Ruh Roh

The end of scene 9. Bria and Kel are in trouble...

They turned a corner, and Kel stopped suddenly. Bria bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. Their path was blocked by a door. Kel tugged at it, but it did not move.

“Bria, come help me.”

Even their combined efforts failed to move the door. It groaned, but did not open.

Kel stood, panting, hands on hips. “Well, shit.”

Bria wiped the sweat from her forehead with a dirty sleeve. “Try again?”

“Oh, pretty, pretty princesses.” The voice startled her. Bria whirled around. Behind them, blocking their only means of escape, was a soldier with a scraggly black beard and a sickening smile. Bria felt Kel stiffen beside her.

“That won’t work,” said the man. “We nailed it shut.”

In Which Princess Takes Over

Holy moly, guys. I used to think writers who said that characters did things on their own were crazy.

They're not.

Okay, I don't mean that my characters actually refuse to do what I've planned. They're imaginary. I can make them do whatever I want.

But sometimes I start a sentence intending to write "Kel turned around and walked across the room" and instead what comes out is "Kel pressed her face into the corner and didn't move, nuh uh, no way"*.

(*That's paraphrasing. In case you weren't sure.)

I just updated the sidebar, but if you're following along at home you can find my most up-to-date wordcount here: http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/falcon21893/novels/the-blood-of-kings/stats

CAMP NANO FOR THE WIN

I'm doing Camp NaNo this month.

The goal is 30,000 words by the end of July.

In the past two days I've written three new scenes and I'm almost to the inciting incident. If I stay on target (big if) I could be done with Act 1 by the beginning of next week.

ONWARD!

I Don't Write Fiction Like I Write Essays

Last night was a night of discovery.

No, seriously. I know that "waiting for your muse to inspire you" is a delaying tactic, that the very idea of a writing muse is nothing more than a comforting author's myth (if you can't think of something good, it's not your fault - your muse isn't behaving!). But.

If we posit that muses are real...I was visited big time last night.

Princess

Princess, despite only being four scenes (more or less) right now, has an ending and an epilogue. Yup.

Also I had a much, much better idea regarding the mythology of my world. I had originally planned for the magic to stem from some wellspring source, that was discovered by a group of explorers, and then some things happened that I won't mention because spoilers, even with the changes I've made, and the people who are reading this blog are probably also the people who will be reading Princess. Then for hundreds of years there was magic everywhere and wars and bad things I will also not mention because spoilers, until finally a bunch of people cast a spell that prevented everyone from using their magic. Except it didn't go quite as planned.

BUT. I decided to do away with the first event entirely for two reasons: 1) It made things overly complicated and 2) it was too much like Mistborn (I hadn't read Well of Ascension or Hero of Ages yet when I came up with the idea).

So yes. The new way is much better, even if none of you can properly appreciate it because I won't fully explain :)

I also thought up some snatches of dialogue for the sequels - one for the second book, and one for either the end of the second or the middle of the third. I'm not sure because I haven't even thought about plotting them yet. But I wrote them down, so I wouldn't forget.

Writing Style

The other big realization I had last night was regarding my writing style.

When I write essays - say, for school - I start with the first body paragraph, write a placeholder topic sentence, and then go. Sentence following sentence, in order. When I have gotten through the conclusion, I go back and write the introduction and thesis, then refine the topic sentences so that they flow/mesh with the thesis/accurately reflect what's in the paragraph.

But the general thrust is beginning-to-end, with very little editing. My first drafts are pretty much final drafts. If I've done my research and know generally what I want the paragraph to say, I can pretty much just sit down and go.

I've been thinking a lot about how I'm able to do this. Firstly, I had really great training in middle and high school. Secondly, I've had a lot of practice.

I can't write fiction this way.

First of all, a novel is a different beast from an essay. It's much bigger, for one. You have to balance different types of writing, like action and description and dialogue.  It's a different entity, and a more complicated one.

It's also one I haven't practiced as much.

All of that means that I can't sit down and write a first draft of a novel that reads more-or-less like a final draft. It's not going to happen. Maybe one day, but not now.

What was the point of all that rambling?

I hereby give myself permission to not worry about writing in a polished manner. I will write scenes as mostly dialogue and skip descriptions for later. I will leave things in square brackets and use all the adverbs I want. I will not worry about repeated reactions (every reaction is either a smile or a frown) and just leave them as placeholders and WORRY ABOUT IT LATER!

I have MOMENTUM! I will USE IT!

CHARGE!

Okay, sorry, I'm getting a little punchy. I shall go make myself breakfast. And then write. Messily.

My life, which is not terribly interesting why are you reading this blog?

I'm still around! Exams, you know. Terrible things.

What I'm up to:

Spiderwebs

I've got a good 2k and change written so far, plus some scribblings in my notebook that are only half coherent because I was sick and also on jury duty (fun times, let me tell you). The plan going forward is:

• Finish scene 2 this weekend
• Write the rest of this bugger
• One final pass for all the bits I left in brackets instead of writing
• I inflict my Masterpiece upon those unfortunate enough to want to read it
• And then I suppose I edit
• And then perhaps I shall serialize it on the blog

Princess

Poking along, very very slowly. I think I'm having perfectionist fears with this one. I have to keep telling myself I'll never become a better writer if I don't practice. Silly me.

The Blog

It's summer! So in theory I have time to update this thing. In practice, not so much, but I'll give it a shot. Coming soon to a post near you:

• Why I keep reading (and disliking) Holly Lisle books
• Indie Author spotlight: MCA Hogarth
• Updates on my writing, assuming I actually put hands to the keyboard and write something
• At least one more installment of Black Swans (hopefuly more)
• I don't know? You tell me. What do you want to see here?

Real Life

MCATs, Jury Duty, BookCon, running around the city with my camera and a roll of film, cleaning the house. Some good things, some bad. The usual.

In which I bribe myself with stickers

I'm a little late with this one, sorry.

I've been having trouble with Princess lately. That is, I haven't been writing as much as I wanted to. (Also haven't been updating, whoops).

The problem isn't that I don't enjoy the project, or don't enjoy writing. I do. I'm thinking that maybe it's not as good as the Princess I saw in my head, but that's something I always think, so best just to ignore it and press on.

What is happening is that I'm coming up with lots of fantastic reasons why I don't have time to write right now. Which is silly, because of course I could make time. Do I really need to reorganize my closet right now? Nope.

So what's the solution? Bribe myself with stickers.

Every day I write, I get a sticker. When I have 10 stickers, I get a prize. When I have 25 stickers, bigger prize. Then 50, then 75, and so on and so forth. Mostly the prizes consist of allowing myself to buy things I've been wanting. At the moment those things are mostly items of clothing, because I really don't have room to buy lots of books and my TBR pile is out of control anyway. And the other things I want cost far too much to use as prizes.

We'll see how this goes. It's a bit juvenile but I think I just need an extra push to get going. Once I'm in the habit of writing every day, it will go easier. I hope.

Weekly Update Princess Edition #1

Words I wrote this week (through Sunday): 1,140 (Not a lot...many things happened over the weekend.)

Scenes worked on this week: Ballroom scene (#1)

Best Snippets: "If only their conversation sparkled as much as their wardrobe."  In reference to someone's face: "That was a shame." [Yes. WAS. Take that, Laura ;)] [Also credit for this line totally goes to Bill]

Meet the (main) cast:

Kelisin (Kel)
Briara (Bria)
Teoden (Teo)
Varden
Iasor

Meet the supporting cast (at least, the ones who appear in the bits I've worked on):

Athan
Petar and Leslin
Ylse

I'm going to be updating the blog sidebars only once a week - it's too much of a pain to do more often. If you want daily progress updates, check out my wordcount here:

http://tavenmoore.com/deadliner/share.php?user=c00ee7116dd50eea2d92fb3fb47897c1193196c1

And so it begins...

"Her Royal Highness, Kelisin Adira Melisse Ellora Peronell, Princess of the Blood!" The herald's staff pounded on the flagstones.

Kelisin grimaced. "Princess of the Blood" was such an ugly title, but -- as everyone loved to remind her -- this birthday was a special occasion and deserved extra formality.

Trumpets sounded a fanfare and Kelisin stepped through the open doors onto the grand staircase. A thousand candles flickered in their gold candelabras, making the jeweled mass of courtiers below sparkle as their finery caught the light.

If only their conversation sparkled as much as their wardrobe.


And with these words the Great Novel Adventure, Princess Edition, has begun!
Follow my progress in the blog sidebar or here: http://tavenmoore.com/deadliner/share.php?user=c00ee7116dd50eea2d92fb3fb47897c1193196c1

A Little Bit of Chaos

I am a planner. I like to have everything laid out, decided in advanced, researched to the extreme. Scheduled.  I double check everything. Then I triple check.

But I am also a pantser. Having created my Slow Loris Conservation presentation for class - having planned out what I was going to say for each slide - when it came time to present I ignored my plans completely. I mean, sure, I hit all the same points, in mostly the same order, but it was TOTALLY DIFFERENT from what I had practiced.

When I joined the Saucy Ink group, I dreamed up plots for my story. Once I had one I was happy with, I outlined. Down to almost the very last detail.

Then I started writing. And ignored my outline completely.

I don't mean "sort-of" ignored, like I still hit the basic plot points but maybe in one place they did something a little different. I mean ignored almost entirely.

Things the original outline had in common with the first draft of the story: A female protagonist. A male protagonist. A plot that needed to be stopped (it was a different plot, though).

A.k.a. not a whole lot.

So what have I learned from these experiences? Well, I know I need to plan. I also know I need to make less detailed plans than my brain thinks I need. Because I know that if I get too detailed, I will deviate. Entirely. And while my novel will probably follow a bit closer to the outline than "The Water-Witch" did, mostly because I feel better about its nascent plot than I did about my story's, there will be variation. There will be exploration. There will be a little bit of chaos.

And I'm telling you this because....it was a realization integral to my decision to start writing Princess. I have a decent foundation, which I will expand on as I go. Yes, worldbuilding-as-I-go... usually not a good strategy, but for me it works. I come up with my best ideas in the middle of sentences.

It will likely lead to a fair amount of rewriting. That's okay. I'm fine with it, because that's actually the way I work best. Get something down on paper, then go and fix it.

I've got a slightly-more-detailed-than-basic, scene-by-scene plot outline. I've nailed down the magic system. I have a good grasp on some relevant areas of backstory. Now it's time to write.

Kel's Castle (Interior)

Interiors from Schloss Neuschwanstein. Some of the castle is a little too...excessive...for my taste, but I absolutely LOVE the intricate wood carving. So expect that to feature.

Also possibly the paintings, because I see lots of possibilities to hide clues in them for the rest of the series.

Kel's Castle (Exterior)

I was fooling around on Pintrest, ostensibly looking for writing inspiration and really just procrastinating, when I found it.

The castle.

This is the setting for the beginning of Princess. It's the castle where Kel and her siblings grew up, where the novel opens. And while the fictional version will have a slightly different surrounding landscape, the architecture is SPOT ON. I think I'll probably also borrow heavily from the interior, although that's still a bit up in the air.

So, without further ado, I present to you Schloss Neuschwanstein

     

From the Archives: Of Magic, part 1

Written during nerd camp- so summer of 2006. Despite being unfinished, this piece received a fair bit of critique from the instructor and several rewrites.

"We're not going to make it."

She could hear the soldiers' whispers as they marched down the road. Lyssa scowled. It could hardly even be called a road - really more of a dirt track - but it was the most direct route across the Basin, so they had turned away from the Great Road North to march through this Gods-forsaken country.

The whispers continued. "The northern pass is still hundreds of miles away! By the time we get there, Ravenna will have fallen!"

Lyssa glanced back to see if Raoul had heard the whispers - and from the grim set of his mouth it was clear he had. Lyssa surveyed the troops surreptitiously, trying to locate the source of the whispers.

Movement in the ranks of the Third Company caught her eye. "The King's Mastiffs" had absorbed the soldiers sent by the king of Brantau, a sworn ally to Oloris but known to be fickle in his loyalty. Their leader, a loathsome man Lyssa preferred to avoid, turned to his companions and sneered. "Ah, no! Under our most illustrious general, how could we possibly lose?" The men guffawed, clearly enjoying this joke at her expense.

Lyssa looked down at her saddle, cheeks burning, as these men made a mockery of her command and her own soldiers refused to speak in her defense.

Scowling, she kicked her horse into a gallop, distancing herself from the soldiers and all their mutterings.

Thoughts

•   I really like this. It could totally be a story about a young girl thrust into command and learning how to earn respect instead of act like a surly teenager.
•  On the other hand, I could very easily adapt this for the middle of Princess.
• In other news, a protag whose name doesn't start with A or K!

Dangnabbit, Bria!

I've been away for a while, and it's for two reasons, primarily.

1. I've been furiously outlining the novel.

Yes, outlining! Postit flags! Scribbles! Rearrangements! Reworkings of plot! It's super exciting.

2. I've been furiously studying for midterms.

This one is not as fun. But unfortunately necessary in order to not fail at life.

So while outlining, I've discovered a couple of things. The most significant is that I have a whole bunch of characters who are in the first quarter of the book and the last quarter of the book and completely disappear in the middle.

Also, while there's a lot that has to happen in Kel's journey, there still is not enough to carry the entire center of the book on its own. There are two many slower-paced plot points, lots of internal conflict. and it would be good to have something a bit more actiony to contrast it. Also, I think if I show the effects of separation on the sisters from both sides it will make the [spoiler alert] eventual reunion more impactful. The readers will care about Bria just as much as they care about Kel...hopefully. Especially because eventually there will be a second book and Bria will have a much bigger part.

[I'm going to interrupt this blog post to make a note to myself because I just realized something - if I continue as planned I will have the girls apart for two books...I should probably then keep them together during the third book, maybe even a good chunk of the second. Ooh, and then I can show how all that time apart, especially for Bria, has changed them and they can fight and grow apart and have to repair their relationship...oh this is excellent]

Showing more of the Hound means we lose the shock of the "twist", but he's an interesting, complex character and I think the trade off is worth it.

Also Bria is quite insistent that she wants a bigger role. She's a very vivacious little girl and refuses to disappear for half a book. I might add that originally she was supposed to have an even smaller role than she does not. She's gone from very much a peripheral character to a viewpoint character!

The World is a Funny Place

The other day in Archeology class, the guest lecturer was presenting his research around Taos in the Rio Grande gorge. Many of the slides were pictures of students in cowboy hats but there were also lots of images of rock art.

One of  the rock art panels had an image on it: a small circle inside a larger circle, with squiggly lines radiating between them.

It looks exactly like something I sketched for Princess.

It gave me some ideas for how to reveal important magic-system information in the second book.

In the meantime, I should get back to the first book, since I haven't written that one yet (but I'm starting soon!!)...

IT'S ALIIIVEEEEE!!!!

I'm seriously doing a happy dance as I type. Princess has a plot!

It was a hugely difficult labor but at last it is over and it is BEAUTIFUL. And only 10 days late :)

Just a few loose ends to tie up and then I can start writing!!

In Which I Feel Freaking Amazing

I am totally, completely and utterly IN LOVE with Princess.

I was planning on working through the NaNo prep posts in order, and I still am, but yesterday I was looking ahead to see what was coming up, and I saw a post about antagonists. And sudennly I was off and running, the ideas coming thick and fast and I almost couldn't keep up!

My evil king is now something other than the placeholder "evil". He has reasons for being the way he is. Those reasons make sense in the context of the world I've invented. They make him infinitely more interesting, cause now he's not just depraved, but insane, too. And as a bonus I get to hint at the ultimate antagonist of the series and based on an earlier event it MAKES SENSE THAT KEL WOULD SEE IT!

It all fits perfectly, like it is an actual, real, world and story and not something I'm making up in my head.

There will probably come a time when I'm stuck writing a hard scene and I will say to myself, "Why am I doing this?" And hopefully I can recapture the moment when it all came together and I ran around my dorm room (as much as it is possible to run around in a 200 sq ft room filled with dorm furniture) squealing and screaming "yes!" and generally making a fool of myself. I can only wonder at what the other people on my floor thought was happening.

In other news, I finally have a new pair of boots. I've been wanting a specific style of boots for a while now, and I finally found them! So that's good.

Also, my beautiful little doggy is sleeping next to me. Let's just say I'm in a good mood.

Plan of Action

Behold the side bar! It is no longer at 5%.

I decided to work through my Princess planning using more or less the strategy outlined in Tami Moore's NaNo prep posts. I'm currently on number 7, about to start number 8, so 7/31 = 23%. Yay math!

I've got a pretty good grip on Kel, and what kind of person she is, and how she's different from her little sister Bria. (By the way, Bria was not supposed to be a big character at all, but being a bright, outgoing and adventurous child, she had other ideas.)

I'm also discovering how Princess will probably have 2 sequels and end up a trilogy and is a lot more epic in scale than I originally thought. Bria gets her day to shine in Book 2. There are dragons involved.

In terms of worldbuilding, I've got a bunch of political entities, be they individuals (Kel, the evil king) or groups (the prosthelytizing democratic army - long story) with complicated motives which interact in interesting ways. Still to be fleshed out: the religions of the world (which will have a lot to do with magic), the ultimate big baddie, and the general trajectory of the trilogy as a whole which will have a HUGE impact on the plot of the first book.

Oh yeah, the plot. That too. We're getting there.

That's okay, this is totally normal for the stage of preparation I'm in. I'm also going to consciously try not to think about books 2 and 3 right now - if I'm struck with a brilliant idea I'll write it down, but I am going to shut down any actual development on them until I am done writing Princess. Aside from, of course, the most general, high-level story arc which I need to know in order to set it up properly in Princess. 

The Next Big Thing

I've been tagged, and by the wonderful Tami Moore. Quick disclaimer: considering the fact that Princess is still very much in worldbuilding/plotting mode, my answers to some of these questions will be a bit sketchy :)

What is the working title of your book?

Princess, or Princess Story, or Princess Book. Obviously that will not be the final title.

Where did the idea come from for the book? 

I came across a writing prompt - if you can even call it that - to write "anything about a prince or princess". Almost as soon as I finished reading the sentence an image came to me of a princess being hunted through the woods. I started thinking about why she would be there, and the Princess story was born.


What genre does your book fall under? 

YA Fantasy.


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 

Kelisin.....Emilia Clarke
Bria .....Morgana Davies
The Prince (He doesn't have a name yet)... Josh Hutcherson
The Hound (But this is his actual title).....Mark Strong
Evil King (Not his actual name).....Ralph Fiennes
Marcos ...Henry Cavill


What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

A princess attempts to recover her birthright after a bloody coup forces her to abandon her country and her sister.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

We are SO not there yet.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro? 

It's still in the planning stage. However, there are a few snippets in existence which I wrote before I realized this was a project I wanted to pursue seriously and stopped to plot and worldbuild. So:

"Kelisin!" The shout echoed through the drafty stable. Kel looked up from her horse's flank and leaned her head out of the stall, but no one was in the stable's hall. Not yet, at least.

"Good," Kel murmured. "They don't know I'm here yet." The horse whinnied softly and tossed his head, so Kel resumed brushing. She often came out here when she wanted to be alone. None of the ladies in waiting would ever consider going near the horses, and the grooms, who had grown to be her friends, were good at stalling. Kel had evaded many an embroidery session hiding in the stables.

The horse turned his head back and tried to nip at her pockets. Kel laughed and pushed his head away. "Stop it, Roque, I gave you an apple already." The horse snorted. "Greedy brute."

The bell rang the hour, and Kel reluctantly put away the curry comb. It was time to head back through the kitchens and into the palace proper, before anyone became too worried about her.

As Kel approached the stable's side door, she could hear voices. She wasn't surprised. The door was rather old and warped, and didn't close very well.

"She's not here." Kel recognized the voice. It belonged to a groom - Ostwald, his name was. Kel smiled. He was probably covering for her, throwing off the army of maids, ladies in waiting, pageboys, and the occasional guardsman mobilized to find her and capture her for her lesson. Kel wasn't a fool - she understood that history, military tactics, and mathematics were important subjects for a monarch to know. She didn't object to reading literature to open her mind, or even to etiquette and deportment, so vital to a royal life. But Lady Ainsley was always after her, nagging about embroidery and other useless pursuits. She was forever saying that it was a useful skill and that it never hurt to be underestimated by opponents, and Kel might have acquiesced if the Lady had not been such hideously dull company. So while Kel reluctantly sat through hours in the solarium with Lady Ainsley and her equally tedious cousins, every so often she just couldn't bear it. Hence her escapes.

Kel was distracted from her thoughts by something that sounded like a fist striking flesh, followed by a dull thud and a whimper. Eyes wide, Kel approached the door, trying to be absolutely silent. She peered through the crack.

Ostwald was down on the floor, huddled against the wall. Above him stood a soldier, the royal guard's crest conspicuously absent from his uniform. He looked down at the groom with an expression of disgust. "Where is she?"

"I haven't seen her, I swear!" cried Ostwald.

The soldier kicked him, and Ostwald let out a whimper.

"Try again," he said calmly.

"She's not here." The soldier drew his sword. "Wait! Wait, she might have gone down to the orchard. She likes to go there." The orchard was on the other side of the palace from the stables and the mews.

"Thank you," said the soldier, grinning. He reached a hand down to the groom and helped him up. As soon as Ostwald was on his feet the man rammed his sword through his belly.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

This is a hard one, because honestly I haven't encountered any YA fantasy like this recently. Most of what I've seen lately has been paranormal, or modern-day with magical/supernatural/mythical elements. That's not to say that these books don't exist - I'm sure they do and I should go hunt them down.


Who or what inspired you to write this book? 

 Hmm. I don't know that there was a particular inspiration for this book. I'm always inspired by the authors whose books I read, and the work they do to create beautiful things for their readers. I'm inspired by fellow would-be authors and the effort they take to perfect their craft. And, of course, there are many amazing women I know - my mother first and foremost - who are an incredible inspiration to write about women and girls with that same strength of character.

Could I be any vaguer or more sappy? :)

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There are princesses in it. Doesn't everybody love princesses? Oh, and magic. But not too much romance - maybe later in the series. This book is about adventure and growth and love between sisters.

So now I tag...

Welp, this is awkward. I don't have anyone to tag... . So, anyone reading who would like to participate, have at it! I offer up my tags to you all.

Rules of The Next Big Thing:
*Use this format for your post *Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress) *Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

• What is your working title of your book?
• Where did the idea come from for the book?
• What genre does your book fall under?
• Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
• What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
• Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
• How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
• What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
• Who or what inspired you to write this book?
• What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged. Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

Wonderful things are happening...

I have FINALLY worked out a believable magic system for Princess!! I'd tried a couple of times already and come up with something I thought worked, but then this morning I was sort of daydreaming about it and it all finally came together, and it is SO much better than before.

Now I have magic that is closely tied to blood (because magic is itself the blood of the earth), and a plausible reason for why only one family in this area of the world has it, and why Kel ends up having stronger magic than the rest of her relatives, and why succession is matrilineal. (Blogger is telling me this is not a word. It's totally a word!) I also have a good overarching problem for the series (oh yes, there will be more than one princess book). So while the problem of the first book is getting the kingdom back, lurking in the back will be the awakening magic and all the problems it could lead to...which will become more of the focus of the second (and third?) books.

Sometimes when I'm trying to come up with an idea, it feels like I'm struggling up a hill. I'm thinking of things, but they don't make a lot of sense, or they're too boring, or worst of all, they are perfectly good ideas but just aren't "right" for the project I have in mind. Those are not fun times. Those are the times in which you have worldbuilding fail.

Other times, I feel like one idea sparks another which sparks another which sparks another, to the point where I can hardly keep up, and they all fit together perfectly with each other and with things that I've come up with before. It feels like I'm running full speed down a hill, and it feels fantastic.

This is one of those times :)

Yayhappytimes

Worldbuilding fail averted!

I'd been having such a hard time discovering anything about Princess world (that poor project really needs a title) and it was getting extremely frustrating. I kept feeling like I needed some kind of structure or visual to start me off. I was leaning towards making an outline, in the hopes that a plot would give me something to work from.

However, that was not the best idea. I feel that the best stories integrate the world seamlessly into the plot, so starting with the plot has a potential to result in an artificiality. Luckily, I decided to go with a map instead.

I think the nothingness, the incredible potential of a world that hasn't been made up yet, was too much for my poor mind. It totally shut down. But the map gave me enough limitation to kick start the creative juices again, and Princess and I are back on friendly terms.