Russic Invasion Discussion

[Moonitic]

Okay, now it's MY turn to talk. I've been here since the beginning & I've seen such potential that I've wanted to SCREAM when it was quashed by the idea that some people didn't want to take their writing, or emotions, to the next level. I've had my own plotlines dashed because it made people uncomfortable. I say YAY ME! My writing made people uncomfortable!

Gang, this idea of arcon's is a GOOD one. Amazingly good. And as the official representative of the kingdom of Schoolcraftia (not to mention the royal scribe), I already have some ideas for that. Can't say now, but I wish you all would just TRUST him. Maybe some people aren't ready for such depth, but we also need to trust ourselves. I, for one, am ready for something like this. That's why I went off & did the novelization of my character. We owe it to our characters to give them best & the worst. Get out of your comfort zones. Have fun. Get down & dirty.

PLEASE!

[Crin Dalmeiier]

If you think we can do this, I'm ready to commit.

I've got a league of gypsies coming in, as it is. Talmour and Crin's information could easily be very wrong. The ships could be on their way. It's anybody's call.

But basically, 40 or more gypsies are on their way into Arconia. Anybody who wants to jump in, grab a gypsy. The leader, Falcour, belongs to me.

Crin

[arcon]

If we all do come to an agreement to do this ,then i suggest that
patience be the main rule to follow. It will take some organization
and some time to plan it. Basically its a direction we will all be going in -slowly but surely while still developing and working our own subplots. We can cross paths at different times. I believe ive already suggested that the Bitter End could be one place
to do this. There will be the need for meetings between key figures to form alliances and there can be treachery along the way doing this. If there are more ideas then please bring them forth. There may be the need to
form a thread or two to post information to keep things straight.
A few of us could help by putting together a basic outline
for the main plot. Which im assuming. is basically this:
Arconia will come under a massive attack by the Russ in the unknown future. It will take all of her resources and allies she
can muster to survive. We are talking major battles here,
not just one. Various subplots will take place before the battle
and maybe continueing afterwards depending on there nature. The crown will be
threatned internally by a newcomer. The Queens position and maybe its
King and heir will be in danger. I'll let our writers list their own subplots
if they have them worked out. Should we do this and you dont wish to be part
of the main plot then im requesting that subplots not interfere s. I have more to say but dinner beckons......ill get back.

arcon

[Moonitic]

As far as the sisters of Schoolcraftia & Meekal (which means Muu too) go, I've already got ideas as to how they will get from the point they are at now to the invasion (hmm...does this mean one or both will live?). I'd also like Darion involved at some point (for Ken-Dall's benefit). It won't be easy, but I'm up for the challenge.

I'm not sure about Lord Tellurine. He's in & out of town for shows now, & I kind of have him busy already with the novel.

Hey! Who knows, maybe Moon will get kidnapped again for old time's sake.

[arcon]

Moon, please dont get kidnapped any time soon. And if you do.
be back before the war starts.......pleaseeeee! I'll be short handed . I'll need your help.

arcon

[arcon]

Sword, please consider the bigger picture here.
Can we have your cooperation?
Am i to expect that if we have Crins that we'll have yours?

Arcon

[Moonitic]

Well, first she has a fight to finish with her sister. We still have to GET to that point. Maybe down the line, at the worst possible moment.

[Zelda]

If you get kidnapped again Moon that makes how many times????
I'm for anything which gets me out of my brain dead rut!

[Moonitic]

umm...I think 5, but I'm not sure. Let's see:

1. The beginning of Arconia
2. Lord Tellurine, to Muu
3. Zarcon
4. (kinda) Ashla the Trapper
5. (if you want to count this) Meekal, away from the ship

Okay, maybe 6.

[Iwant2bafencer]

Swords I respect and like you a great deal but I have to disagree with you on this. First off this isn't a competition, we're not getting ready to submit anything to anyone for inspection or to win a prize. We write here for ourselves. At least I do. I could careless what people think about my writing. Sure I'm totally open to citisism both possitive and negative, but I write for me. Secondly, after we get the tourny stopped and the very few other tiny things then what? We're slamming our breaks at a sudden stop sign which drops our muses, want of writing etc etc.

Not only do I think this war would be a fresh change, but it will also give us a good sized challenge which I think is what we need, and it will give us something to write about for a long time.
I do agree with Swords that it will take a while to do this.
Isay if we do it, we don't make it some half crap job. We do it to if not our best then close to our best ability. That means we have to plan it, organize it, etc etc. Who knows it may be a few weeks or months, it may be a year before the attack Actually hits Arconia and we really start to fight.

Swords my chara is quite new to the military, fighting aspect of things. I've never written a fight seen larger than a few paragraphs and those were one-on-one. Rose could use your expertise in this.

I definatly think this is possible and a great idea.

I for one think we should make a desision on whether we do it or not before we add to much more to the story. This is big and therefore will affect a lot of what we'll have to write about.

I say yes.

[arcon]

If the writer we know as Lochinvar comes back to Fantasyland in
the future he will not come as Lochinvar. Wheather or not he decides to come back may very well depend on how we handle
this issue. I am not that good at writing battle scenes but i do plan on getting better. I know that Loch would be good at it. Hes proven himself in the past and helped me many times on various
plots. It would be great to have his help again. I have asked him
to consider joining us again but if we squabble between ourselves
and dont have a cooperative mature atmosphere among our writers i dont expect him to accept. Its to much of a strain on real
life and its not fun when there is strife. Most of you seem ready for
this venture. I'd like it to be unanomous. I wont demand it and
I cant order it, not as a person or an imaginary king. All i can do
is ask. I believe the list of those that are presently ok with this is as follows:


Arcon,Zelda,Moon,Iwant2bafencer,Crin,Mariss

p.s. I feel confident that both Sword and Darion would be good
at battle scenes and writing the political aspects of this venture.

[arcon]

Iwant2bafencer, you need to go ahead and post the scenerio concerning Niki meeting Zelda. Its something thats needs to happen. All writing doesnt have to stop while we decide on this issue.

[Swordsman]

Glad to see you're all so fired up for it. I hope you're up to the task in the end.

Interesting you say "this idea of Arcon's", as it was my idea in the first place. I even started setting it up, with the character Ariel that they found, and her visions. I was completely for this - I wanted the idea of a massive invasion, shore defenses, etc. I even had a lot of it planned out.

I just don't want to start into something huge like this - probably the pinnacle event in Arconian history - only to have it wane and be forgotten like just about everything else.

If you guys really think you're up to the challenge, are willing to stick with it and see it through - this could take years realtime, as we go - I'm all for it.

You guys think you're up to it? Then let's roll out.

[arcon]

Sword, yes, the Russic invasion WAS NOT my original idea.
My idea is that we do it with unity among all the writers giving
full consideration to every character envolved-even in the planning. My idea is we cross over in our plots from time to time knowing we have or can make the decision to get involved when possible. We've had to many individual plot scenerios independent of each other with no unity. The story of Arconia
should have a common denominator. Yes, its been fun for everyone to have their own tales but some are either tired of this
or want something more challenging. By bringing Lochinvar back
i thought it might help and inspire us to recreate the unity we had in the beginning. You were right,ive been gone a long time.And Arconia survived but it would be better to soar and not
just survive.
So my idea put simply is this: UNITY OF PURPOSE
Thanks for saying yes.

arcon

[arcon]

As Moon stated i need your trust here.
Zelda is our moderator. She however does not exhibit control
over our ideas or our direction she leaves that up to us.
I propose a commitee of writers to outline and begin to plan this venture
Personally i dont have to serve on this commitee unless im asked but i do want
to moniter it for fairness to all involved(characters).Everyone would be able to submit ideas and subplots to this commitee.
All subplots would be considered and approved providing they dont conflict with the major plot. It would a good thing and appreciated if the subplots worked toward the mainplot but not necessary as long as they dont conflict or interfere.
These are the writers id suggest for the planning.Remember, you
are to give serious consideration to other writers and how
their ideas and plots figure in. Not just your own.

Sword
Moonitic
Crin
Lochinvar(should he decide to join us with his new character)
(monitor) Arcon(for me to do this ill need you to communicate
with me.)

Not sure where Darion stands. Willow are you out there?

[arcon]

And if this doesnt work ill just rule with an Iron hand and tell
everyone what to do! Just kidding.

suggestions for getting along:

be patient(Iw2bafencer)
respect the views of others
be flexible(Sword)
Have a wait and see attitude
share the glory.(Moon)
take turns getting your 15 minutes of fame
dont hog the story (Arcon)

[Moonitic]

I'll let that comment pass, arcon....::ahem::

Anyway, what have we "forgotten"? Even when life has gotten in the way, we've always seemed to follow our story paths. Sometimes there is a trail that we take instead, but it still works out. It was mentioned that the tournament was forgotten. Well, if you actually LOOK at it from a story point of view it's like this: The return of the rescue party shifted the focus from the tournament to the return...the tournament was still going on, it was just in the background. BUT an explosion of such magnitude that would wound the castle would tend to disrupt a tournament, wouldn't you say? So...the tournament is on hold. BUT when the dust settles, we can go back & say, "Hey...there's a tournament going on!" That's when Arcon can make his grand re-entrance...something to that effect. However you want to work it...I still have sisters who have to have their fight.

It all DOES work out if you know how.

Now, to climb on my soapbox as someone who has been a writer all her life, & who knows the mechanics of it better than the back of her own hand (I don't know where I got that bruise!):

Sometimes, when we write a story we have an outline. But sometimes, even with our best intentions intact, the STORY itself chooses to go another way. We have to let the story tell itself. It sounds crazy, but often the characters gain a life of their own. But that's a good thing. After all, that's how it is in real life. That's where the passion comes from.

Speaking of passion, we can't be afraid of it. Jumping into the fire is the best way toward good writing. I once read an article (I believe in Writer's Digest) that indicated that you shouldn't write about what makes you happy, but what makes you sad...or angry (or even scared). Those emotions tend to bring out stronger writing. Now, I can imagine that such a terrible threat as an invasion described by Lochinvar would scare the crap out of people (made a chill run up MY spine), tick us off (how DARE they do this!), & probably make us sad at some points (death? other really bad things?). Whew! What a story this could be! Admit it, the fight scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies were more exhilarating than, say, the mushy parts.

I know I'm up for the challenge. Heck, I've already got ideas about it. My muse is ready for some ACTION. Afterall, I want to get at least two more novels out of this...LOL

And sorry if I mistook who came up with the idea. After all, I really WAS put into slavery for a month (ok, by choice...but I still played a slave!).

[Swordsman]

Like I said - I'm all for this if you guys think you're up for it. I understand about writing for passion - why do you think Nækos is always so pissed?

As for the idea of a committee and mapping things out: I think that rather detracts from part of the fun of this place. I'm not saying we can't do it, I'm saying consider this:

I can speak only for myself, but the times I've had the most trouble with my muse have been the times I planned the story ahead more carefully. The most fun times? When I knew kind of what I wanted to do, but had no idea where other people intended to take it. Adds a bit of unpredictability to your writing - not only do you have to write your story well, but you have to write it such that you can aim it back where you intended. Granted, it's good to have a general idea of where things are going and not contradict the major points, but I think the details are best left up in the air.

That being said, here is my suggestion for the (dare I say it?) plan of attack.

The Russ are coming. Don't know just how long it'll be, but it will probably be a little yet. During this time we'll have the calls-to-arms, setting up defenses, forming an international council, alliances, etc.

Then the Russ will arrive, and some major battles will take place.

From there, who knows? We'll deal with it when we get there.

I think if we all manage to stay on that, and keep writers working together some, it'll turn out well (provided we have the patience to take our time).

Which brings me to another suggestion - we may want to pair up not just characters (Nækos & Senyik, Crin & Talmour, etc.), but authors. That way we'll always have at least two or three authors working together, noboby off on their own (that's no fun, at least for me). Then if the groups meet up and switch about, great, but let's try to keep groups.

Ideas - I think the two pairs I mentioned above (my main characters and Crin's two) will probably be meeting up soon; Darion, I think, will probably join them. I have no idea where Arcon's going. Zelda and Rosaline seem to be hanging out a lot recently; that could be a pair. Moon...well, you seem to be having a rather schizo episode with these sisters of yours, but then again, I'm sure you'll have no problem carrying the story yourself (you also seem to know where you want to go). Is anybody else really active? I saw Peregrinus' post; hopefully he'll show up again - I was pretty impressed by his earlier work. Angelo's rather disappeared; maybe we can get Angwyn Lothar moving.

Anybody else hanging out there around the fringes?

[Crin Dalmeiier]

Oh, dang, so this mean that I can't go with my original plan and have scores of Russic crest the hill tomorrow and coming at Arconia's castle full speed with an old-fashioned rebel yell?

****. Now what am I going to do?

I'm not going to have a lot of time coming up. In fact, November, I'm pretty much the equivalent of a catatonic, if a catatonic is chained to her computer and forced to spew out 75-80 pages of bona fide novel. I think Swords is right to have caution going into this. I mean, we don't want to be, as the term goes, Sues.

IE: The Russic attack, and our pitiful band of ragtag heroes smites them harshly.

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

So I agree with Swords, and I'm tossing my lot in anyway. If we commit to something like this, it's going to be a migraine when it's not fun.

And going in with a fly-by-the-seat of your pants would be a better approach in my opinion, but I like the idea of having partners.

Crin

[arcon]

Sword, by suggesting more unity it does mean writers pairing up
together. We dont have to do the committee thing it was a suggestion to keep things in line with the major plot. It may sound confining but actually if you read back over my post it says
subplots will continue uninhibited as long as they dont DIRECTlY
conflict with the goal. And as far as the pairing goes - ive been working with Iwant2bafencer,Zelda and breifly with Lochinvar. This is basically where Arcon is going: hes been trying
to get over his past journey and build up his strength to confront the challenges that face Arconia. The
ride on Catmael completed this. Mariss who im also teamed up with.....is going to cause more than a bit of tension between King
and Queen not to mention her agenda. Ive put forth ideas for Zelda in connection with me on a subplot after all she is my queen. Wannabe is envolved with Niki our heir and will repost soon if she hasnt already. What Mariss will offer the
king .....however will come in very handy in financing the Russic
war effort. Maybe im asking to much here(the committee). You and Moon like to
work alone a good bit. If youll notice you were the first two writers i suggested to help outline the major plot. I had the
feeling youd be the first two to disagree with the idea of a committee and i was
right. I had to try. Sword i couldnt help but notice that you didnt
make a suggestion for me to pair up with anyone. I am here Sword. I am back. I am still the imaginary King of Arconia. I have
ideas, i have (what I think) is worthy input. I care about this place. I want it to be fun and exciting. I'd like to have your respect in all of this. Its fine to disagree. Just try and lighten up a bit with me, ok. Im proud that youve come around with this venture.
I really am.