Posts in Poisonroot
Poisonroot - Chapter 14

Oooh! Some Victor backstory. This is the commercial side of his backstory; there are far more things I could talk about but he seemed to be feeling particularly negative in this bit, so I focused on the sale and distribution of his stories.
 

The cell was cold and dark. Trip huddled in the corner listening to something dripping onto the floor, every drop seeming to reverberate as loudly as possible. He sighed for what seemed like the fiftieth time in five minutes.

“Ain’t no use huffin’, boy.”

“It’s not like you’re concerned,” Trip muttered into his knees. He got up and started pacing again.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookanila, background, chapter, church, nanowrimo, poisonroot, prison, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 13

Oooh. 13. Unlucky for some. Seems to be fairly unlucky for Trip and Victor but then it wouldn't be interesting if they got to the Arbour and there was a large 'to end plot, press here' button.

As it's unlucky for some, I want to take a moment to talk about people who deserve to be luckier than they are. I donated to NaNoWriMo last year, the year before and I will do again this year. Especially as a teacher, I believe in getting people writing, particularly children. Imagination is a wonderful thing and it's entirely too possible that a generation of imagination is being stunted by the plethora of media available. Now, believe you me, I'm not a technological zealot; I love my technology too, but it has a place, and that place is aiding the expansion of an imagination, not replacing it.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookanila, arbour, chapter, nanowrimo, poisonroot, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Interlude 2

So another nice little excerpt from Anila's life. It's good to see things from another's perspective; it allows me to describe characters afresh and also keeps things from going stale. Also, I have plans for Anila. Plans.

 

The guard rooms in the Fennican north barracks stank of stale sweat and beer, despite no alcohol being allowed there. Anila wrinkled her nose and reached into her assigned cupboard for her uniform.

It had been a long month. After the caravan had arrived in Fennica, her father had assigned her to mingle with the guards. 'Familiarisation', he had called it. It had seemed more like an arbitrary punishment for a crime she hadn't committed.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookanila, arbour, chapter, church, nanowrimo, poisonrootComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 12

Turns out my flatmate and very awesome friend Chippy is also doing NaNo. She needs some cheering on :D

 

With a thump that shook the Belle and dented the deck, the tree-demon landed between Victor and Trip. It roared, crouching, leaves bristling on its back like fur on a trapped animal.

When he looked back on it later that day, Trip wondered how the thing was able to move. Clearly seen in the daylight were the squat legs, like logs, obviously built for powerful leaps; its arms hung all the way down to the ground, ending in claws as long as Trip’s own forearms; by comparison, its boy was tiny, stick-thin. Its head was the strangest, looking like nothing more than a huge round walnut seed that had split; instead of a delicious nut, the mouth contained only teeth and a ridiculously long tongue.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, demon, lauren, nanowrimo, poisonroot, steampunk, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 11

Chapter 11! Short post today as we've got a lot on. I'm back at work and generally things are motoring but I still found time to do this, so that bodes well for future updates.


 

“Get this crate loaded on, lad. Chip chop.”

Trip shook his head, levering himself up from the crate he was sat on. The sun was high in the air and they had been moving heavy objects for hours. Wearily, he turned and picked up the unwieldy wooden box. It had ‘Fragile: arbarometers’ stencilled on to the top with some sort of paint.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, chapter, demon, lauren, nanowrimo, poisonroot, steampunk, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 10

Still ill. However, Chris is down this weekend. An awesome friend, he was my best man at our wedding and he is ALSO doing NaNoWriMo! Wish us both luck ^^

 

His eyes took some time to accustom themselves to the low light in the workshop. Trip moved further in, stepping carefully around the piles of brass workings and leather sheets.

“Hello?” he said, his voice swallowed by the huge jumbled space. He cleared his throat. “Anyone in here?”

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, chapter, lauren, nanowrimo, poisonroot, steampunk, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 9

I have the flu. Blegh. Proper stuff; joints aching, temperatures, loss of appetite, upset stomach, the works.

Anyway, next chapter of Poisonroot.



“Hold this,” Victor rumbled. Trip looked up from the campfire where he had been staring into the soup pot, lost in memory. The man was holding a short sword out, hilt first.

Trip took it, holding it gingerly. “Right?”

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PoisonrootSteve Cookchapter, lauren, nanowrimo, poisonroot, steampunk, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 8

The Mayor of Everywhere is a character that we use in D&D. He's a short guy in a black robe with a book and a wonderful bald spot. Essentially he's the character we use when we need a mayor or another official.

He makes a cameo appearance here as the Mayor of Deep Round.

 

Trip awoke. It was warm, dark; too warm, suddenly. He took a deep breath, stale sweat and worse filling his nostrils. He was suffocating, buried under a pile of bodies, quiet breathing all around him. He let out a howl of fear, struggling against the weight of so many people on top of him.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, chapter, nanowrimo, poisonroot, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 7

So, a challenger appears!

This year's National Novel Writing Month seems like the perfect excuse to come back to Poisonroot. Now, I know it's supposed to be a new piece you start, but the story of Trip and Victor is just too wonderful, and the world is just too rich, to let lie. So I'll be finishing Poisonroot during NaNoWriMo.

Here for you today is Chapter 7!

 

His heart pounding, Trip crept through the lines of pews as silently as he could. Every one carried the signs of some sort of struggle; discarded hymn books, torn clothing, a small purse that jingled when he picked it up. Feeling a pang of guilt, he put the purse inside his habit. Maybe he could find the owner.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, chapter, church, nanowrimo, novel, poisonroot, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 6

I'm going back to work next week. Can't help feeling slightly trepiditious for a number of reasons. That's not even a word, but I'm claiming it.
I'm worried I won't be able to fit in writing, D&D and schoolwork; the latter pays the bills, though I sorely wish the former did. I have to concentrate on that. However, I'll be putting as much of my time as possible into this project.

I'm also now unsure who the audience is for this. It's turning into a sort of young adult type thing. Do those sell, I wonder?

Anyway, Chapter 6 after the jump!

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, chapter, church, novel, poisonroot, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 5

The next chapter; thanks to everyone who's commented, it means a lot. I managed to bash this out today while sat in the Barbican, London; it's a really interesting space, coffee nearby and small tables in the carpeted area. Lots of people there today as it's Bank Holiday Monday!

 

Abruptly, Victor turned and grabbed hold of Trip’s arm. “We should not be here,” he ground out. Trip struggled against the iron grip but could not break free, stumbling as they walked back to the field gate.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookarbour, chapter, church, novel, poisonroot, trip, victorComment
Location: South Porton

As part of the D&D campaign I'm running, I've typed up a description of South Porton. The players have now left South Porton and are unlikely to return there in the near future; with that in mind I've decided to put the description of South Porton up on the blog. To be honest the majority of these things are either already-discovered by the players or things they could find out by asking a passer-by.

 

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PoisonrootSteve CookDnD, The Root of All Evil, location, poisonroot, south porton, writingComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 4

I wrote this in several sittings so it's not as polished as it should be, but it's a first draft and of a decent length. I'm satisfied with it for now.

I'm heavily influenced by D&D at the moment. I've been running a campaign now for about six hours, maybe more, and I have to say it's freakin' awesome. I have a great group to play it with and they've been really imaginative.

I'm hoping I can use some of their ideas in this, and vice versa.

Today is Bank Holiday Monday, I plan to drink coffee from my favourite coffee place and write this novel.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookchapter, farm, farmer, forest, poisonroot, triffids, trip, victor, writingComment
Poisonroot - Interlude

This is more of an interlude than a chapter, standing at only 700 words, but for now it's a chapter. Also mainly because it takes place in a different character's perspective and a different place.

Anila; to be fair she's got no fixed idea in my head yet what she looks like. She's more like a bundle of ideas and concepts at the moment, but that'll change as I write more with her. Eventually she'll be a proper main character with her own perspective chapters regularly.

For now, please enjoy this!

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PoisonrootSteve Cookanila, chapter, poisonroot, writingComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 3

Chapter 4, and we find out a little more about Victor. Public opinion has this guy as some sort of saint, but the reality is apparently far from the truth. I've used some older material on this chapter, and I'm hoping it still comes together to make a coherent chapter; much of it, about 80%, is brand new and written this evening, mostly after a pint of beer, so I hope it still makes sense. As always, this is a FIRST DRAFT.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookchapter, novel, poisonroot, trip, victor, writingComment
Poisonroot - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - I've sat on this for far too long, so I'll just get it out there. As always, this is a FIRST DRAFT.

POISONROOT

Trip stumbled on through the night. Thick clouds covered the moon but ahead, through the gloom, he could see his goal; the village of Monk’s Retreat, at once close and far away to his twelve-year-old mind. He took a deep breath and pushed away his weariness, concentrating instead on heading towards the small town. An especially sharp gust of wind blew through him and he shivered, hugging his simple brown robe closer. Not for the first time, he wished that the monastery had believed in warmer clothing. Or better weapons.

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PoisonrootSteve Cookanila, chapter, novel, poisonroot, trip, victor, writingComment
Poisonroot - Prologue

I know that a prologue is meant to be written after you've written most of the rest of the story but, screw it, I know where this story is going; I've got it planned out, the whole document. It probably means I'll fall into JK Rowling's trap where my final chapter is still doggedly trying to fit into a dress that is ten years too small for it, but we'll see. I'll be glad to get to the end of the book!

So here it is, the FIRST DRAFT (and those two words apply to everything else about Poisonroot that come onto this blog) of the first part of Poisonroot. This is a special project for me, because I'm writing it twice, effectively; parts of the world and setting are being used for my D&D campaign which I'm running with the brilliant Nana Li, John Aggs, Chippy and my beautiful wife Susan; somehow, miraculously, all four have blogs I can link you to!

The Prologue!

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PoisonrootSteve Cookanila, chapter, poisonroot, trip, victorComment
Poisonroot - progress and first writings.

I've been working on Poisonroot. I've written a couple of short pieces and one long one, and here is the long one. I'd write more, but it's late and I'm in a bit of pain after aikido class so that will do for now.

 

Duke Fennic’s manor stood in its own grounds, north of the river. A series of large buildings connected by passages, it seemed strangely deserted as Trip and Victor walked towards it. The iron gates stood open and it wasn’t until they were halfway across the sandy courtyard that they were intercepted.

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Poisonroot, short storySteve Cookchapter, poisonroot, trip, victorComment