Some time ago I made a big thing about my writing. I was very enthusiastic and eager to prove what I could do. Time has taught me that raw enthusiasm is no substitute for discipline. I was not ready so long as I had delusions about being a published suthor. Perhaps that may happen, but I can't expect it to happen. As far as I can tell, getting published is extremely unlikely unless you are A) Persistent, B) Lucky, or C) Extraordinarily talented. A combination of A and B are most common, but C is largely a delusion held by amateurs who think they can take on the big leagues because they are just that good. I focused primarily on C before, but now I am ready to wake up and focus on A and B. Especially A.

I've scrapped all previous projects and am starting fresh (though I do intend to re-edit one of my old manuscripts that I feel has potential). I'm working on two projects at the moment.

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1. Emerald Colossus (Tentative Title) (Fantasy):

This story follows Gadwin, an artificial human, created by the now forbidden craft of alchemy, known as a homunculus. He'd been created a century ago to fight in a conflict known as the Construct War that pitted the earth-based craft of alchemy against the logic-based craft of sorcery. A relic of the war and a member of a species long thought extinct, Gadwin lives by draining the life energy out of the flora and fauna around him. He struggles against a primal instinct programmed into him by his creator that, if unchecked, causes him to transform into a monstrous killing machine that had once wreaked havoc in the war.

He also struggles against a programmed addiction to human life energy. Absorbing the consciousness of the human beings killed in the war granted his species sentience but also caused them to go berserk from the absorbed emotions, a catastrophe that ultimately led to the defeat of alchemy and the banning of the craft. Gadwin fights his addiction because once he gets a taste he can't stop himself from murdering repeatedly for another fix.

He is accompanied in his journey by a mysterious boy named Rasa, who is neither human nor homunculus, and his spirit companion Tabea. Together they try to track down a mythical being known as the Emerald Colossus, the final and ultimate creation of alchemy that Gadwin hopes can cure him of his addiction and grant him humanity.

2. The Bloody Twilight (Kingdom of the Dead, vol 1) (Dark Fantasy):

This story takes place in an empire known as Dis, ruled by a supernatural monarch known as the Devil Emperor. The story follows Joan, a priestess in training who's mother was killed when she was a child under accusations of witchcraft. After years of training, Joan has earned the right to take the final test which would raise her to the status of full priestess. Since the reign of the Devil Emperor began, the spirits of the dead have been unable to find peace. They rise from their graves as rotting corpses, restless spirits, and terrifying demons that prey on the weak and unwary. It falls to the priesthood, of which Joan is a member, to combat this scourge.

Joan is given the task of eliminating the spirit of a 7 year-old girl named Daisy who haunts her father's wine cellar. When it is discovered that there is much more to Daisy's death than was readily apparent, Joan defends Daisy and saves her from banishment. The spirit later returns and introduces Joan to her friend Ammut, a legendary and incredibly powerful demon who comes out during the full moon to devour human souls---an event known as the Bloody Twilight (because the bodies are typically found at the break of dawn). While Joan is initially terrified, the two eventually develop a bond. Joan keeps the secret of where Ammut rests between feedings, and is later called upon to protect that secret from Leimos, a famous high priest who commands a group of infamous demon hunters known as Death's Harbingers.

Book One mainly follows Joan's struggle to protect Ammut and takes place in one city, while the following books will expand to take place in various locations in Dis, as well as answer questions about Ammut's origins, the true story behind the death of Joan's mother, the Devil Emperor's motives, and the purpose of a shadowy figure known as The Nameless that stalks Joan throughout the first book. It also deals with themes such as mortality, the nature of good and evil, reincarnation, and human nature.

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There is more to both stories than is in my brief descriptions. All subplots were excluded, and both books have a second main character with a story all his own. I left them out because they're incomplete and subject to change

So this is what I'm currently doing. I mentioned earlier that there was a previously completed manuscript that I am going to re-edit. This post is already on the long side, so I'll describe that one in another entry.