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I have officially 'outlined' chapters 1-16 using flash cards and mini sticky notes. Yay for cheap office supplies! Now I just have to rearrange everything and in the process, rewrite all my chapters. Whee!

Also, I finally figured out how to use the word quota aspect of my writing program, so now I can keep track of how much I write in a day/week and make sure I'm not falling behind.

You wrote 'defame'. I read 'dethrone'.

..and I was so hoping to just fly past this little bump in the road. Tomorrow's project: clearing all my other projects off the dining table and buying myself some flash cards to organize this crap.

I really appreciate the help, NJC. Eventually, I'll wriggle out of this novice writer stage.

So, back to the actual subject of this thread.... Does anyone have a good alternate name for "Dragon Rider"? I've been struggling to find a good name since I started writing this story and nothing I've found seems quite right.

Rider = Far too cliche, far too obvious, and it suggests the dragon is more of a pet than a partner. Also, what would I call the dragon? (Yes, wild dragons do exist in this world.)

Guardian = I somehow like this name, but I can't find any reason for it. What would they be guarding? The world? Too ambitious. The country? Doesn't fit with the plot. Some magical item/place? Maybe, but I don't want to throw in too much irrelevant information, so this would involve a major plot re-write.

Companion = This is the one I'm leaning toward the most, but it still doesn't quite fit. 'Companion' makes me think of a travelling companion and that type of relationship is too impersonal for the Dragon-Human bond. You also can't throw 'Dragon' in front of it like you can 'Rider'.

New chapter! Yay! I'm blaming Amy for its length. (Nearly 2,500 words! *victory dance*) The next chapter is about halfway done, so I'm crossing my fingers that I can finish that in the next week or so.

My other half won't let me tell him anything about my book 'cause he wants to be my very first reader when it's complete. So no one gets to hear my plot ideas except the kitty cat...

Norm, I need to take lessons from you on villains. Damn.

-Elisheva

As close to a routine as I can manage.

My manager is actually pretty fantastic, and my boss above him IS a techie. I don't mind working late at all (in fact, I'll be back on the late schedule once every 6 weeks), but it's nice to be working at the same time as all the other techs and not by myself.

It is morning and I am awake!!

So... I just switched to a morning shift, which is going to take some getting used to. My only free time lately has been my commute, so I keep making notes on plot ideas rather than writing. Hopefully I'll get used to this new schedule soon and pump out another couple chapters.

-Elisheva

Eeep! I've been trying really really hard to focus on the first draft, otherwise I'll get distracted and never finish. Any editing ideas are going in my notebook.

I don't think I could convince myself to kill off a main character, unless it's for a really good plot-related reason. Side characters? Sure, but again, some sort of reason is required. (As long as the reason isn't my limitation as a writer)

Alright, so I've had a few people comment on the Empress and Madame, and there appears to be some confusion. These are two separate people. One being the evil ruler of the Empire and the other is simply a very powerful noblewoman who goes by the nickname "Madame". Is it the nickname that's throwing everyone off, or is it my descriptions? Should I be changing her name or somehow clarifying this separation in one of my chapters?

-Elisheva

This is probably the most entertaining thing I'll see all day. Makes me want to go to an actual show.

In my world, there are two types of magic: Runes and the Arcane Arts. There are specialties in each. Runes I haven't delved into too much since it isn't quite so relevant for The Colorless Dragons, but it is very common magic. The emberstone lanterns I keep mentioning are an example of Rune magic. Runes are carved into the lantern, imbuing the light with different hues or having the lanterns brighten as the suns set/dim as the suns rise. Rune magic is regularly practiced in certain professions (artificers being one of these).

The Arcane Arts are closer to actual magic as they involve the direct control of the Elements of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth without the use of inscriptions. Life and Death are also included, but they have extenuating circumstances. The Arts themselves are creation, manipulation, infliction, and communion. An Arcanist typically specializes in one or two Arts and one Element. For example, Braeik is a Water-infliction Arcanist, meaning that he can change his body's composition (or that of any other living thing) to water or ice. See Ch. 12 for a poorly described example.

On top of this, all magic uses Arcane energy, which comes from a Source (which constantly produces energy) or Reliquary (a temporary container for energy). Only some have the skill to manipulate Arcane energy and of those, few are tested and trained, which is why Arcanists are so rare.

I think you got me ranting, NJC... Hope that wasn't too much information.

-Elisheva