Back to work

I'm a terrible blogger. So sue me. Anyway! I'm back at the blog and the novel. With some help, I know what I want to add. So most of the people who have been aorund me while I am writing know that I will just randomly ask questions that have nothing to do with anything currently going on. This is normal. For me at least. This lets me bounce ideas off people, get ideas from other people, make my ideas better, you get the picture. Recently I took a trip down to Irvine for a National Federation of the Blind convention. No I am not blind. I went with my girlfriend, Ashley (who is also not blind) and two members of our chapter (Yes, they're blind). We took busses and trains. On the last train ride, back to Sacramento, we met a feller named Robert. While I was writing I felt the urge to ask him to give me a name of a place. I was anticipating a made-up name. He instead gives me two perfectly normal English words: Glass and Alley. I was slightly frustrated at first. But with their help, we created a very cool concept I can't wait to use. Except it'll be another couple books until I can use it. But its was a good idea anyway!


So if ever I'm writing near you and I ask you a random question, don't ask me why I asked it. And you might just wind up in my book. I know its not the greatest honor, but its the best I can do, ok? Anyway. On with the story:

When all had been gathered the Guardians rose and spoke to the gathered mages. they spoke of their communion with the Elements. The stir casued was no small event. The voices of the crowd and Guardians rose and intertwined so much that not one voice could be distinguished. And a wind blew through all assembled. So fierce was the wind that only it could be heard. When all were silent, Air grew still and silent. There were none now who doubted the veracity of the Guardian's proclamation.

The Guardians called for a cessation of the warring. Immediate and without condition was their uncontested demand. There were none who would oppose the peace. Many grumbled, but more still cheered at the prospect of a lack of magical warfare. Sects were formed instead by those present. It was a reunion for many who had been parted by sides. And for a number a chance to meet those similar to themselves. Men and women of power for once collected their knowledge instead of hoarding and guarding their possessions. There came a time of pooling and the exploring the art of magecraft. Abilities were honed and refined. New mages were found and taught. The Guardians had averted annihilation.

Uncontent still were those mages who considered themselves superior. They would not deign to consort with what they considered lesser mages. They would not share their secrets. They would not share power. They harbored malice for those who had sought to bring them so low...

Back to the Keyboard

Ok so it's been a while since I've posted. Things got crazy what with finals and graduating and whatnot. But I'm happy to say that I've been back at the keyboard editing and typing away. My goal still stands to have a typed copy ready to submit before I start school again in the fall. I'll have to continue this story later as I am going to keep typing the novel. For now. But you can expect to see more posts soon :)

Brain Wave

So I'm sitting here and I've just come up with some great ideas and I just need to get them down. This is why I have said that i will usually carry a notebook with me to write, just in case I get these ideas. Luckily for me, I was able to hijack my friend's laptop so I can bring you the next installment of our story.

And they came, by the thousands they came. Since the Elements had first brought magic to the mortal race of humans, thousands had wound their way into this stream of power. But the powers now present at Lake Caina had become so diverse, so numerous. Magic leaves traces, effects that will remain infinitely marked upon the spot. Man had stumbled upon these oracles of power, many sought them out. And for some, and they were few, magic sought them.
But there were a large number who had gained their power from the Elements themselves; it was these who posed the greatest threat to the Seven Guardians. They not only viewed the Guardians with open hostility, but they also viewed the other casters with such disdain. They believed themselves superior, their pride fueled by the fact that their powers were granted by the elemental beings. But came they did, from all lands. The Seven Guardians were overwhelmed by the numbers that had responded to their call. They watched as the multitudes, of all ages, all manner of appearances made their way to the lake, and pitched their tents and prepared to hear what the Guardians had to say. The Guardians were specifically vague in their wording, unsure of the response they would receive. And after the third day, when it seemed all who had intended to come had already arrived, an assembly was called at the lakeshore.

The story continues

I really don't know what to write about today, so I figured I could just continue with our little story. I doubt I'll hear many complaints.

As the seven mortals slept, the elements spoke one to another. These were, they decided, their best chance at a peaceful resolution with mortal magic users. After all, these were men after their own kind. They knew their chance was small, but to them it was unworthy of their station not to try. On the morrow, the seven men and women were met by the lieutenants in their earthly form. We have no account of their visage, but it is believe that they were man-shaped, but more beautiful, powerful, and elegant than any man made thing. And so the elements spoke in the appearance of man, each to his or her own mortal counterpart. Each pair splitting off from the rest, each lieutenant conversing, instructing, teaching, advising. And for many hours, possibly days, the men and women were educated, by the elemental beings. As the seven reunited, the lieutenants removed themselves from their human form and departed from that place. They had unanimously agreed to act as the intercessors between the Elements and men.
They sought council with all magic users, friend and foe alike. They sent messengers to post news of their proposed alliance in every town and village. It was a bold, and dangerous, move on their part. To have all seven of them in one place would make them an irresistible target. They had to hope that this alliance would not only improve the relations between themselves and the rogue casters, but to bring out people who are friendly to their cause. They reasoned that they could not be alone in this endeavour; they must have allies somewhere. With each other, and the very Elements behind them, they set a date and a place for a congregation of all magic users. It was there, at the Lake Caina, that the single largest gathering of magic power would occur in written history.

Breaking news!

As you know, I've been working on this story for about a year and a half now. And I'm happy (and somewhat embarrassed) to say that I finally have a name for the protagonist of the story. I'd had an initial name, which I didn't like. And eventually that name was reduced to the letter D. Now, This whole time I knew the name had to begin with a D. Someone suggested was that its because my name begins with a D. They might be correct, I don't know. And I can't explain, but I think some of you will understand, but the name had to begin with a D. So I sat down and just ran through various possible endings. And somehow I found the name. Sorry, that should be THE name. And his name is Denoch. Ta da! I know its seems trivial, but this was a big thing for me; the hero of the story finally had a name. BTW, its pronounced den-ick, even though its spelt like Enoch from the Bible. I'm proud of this name :)

The lieutenants sought out this sect, each element to its own respective mortal guardian; each revealing themself and their power. The group, then compelled by forces beyond their own understanding, found themselves united for the first time since the campaign had begun. They had feared such a gathering knowing that it would make themselves a nigh on irresistible target. But that night, they were guarded by the elements themselves. Each bore their tale of their communion with the elemental beings. As were the people, so were their stories unique. The seven lieutenants too, gathered all in that place. They listened to the mortals' tales, reveled in their camaraderie. The lieutenants were humbled by the seven men and women that sat around the fire before them. It was in these seven that the lieutenants saw some hope for man.

What is this I am writing in Italics?

This has caused some confusion already amongst my friends so I thought I should explain what I am doing here.The novel I'm writing is currently called The Legend of Seven. This is also the name of the book within the novel. Its important to make the distinction between the novel and the book within the novel. The novel I'm writing is a fiction fantasy. It is about the main characters quest (I guess you could call it) to obtain of of the seven weapons of legend. Each weapon gives the bearer the power over a certain element. If you've been following, you'll know that the first four are the basic elements: earth, wind, fire, water, heart. Ok, not heart, I just a felt a stab of nostalgia there, moving on... So those are the first four, and in the first book we learn that the weapon of earth is the sword, called the Tieraspada. Without giving too much away, this is the first weapon obtained by our protagonist.
The book, The Legend of Seven is owned and read by our protagonist. I'm still not sure whether it will make it into the novel, so I am including parts, if not all of it, on here. Problem is of course, I don't know exactly what I want to put into it or when. It suffices me to say that the book is about the legend of how the powers of the Seven came to be, and how they are obtained. I've loved things like Greek and Egyptian (thank you Stargate) mythology, so its a great experience to be able to create my own. And so our story continues...

But to say that they waged war against men would be folly. To say war would be to indicate that the opposition stood a chance against these elemental beings. It was simply an elimination of a factor in the equation. The lieutenants drew from within their power to find those that abused their gifts. They thought first to commune with them, to convince them of reason, of moderation, of peace. To their utter surprise, the mortal men fought against the lieutenants, turning the powers of the elements against their masters. It was futile, but they would not see it, they sought only the preservation of their own power. The lieutenants would not be defeated; they, being immortal beings, could not succumb to the powers of magic, or of time. With regret, they began to destroy the betrayers of their gifts, destruction being the only option with no way of removing the power from men. The lieutenants would soon learn of a new sect of magic users who were different.
Even before the lieutenants could act, a group of magicians, four sons and three daughters of man, had begun the elements' campaign. They were seven, one for every element, who had grouped together to rein in the chaos that had ensued around them. They too, quickly learned that most could not be reasoned with. But they never fought alone, nor did they travel alone. They became enemies of many around the land, and they were hunted. But unlike most other magicians, they were never alone. As such, they were able to defeat their enemies; for every element has its opposite, every element has its weakness. But as the concourses of enemies grew, their hope and chance of not only winning this war, but surviving it, grew slimmer by the day. For they too, were mere mortals.

The Legend of Seven, chapter 1.

How I write

With my hand. Well it's true! I prefer the feeling of writing by hand. Yes, it does take longer, but that gives me time to really think about what I am writing. And there is something oddly satisfying about scratching out a word you didn't like, or something misspelled, or an ugly cliche. Slamming on the backspace just doesn't have the same effect. And it is convenient because you can write anywhere. For the past year and a half I have always made sure to have some type of notebook with me to write when I get ideas. Any of us who write know how frustrating it is to have this great idea, and then lose it when our mind suddenly wanders off. So anytime I am waiting anywhere (I got a solid 8 hours of writing done at the courthouse when I was waiting for Jury Duty) or bored, I just pull out the notebook and write. I can write anywhere, which can't be said for laptops. I've got nothing against laptops, I just don't have one.


The process in which I find myself concerning the Legend of Seven is typing it up. This is when I can really go over my work and see what I have written. I can add, delete, change and shuffle bits around. This is my personal editing process. I find that I very often forget the words at the end of a sentence or the letters at the end of words. Luckily, it is not hard to relocate the proper endings. Sometimes I really surprise myself when reading over my work; either at my own bone-headedness or my own ingenious...ness. This is my strategy, it may not be perfect, but I like it.

And so it was that the lieutenants granted their power to those who sought them. Men are interesting creatures, they thought, let us see what good they can do. But the lieutenants were most unfamiliar with men, and if it were wise describe them as naive, they would be. So men used their new powers, and it was not long before those powers, those gifts, betrayed them. The ones to whom the gods had entrusted their power had to watch as those same powers brought about the unimaginable destruction and death of many souls. The earth grew ravenous, unfilled by the cities it had devoured. Fire, too, hungered and consumed all that its maw could reach. Water turned to flood, turned to ice, turned to crushing death. Wind would not be outdone however: she blew through the lands, making a collection of homes and crops, families and flocks. The sun made little difference to light and day. Nor to the night and her darkness. Man had the power of the gods, but they lacked the age and the experience of them. The lieutenants, guardians of the foal planet, would intervene.

Chapter 1, The Legend of Seven.

About myself

I suppose I should start with a little about who I am. My name is Daniel Jensen, I live in this little city called Rio Linda, California. I'm six foot tall, brown curly hair, blue eyes, and the occassional beard. I love playing video games, reading, singing, and writing. Which leads me to the point of this blog.
Admittedly, I've never done a blog, nor have I had a purpose to do so before now. I don't think I've done anything exciting enough to merit a blog. However for the past few years I have discovered just how much I enjoyed writing. I certainly can write better than I can speak, and I'm not a bad speaker. I never feared public speaking, and I even won a bronze medal in the 2004 Academic Decathlon for my speech on music. Its so easy to write about things you love. In high school I was a fair writer; a fair writer with terrible handwriting. It wasn't until after high school that I began to write for recreation. Well that's not entirely true either. In junior high i did start this book... It's about a guy who creates a time machine, but then it goes haywire and instead of transporting the vehicle through time, it brings the entire planet. And where do we end up? in the time of dinosaurs. But this is for another time.
The book in which I have placed the most effort is what I am calling so far: The Legend of Seven. And yes, I know that the title is the last thing you need. And yes, I know that this can and probably will be changed at some point, but its the name that has stuck with me during my entire writing. I started writing... well I can't put an exact date but sometime about a year and a half, two years ago. A lot of people will start writing, and after maybe a chapter or two will quit. But I couldn't. I was enjoying it way too much. There were times when I did not have the time to write or I suffered from the clichaic (if its a word) sydrome known as writer's block. But I always found my thoughts drifting back to it. I felt like I was on to something good so I kept writing. At the end of last year I surprised myself by completing the first draft of this book entirely by hand. I love the feeling of writing by hand. I am now in my own editing process whilst typing it up. I am looking to publish my book and my cousin suggested a few critics or editors to review it. One that I searched was one Janet Reid. At the behest of her blog, I began my own.
If you want to find out more about the book, I guess you're gonna have to come back later to check it out. I can't just give it all away now, can I? Well... I suppose a little won't hurt none.

"In the beginning there were gods. They created planets and worlds and then left them to their own devices. Whether this was a hobby of theirs, or perhaps a charge, possibly an experiment, we shall never know. That is unless one chooses to return to its child and reveal itself to the inhabitants thereof.
Each god had its own dominion, an element or a part of life to which its power was dedicated. On each planet created, the gods would leave a lieutenant, a guard as it were, over their respective powers. Their duty was not only to watch over the child, but to maintain the balance therein. On this, our planet (for we assume there are others), man is found. Men sought to know the gods, but they had left. They found instead their lieutenants that had been left behind. These guardians would grant a portion of their power to these men; it was then that magic was discovered. There were in fact seven of these guardians after whom were the most sought. Men sought first control the power of earth, to farm, to till, to grow. What good would the land be with no water? So men besought the guardian of water for life. The wind helped to keep their crops growing, and it spread the seeds of new life. It was fire last, as a warmth and light, and when needed: a weapon. Separate, yet not independent came the elements of light and dark. However, their history is less known, and their power all the more closed to our eyes. And it is the seventh element that is the most mysterious. For of this element the common man has no knowledge, and as such, he has no control."

Chapter 1, The Legend of Seven. (this is the book in the novel, not chapter one of the thing I am writing. ok I am writing but its not the thing you'll be reading. Ok yes you'll be reading it, it just... oh forget it, you know what I mean)