Conceited Ramblings

So I'm working on a fantasy novel. A series of fantasy novels, actually. And at this point, it feels like I've been working on it forever. It's difficult to even remember a time when I didn't think about this damn story every day.

I suppose this is very typical of us amateur writers, though. Wanting to tell people about our stories before they're anywhere near completion, that is. And that notion kind of spoils most of my enthusiasm.

But I also suppose that I should be doing more to promote my work on this blog, since well, I am hoping to one day get it published and make actual, tangible, real world, non-fantasy money. Audacious of me, I know, but it's the truth. How much money, exactly? A few trillion US dollars, I'm thinking. Well, fantasy authors have to be able to dream big, right? Just consider me one hell of a fantasy author, then. Seems like a win-win scenario.

My story is called The World Barrier series. I hope it sounds as interesting to you as it does to me, because well, I'm hopelessly in love with the thing. So much so, in fact, that it's somewhat unhealthy. But that's love, right? What're you gonna do? Haha... *sigh*

I'd tell you more about the actual story itself, but that'd be sorta anti-climactic, I think. I'd rather let the gist of it remain largely unknown until it's being read. That, and I always find that plot summaries or promotional summaries (like the kind they always put on the back cover of a novel) make the story sound really terrible, which isn't all that surprising, really, since those summaries are essentially trying to capture the heart of a story in a few small sentences, a story which is likely hundreds of pages long. And that has got me wondering what I would want printed on the back of my book, should it ever actually reach the light of publication day.

Not the easiest of problems, I've discovered.

I gave up on trying to think of something that "captures the essence of my story" or anything so romantic, because though a romantic I may sometimes be, that notion seems largely impossible, even assuming I did manage to prevent it from being corny as heck. Instead, I think something more like "a glimpse into the world of my story" might be more worthwhile. Hopefully, anyway. Trying to be optimistic, here.

But then, what does that entail, exactly? I don't want to just throw up an excerpt from my story, either, because that just seems like laziness, unless perhaps, I was just trying to be witty in some disgustingly obtuse fashion. And besides, a few sentences from my manuscript isn't enough to give the reader a glimpse of my story or its world; it would merely be a showcase for my writing style, which strikes me as a bit pretentious. But that's what this blog is for. To prevent such notions from seeping into my text, that is. Not to be pretentious. Well. Okay, that too.

In short, the passage would ideally be something that shows any potential readers that this story is actually something worthwhile, something not merely of flair, but also of substance. Ideally. In all honesty, I doubt that's possible. It's certainly not something I can realistically hope for. I think, at best, I can only hope to have something that allows readers to reserve judgment until they've at least gotten into the story. If I can accomplish that much with this passage, then I am quite content.

Here's what I've come up with. Comments are most welcome.

Translated from the journal of Dominique V. Richter
~~May 36th,1422 F.D.~~
“...It was the first time in my life that I had seen the World Barrier up close, where that sky-bending cliff face meets the ground. And I remember, at first, I was simply overcome with awe. I knew not what to think. It seemed a thing impossible. It still does, all these years later. But more than that awe, more even than that bewilderment, I remember what I felt after finally turning away from it and continuing my young journey: I felt as though I would never be able to understand the world around me with any true sense of ‘completeness.’ I felt, in a way both saddening and exhilarating, that my desire to learn could never be fully sated, for I then understood that I had been born into a world much greater than myself, a world of such wonder that surely, this meager life of mine would long be extinguished before I could ever discover a sense of contentment in accumulated knowledge or wisdom. Now, I look back at that time as something of a turning point in my life. Perhaps I lost of bit of innocence that day. But it seems odd to think of it in such a manner, as it is quite a pleasant memory...”