The Colorless Dragon Thread (Page 14 of 15)

Hmm... I can't get the link to work.

Alright. I've got the whole scene planned out and a small portion of it written. Just need to find time to actually finish writing it.

Enjoy Disney. Beware the head and drink lots of Gatorade. Don't forget sunscreen.

So much to write, so little time. I'm having troubles with the ending of Dea's next chapter. Might flip to another perspective temporarily so I can keep my brain cells from frying. That is, if I can actually manage the time to write. I think my average lately has been 100 words per day, a rather depressing average in my opinion.

I have a slight dialogue dilemma. I decided at one point that dragons don't use contractions in their speech, however I have two instances where I can't seem to find a smooth replacement for "I'm". It just sounds strange to use "I am". At this point, I'm half-tempted to make "I'm" an exempt phrase from my no contractions rule. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Dea starts following a human and says the below. I love the phrase, so I'm having a hard time finding a replacement.

This one's for a dragon that hasn't been introduced yet. It's during a high-tension scene, so it needs to remain short.

Or go without the contractions but drop the 'for you' in the second case.  In the first  'but I am following'.

Ooh, I like it. Still not sure about the second one. I don't like the dragon referencing themselves by name, as it reminds me of Japanese culture where referencing yourself is considered childish. I'll play with it a bit, see what I can come up with. Thanks for the help!

I'm alive, I swear! Finally finished a difficult chapter a week or so ago, but between work, the flu, and family, I have had no time for reviews. Crossing my fingers that I can get some done this weekend and post Dea's next chapter for y'all to tear to pieces.

Eek! I've been prodded! Dea's next chapter is up. Now I gotta wrap up Ch. 11's ending and work on a few more reviews.

That's a good point, but I do like challenging myself with writing instead of just going the "easy" way. In this instance, it made more sense to have the human remain genderless from Dea's perspective for several reasons. First, she's a hatchling with blurry/fragmented ancestral memories. If dragons as a species had determined the difference between human genders, she may not have that information. Second, the only thing dragons in general care about when it comes to humans is how to kill them. I don't think gender would be considered important with that goal in mind. In a dragon society, males and females have equal importance, so it likely wouldn't even cross their minds to target one or the other. Third, I want to dive into species perspectives as much as possible for both my and the reader's sake, because TCD has several complex cultures and societies beyond just the dragons.

On the other hand, though, this genderless perspective does continue through one more chapter. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't get confusing or annoying for the reader, but if I can't manage it after a few revisions, I'll nix it.

Also... sense of smell. How the frack did I miss that? I think I'm gonna write myself a sticky note with all the senses listed out and slap it on my monitor so I don't forget again. Thank you for the reminder, K.

I had enough snow to warrant a "snow day" for the college campus. Two, in fact. Between that, several Monday holidays, and the flu making its rounds, I am ridiculously behind in schoolwork all of a sudden (at least, by my standards). Luckily, I only have one week of classes left, plus finals. Then I get a break! On the flip side, though, I now have strep throat... As soon as I can actually think through this muddle of medication, I'd like to pop out a few reviews. Anyone looking to take the bait and accept my meager advice on something specific?

I like the idea, though I suggest it come in fits and starts as a surprise.  And one of the pair pushed it away and needs to learm to let it happen.

What happens on the human side?