Author Journey (October 25, 2021)

Never underestimate the importance of momentum. It doesn’t take much to start, but once it gets going it gets harder and harder to stop. Whatever you want to keep doing, start small and build on it little by little.

October 25, 2021

#Blogging

I’m still pretty happy with the series that I’m covering from the current season. Mushoku Tensei and The World’s Finest Assassin are outstanding. I’m loving every minute of them so far. Takt Op. Destiny has taken a little dip and given me some cause for concern, but hopefully, it’ll pick up now that we’ve got a load of exposition out of the way.

Seasonal Anime

• Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
• Takt Op. Destiny
• The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat

I definitely feel more connected to the anime community when I watch and review seasonal shows. There’s nothing quite like discussing theories and realising that there may have been something that you missed or interpreted differently. It’s like watching with friends, but I don’t have to worry about any interruptions. As much as I prefer to binge shows, this makes the weekly wait a little more tolerable.

Historic Anime

• Heaven’s Lost Property
• How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω
• Jujutsu Kaisen

Last week’s episode of Heaven’s Lost Property was probably one of the creepier ones with the way Tomoki acted, but as I mentioned in the post, I wonder if it isn’t a commentary of the horrendous acts that were committed during the World Wars. It is also a snowball fight and a hot springs episode, so check it out. There are a couple more episodes of How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω before I really tell you how I felt about the second season… so, stay tuned. With Jujutsu Kaisen the posts have reached the mid-point of season one and concluded a pretty awesome fight. That’s nothing, however, as things are about to get crazy!

Why I Review Anime!

I’ve been asked before why I review anime. Why don’t I focus my time on writing exclusively? Surely, that would be a better use of my time. Now, that isn’t a bad idea, however, I think there are some benefits to the way I do things. I like to think that I am always studying stories. It’s kind of hard to just sit back and enjoy it without analysing details and looking for foreshadowing.

Often people will say if you want to be a writer you need to read, read, read. Well, there’s more to it than just reading. You have to read with the intention of learning. Sure, you will pick up some stuff passively, but actively trying to understand how the story works will get you there much faster.

So, my goal is to see what I can pick up from the shows I watch. On top of that, I am becoming familiar with tropes to the point that they start to feel like second nature. Oftentimes, I don’t realise they’ve slipped into my outlines until I go through and look for them. Ultimately, by reviewing anime and finding out what works for me, I am putting together a well-stocked toolbox with which to craft my own stories.

#AmWriting

This last week has been a pretty good week. Not only did I keep up with my blogging schedule, but I took some big steps with my paranormal rom-com. If you recall, I wrote the first fifty-four thousand words for NaNoWriMo, last November. Since then, I’d been working on other things, but when they didn’t go anywhere, I found myself picking up this project once more.

So, to familiarise myself with the story once more, I decided to do an editing pass on the forty-three chapters that I had drafted before attempting to finish the book. This week I edited the final eighteen chapters which came to about twenty-two thousand words. That’s great news. What’s even better is that I then outlined the next seven chapters. Unfortunately, chapter forty-three had to be pulled as the timing didn’t work with the ending that I’ve been dreaming up over the last year.

When I come into a story, I generally have an idea of how it will end. I have a number of other key scenes or story beats that have to happen. These will either live in my head or sometimes in a notes file, so I don’t accidentally forget them. Then, I tend to outline a handful of chapters. Usually, it’s somewhere between five and ten.

Once that’s done, I’ll go to bed thinking about the next chapter. Based on the outline that I put together, I will go over events and dialogue in my head. Over and over and over. Then, when I sit down to write, it just flows out of me. If the outline is still good, I will continue the process, but sometimes, things change from the previous chapter and I’ll need to change the outline. This allows me to remain a plotter, but it gives me a little more freedom to explore avenues that pop up from time to time.

I had originally considered waiting until November so that I could finish this as part of NaNoWriMo, but that would be crazy. I have momentum now, why would I wait a week before diving back in? The obvious answer is that I won’t. So, next week I begin work on the final act. It’s the most action-packed part of the story and should be a lot of fun to write. By next week, I hope to report that I’ve completed some more chapters and possibly outlined further ahead. I’m anticipating another sixteen chapters minimum! Anyhow, that’s all for now. So, thanks for reading and stay safe.

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