Appreciate it, I must confess to often times suffering from doubt after I've written a paragraph or a section of a chapter. It is only satisfactory if my brother Dan approves of it, so that he deserves much credit for approving things or sending me back to word to retype things.
I must confess to also reading more Tolkien, Howard & Stoker and even Redwall, recently (and Dumas of course) they are the main writers I'm relying on to improve my vocabulary and prose.
Good sources for examples of that style of writing. Dickens, Hugo, and Austen are others. Hubby is my reader and collaborator, and I feel quite fortunate in that. We have been working on a short story (around 14K as of now) that is far different after his input than it was beforehand. He caught not just typos, but things that didn't make sense, contradictory actions, and timeline snafus. I'm hoping to send it off to a publication for their consideration in the next week or so.
Your husband sounds like a great reader! He must be a great and voracious reader, such gents are invaluable in their support and aid to us writers. Treasure that man.
As to Austen Dickens I don't feel I like them as much as Scott, Dumas or Twain or Tolkien or Howard, but will give them another go. I must admit that their richness of language as you called it I believe, is quite remarkable if for no other reason I'd like to give them another go.
As to Hugo, it has been a long time, I remember touching him but briefly a few years ago, but I do not recall too well so will give it another go. I want to read Les Miserables, but am currently working through Comte de Monte Cristo by Dumas along with the 3 Mousquetaires. So after those two and the Iliade, I want to read Miserables.
Appreciate your advice, and definitely hope your story goes well! 14k words is a great length for a short-story!
If you can read Dumas in French, all the better. Otherwise, you read the translator, not the author. Twain is a great example, too, although rather more simplistic in his language but very fitting of his subject matter. And that is key. Ah, the Iliad. What a gem!
Any translation is someone's "interpretation" of the author's words. And the Iliad in English or French is still an interpretation from Homer's ancient Greek. If only we could all be multi- multi-linguists. Sigh. And don't get me started on these online translators. I had one translate from the French as a test and laughed uproariously. Lots of subtlety in both languages that got totally lost.
Superbe! Do let us know your thoughts on the other ‘chapters’/journal entries. We planned for this story to be very much a love-story and adventure horror tale like that of Stoker’s novel with heavy nods to Hammer movies especially those involving Cushing and Lee X) Hope the story remains to your liking!
I can't believe I forgot to comment on this after I'd read it. I really was out of it on Tuesday morning.
Well, time to rectify that. This story reads wonderfully and captures the feel of a Victorian era journal quite well. Descriptions of the village make it feel remote, isolated, and old, and nowhere does that feel more true than Reinhardt's rotting and infested shack.
One detail that stood out to me was the mention of Orcus as Lord of the Dead, which had me wondering if this particular story was perhaps loosely based on D&D alongside Dracula.
Nah it is set in my world, so that it has the Roman god Orcus as the lord of the underworld/Erebus. I'm going with the pre-Greek deities hence the reference to Orcus as such.
If you want I could release some of my notes on him that I've written (most are in French though, and will need translating, which I don't mind doing for you mon ami!).
And so glad you enjoyed it, and no prob I was really out of it yesterday hahaha. I'm glad it feels Victorian and the village really remote and old, it was my brother who wrote the description of Reinhardt's home and when I was correcting the story (we co-wrote this one)'s first chapter I loved the description so much I left it mostly unchanged.
It's wonderful that you and your brother are able to collaborate on projects like this. Collabs (when they go well) are tons of fun, and in this case I never would've guessed it was one. Everything reads as if it came from a single author.
I'd be interested in seeing those notes at some point, too, though you're right in assuming you'd have to translate it as I don't know a lick of French beyond a few scant terms lol. The setting so far has that kind of aged, gothic, and haunted atmosphere that has a tendency to just suck me right in, so I'd be happy to read more about it and more stories set within it.
Sure, all my stories though they have different tones are set in the same world. I've one bloody civil war style story coming out soon in anthology format. I also have my Half-Burnt knight story on my Tales of Pangaea section which is supposed to have a similar tone to Varcola.
And yeah, we try to streamline the stories, but roughly at times it goes like this; my brother writes a bit, I might continue the tale, then he edits it, then I edit it. Or I write the initial draft, then he makes the changes he wants then he edits then I edit, then he reads through and then I do.
As to writing more aged, gothic horror type stuff I'll make a note to write more of these tales I like writing stories like this and might have to carry on doing so given all the positive feedback and that you like it so much X).
I loved the style of the story. It's definitely got my attention. Looking forward to more.
Thanks, appreciate the kind words was nervous about posting this one.
Your richness of language is refreshing in an age when people can barely form sentences.
Appreciate it, I must confess to often times suffering from doubt after I've written a paragraph or a section of a chapter. It is only satisfactory if my brother Dan approves of it, so that he deserves much credit for approving things or sending me back to word to retype things.
I must confess to also reading more Tolkien, Howard & Stoker and even Redwall, recently (and Dumas of course) they are the main writers I'm relying on to improve my vocabulary and prose.
Good sources for examples of that style of writing. Dickens, Hugo, and Austen are others. Hubby is my reader and collaborator, and I feel quite fortunate in that. We have been working on a short story (around 14K as of now) that is far different after his input than it was beforehand. He caught not just typos, but things that didn't make sense, contradictory actions, and timeline snafus. I'm hoping to send it off to a publication for their consideration in the next week or so.
Your husband sounds like a great reader! He must be a great and voracious reader, such gents are invaluable in their support and aid to us writers. Treasure that man.
As to Austen Dickens I don't feel I like them as much as Scott, Dumas or Twain or Tolkien or Howard, but will give them another go. I must admit that their richness of language as you called it I believe, is quite remarkable if for no other reason I'd like to give them another go.
As to Hugo, it has been a long time, I remember touching him but briefly a few years ago, but I do not recall too well so will give it another go. I want to read Les Miserables, but am currently working through Comte de Monte Cristo by Dumas along with the 3 Mousquetaires. So after those two and the Iliade, I want to read Miserables.
Appreciate your advice, and definitely hope your story goes well! 14k words is a great length for a short-story!
If you can read Dumas in French, all the better. Otherwise, you read the translator, not the author. Twain is a great example, too, although rather more simplistic in his language but very fitting of his subject matter. And that is key. Ah, the Iliad. What a gem!
I'm not familiar with the translations of Dumas, I only have the og editions (that is to say the French ones).
Twain I like despite the simplicity of his language, he weaves his words together very beautifully.
As to the Iliade it is a gem, I enjoy it more in French than English though (no offence intended).
Any translation is someone's "interpretation" of the author's words. And the Iliad in English or French is still an interpretation from Homer's ancient Greek. If only we could all be multi- multi-linguists. Sigh. And don't get me started on these online translators. I had one translate from the French as a test and laughed uproariously. Lots of subtlety in both languages that got totally lost.
I love the journal/letter style of writing for horror! This was such a great read
Thanks, I also love this style in regards to horror, and think more writers should do it if only to honour Shelley & Stoker.
This is soooooo good!! 🥰🥰
Glad you think so! I’m only sorry we take so long to introduce the Vampire and her vampiric nature but we’re trying to ‘slow burn’ it like Stoker did.
I LOVE it!!!
Superbe! Do let us know your thoughts on the other ‘chapters’/journal entries. We planned for this story to be very much a love-story and adventure horror tale like that of Stoker’s novel with heavy nods to Hammer movies especially those involving Cushing and Lee X) Hope the story remains to your liking!
I can't believe I forgot to comment on this after I'd read it. I really was out of it on Tuesday morning.
Well, time to rectify that. This story reads wonderfully and captures the feel of a Victorian era journal quite well. Descriptions of the village make it feel remote, isolated, and old, and nowhere does that feel more true than Reinhardt's rotting and infested shack.
One detail that stood out to me was the mention of Orcus as Lord of the Dead, which had me wondering if this particular story was perhaps loosely based on D&D alongside Dracula.
Nah it is set in my world, so that it has the Roman god Orcus as the lord of the underworld/Erebus. I'm going with the pre-Greek deities hence the reference to Orcus as such.
If you want I could release some of my notes on him that I've written (most are in French though, and will need translating, which I don't mind doing for you mon ami!).
And so glad you enjoyed it, and no prob I was really out of it yesterday hahaha. I'm glad it feels Victorian and the village really remote and old, it was my brother who wrote the description of Reinhardt's home and when I was correcting the story (we co-wrote this one)'s first chapter I loved the description so much I left it mostly unchanged.
It's wonderful that you and your brother are able to collaborate on projects like this. Collabs (when they go well) are tons of fun, and in this case I never would've guessed it was one. Everything reads as if it came from a single author.
I'd be interested in seeing those notes at some point, too, though you're right in assuming you'd have to translate it as I don't know a lick of French beyond a few scant terms lol. The setting so far has that kind of aged, gothic, and haunted atmosphere that has a tendency to just suck me right in, so I'd be happy to read more about it and more stories set within it.
Sure, all my stories though they have different tones are set in the same world. I've one bloody civil war style story coming out soon in anthology format. I also have my Half-Burnt knight story on my Tales of Pangaea section which is supposed to have a similar tone to Varcola.
And yeah, we try to streamline the stories, but roughly at times it goes like this; my brother writes a bit, I might continue the tale, then he edits it, then I edit it. Or I write the initial draft, then he makes the changes he wants then he edits then I edit, then he reads through and then I do.
As to writing more aged, gothic horror type stuff I'll make a note to write more of these tales I like writing stories like this and might have to carry on doing so given all the positive feedback and that you like it so much X).