The Fountain Pen

I was quite afraid I would end up echoing daglo tonight. After not getting enough sleep last night, working my tired brain to exhaustion at work, and entertaining a couple of missionaries this evening I was quite afraid I would not get any time to work on my novel (I still don’t have a title yet, but that will come in time); I was most especially afraid I would add stress and pressure to my situation and not only get nothing done, but feel bad about it too. I don’t work well under pressure, I don’t respond well to stress, and somehow my attitude was right and I felt free.

I managed to plan out a few more bits and pieces about the characters in my novel, and a few notes on the greater plot picture. Sadly I still need to define, in greater detail, the movements in my plot. I feel quite satisfied though, for I confirmed something: when I relax and seek to enjoy the process, jotting down things that seem exciting to me, I get more done than if I work under pressure. Hopefully the “pressure” of a deadline will only serve as motivation to actually right, and not a source of stress.

And now the quandary of my tale. I am writing fantasy fiction. I have decided I want multiple races (I think it’s fun!). I’m not yet sure if I should include some of the “standard”; races (i.e. Elves and Dwarves, Orcs and Trolls) or forge out on my own creating all new races. On the one hand, using familiar races will engage my audience quicker, yet it also means I will need to do more research into them in order to maintain a certain level on consistency, lest I frustrate a reader by presenting an elf that is not very “Elvish” (if you know what I mean). On the other hand, creating my own races offers me plenty of opportunity to be imaginative and inventive; I will not have to conform to any standards. However, I may not be able to engage my audience and I run the risk of boring them with details that may not be pertinent.

So what do I do, and what would you suggest? I’ve only got 30 days… .