It was about time the Black Dawn Blog had a major design overhaul, so I switched to a Plus account (for more icon space) and changed the layout to a more text-friendly environment. The layout from before was thin and dumb and blaringly red, so hopefully this has made a difference for you all.

I'm excited for the absolutely fresh new set of icons, which I am happy to show off here to you guys! If you'd like to see all the icons, go to http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=bd_updates to view the other pretties I made. :]

And yes, it means I'm playing favorites by making my Benjamin icon the default haha. It turned out the best out of the batch, in my opinion.

I'm having a sick spell so not a lot of Black Dawn progress, but in the meantime here's a teaser for you guys to enjoy! (if anyone still reads this blog)

( Pretty Benjamin tidbit from Chapter 14 )

Not as intense if you aren't reading the whole chapter and getting a build-up from the beginning of her adventures on the ship when she believes she's seeing this faceless "phantom" man that haunts her every step, but oh well! I like inserting creepy Benjamin scenes just to throw you guys off, and plus--I have to admit--Benjamin is a lot of fun writing.

He gives me the chills haha.

Here's to Ben being the creepiest creeper in my whole book! 8D *cheers*

Typed Chapters: 15 Chapters
Word Count: 41,452
Chapters Written: 24/30
Number of Pages So Far: 180

Some exciting news people!

Currently, as I've said before, I am on the homestretch of the rough draft for the first novel in my series. This is exciting because I haven't gotten to the point of a complete draft in probably four or five years, and overall I've been working on this entire series for six years. Anyway, calculations aside, I worked over the weekend at my dad's on the story, and now have the rough plot points for the second and third book squared away, seeing as I had a couple new big ideas to integrate into the story and fill plot holes with.

I've actually been stuck working with Chapter 24 for some time now, because it is so far my longest chapter to date, and I've been steadily hacking away at it all week. I finally decided I needed to split it up and sacrifice my desire for an even 30-chapter layout of the story because, let's face it, after writing front-and-back twelve pages of teeny-tiny writing that would probably count at least 3 pages on my computer versus the single front-and-back paper in my hands, it was just getting too long. Plus I like uniformity in chapter length. I'm really anal about this crap and I don't know why.

Anyway, Chapter 24 has been split up into three parts. I'm surprised I managed to think I could fit that much into one chapter. I would've been rushing/cramming too much if I'd tried to follow the plot points I'd given. So now instead of one crammed in, rushed chapter I have three spread-out chapters that better work with the pacing and flow of the beginning of it. Anyway, that is nerdy stuff that none of you care about. The big question is:

When are you going to finish writing the rough draft, Tysandri?

Welll, if I can keep up the steady pace I'm working now--hopefully before Christmas I should have the rough draft completed, and that's at the latest. These last chapters have a LOT I have to include so it's way way harder to work on them than the open-ended chapters from before. I had it easy with my middle-meat chapters, because I was free to gallavant on whatever subject I wanted. With these last chapters, they've been designed, plotted, and mapped out to a "T" and no I don't want to give myself creative freedom because this is the exact stuff I want in the story is what I've written down chapter-by-chapter. It was just so many thoughts I couldn't keep it in my head. That's where planning the book for six years gets me; I can't keep it all in one place anymore haha.

Anyway, I'm hoping the next chapters won't give me as much hell as Chapter 24 has (including a shocking scene that I didn't even BET on that Aidan pulled out of his as--I mean sprung on me when Dawn and I were not looking) but I'm really excited to just have the draft finished and done with before my mind comes up with any more brilliant ideas or my characters decide on a last-minute scene change augh.

It's Aidan's fault for screwing up the bar scene and pulling off this whole "big epic talk outside on the porch in the harbor" deal where he starts acting retarded and singing. Gosh Aidan, quit throwing me for a loop. The Captain too. >8c You weren't supposed to be such a big softie.

Oh well, I don't really have control over them I just stick them in situations and see what they do. It's like lab-rats really. XD I'm so cruel.

Also, I came to the realization last night while reading over the base plot lines for the second and third novel..... this series gets really dark, guys. Seriously. I was reading it and thinking to myself "My gosh, people are going to be truly disturbed by what goes on :[" and I'm actually afraid now I might scare people a little too much... because it's almost like a horror movie in ways.

Let's just say the story gets very disturbing and dark after the first book. ;___; I didn't mean for it to happen I swear haha. It just...is.

P.S.
I'm going to start keeping a tab on how many chapters I've typed, how many I've completed (I hand-write all my chapters first and then type them. It helps my brain think faster), the word count, and how many pages so far on the formatted manuscript version of the first book.

So I am wide-awake and typed up three chapters (WOOH go me) except it's not really progress because I just finished writing three new chapters yesterday ahahahah. ;__; I've gotten as far as typing 13 chapters, and I have 20 written currently. I have such a way to go haha.

ANYWAY.

I just wrote up one of my most colorful and squee-worthy chapters, featuring the lovely Dawn and ever-provoking shirtless pirate we all know best--Aidan. I personally find this is my favorite chapter in the matters of describing how they act around one another. It's absolutely positively freaking adorable.

Plus you will laugh your head off and then maybe blush and go "bawwww" because Dawn is so cute when she's ruffled.

( Chapter 13, Kissing on a Dare )

And just for the record, I don't actually label my chapters, I just thought it might catch your attention. ;D

<333 Lemme know what you think, guys! I feel like I'm writing these entries for myself most of the time haha.