Summary of the Semester

Overall I found the course to be pretty enjoyable. I was given a good amount of helpful suggestions for my work, so I am thankful for that. The tips I was given were creative, and I felt that they really improved what I had already written. Having others read my work is always beneficial. I also got to read some good stories by other aspiring authors, which I enjoyed. If I had to name any downside to this though, its that I ended up spending a lot more time writing critiques than I spent writing my own work. Still, the help I obtained through this process was beneficial.

I do intend to send out my query letter, but not until I actually finish writing my story. I will also have to slightly alter the format of the letter, as the format the DAW Books requests for their submissions is a little different from the format required for our final portfolio. I also want to finish the story first so I can give an accurate word-count, and a more up to date summary of the story.

I actually did not find it difficult to find a publisher to choose. I went to Penguin Group and saw that the listed DAW Books as currently taking submissions for sci-fi and fantasy, so that was absolutely perfect.

It is unlikely that I will continue blogging on this blog. I felt like this blog was just for work in this class, and so I would like to separate that from work I would like to do in the future. Also, many bloggers I read use Word Press, and I like the look of Word Press much more than Blogger.

I am open to self-publishing, as I know of several writers I like who have enjoyed moderate success through self-publishing. I don't exactly know how to do this, but I know that I could contact one or two of the writers I know of who would probably let me know how it works, or point me in the right direction.

Overall I have enjoyed this class, and feel like I have gained a lot from it. I am actually kind of sad that its over, because Creative Writing and other English related classes are the only classes I really enjoy anymore.

Publishing Houses

            How I picked which publishing house I would prefer was not all that complicated. I mostly looked how their website looked, and what sorts of books they published. St. Martin’s Press didn’t seem to have much fantasy or sci-fi books, so that one wouldn’t work out. Same thing with Little Brown. I also couldn’t find much of a list of their books, save for a few new releases, so I found their website a bit difficult to navigate.

Harper Collins, Penguin, and Random House all seemed to have a large selection of books looked good. Of those I think I would pick either Penguin or Random House. That is mostly because I know I have read books from those publishing houses that I have enjoyed, but I’m not sure if I have read a book from Harper Collins. I probably have, but don’t recall. I also just liked the way their websites were laid out, as opposed to Harper Collins.

So yeah, not a very complicated selection process, but there you go.

Revisions from the First Workshop

First, I just want to say I doubled the amount of content that was originally in the prologue. I thought that would be appropriate since that was probably the number one thing brought up during the critique of my work. Since I did that, I decided for the second half of the workshop it would be best to focus on expanding the content of the original “chapter 1” of my rough draft. That way I would be able to flesh out the characters more, add some understanding regarding the nature of Vidar and Groglack’s mission, and hopefully add a second chapter to add on for the next workshop too.

            I also explained a few things brought up during the worksop, like how the orcs found the village, how the man knocked over Morzul (actually I changed what happened so it made a little more sense), and added a little more description of the overall battle.

            I also would like to address that I refer to Morzul as “the giant orc” in the prologue because I would like for the reader to make the connection in chapter one that Morzul is the giant orc when Groglack and Vidar refer to him. If this is only confusing, I can always change it…I just thought it would be cooler that way.

            I have a few ideas of what I could do next with the story. I thought about putting a chapter about Vidar and Groglack when they are young boys right after the prologue instead of what is now currently chapter 1. I am debating this, as I think it could provide more info on how Vidar has adapted to an orc society, but on the other hand I don’t know if it is needed.

            Another thing I am conflicted about is the situation of Vidar’s mother. I originally intended for Morzul to kill her after she gave birth to Groglack, but I have had another idea, which grew out of an idea I was given by someone in the workshop. I am considering having Vidar’s mother, after Morzul captures her, to voluntarily become Morzul’s wife. Not because she is trying to get out of being killed or because she really wants to be his wife, but so that she can watch over Vidar as he grows up. Vidar and Groglack grow up thinking she willingly became the wife of Morzul, but eventually Vidar’s mother tells him the truth of what happened. Vidar’s mother puts on this big charade of putting up with the orc society with a smile, but deep down she is only going through this for the sake of her son. Not even Morzul would know it was all an act. I am only considering this idea though, I haven’t made up my mind.

            Alternately, or perhaps additionally, I am also thinking about throwing in a long lost older sister of Vidar, who happened to be away from home during the orc attack. Maybe Vidar runs into her somehow,  like she was looking for Vidar over the years. I am also unsure on this idea though.

            Also, I would really like to complete this story all the way to its end. It may be sort of long, which will be a challenge for me. The longest thing I have written was a 70 page novella, which honestly wasn’t that good, but I hope to challenge myself by writing a longer work. I have ideas for how I want the story to proceed and ultimately end, but I may need some help on how to write longer work. But thank you for taking the time to read my story!

Booktubers

                “Booktubers” are people on Youtube who make videos related to books. Basically they are like people who write book reviews on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, except they make their reviews in video format. The video format can possibly have an advantage over the text format because the people giving their reviews can sometimes be more entertaining when actually speaking themselves.

                In general, all of these Booktubers make book reviews. But the way the reviews are done are not always the same. First, they sometimes do things called “Book Hauls.” This is when the reviewer gets a number of books at a library or bookstore and talks about them all in one video. In the videos I saw, they usually set a goal to read the described books within that month.

                One unique thing I saw among Booktubers were the Bookshelf videos. This was where the Booktuber toured their entire bookshelf (or bookshelves) and gave a brief description of the books they had and what they thought of them. I thought this was the most interesting thing, because I could see how other people organized their books. My bookselves are all overflowing and disorganized, so those videos gave me a few ideas of how I could get them all back in order.

                The Booktubers I watched were:

The Readables

https://www.youtube.com/user/thereadables

Just Kiss My Frog

https://www.youtube.com/user/jsutkissmyfrog

Danny Marks

https://www.youtube.com/user/dannymarksya

I glanced at a few other profiles but I mostly watched these. I can’t say which I really liked the best, but I found all three of these to be decent enough to watch. I think in order for these to be enjoyable the Booktuber does at the very least need to have an interesting perspective on the books and have decent audio and video quality.  I don’t really mind if the videos are edited to jump from one thing to the next though.

                I am going to sound like a huge hypocrite here but if you are going to have bookshelves in the background of your video, they should at least look nice. Like I said before, my bookshelves are all messy and overflowing, but I’m not exactly making a video of it either. None of the Booktubers had that problem though.

                As for how blunt you should be in a book review video, I think that all depends on the reviewer. Yes you should give an honest review. But how you come across in that video all depends on the online persona the Booktuber has created for themselves. For example, lets say a Booktuber has a lot of subscribers and they all find it very entertaining when the reviewer is comically snobbish in reviews. So, since that is what their audience enjoys, it would make since for the reviewer to make videos in that style. The reviewer’s personality might not in reality be like that, but that may be their “character” when making videos. I hope my meaning is clear on this.

                I could probably make decent book review videos if I tried. I find it a lot easier to talk to a camera than to people in real life, so that wouldn’t be an issue. I doubt that would happen though since I don’t have the time to make book review videos.

                I think this whole Booktuber thing is an interesting idea, and if you are looking for book reviews this may be something to look into. However, as much as I do love books, I can’t really feel myself compelled to subscribe to any of these reviewers on Youtube. I might look up some of their videos every now and then though.

Object Description Assignment

            I came from the earth, and with much toil and skill, I was forged by one Canadian blacksmith. I was modeled after the weapon which was forged by the dwarves Brokkr and Eitri. At the top of me rests the likeness of a goat skull, peering grimly at those who meet its gaze. Its horns curl downward. At my base, below my handle, are five detailed runes. These runes represent the primal might of thunder and lightning. I am not much larger than a coin, my weight is light, and I hang from a silver chain. I am grey as the sky as a strong storm approaches. Very appropriate, if I do say so myself.

            I would have felt very much at home resting upon the breast of a warrior one thousand years ago, through all of his battles until the day he rested upon his funeral pyre at sea.

            After Tuesday, I will post an image of the object being described.

The Well of Mimir

                As my first post, I thought it would be useful to explain a bit about the name of this blog.

                In the Germanic myths, Mimir is a deity associated with otherworldly wisdom, who gives council to Odin/Woden. Mimir, in the days of the war between the Vanir gods and the Aesir gods, was beheaded. Woden, wishing to preserve Mimir’s knowledge, sprinkled herbs and recited spells over the god’s head, and placed him at the bottom of a well. This well was located at the root of the world tree Yggdrasil in Jotunheim, land of the giants.

                The well in which Mimir resides has the power to grant vast amounts of knowledge to whoever drinks of its waters. But all must pay a price to taste it. Even the Allfather Woden himself had to sacrifice one of his eyes to drink from it. In return, he gained knowledge of the universe few had.

    Verse 28 of Lee M. Hollander’s translation of the Eddaic poem Voluspá, or The Prophercy of the Seeress, states:

                “Alone she sat out           when the lord of gods,

                Óthin the old,                    her eye did seek:

                ‘What seekest to know,       why summon me?

                Well know I, Ygg,              where thy eye is hidden:

                In the wondrous              well of Mimir;

                Each morn Mimir              his mead doth drink

                Out of Fjolnir’s pledge’”*

    This theme of suffering and receiving wisdom in return is a prominent theme in the stories of Woden. I will likely return to this theme in a future post, when my thoughts are organized enough to grant it the proper attention.

                I chose this name for the blog because I try to emulate Woden in my life. I do this for many reasons that are too numerous to name here. But, I will say that Woden, by his very nature, is a sufferer. But it is by this suffering that he obtains his wisdom. Just like him, I seek the Well of Mimir so that I may obtain the knowledge for the betterment of my own life.

    The things I will write about in this blog include, but are not limited to, literature and Germanic culture and myth. Occasionally I will throw in a random musing here and there.

                My next post will be about the short story, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard.

*I understand the language in this verse can be confusing to the uninitiated. I will try to clarify a few things. This poem is being told by a seeress, hence the name.  The poem is switched back and forth between being told from first to third person, which can make some things confusing. In the first line, "she sat out" is a reference to the seeress communing with various spirits of the dead to gain information. She then says that she knows Ygg (a name of Odin, meaning "the terrible one") has hidden his eyein the well of Mimir, where he drinks to obtain knowledge. Fjolnir is another name of Odin, meaning "the wise one" or "the concealer." Fjlonir's pledge is a skaldic term which refer's to Odin's sacrifice.