Y'all are wonderful!
I can't tell you, or perhaps y'all, how amazingly amazing these responses have made me feel. I'm half tempted to pour champagne and orange juice down my modem in the hopes that some will reach, erm... Y'all. ('Tis the perfect breakfast drink)
An excellent piece of advice, and one I'll be sure to heed. I vaguely recall P.G.Woodhouse complaining that for every book he wrote, three more had to be crafted in note-form first.
I've got some catching up to do.
With a willing heart, able body and dubious mind! *smiles*
From the beginning I've had three aims. I wanted to be able to identify with the central character; I wanted the story to be fantasy based, not so much for the wizards and elves angle, but for the ability to have so much creative control over the environment and background of the story, as well as being able to really immerse myself inside it. I'm actually really looking forward to suggesting some ideas on how a society like ours could develop if the circumstances were slightly different.
Thirdly, I wanted a central premise of the story to deal with decline, loss and old age. One of the stories that had the most influence on me growing up was
The EarthSea Quartet, in which the last book dealt with the struggles of a once-powerful and important wizard to accept that in his old age he had become a weak, forgotten shadow of his former self. If I could capture a hint of the haunting quality that I found then, I'd be happy.
As for the story itself, it concerns a disillusioned monk who decides to become a hermit and builds a pole with a platform to live on top of. Living within the sky, he converses with clouds, wind-spirits, dragons and a certain talking fly named Liu, whose tales and conversations contrast with the stark realities of what his life has become. I know it doesn't sound much, but I'm hopeful.
Oh, and for Luna, the working title is
Hollow Sky.
Finally and once again, thank you all for your encouragement!
