as a family history of the de Arques dynasty.
See you Monday!
.
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