Finally...!

Well okay then.

I am back. I have been astonishingly busy these past few weeks, but it’s nice to see your conversations continuing in the Overflow Blog. You people sure can yap, can’t you?

I finally finished my little tour of fan fiction, and it was a revelation to me. First of all, a quick note about each of the writers I sampled from.

Hellboy-
(
http://susurrusofstories.blogspot.com/2010/09/fan-fiction-part-1-and-man-am-i-tired.html
)

I loved the opening. It was a very creative way to approach a story, and really worked. The writing itself was very good, with a terrific flow.

Octaboona- (http://octaboonaambrosius.blogspot.com/2010/12/golden-god.html)

Absolutely BRILLIANT writing, and a very unique approach.  Tells the story of how and why Kenspeckle made the Desolation Engine, and includes lots of foreshadowing of future events. So much fun.

Alex-
(http://alexzz-stories.blogspot.com/2010/09/prologue-d.html)


Really nice writing, and the first story to really make me realize the sense of community that has been built up in fan fiction, where you all use each other’s characters. Absolutely wonderful.

Lenka- (http://lenkasweet.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-bite-part-two.html)


I loved this one. Really nice interactions, great dialogue, funny jokes. Light-hearted comments will always get a thumbs up from me, and they're not easy to do. Well done, Lenka.

Lizzy - 
(http://skulfanfic.blogspot.com/2010/10/dead-men-tales-part-1.html)

Ah, introducing the mysterious, enigmatic figure of Bone, a thirteen year old girl who keeps the Dead Men on their toes. The whole thing just sparkles with cheek and attitude.

Nicolette- (http://stories-random.blogspot.com/2010/09/fanfiction-part-1.html)

Nicolette reinforces the fact that all of your characters share this private little Skulduggery universe that gets added to with every new story. And apart from that, she's a really good writer.

Dragona Pine -(http://dragonapine.blogspot.com/2010/09/fanfiction.html
)

I could say a few things about Dragona’s writing. I could talk about the really funny dialogue, I could talk about Skulduggery’s role in the story, or I could forget all that and focus on the really unique way he’s come up with for killing vampires. Socks. He uses socks. Oddball.

Darkane Claw- 
(http://darkaneclaw.blogspot.com/2010/09/fan-fic-for-skulduggery-pleasant.html
)

Darkane’s work is a joy to read. Fantastically funny dialogue, which is a huge requirement for me, and great character interaction. Mightily impressive.

Sarthacus Bolt –(http://tendrilsoffate.blogspot.com/2010/09/fanfiction.html)

There’s a certain skill to writing a great battle scene, but my God, Sarthacus has that skill.

Leo Sparks – (http://squigglesfanfiction.blogspot.com/2010/09/skul-fan-fiction.html)

Sometimes, a writer’s enthusiasm just leaps off the page (or, you know, the screen) and that is exactly what’s happened here. Loved it.

Mary Hiashi- http://blogsalotaboutnothing.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-dreamed-of-death-and-sorrow.html

Mary’s writing is quite different. Oblique, one might say. There’s a certain dreamlike aspect to it, like a dark fairytale. Really quite beautiful.

Kallista- (http://kallistapendragon.blogspot.com)

Ah, Kallista. What can I say? High quality writing, great pace, fantastic atmosphere. And, in a Twisted Christmas part 3, she even has her main character decide NOT to steal a copy of Skulduggery Pleasant, because Derek Landy “deserved the fruits of his labors”. Couldn't agree more, Kallista!

I could have read on, and I could have read more from each writer, but I just didn’t have the time. I am, as I have said, astonishingly busy, and that’s going to continue for a good while yet.

But this was a wonderful experience for me. I had thought that fan-fiction simply meant taking my characters and putting them in new stories. And absolutely, that’s a big part of it. But what surprised me was the sheer independence on display. In some stories, Skulduggery only had a cameo. In other stories, he didn’t appear. In yet other stories, he wasn’t even MENTIONED.

I think it is incredibly healthy for you, my Minions, to continue doing this. I think everyone should write, even if you think you’re rubbish at it, because I, personally, find writing so fun and so rewarding. The Minions whose work I’ve read have really carved out their own corner of the Skulduggery world, and they’re exploring their own ideas and themes, not merely taking mine and reinterpreting them.

You’re a talented bunch. Your Golden God is proud of you.

The Birthday Girl

You know what today is?

Today is Laura's birthday. She's 23. And how is she spending her special day?

Studying for college exams.

Laura hates studying, she LOATHES studying, and earlier on she apologised to me for being in a grumpy mood. But the fact is, she should be celebrating today- instead, she's feeling miserable. How can you make her feel better?

I think that a few birthday wishes from my loyal Minions may just raise a smile on her face...

Fan Fiction

Just to let you all know that apart from all the work I’m doing, I’m also reading those ten or eleven fan-fiction pieces I’ve picked out- and so far, I’m very impressed. What came as a complete surprise is the fact that you really take the idea, the world of Skulduggery, and you run with it, populating it with your own characters.

Really, really fascinating stuff. When I’ve finished reading the last one I’ll make a list of the pieces I’ve read and give a short opinion on each one. 

There are some talented Minions out there…

Oh, and...

My first New Year Resolution:

Learn how to format this damn Blog...

First Post Of The Year

And I’m back...

Did you enjoy that little break from me? I bet you didn’t. I bet you were distraught. I bet you cried yourselves to sleep at night, hoping and praying that your Golden God would return and deliver you to a world of marvellous brilliance. Well, you can stop praying, for here I am.

Christmas this year was nice. It was slightly hampered by the dreadful weather, so we didn’t get to visit one half of the family, but they’re the evil half, so I didn’t care that much. Christmas day was spent with my nieces babbling incoherently. Both of the twins have recently learned to crawl, so that added a hint of danger to proceedings. It was highly amusing watching them propel themselves across the floor, with no real sense of direction and no obvious form of braking.

The weather cleared up a few days later, which meant I could now buy some comics, which was nice. As usual, I spent New Year’s Eve writing. The fact is, I’ve been hugely busy this holiday season- I’m now up to 50,000 words, roughly half of the way through Book 6.

I really didn’t think the writing would flow this easily, but I’m really grateful that it is. By the looks of things, 2011 is going to be a busy year for me. Obviously, we’ll be looking for a new home for the Skulduggery movie, so that will take up some time, but even without that there are a couple of film projects that might be happening which don’t have anything to do with the books. Very exciting, very cool, but good golly they’ll take up a lot of time. I think my brain, the wonderful sponge of messiness that it is, realised that I needed to write faster than usual in order to fit it all in, so it’s being as accommodating as possible. Thank you, brain. Sorry for the hurtful words I said this morning. I really didn’t mean them.

Oh, but before you get any ideas, the fact that I might be finished the book earlier than planned does not mean it’ll be published sooner- sorry! We’re still on track for an early September release, and that’s unlikely to change. I’ll look into the possibility of releasing extracts throughout the year, though, to make sure you don’t miss ol’ Skul-man TOO much...