[huff huff] finally going to post on time!

30,545

Ow, my wrist.

As I stated in my last entry, I found two old "dot-matrix" printed copies of "false starts" of this story. One was called "Searer of Souls" and had Emma as a goathearder's daughter who had been summoned by the prince to the palace. She had a magic-born guardian named Alassi that looked like a big walking armadillo with a beak. I am sorry to see that there is no need of him in the story - he's what shut that first try down after about 8,000 words. I didn't know where he came from or where he'd go once she reached the palace. Too bad, so sad. He worked really well in the scene he was in.

The other version also didn't work, for various reasons. In it, goathearding Emma had a brother, and it was known that she was found as a baby at the edge of the Visionary Forest (i.e. she was originally from Earth). After she and brother are attacked, a dreamkin comes to their rescue, but is reall y there to collect Emma and take her to the prince. Some scenes worked really well and I think I'll incorporate them into this version, but I didn't like the character of the prince, or Iandrew, the dreamkin (for a while I couldn't decide if he was young and stupid, old and severe, if he was a page, a soldier, or what). The dreamkins in general have always given me problems. Imagine ninjas that can change into dogs, horses and birds. Who controls them? How are they trained? Who do they serve and why? It's coming together in this version, but I still have a lot to work on.

...and damn, it's past midnight again. Oh well.