Friday, August 23, 2024

This was the Most Necessary, Stupidest Idea I've Ever Had

 This "readthrough" is killing me.  AKA massive note taking session.  Just hit 46 pages.  Two months and counting of homework.  Finished FM5.  I don't think I've done this much background work since I started writing the series.  Mostly because I'm addicted to writing and dislike all the other aspects of this profession...

It's been so needed for so long, but...and like I don't write a lot in the summer because of how ungodly hot Fresno gets, but...schedule also got imploded by spinal procedures and the root canal so it made since to do it now when I couldn't write much anyway, but...and I have pet peeves that have developed about my writing in the last few years, pet peeves I keep seeing OVER and OVER in these old novels and I'm just...it's only two words Richard, two completely unneeded words but like 99.9% of your fan base has never noticed you do it over and over, so why do you care, huh?

Pfff...

Going insane.

But needed.

All of this will be so useful heading forward.  Checking info will be so quicker.  I have a file now that is just a list of every mancer and when they attended the Asylum and historical events as they happened and who must have played who in the Winter War and who must have been a student-advisor here and everything is just categorized, nothing getting lost through the cracks.

Also, as far as writing Seismic Semester, with the way the pain was so overwhelming at times, I just didn't look things up like I used to.  Pain really limits your ability to handle multiple tasks.  Writing was hard enough.  The idea of sitting at a laptop and searching through old chapters seemed impossible.  So...I made mistakes that I'll need to fix or explain before it's released.  Got that all figured out now because of this.  Nothing that should need huge rewrites, but an extra sentence or paragraph of explanation definitely.  I actually did pretty good considering how fuzzy I was on the painkillers and muscle relaxers.  The biggest one is that the Camping Test in Seismic Semester is only one night long.  Cuz I forgot it was multiple nights in FM2.  But there's is a simple reason to explain the change away.  So all good.

Well...I have Three Little Trips, FM6, Dread Fortress, Goes Home, and Dilemma left to get through.  Spending two weeks on FM6 alone might send me to a real asylum, so...wish me luck.

Release on Seismic Semester is looking like Feb/March btw.  We aren't making November without a super rushed edit process (one I don't know my spine can handle) and I don't release during the holidays.  Cover is getting done as we speak!  Feels real with a cover!  It's alive!!!

Monday, August 5, 2024

Ultra Class 2015 Reveal

Have I done this yet?  I feel like I haven't done this yet.

If you want to go in completely blind, obviously SPOILERS and stay away.

I could possibly change one or two names before release, only this feels pretty locked.  It will appear at the start of the novel just so you have reference since there are so many kids.  The day-long introduction to the class takes up multiple sessions in Seismic Semester and is one of the most complicated things I've ever written.

On the whole, and I know this sounds like sacrilege, I think 2015 is more complex and interesting than 2009, which was very top heavy with a lot of empty names (granted one's I've slowly filled in and can fill in more!).  Having almost finished the novel, I definitely have a couple favorites.  One of which I was very much not expecting when I started...

Maxwell Lamont - Hydromancer

Francisco “Paco” Garcia - Necromancer

Olivia Root Necromancer

Nile Kane - Pyromancer

Sahara Kane Pyromancer

Juliette Maes-Welf - Aeromancer

Dat Bao Nguyen - Electromancer

Adeline Hyde Electromancer

Makoto Ikazuchi Electromancer

Valko Nenov - Sciomancer

Leah Townsend  Sciomancer

Gavin Gullick - Spectromancer

Roshanara “Ra Ra” Davani Spectromancer

Summer Atwell - Cryomancer

Agnar Magnuson Cryomancer

Ella Diaz - Floromancer

Jackson Shaw Floromancer

Reginald “Reggie” Pike - Floromancer

Connor Coney - Faunamancer

Sigrid Erikson Faunamancer

Kailani Kalani Faunamancer

Alessandria Espinoza Faunamancer

Douglas Moseley - Mentimancer

Cicero Yates  - Mentimancer

Divjot Malik - Corpusmancer

Gabriella Harper Corpusmancer

Tatiana Itani Corpusmancer

Chris “Fucks Pigs Chris” Miller Corpusmancer

Chris “Never Seen a Darkie Chris” Olson Corpusmancer

Chris “Cursing Chris” Lee Corpusmancer