Tahiel
Legendary Adventurer

oooh yes. I remember the fights for the computer. Vividly. >_>; Now they're relatively cheap enough that my parents sit side by side in the den on theirs, I'm on mine, and my youngest brother is upstairs on his. >_>; + wifi internet. :B Wintastic!

Maybe I just don't notice when it happens. O_O; The next time I run across any mention of someone's breathing in writing, I'll probably be hyper-conscious of it now. xD

Hahha. xD Yeah. I try to be objective, but when you can objectively say they have good X and entertained you, it doesn't hurt to bump them up by a little bit. >_>; Because, really, the important part is entertainment, isn't it?

Hehehe. xD Yeah - my standards were a bit lower at the time because I was both young, the internet wasn't so easily surfed, and the fandom I got into first was rather small. xD

Oh. Huh. I haven't heard of Brent Weeks before this. Maybe it has a little something to do with the genre? I don't really know. o.o

I went to my photos to see if I had taken any of my bookshelves, but the closest thing I have is from when I was sorting through my books a year or two ago: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...withlabels.jpg (Even this was only like... maybe 1/3rd of my collection. Maybe less than that. >_>; ) It does show one of my not-really-a-bookshelf ones, though. The nightstand with the mesh doors. xD;

I let myself take some hardcover books into the bathroom. xD Otherwise, I avoid taking books in there. I take it back - trade paperback sized books like The Count of Monte Cristo and books on fairy tales, I took in. But not tpb pleasure reading, if that makes any sense. (Well, I took Twilight to the tub with me - but I wasn't worried if it got ruined.)

I personally find Austen easier to read than any of the Brontes. xD But I'll have to give Brontes another try sometime. It might help hearing the books, because when it's read, it works a little easier, I think. xD The humor and tongue-in-cheek making fun of things is what attracts me to Austen. ::ramble:::

Yeah - that makes sense. xD There are some books (and movies) I can objectively say are 3s but I enjoy the heck out of. xD And vice versa (objectively, they are 5, but not necessarily my favorites). I'll have to go mess with that tonight if I remember. xD

Hmm... I'm not sure. I think it's random display, since it's using the same software that Menewsha uses, and I regularly see someone shown on my Friends block who haven't been active in ages.

>_> <_< I learned to draw because I wanted pictures of my characters. Specifically, I noticed that artists would draw fanart for fanfiction characters more if there was already art of the characters. >_>; It was a weird moment a few years later when I realized I'd surpassed the artist(s) I'd been really hoping for art from. (Not all of them, of course. But some of them.)

So, yeah. Art is a supplementary skill for my writing. Whenever I'm presented with a crossroads/choice of some sort between them, I generally take the writer path or identify as a writer first. I'd miss it if I never drew again, but I made a decision years ago that I was a Writer first. ::RAMBLE::

I wonder if the "stopped breathing" is a translation error? I rarely see that in English books. :x It's usually "held their breath" or "didn't take a breath for a moment" or something like that. Usually, when I see "stopped breathing" in the non-fatal sense, it's in books geared more towards teenagers, since it sounds more dramatic. But in that case, they usually specify "for a moment'. >_>;

>_> ::sidelong look at TBR pile. or, rather, more like shelves...:: Part of the reason I'm making the transition to digital is because my TBR piles will take up less room that way. <_<; I have two specific bookshelves in my room. Plus three cabinets (in my room) that have shelves in them that are intended, but not required to be for books... And, you know, any flat surface in my room and bathroom often are taken up by books. D: (Three places in my bathroom alone. >_>; Four if you count the counter where I put whatever I'm going to take with me to the tub. >_>; )

But, yeah, I'd be happy enough keeping my Super Favorites, manga, collector type editions, and art/reference books in paper format and switching everything else to digital. :B

re: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - I listened to that in audiobook format... It's not as good as I'd hoped. If you can find it at the library or (*koff*) "borrow" it online, it'll save you some money. Then you can purchase a copy if you ended up liking it. xD There were some funny or interesting moments, but it sort of cannibalized the story, even though it was 98% (or whatever) the original story, that extra 2% of new material spoiled it. I guess the thing for me is that the love story wasn't really there anymore and all the clever and witty observations on human nature were either missing or sort of missed the point in the new version because they were turned into some sort of zombie-related joke instead. xD; If I were to rate it on Goodreads, I'd probably give it a 3 whereas I gave the original a 5.

re: ebooks being over $10 - agreed. >_> They shouldn't be that much. But greed does things to people.

re: Goodreads. xD I figured if I were going to get good and accurate recommendations from the site, I should spend some time giving them a good sampling of what I've read. It's by no means everything. And there are some books I skipped reading since I hadn't read them recently enough to be sure of my current reaction. >_>; (Or, in the case of manga, I haven't read the manga, but have seen the anime. >_>; )

http://www.goodreads.com/klawzie

xD It could have been Lackey. I don't remember any character in particular with a horsey face, but I know she's used the term to describe someone before, so I just think it's hilarious. xD

I think the secret is really just perseverance. xD And persistence. Probably some other "p" words that would help. xD

My queue has another 6 days worth of uploads queued up too. >_> And that's if I don't sketch up more stuff tonight. <_< Which I probably will. I'm just sitting at the computer, drawing, with Columbo on Netflix going on in one tab and me researching characters in another, if I have to. (Sometimes I have art books or printouts I can refer to instead.) It's sure to run out before long, and while I still feel like sketching... but I already said that. xD;

Yeah. Taking a break - however you do it - might help. Especially if you read with the eye of figuring out "how" they did something. Well, let me rephrase: read the books for fun with the eye to enjoying them. Afterwards you can think of what you liked and go back and see how they did it. If you're reading m/f and it's not something you enjoy outright, you can read for learning purposes and outright read with the eye to study. xD

(With me, though, I'm leaning more towards digital than paper. >_> I can take my Kobo into the tub with me by just putting a plastic sandwich bag over it and the tub is about the only place I have the luxury of reading anymore. xD; I just need a good cover for it so I can plan to take it with me on trips too - for which it will be severely better than paper because it'll take up less space. <_< )

LOL, re: Goodreads. xD Okiee - I'll try to sign up after dinner. If I don't ping you back with a URL within a few hours of me replying, then you can send the ducks to nibble at me and remind me again. xD So hungry, I'm having trouble focusing. xD

Hahaha. xD Yes. All of this re: Mercedes Lackey. She's not my favorite author, but she's... mmm... comfort reading? When I want something easy to read, entertaining, and hits the right drama/adventure/fantasy/romance combination, I guess. xD She was one of my first fantasy authors I ever read, so I've I think... uhmmmm.... maybe the phrase would be "grown beyond" her. I see her flaws more clearly now (especially as she seems to get less and less editing of any sort, even simple copyediting). But, my goodness, she is someone to admire for sheer output and sales alone. xD

I almost forgot that you're an artist. xD I mean, I know that you are, but I can't believe it didn't occur to me to add that to the list of suggestions of how to inspire or work yourself around a block. xD Sketch up the characters or settings? If nothing else, it helps you visually. Even if all you draw are "random townspeople who do not appear in this story - but this is what the native costume looks like" it will give you more head-canon for the story. xD

Heck - right now (as you'll probably notice from my Tumblr), I'm on an art bug. I'm just drawing fanart right now, but it's helping me want to write again. I'm not quite there yet (though if I pushed myself, maybe I would be) because it's rare that I want to draw lately, so I'm going to let it run its course before I go back to writing. But it is making me think of stories again. xD Even if they're not the one I "want" to write right now. >_>;

You know, a lot of writers write stories that are "shorts" at first and then expand them into novels. xD I keep referencing Mercedes Lackey, but she's someone I've seen do it frequently - publish a short story and then a few years later, turn it into a full novel (like one of her Elemental Masters books, the Wizard of London), or even a full series (like the Oathbound books). I'm still working my way up to "novel length", so I guess my thoughts are, "Don't stress yourself out thinking you have to approach that length right away." Go for it, of course. xD Just don't stress yourself out over it. :B

Maybe something that might help you is to take some time to fully write out the culture (if you haven't done so already) while maybe reading something related? Like a history book or a fantasy series that has a similar "feel" to what you're looking for? Or just trolling fantasy art sites, maybe for inspiration? A lot of times I run out of steam when I either need a break or I need fresh inspiration. Sometimes it feels like some ingredient is missing and I can't figure out what it is until I run across some source of inspiration. Not sure if it'll help to suggest that, but it might. xD;

xD Nah, you're good. :3

Sounds like what you have to figure out is what in the Redhead's family background and/or his own personality was different from Uke's that made him a little more independent/prepared. xD

And, yeah. xD Trilogies are very common in fantasy. xD A lot of fantasy authors that I read tend to create a "universe" and then write 2-4 books for a particular character's growth arc or an all-encompassing event (like a war or other major threat). That's what I intend to do, myself. >_> It's not that I don't have a million different universes in my head to write, but gosh darn is it easier to establish just a few to write with and not have to do all that developing time on the universe itself. >_>

No, not at all. xD I like having the discussion because it helps me think of these things more properly. Or gets me to think about them at all. xD

Ah! Cool - I'm glad I was on the right track and didn't ramble something completely at odds with what was established. xD All you really need to do at first is make sure readers know that "Uke" is sheltered and pampered and is being shoved violently out of the nest before he's had time to do much fluttering of his wings. (Actually, what I did there is one of the tricks of gaining sympathy - describing him in terms like that. Doesn't always work, but, as you said, you can't make everyone happy!)

Weepy, helpless ukes are definitely not my favorites, but I like stories where I see characters like that grow and try. You can really respect a character who comes from velvet and cake and even if they never fully grow away from it, they can deal with dirt and hardtack if they have to. (Reluctantly, sulkily, disgustedly - but they man up or woman up and deal with it. xD) I think it could be very fun to torture "Uke" through the growing pains and the frights involved with camping outside. xD

Bleh - FB and Twitter. xD I never really got into those. I only ever use FB to look at photos that are friends-only or read a "closed" thread or something (and whenever I go, it doesn't take much more than someone asking me to pretty-please help them out in a game??? before I get sucked into playing about five different FB games obsessively for two weeks. ._.; So... yeah, try to avoid logging in as much as possible. xD ) and I only use Twitter to reTweet something for a contest or something. xD;

xD Poor Uke just wants to be helpless and free! Naw. xD Well - maybe he starts out "typically uke" and develops into a stronger, more self-assured person as the story progresses? I mean - I'm not sure about your characters, but right now I'm imagining the uke-character might not have had much hard living before the story and might be used to people taking care of him in some way. If they're on an adventure of some sort (I assume, since they'll be riding so many hours per day), if it's just him and the other hero (or him and a few others), he might have less and less luxury of someone taking care of him as everyone else starts getting too busy/tired/harried to do so. And maybe he rebels against it at first (as he seems to be doing with you), but eventually he realizes how much his other/the others appreciate him taking care of himself. And even more when he helps take care of them. Even take charge himself...? All I'm rambling is speculation of what might be going on and what might help you develop him out of the weak-uke territory. xD He might be resisting being written out of it before he's had time to properly develop. (Then again, I have had characters end up being different than I originally envisioned them. And I don't particularly like it, but often it ends up more fun to write/makes more sense for the situation/character.) RAMBLE RAMBLE.

If the uke character is meant to have not been pampered, maybe what's going on is he's in a situation where he feels safe to lean on the other character(s). So you just make it so they feel "unsafe" to do that.

A lot of writers say that they recommend you "push through" with one story. A lot of writers recommend you work on whatever tells you to work on it - especially if you're blocked with one. (Though they suggest pushing through with stories with a deadline is ultimately in your best interests.) I don't really have a position one way or another. Sometimes it's better to "push through" and sometimes there's no reason not to switch it up. I'm trying to limit myself to two projects, max, at a time. That means the details and vague scenes/plots/character relationships of both stories are fairly fresh in my mind and less likely to get confusing. It also means I'm not able to just plain abandon stories in favor of the new shiny one. xD; I do allow myself to write down story premises or scenes from other stories, but not "work" on the project.

Hope all of this makes sense. xD