Woofajuana: Blog

It's Friday! And the prologue has been posted. It's short. Next week is the first chapter with characters and story.

I've had a few people poke at me about the length of the appendix. Mostly in person, but still. Keep in mind, please, This is a rough draft. I'm writing things and figuring things out as I go (but if I don't have people waiting, then I get bored and lose focus). A lot of the notes in the appendix will find places to be told in story, but until then, they are as much for me as you right now. It's already gone through dozens of changes before posting and it's gone through several changes on my end since posting! Roscrow keeps growing and shrinking by a few inches depending on how I feel at the time, I swear. As things find places in story- whether in lessons, explanations or actions- then they will be removed from the appendix. Also, the humanoids section is a blend of explanation for the planet specifically and overall as I intend to point to it for other stories later on. I have a lot of Q'Hu stories in store- those struggling on far away worlds, those floating in space, and even some shorts about those right there on Tyliss (I'm actually quite taken with Jackal, he can be fun, at times, but only because he's in my head). Lastly, they usually come at the end, right? You read the appendix only when you need to. I'm posting one chapter at a time online. I figured I'm doing folks a favor by not leaving them in the dark right off the bat.

It's free and rough. Enjoy it as it is. If you have constructive criticism (such as how to put some of the details into the story, how to explain things better, or point out boring spots or places I could smooth things out, to name a few) please feel free to point it out, but do not demand I change things because you don't like them, you'll get blocked (*glares at haters*). There may be loop holes. There may be spots that are just summaries that pick back up into story. I have a lot of other stories I'd like to finish so I'm trying to rush through as best I can. I'd like to remove all the incomplete stories eventually.

Oh yeah, and this story will have named chapters. I don't know why, just felt right. Some may not. If I don't have a name, then I'm open to suggestions. If you guys have a personal dragon, tell me the colors and I may add it to the story! Possibly as a dam for Granger.... Dragon gets around about as much as his Rider.

Oh, and question, would you guys like more pictures? I've drawn images of other Drawgs, Da'La'Gin, and even one of Roscrow, but I decided against posting as it may hinder or help imagination, but I would like to leave that up to the readers.

Enjoy this short snack for now, and I'll see you all next Friday with a real chapter.

Submitted the first bit of this story, the appendix. It has 3 images. A few really quick, rough sketches to know approximately what some creatures look like. I use a lot of the humanoids in other stories, specifically the Q'Hu, which is why they have a long description. I really like them as a species. Balancing that whole eternal monster thing with their humanity. The appendix will be updated as things progress. I know there will be more characters added, those who help and hinder, I just haven't decided on them, or they are a big tell before we even get there so I left them out for now, or they are too short lived, explained in story, and that's the end of them. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see in the appendix.

Next post will be the foreword. It's fairly short and tells you everything you could want to know about how we get to where the story picks up. And that, my friends, is going to be the beginning of this grand adventure.

To anyone who has read previous versions, I tell you now, it's not the same. The characters are all there, the base ideas are all still there (Roscrow found a long lost library in the very first version, and over 10+ years, that library became Academy), the lizard people are still enemies, Du'un never went anywhere with them orange eyes (but he did get way bigger), and the governments are still messing with dragon genetics, but that's about it. For those in the know, there are small nods here and there to the older versions. For those who are new to the tale, give it a bit, we got a couple chapters, and then things start getting fun.

I will, however, let you all know that after a few chapters, I will be starting my Ream account and posting early on there, with more images and even some of the sex scenes I don't describe directly in story for sake of flow (and that when I'm actually done with it, there will be an adult and young adult versions so most scenes are being written without and the sex will be added in later). Some later scenes will have them written in as they kind of matter, but it won't be for a while. All the money I get on Ream will be going towards an editor for when it's finally done. I will continue posting it here, but there will be a lull once I get this page set up.

Chew on these species for a bit and I'll see you all next week!

So, I've been hard at work with The Dragon Tamer. As hard as I can be, anyhow. I've got about 12 chapters written, though mostly still in raw, short form, with just bits of broken up scenes and summaries. However, I've edited the first 6 chapters to where they read like a book. I'm not going to polish them all, but I will get them readable. I figure most of you are getting tired of waiting and a chapter a week will give me both editing and writing time. So, starting next week on Fridays (no set time, my life don't work like that), I will begin posting. If I get bogged down, I'll go to every other Friday, but I already had a lot of this written in summaries so it's going pretty quick. Yeah, that's right, it's finally go time!

The first post will be the appendix. May not seem like much, but there's a lot of info there. Nothing to ruin the story, but there's a massive world I've been building for over 10 years. Nearly 20 if we go back to the birth of Roscrow's character, who was the start of all of this, BTW, and he knows it. I had to build a whole damn world for him to live in, with a chick for him to fall in love with, and he likes making mention of it whenever he can. Damn elves and their fourth wall breaking. A select few of you were fortunate enough to have read the very first version when it existed on another site. The story is immensely different than it's been before in any version, but I am really enjoying it now. Feels right this time. Pieces are clicking together. Characters feel more real, the world is more alive. Still have some spots I'm working out but I should hopefully resolve them by the time I get to them. All the major players are still accounted for. Some characters have changed species (looking at you, MCs!), some have changed names, some have changed roles. Not all the bad guys are evil, not all the good guys do good things, and the gods, well, they work in mysterious ways.

Buckle up, folks. Or don't. Restraints might be a problem when everything is on fire!

Just as a taste to wet the palate, have an exurb and I'll see you all on Friday.

When she met Garold’s eyes, she felt every muscle in her body freeze. Her will was channeled, directed, forced to a scene she could not break away from.

"I severe your Bond," a voice she did not know spoke within her. “Kill your Rider.”

The monster turned wide, deadened eyes upon his once Bonded. She saw the man’s face clearly, saw the oozing Bond rent by unnatural means, could see the dragon’s own reflection in the horrified eyes of his most beloved Rider.

"Fandell," the man whispered, staring up at fangs so fearsome that they cut him near cleanly in half.

The anguished screech came from the dragon's soul. Shaking its head, the beast turned those bloodied fangs upon itself, tearing at its limbs as if trying to feed an unending hunger. When at last it had taken off all that it could reach, all that it could stand, it lay and labored in an ocean of blood until the last of its agonized breaths sent its spirit through the ring, sucked away from his Bonded, forever to know he belonged somewhere. Belonged at some time; at the moment before the Tamer had spoken, to repeat the sin eternally.

S’re’s eyes were wide. Haunted. So distant that Garold actually did not know if she was of this world anymore. Scarcely did she breathe in shallow gasps. So pale did she become that she might as well have been of the spirits she saw in his eyes. Every bit of her knew that what she saw was the ultimate violation of a Tamer’s powers and every hair stood on her body.

Garold’s face grew uglier with his wicked smile. “I’m glad to see this little treasure actually works.” Finally breaking contact- which had really only been seconds but had felt like a lifetime- he looked down at the ring on his finger, an ugly piss-yellow stone inset to a plain iron band. “See, it's called a Ring of Resolve. Such an unassuming name. I picked it up on the Black Market a while back. I was told it carries the soul of some tortured dragon or something and that a Tamer can't control you when you wear it. Seems it works just fine. And it’s about to pay for itself.” When he looked at her again, she looked down at anything else, making him chuckle. “I already like this thing! Now, you be a good girl and do as you're told, and I won’t make you look at it again.”

Do you guys ever do writing warm ups? Short nothings that get you in the mood and the mindset? I do, sometimes. It's part of my writer's block(wall) exercises. Helps vault me right over the obstacle. They aren't meant to go anywhere. They aren't meant to be anything. Sometimes, it's describing an emotion or something I'm looking at or about characters that don't matter. This last time, that's what it was.

When it comes to The Dragon Tamer, keep in mind it's not the same story. The characters are all the same(ish) but things have changed significantly. S're is not the last Tamer, but they are still very rare. With that in mind....

*

He had to hurry. If the guards caught him now... well, they won't. He had eluded innumerous guards, soldiers, and even dragons since childhood. He was after bigger treasures than a meal these days.

Slipping into the fortress of a Tamer had been surprisingly simple. It was the getting out that was proving a bit of a challenge... but not impossible, mind you. Dodging through the shadows, he fluttered like a ghost as trained men shouted in confusion and passed him without a glance. What fools!

With a smug smirk, he rounded the corner and the breath was knocked from him, slammed into the ground by an enormous tail. His heart leapt to his throat, frozen in terror as a razor sharp snout hovered over him with a growl. However, it was not the dragon that he was most afraid of. No, it was the man with the iron gaze, a stare that ripped him asunder from the soul outward. He had looked up, he had locked eyes, and he did not possess the will to refuse.

“Fool,” the man growled like his dragon. “You thought you could steal from a Tamer? There is no such thing. And now, there is no escape. I... break... you.”

The thief's eyes grew larger, his scream echoing down the grand hall. When the guards arrived in a thundering unit, they found only a young man twitching on the ground, staring at the same nothing he muttered to; added to the collection of broken husks left to rot, forgotten in the catacombs beneath the fortress of Throne Drakinthrall.

*

I just really wanted to tease you guys. Kids are in school, hubby at work, house is clean, dog is walked, music is on, 5 chapters and an extensive appendix deep already....

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a safe, sane, and fun 4th of July. I want to thank you to all those who have reached out to me. Thank you for the well wishes and the support. Just a few of you, but that really does help remind me to make time to write, even just a little, so thank you!

My family and I made it to our destination (with some, uh, excitement with a blowout in the middle of a "no services for a 100 miles" area). It's been HOT!!! Even my cactus is wilting! Been inside unpacking, and I had a thought about writer's block.

I feel like there's 2 kinds. There's "content writer's block" and "emotional writer's block." I think most people think of the first rather than the latter when they hear "Writer's Block." But, as I've gotten better over the past couple of years at dealing with that aspect of writer's block, I've realized I think of it less as a "blockage" and more of an obstacle. A "writer's wall," more like. It makes the idea more approachable. I only need to figure out how to scale the wall. Sometimes, a brilliant spark will equip me with a pole to vault over that sucker. Other times, it's a slow climb up steep stairs that vanish into the darkness ahead. Every time I look around, I get better at noticing my tools to get over. Just... start. I found a grappling hook by writing a whole chapter of almost nonsense and then wrote it over, but at least the first writing gave me ideas to expand on, and I wasn't just waiting for "inspiration." Thus, less of a blockage, which kind of puts this idea of needing force to push through it. As authors, words are important, right? A block needs aggressive measures. That idea of "explosive" creation rather than a wall that can be scaled with one word after the other.

As for the emotional side of writer's block, well, more of a writer's "closet." It's a little different than the wall. Sometimes, you gotta find the door to get out of the closet so you can go sit at your desk. But, sometimes, the closet is simply cozy. I'm tired, folks. I'm drained. I'm just in my closet. This time, it's not a matter of having to find the door, it's a matter of just not ready to leave. I'm gonna rest a little more. I'm writing my ideas on occasion, but they don't make coherent chapters right now. I'm just tired.

So, those are my thoughts on the subject. Maybe some of you have different ways of looking at it. I will update when I'm ready to start posting. Until then, I wish you all well for now.