Hey all, I was directed to this website via my friend Xoffelokin, who actually ended up joining a day after me, but because of some confusion she was confirmed a day before me. So, after the joining confusion was cleared up, I am now here and officially a confirmed member. I lived on internet forums in middle school (mostly Pokemon. . . still proud of it) so returning to one is like a blast from the past. I just turned 21 a few days ago and am halfway through my Junior year of college as an English major.

I have been an avid reader and writer since I was 8 years old and it has been my dream my entire life to write and publish a novel. Today, four days after my 21st birthday, I just finished my first novel ever. I'm very, very excited about this. It is fantasy and has been in the works for over four years. The finished product came out to be about 110,000 words, but I'm sure once the editing process happens that will be cut down.

I took a Fantasy Literature course at my school this semester (it's a Christian college) and one thing I really learned from studying Tolkien, Lewis and others in depth is that fantasy doesn't have to be just a story. It can have deeper themes as well. I suppose I always knew that, but hadn't thought too much about it for my own novel. Taking that course actually changed the way I ended my novel.

Anyway, I'm excited to begin my time here and get to know people and hopefully get help with the editing process!

Cool! What's your story about?

It's good to have you on board.

Welcome to Holy Worlds! I'm currently editing a novel (that's been in the works for over three years).

Who are your favorite authors?

Welcome to Holy Worlds! It is great to see a fellow English major.

I'm going to have to call you out and ask which Pokemon were/are your favorites and if you still play.

Thanks!

Lady Kitra: Its set in a fantasy world based on Roman Britannia, with elements of Anglo-Saxon and Norse culture thrown in. I also draw heavily from English and Scandinavian mythology and folklore. Here is a summary I wrote up a while ago for the novel: 17-year-old Eglantine Zervos is the heiress of her uncle's fortune and the ancient house of Bealdun, the oldest noble house north of the Wall. When her uncle passes away, Eglantine is left defenseless against Commander Callistratus Ovidius, who is bent on revenge for her uncle’s years of blackmail. But Eglantine’s uncle has been keeping secrets from her, secrets Eglantine knows are explained in the dusty, indecipherable ledger, if only she could read it. As Ovidius continues to pursue, Eglantine flees north across the Wall and into the depths of the barbarian lands. In the heart of the ancient grottos, Eglantine is entangled in an imminent war, a feud between three sisters who are more than they seem, and a ghostly, frenzied host that only she holds the key to set free.

Jonathan: Favorite authors. Hmm. I would have to say Francine Rivers, Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Thomas Hardy, JRR Tolkien, and Juliet Marillier.

Roager: Rapidash was definitely always my favorite. And I like to pick up my old Sapphire game still on occasion. My brother and I like to say that Pokemon is not a fad, it is a way of life. :p

Your book has an intriguing premise.

Welcome, Saya! Glad to have you here! What is in your signature? *ish curious*

Welcome Saya! Did you know that Saya means Happiness in our language.



Aye, I agree. I ish curious too.

Welcome!

*gives official Loki welcome*

Unfortunately, my life has not been enriched with much Pokemon. Is it too late for me?

Tis the Lord's Prayer in Old Norse. I'm kind of obsessed with everything Norse/Viking related. I taught myself a bit of the language five years ago.



It is never too late to enrich your life with Pokemon.

Welcome to HolyWorlds, Saya! Glad to have you aboard.


Fascinating. I wrote a short story (I was going to say recently and just realized it was a year ago ) that had references to Norse mythology in it. I'm currently expanding said short story into a novel and I'm including some Norse aspects in it. With your experience with it, I may have to keep you in mind if I ever need some information about their mythology for my book.

So is this the part where you give us bike vouchers then?

Welcome, welcome to HW, Saya! We're glad to have you! *Throws glitter*

Does your story have a name yet?



That's so cool!

I would be thrilled to help you out if you need anything Norse related. I would like to read this sometime. I wrote a short story recently that draws on Norse folklore a bit too.


Not yet. I've just called it Eglantine after my main character, but that is definitely not the title I want. I once tried like a year ago to brainstorm ideas for the title and came up with nothing. I'll have to work on that. :p

You can read my short story here, Saya. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

Wow! Awesome!

Welcome to HW, Saya!

Welcome to HolyWorlds, Saya! *gives apple pie*

Welcome to Holy Worlds, Saya!

Indeed it is! At the Christian college I go to there are only a few English majors. In fact, other than myself I only know of one other English major on the entire campus. (Granted, there are a lot of students at my college, so there could easily be others, but still.)

Indeed.

*chuckles* I usually preferred ghost type. I suppose you could say my favorite was a toss-up between Haunter and Dusclops. (I used emulators to play so there was never a chance to get trade evolutions. )

That is epic! Tolkien introduced me to Norse/Ancient Germanic and, though I haven't been able to see much, what little I have seen fascinates me. Because of that I convinced myself to learn to write alliterative verse. (And beyond that, I'm determined to write one of my main novel ideas completely in alliterative verse. I think I'm a glutton for punishment. ) No luck as of yet, though I have made a teeny bit of progress, I suppose.

Do you have anyone in your classes then? Because the English major at my school is rather large. We also have a large number of English Ed. majors. I know a lot of people at different universities who are English Lit., etc.


Oh my gosh, you are masochistic. I wrote in alliterative verse once and it was difficult. I don't think I did very well.

I was introduced to Viking culture by my 7th grade social studies teacher who had us write a short biography of ourselves as if we were a viking. It got my creative juices flowing and I wanted to expand my idea into a novel, which I attempted to write numerous times. Basically, I gave up on that idea, but I had done a lot of research on Scandinavian culture and become hooked. In general, I love studying the early medieval time period in Europe, particularly Britain and Scandinavia.

This is my freshman year, so as of yet I have not taken any English classes; in all likelihood I'll meet some more English majors in those classes. I do know of a few English Education majors -- none very well as of now, but that is liable to change direction in the next couple years.

*chuckles* So far I've managed only a couple stanzas in the novel idea (which weren't very good and will have to be thrown out due to plot changes) and three or four couplets elsewhere. Autumn leaves gave me my one semi-successful burst of inspiration.
I'll make headway eventually (I hope ).
I mentioned my desire to learn alliterative verse to one of my future English professors (This professor is a medievalist; can speak Latin, Elvish, and Klingon, among other languages; can quote Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Beowulf, and Homer in their original languages; and is one of the leading experts on C.S. Lewis. He's going to be my favorite English professor, I just know it. ) and he pointed me to a book that should be of immense help in learning. If I can ever get my hands on it, I won't have to work off of the information I gleaned from a wiki page (which had a lot of facts, and gave some basics on alliterative verse, but had very little practical help, and was no help with specifics).

Cool. In what ways do you think your knowledge/obsession with Vikings has influenced your writing?

Welcome to Holy Worlds, Saya!

Interesting. I've taken 2 English classes every semester, and I'm a junior now. Freshman year we had to take a Brit Lit course that was made for weeding out those who are not cut out for the English major. 15 people dropped the major in the first week. Another 30 dropped the major after the first semester. It was a difficult class but I LOVED it, and it was very effective to get those out who don't really, really love English. :p


Legit! Professors can be extremely helpful. I took a Fantasy Lit course this semester with my professor whose voice is basically what I imagine God's sounds like. :p He's an amazing Shakespearian actor and so he would read passages from LotR and Narnia aloud and it was the most wonderful thing ever.


In every way. I basically write historical fantasy mostly. Its my favorite genre. I usually have pieces set in a Viking-like setting even though I may not explicitly name it as such. I have a short story called The Bear in the Snow which I posted in the short story section that is influenced by my knowledge of Scandinavian folklore and mythology. My knowledge of Scandinavian mythology and folklore is extremely influential on what I write. My novel is very full of Scandinavian influence too.

That sounds like an awesome course. I so look forward to the classes I'll be taking next year.

That could be my professor.

Interesting.