Life Post...#4 - Wackiness is Natural

If there is one thing that I have discovered as a student at Word of Life - Hungary, it is that I do not have to write Pangaea...that is not cool, I know. But it is where God has lead me and I have to accept that right now. BUT it is the Christmas break and that is why you are getting a post from me. So be glad! And I'm sorry for being absent this long.

At Word of Life, God has allowed me to grow in subtle ways. In some ways, I still do not understand why He brought me here. I had started looking into the possibility of studying at Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis, three years ago. And for about an entire year, I was sure that that was where I was going. But God closed that door, leaving me quite shocked. I believe all of this has been about trusting God no matter what. Word of Life has very strict rules and things that I do not fully agree with...But I know that I can be used by the Lord there. So I endure it all and focus on the goal: Serving Jesus Christ. Please pray for me. I really miss my friends there, but it is a hard decision to actually get on the plane and go back to Hungary.

Today I did sit down to write Pangaea and something in the first chapter called my attention...I just thought it was a bit too serious at a certain point. And I know that the main idea that holds Pangaea together is a very serious concept, but it didn't sound like me! I'm the guy who wrote flirate stories, Fleedle Tales and Kate's Task, hardly a laugh-free book... Not to make you think that I am now planning on turning Pangaea into a children's book. Not at all! But as the movie played in my head today and my fingers typed what I saw, something natural to me came about...Wackiness. One of the characters went from being whiny to fairly unintentionally humorous. And ultimately, I believe that that is what makes a good book: Balance. You can have a good story but if it is heartless or humorless it will most likely never be great.

That's it for now. I hope to update you more frequently.

A List of Fellow Inmates

Login: eletszava123
Password: *******

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Command: Load /Docs/Inmatelisto9.txt
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WOL INMATES LIST - 2009

///Janzen, Artur./// Germany. Age 19 (20 in December). Convicted after stealing a toothbrush from a 3-year old child. Sent to WOL rehabilitation center for good behavior. Although not required to attend classes, his musical talents have forced him to play the piano more often than his fingers can handle (See bruises on page 76). His work hours also include working in the castle basement and bringing trays of coffee to untipping professors.





///Mahon, Abi & Steckley, Trisha./// Canada. Ages 18 and 18. Transferred from the Canadian Maple Tree Asylum for hiding chocolates in their socks. Classes, work assignments and required study have been imposed on them for major shock treatment. Results have been as expected: Both subjects have experienced brain-altering symptoms such as a small concussion and temporary loss of conscience.






///Houle, Antoine./// Quebec, Canada. Age 18. Forcefully taken down a pyramid in Cairo, Egypt by local authorities. Convicted for crimes ranging from playing with a Pharaoh's mummy to playing with face cards. His work and/or ministry assignment includes raking leaves into plastic bags and playing himself on the WOL play, Born Again to a Living Hope.






///Parker, Miscayla./// Brazil. Age 18. After being bitten by a vicious rattlesnake, subject was sent to the Budapest Medical Center for immediate treatment, where they thought she had died. But they were wrong. At exactly 12:03am, Miscayla broke out of the hospital wing and escaped, taking a Christmas bow and using it to fly herself to the city of Tóalmás, where she fell on the WOL Castle. Perfect place for a bow thief. She now serves a full one-year sentence as a student and is required to make her throat sore in musical performances every morning.









///Tatera, Karol./// Poland. Age 22.

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Just a Quick Post

I'm still alive!

On August 31st, I got myself on a plane heading to England! So yes, you can imagine how fast-paced life has been these days. And I mean it, you can only imagine. But I'm with my family and they have many places to take me to. For those of you who do not know, I am British but living in Brazil all my life. So this is the first time I have been to my country since I was 2! And I love it here.

Just yesterday, I rushed my eyes through London, looking for the perfect writing spot. I did find a fair few. So do not think for a second that I have abandoned Pangaea and all that comes with it. I very much plan on getting back to work but for now, things are insane. Hope you all understand.

Writing in a Bookstore...

Just thought I should update my blog again with a few interesting bits of news...

First of all, I feel the need to say that it has been hard to write recently. My sister is getting married in 3 days and just two days after that, I'll be on my way to England! So things have definitely been busy and emotional and stressful. All the fun stuff, really...But I am confident that I will have time to write in Europe.

On Pangaea, I am currently working on 2 chapters:

Chapter 2: The Governor is halfway done. Still have to work on Deodatus' character introduction.
Chapter 3: The Virus (formerly D.A.C Positive, that should give you ideas)... I only just started this chapter yesterday, in my favorite bookstore. It was a wonderful experience. I was sitting on a table upstairs, enjoying two cups of coffee. Unfortunately, however, there wasn't that much progress. A friend of my dad's showed up and talked to me for a while. I shared about my book, but my pen was resting on the table most of the time. Will get back to it as soon as I can.

If I can carry myself into a coffee shop, I promise Pangaea will get all the attention it needs. For now, please allow me to excuse myself for a week. There are many (exciting) happenings to attend to.

Chapter Titles

I cannot begin to express how excited I am!!! Yes, I do have a terrible cold and yes, my life is currently limited to my house. But I have had so much time to work on Pangaea and I can't believe that the plot has come to me so fast! Now I have heard of cases such as Toy Story 3, where Pixar's writers came up with a story over lunch, but I've never been particularly gifted in speed. Kate's Task took me half a year to draft and Pangaea (although not completely resolved) has only melted my brain for 2 months!
That scares me a little bit. I'm terrified that I have put together a marvelous assemble of written rubbish. But I know that the best way to escape that feeling is to write some more! Kate's Task was a lot more mysterious, I suppose. That takes lots of planning... Pangaea, on the other hand, is complex because of the world surrounding it.
Anyway, I wanted to share some of today's accomplishments with you. I have outlined the entire plot and divided it all in 21 tentative chapters and an epilogue. This is important because it helps me know exactly where I want to go throughout the book. Along with each chapter, a title. And here they are for your curious eyes.

1. The Doctor
2. The Governor
3. D.A.C Positive
4. The Therapist
5. Riders
6. Pure DNA
7. A Rush of Intel
8. The Perfect Year
9. Change of Plans
10. An Unexpected Arrival
11. D.A.C Again
12. The Beginning of it All
13. The Blood Plot
14. Separate Ways
15. Pangaea
16. Kidnapping
17. The Search Party
18. Defenseless?
19. The Imminent Battle
20. Fearless Pures
21. Charis Aspasia
22. Epilogue: What Happened to the Doctor

Mesmerizing...

Don't you just love that word???

Great Progress on Pangaea!

I'd like to let all of you know that today has been a VERY productive day! Allow me to walk you through some of the important decisions I have made that will directly affect the storyline.

1. I was having trouble with Deodatus Ariston's character, that is, our main character from the pure lineage. I wanted to make him and Cassius have something in common even though they were completely different in nature and that was hard to achieve. BUT alas, it's off of my to-do list.

2. I have added something unexpected that should hopefully be great for people that already know what Pangaea is all about! I'm keeping it a secret, though. You'll just have to wait 'til you're halfway into the book or so but I'm sure it will come as a surprise.

3. The epilogue, that is, the last chapter of the book, was finished today! I wanted to get a feel for where I am and where I'm going, if that makes any sense. It helps me focus on the purpose of this book.

4. Another issue was trying to determine how and when Deodatus and Cassius will meet each other. This has also been marked with a big green SOLVED! on my Pangaea Notes document.

5. Something else I haven't told you (it did not happen today) is that I have also started to write Chapter 2: The Governor, which deals with presenting the pure lineage and Deodatus. I haven't gotten much of that done yet, but I can say that the moment it starts you will be treated to something I am very excited to experience in Heaven. Also, I do believe I have contrasted both groups of people the way I had hoped for.

I cannot wait to finish Pangaea and I hope you enjoy reading it!