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Magic of the Wood


Darkniciad
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Just thought I'd add a place to post things about the Magic of the Wood series.  Here's something that you might find interesting -- my list I keep to keep track of family members as the series goes on.

 

DANIEL GREENE: 31 Steward, 49 Daughter, 74 Forever, 92 Secret, 98 Kindred,

100 Heart, 103 Beauty

 

XANBRINA: 18 Daughter, 43 Forever, 61 Secret, 67 Kindred, 69 Heart, 72 Beauty

 

XANKIA: 19 Forever, 37 Secret, 44 Kindred, 46 Heart, 49 Beauty

 

DANIEL MILLER: 18 Secret, 24 Kindred, 26 Heart, 29 Beauty

 

GLEN: 10 Secret, 16 Kindred, 18 Heart, 21 Beauty

 

XANMARA: 13 Secret, 18 Kindred, 20 Heart, 23 Beauty

 

XANTERRA: 2 Kindred, 4 Heart, 7 Beauty

 

XANELLA: 2 Kindred, 4 Heart, 7 Beauty

 

DALE: 1 Heart, 4 Beauty

 

The numbers are ages at the time of the story.

 

I'm probably going to start tracking the married-in family members the next time I update this.  I wasn't doing it before, because I had everyone hooking up with people the same age *laugh*  With Glen marrying a woman a few years older in Heart and Dara marrying a younger man in Beauty, that's changed.  I need to remember how old they are as the series goes on.

 

There have been 72 years since the first story ( more really, as I start "Steward" with Daniel as a young boy )  I know it's unrealistic that so little has changed in the world around them as generations come of age, but it's fantasy dagnabbit!  *laugh*  I'm not going to have them flying around in solar-powered Jetson cars.

 

Technology is simply going to move slowly in this alternate world I've created.

 

You also might notice a few names you don't recognize at the end of the list.  Those are Dan and Brooke's kids.  Terra and Ella are twins, with thier younger brother Dale.  More likely than not, they're slated to be the stars of upcoming stories.

 

Still trying to come up with an interesting way to hook up Xannera.  Everything I've tried to write just doesn't have the right "oomph" to it.  There's a fair to middling possibility that her story will end up being either a web short ( still working on launching that website feature ) or perhaps a secondary story tied to another new tale, released at about the same time.

 

For example, maybe I'll tell Terra's story, and within it, there's another character who's peripheral to that story, but ends up hooking up with Xannera in a side tale that I'll release at about the same time.

 

There's just not much of a way to build tension with a character like Xannera in the world I've created, which doesn't allow people to stumble upon them.  The nymphs can keep people they don't want out, so anyone who can find them is wanted there.  At that point, it's pretty much assured what's going to happen ;)

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  • 7 months later...

Just updated the listing and finally included all the people brought into the family by the stories so I can more easily keep track of those who had some age gap ( Melinda and Glen, Dara and Chase )

 

I've redacted one name because it's a spoiler ;)

 

Probably be adding some more names to this soon.  Mara and Wade have kids by the time "Friend" rolls around.  So do Melinda and Glen, Dara and Chase.

 

=============
 
DANIEL GREENE: 31 Steward, 49 Daughter, 74 Forever, 92 Secret, 98 Kindred,100 Heart, 103 Beauty, 114 Friend
 
XANBRINA: 18 Daughter, 43 Forever, 61 Secret, 67 Kindred, 69 Heart, 72 Beauty, 83 Friend
 
GARY: 18 Daughter, 43 Forever, 61 Secret, 67 Kindred, 69 Heart, 72 Beauty, 83 Friend
 
XANKIA: 19 Forever, 37 Secret, 44 Kindred, 46 Heart, 49 Beauty, 60 Friend
 
STEVE: 19 Forever, 37 Secret, 44 Kindred, 46 Heart, 49 Beauty, 60 Friend
 
DANIEL MILLER: 18 Secret, 24 Kindred, 26 Heart, 29 Beauty, 40 Friend
 
BROOKE: 18 Secret, 24 Kindred, 26 Heart, 29 Beauty, 40 Friend
 
GLEN: 10 Secret, 16 Kindred, 18 Heart, 21 Beauty, 32 Friend

MELINDA: 26 Heart, 29 Beauty, 40 Friend
 
XANMARA: 13 Secret, 18 Kindred, 20 Heart, 23 Beauty, 34 Friend
 
WADE: 18 Kindred, 20 Heart, 23 Beauty, 34 Friend
 
PAUL: 42 Kindred, 44 Heart, 47 Beauty, 58 Friend
 
L'DARA: 24 Kindred, 26 Heart, 29 Beauty, 40 Friend
 
CHASE: 20 Beauty, 31 Friend
 
XANTERRA: 2 Kindred, 4 Heart, 7 Beauty, 18 Friend
 
SPOILER: 2 Kindred, 4 Heart, 7 Beauty, 18 Friend
 
XANELLA: 2 Kindred, 4 Heart, 7 Beauty, 18 Friend
 
DALE: 1 Heart, 4 Beauty, 15 Friend

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  • 3 weeks later...

From the beginning of "Friend", there was always a side-story building about Nathan's brother Tony.  I cut it out of the working draft early in the process, but saved all the notes and everything.  The only evidence of him in "Friend" is that Nathan is borrowing his truck.

 

So now, I'm working on that story, which will be called "Memories of the Wood".  I'm not sure yet whether it will be posted to the story sites, or whether it will be put on my "Shorts" page here.

 

"Short" being a bit of a misnomer, considering how long some of them are getting *laugh*  I probably should have called it something else.

 

Anyway...

 

I'm winding down a little from the recent spurt of releases, but I'm still getting a few paragraphs down on this here and there.  I'm not sure I'll concentrate on it, but for now, it's what's moving, because so much of it was thought out well in advance.

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  • 4 months later...

Yeah, that story didn't work out.  Tony was just too bitter to pull out of his funk in any reasonable amount of time.  Have another idea for Xannera to find some love now, tied in with this year's story.  Brainstorming it now.  It will be about Ella and her beau, starting the story with an active and stable relationship for once, rather than finding love :)

 

For funsies, here's a list I keep on my computer of possible title starts.  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a good word to start the title, have it represent the theme of the story well, and also work as a closing line.  Just had a productive search session and added quite a few new words to the list.

 

Sanctuary
Whispers
Fruit
Tale
Season
Song
Light
Legacy
Spirit
Lady
Companions
Blessing
Healer
Shelter
Guardian
Wisdom
Legend
Hope
Hero
Dream
Friend==USED
Keeper
Warmth
Bounty
Promise
Mystery
Memories
Peace
Truth
Edge
Queen
King
Voice
Folk
Root
Prince
Princess
Way
Call
Origin
Rhythm
History
Creature
Watchers
Shadow

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Sat down and did some quick calculating tonight.  Mara and Wade's daughter will be turning eighteen in three years after this year's Earth Day story ( set when Ella is 19.  She was 18 in "Friend" )  Melinda and Glen's daughter hits the magical eighteen one year later.

 

Haven't thought about whether Melinda and Glen have more than one yet, but I know Mara and Wade are sticking to one.  Coming from two different nymph strains presents some rather unique challenges.

 

Dale ( Ella and Terra's brother ) turns 18 at the same time as Mara and Wade's daughter.

 

So, cutting down the ol' time jumps a little as the family expands.  I've got three stories ( four, counting Ella's ) that I can tell and only move forward 4 years total.  If this year's story works out the way I want it to, I can insert another kid ( or kids ) a couple of years earlier than the next generation of offspring from the above as well.

 

If I'm feeling froggy, I can always pull out an unexpected late child like I did with Brina, too.  Or have more twins/triplets like Ella and Terra.

 

There will still be jumps, but at least it isn't 18+ years per story like it was in the beginning LOL

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  • 3 weeks later...

Transferred my Magic of the Wood cheat-sheet over to an Excel spreadsheet last night.  The main thing it helps me do is keep the ages straight, because I have formulas that automatically calculate it based upon a birth year and a year for the story.

 

If you're curious, I arbitrarily set Daniel from "Steward" as being born in the mythical year 1900.  Doesn't really matter, because time more or less stands still around the characters in the Wood universe *laugh*

 

Every other character's birth year is calculated from there.

 

In the process, I sat down and figured out a couple more things.

 

Mara and Wade are only going to have one daughter, and she's going to take her real name from the Naiad side of the family, beginning with L' instead of Xan.  She's going to be fun to write when her turn comes around.

 

Chase and Dara are going to have a daughter and a son, and they don't waste any time getting around to it.  Their daughter is conceived on the very next Earth Day after "Beauty".

 

Melinda and Glen may have careers, but they're making time for each other.  They have a daughter and two sons, all born exactly two years apart.

 

If everything works out with this year's Earth Day story, there's going to be another bun in the oven on this Earth Day as well.

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  • 1 month later...

*Sigh* Epic fail #3.

 

Biggest part of the problem was trying to start with an established relationship and having the proper amount of tension without one of them coming off as dickish.

 

And, I have to admit, part of the problem for the last three years has been the insults and accusations thrown at me on the Lit forum every time I even consider posting a story in this series.  It sucks the life out of me, and makes it difficult to write.

 

I'm not finishing the one I was working on.  That's for certain.  I haven't written a word on it since the day I posted in the shoutbox that I was still working on it.  Once I put it down for a "few minutes" shortly thereafter, I haven't even felt like opening it.

 

I may turn my attention to a story I've been building up to for years now.  I've been putting pieces of it in place for the last several stories, and the timetable is right for it to roll out soon.  In fact, I have a limited window where I can actually write the thing.

 

Maybe if I start on it now, I'll actually have it ready by August. :rolleyes:

 

My current thought is to have a summer backdrop for it, anyway.  The ending scene sort of excludes Halloween, Winter Holiday, and Valentine's.  Nude Day's the right season, but despite the casual nudity of the series, that doesn't meet the bar of what qualifies as "on theme" in my mind for that contest.  So, it's pretty much Summer or Earth Day.

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  • 7 months later...

Had a brainstorm that solved a problem I've been pondering for some time, which has also been holding up progress on the series.

 

I've been trying to figure out how to deal with Xannera finding a mate, and more importantly, how to deal with the resulting kid(s).  Of all places, the inspiration comes from an Adam Sandler movie LOL

 

The "Big Daddy" route where the mother ( supposedly, in this case ) gives up the child to the natural father requires only a paternity test to prove her mate is the father.  From there, I can have the children enter the world without any legal weirdness.

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  • 5 months later...

I just looked at the aborted drafts from the last few years, and "Blessing of the Wood", which I'm working on now, is twice as long as any of those managed before they petered out.

 

It's also likely to be one of the longest stories in the series when finished.

 

Notice I said "when" and not "if".  I think this one's far enough along to say that.  I don't think I'll have it done in time to post by Earth Day, unfortunately.  It would need to be done and edited by the 20th for that, and I simply don't see that happening.  To give it the attention a story truly needs, I would need to finish it tonight, so I could let it sit a couple of days before beginning the editing process.

 

At this point, I think it might post between the 27th and the end of the month.  Not ideal, but better than the last several years of missing Earth Day, and not posting a new story in the series at all last year.

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  • 2 months later...

Just dropping a more permanent record of what I said in the shoutbox.  I've finally finished the first draft of everything in "Blessing of the Wood" except for the final sex scene.

 

With all of the difficult story bits out of the way, it's simply a matter of writing time to wrap this one up -- at last!

 

Late for Earth Day, but considering my recent track record, better late than never is quite the apt phrase.

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I already had a pretty good idea for Dale's story, but had a brainstorm today.  Making notes, digging up references, and getting stuff together so I don't lose it.

 

One of the things that sparked the idea was searching for a new earth-friendly backdrop for the story.  I came up with honeybees.  I'm not going to give anything away, but that dramatically changed his love interest, and sparked a lot of world-building for the Wood universe.

 

Now, I'm faced with a major problem, though -- the title.  I want something to hearken to the bee theme.  There are all sorts of things that sound good as a title.  Queen of the Wood...  Honey of the Wood...  The problem is the tradition of ending every story with the title as the end of the last line.  Trying to squeeze any of those title ideas in as an ending line is perplexing me.

 

Feel free to chime in if you can think of any bee-centric words that would sound good in the ending line of a Wood story LOL

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  • 6 months later...

Updated the spreadsheet today.  First things first, I added two names to it.  The first is Dale's love interest, and the second is her brother, who is the same age as Dale.

 

Then I went in and added a notation column denoting who each person's parents are.  Not difficult to remember for those who have existing stories, or are next on the docket.  Not so easy for the kids I have listed farther down.  The family is expanding rapidly at this point.

 

Also color-coded all the pairings so I can more easily find everyone's ages.  It's arranged by birth year, so in the case of mixed-age pairings, they're not side by side.

 

I have my theme for the next story, and I've been doing research on it for quite some time.  I ended up going with Queen as the title, and I believe I have an idea for the ending line using that.  I'm going to start writing it today, because I have several scenes mapped out in my head.

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First thousand words of Queen of the Wood are done.  I've introduced Dale, gave a brief touch of the setting of the series, a small look into Dale's personality, and introduced Alvaro.  He's the catalyst that gets the whole story moving, and has a story of his own.

 

That's only part of one of several scenes I've been building in detail in my head for a while now.

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  • 6 months later...

This is the sequence of the stories, correct?

Magic of the Wood series
1 - Steward
2 - Daughter
3 - Forever
4 - Secret
5 - Kindred
6 - Heart
7 - Beauty
8 - Friend

 

I liked the map I stumbled upon in the forum. It looks like it was done in an early version of Fantasy Cartographer. I used that for a couple of my own fantasy maps before moving to Campaign Cartographer. I've read about half the series, but now with the map, I'll probably restart it from the beginning. Thoroughly enjoying the tales!

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It's actually done in the next-to-most-recent version of CC.  I haven't gotten around to downloading CC3 yet, even though I have a free download for it after purchasing something else during a promotion.

 

The order is correct, with "Blessing" being #9.  The "My Work" page always lists series in chronological order.

 

The next will probably be a break from pattern, because I fizzled out on Dale's story.  There's another that really needs to be told first, anyway, and has to do with something on the map I've never addressed before in a story.  It's also something I've been putting pieces in place for since Kindred of the Wood.

 

I have the general outline of it ready, but there's something missing.  The only thing I know for sure is that it will also break the title pattern.  While it will still follow the timeline, falling between Blessing and Dale's story, it's not the generational

progression of the main series.  Also, it's getting hard as hell to come up with one word that fits the title pattern. LOL  So giving myself an out with side stories and history stories ( also a possibility ) will help that.

 

It will start out around the time of Ella and Terra's dual wedding on the Summer Solstice.

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  • 11 months later...

Well, despite thinking I was going to give myself an "out" for the titles, the story is in progress, and it's called "Beloved of the Wood" LOL

 

It kicks off just before Ella and Terra's summer solstice handfasting ( officiated by Melinda, of course )

 

Not sure when it will be done, because I'm concentrating so much on SOTM with a few breaks here and there for contest stories, RR quickies, and some other new Darkniciad stuff.

 

The main purpose of the story is to solve some long term problems I've always known were going to arise as the timeline progressed.  That's why I've been putting pieces on the board in other stories, getting them ready for this one.

 

Not to worry, it's not an end of the series type thing.  It's just a necessary transition point which answers a lot of questions that were probably going to come up.

 

Even if they didn't, I was asking them myself, and it bothered me enough to deal with it.

 

Near the end of it, you'll probably be able to look back at the stories starting with Kindred of the Wood and see where I've been sliding in necessary elements.

 

I've got a better idea of how to start Dale's story as well.  The opening was dragging the way I was writing it, and that's what stalled me out.  I've got a quicker way to introduce one important character, which then gets me to his love interest.

 

That story is also going to fill a hole that's been there for a long time.  I've already solved a problem that filling that hole is going to cause in a future story.  LOL

 

There's a lot of planning and thought that goes into this series, and yet, decades have passed with almost no change in technology :P

 

That is just going to have to be a suspension of disbelief point ;)

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