Catching Up

So I'm back to editing while combining some notes for my new book. Even though I skipped on finishing the editing of books 5, 6, and 7 of #ShadowGodsSeries (which I'll get back too), I'm almost finished with the first pass of Book 8, Child of Chaos. What I find hard to believe is that at the conclusion of the series, I've created a chain of events that all make sense, is unpredictable, and closes all the loose ends. In a way, I'm actually mystified that I wrote it all, especially after starting the project as a single book when I was 17 years old and spending the next 20 years working on it before completing it. I'm also amazed I've written 10+ books besides this series of 8.

What I'd really like is to have writing as my job because right now I only do it as a hobby. 18+ books written as a hobby with a dozen more waiting in the wing. I need more time, more energy, more peace and quiet. But for now, I will settle with what I have, a few hours to myself most nights to ponder my thoughts over a computer.

Okay, I'm done now. Good day!

I'm Behind

So I thought I was publishing book 4 of Shadow Gods, Brothers of Chaos, but I'm six months off. Instead, I'm publishing book 3, Warrior of Chaos. Oh well, it gives me more time to continue editing on both book 6 and 9.

I've also been lazy since the football season has started. A while ago, I was editing and writing in 3 different books. Now, I'm just a lump on the couch with a weekly trip to the golf course. At least that game is improving (a little).

As for the 3 books, they've stagnated in my mind. I can't figure out how to get from point C to D in any of them. I know it will eventually come to me, but I hate writer's block. Oh well, if I'm stuck writing them I can at least do some editing.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on Magic - pt.3

Of course, Zol has his own take on things. Yet he is just one man whereas the collective eventually won out. Nevertheless, he's closer to the truth than anyone wants to admit to; even now.

Zol Darklock’s Adaptation: Magic, as both Dilmoth and Moordikiin would lead you to believe, is a complicated process of manipulating time and energy with the help of symbols which are based on the Gods. They are wrong in many ways. Magic is simply the ability to believe in oneself. Most everyone has the ability to produce magic, but they are unable to manifest it because they simple believe they can’t. Yet, what most of them believe they are capable of doing they can do because they believe they can on a sub-conscious level. If you will, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, though magic has never been defined that way and likely won't.

What I suggest is real magic; the ability to use, not just yourself, but the power of others, to create the end goal. Belief is a powerful thing and when properly used it can produce results; not only on the scale of man, but within the scale of gods. In essence, magic boils down to one thing; a person’s individual belief in himself and the world around him. In this single indivisible aspect, there is not magic, just power over one’s sub-conscious. As for the sharing of magic; symbol, sign, and speech, it only exists as a channel for convincing one’s self that a person can recreate what another has already accomplished using the same three frivolous and useless methods. By truth, symbols, signs, and speech are of no need for any well-trained mind. A proficient mage can do the same without them.

In fact, magic is nothing more than time and energy, or as I describe it in clearer terms reality, captured and unleashed. And if my belief surpasses yours then my reality dominates and becomes the truth.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on Magic - pt.2

Though this is just a summary during Moordikiin's earlier years, he saw the future. However, he wasn't prepared for what the future would bring. And he paid little precaution to the eminent disaster his discoveries would bring.

Moordikiin’s Premise: During the past century or so, great strides have been made in the area of magic as Dilmoth predicted. No longer must a mage use his own body’s energy to create an envelope of time thus slowing energy to create matter, but he's able to use energy, time, and his mind in harmonic unison to harness the three into matter. The use of symbols has now become wide spread along with adjoining sign and speech. The symbols are based upon the original symbols of the individual gods and therefore imparting different powers and aspects of magic. In the beginning, symbols were unreliable, as Dilmoth claims, but through the years the materials from which the symbols are created and the drawing of the symbols themselves has increased their reliability thereby increasing their power. However, no symbol ever created by man is perfect and therefore can be un-made. Only those symbols created by the gods themselves are perfect and unbreakable except by another god, even if that were possible.

This refinement of symbolic recreation has been accomplished through several recent discoveries and some reverse logic on the part of myself and other magic users. With this done, magic users of today are able to tap into other hidden resources concerning both time and energy. Still, other mages are experimenting with power in order to lengthen the average life span and are even able to practice minor healing methods many thought were only within the ability of clerics. The next several decades will present some very exciting times within the mage community.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on Magic - pt.1

Though a giant in his time, Dilmoth's understanding of magic is flawed for many reasons. Nevertheless, the established the groundwork for the future which we hope comes to fruition in my lifetime.

Dilmoth’s Magic Premise: Magic, true magic, not the sleight of hand as seen through charlatans, is the ability of the mind to construct material objects out of raw energy. This is done by using the body’s own energy and subconscious mind to create an envelope of time to slow energy, thus forging it into matter. Of course, once this envelop of time dissipates, the matter returns to its natural form of pure energy. However, the use of the body’s energy is a direct reflection on the total life energy of the person. As energy is used, the body will age more quickly. This accounts for the shortened life span of the more powerful mages.

Creating the envelop of time is a long and involved process requiring deep concentration, a strong will, and steady nerves, because one slight error can have catastrophic results. Some of these problems have been recently solved through the use of symbols which focus one’s inner power in the creation of the envelope. However, these symbols are unreliable and create other problems with the focusing of energy. This wasn’t always the way, but due to the destruction and loss of much of our knowledge of magic during the Wizard Wars, we constantly seem to be reinventing the wheel concerning magic and its uses. There are efforts to recreate what we’ve lost, but the process is slow and tedious. Maybe, if all of the magic community works together, we can hope to solve many of these problems, but the future of magic is still unclear.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Gods - pt. 3

Then, of course, there's Zol Dacklock. Read what is below and it should explain everything. After all, arrogance is a learned trait and Zol gained it from someone by the bucket full.

Zol Darklock’s Premise: Though I concur with the logic behind Moordikiin’s premise and Dilmoth’s theory, I am an atheist and therefore give little credence or validation of either view. Gods are of little use to me. I believe in the use of time and energy in order to satisfy one’s goals. If those goals require the presence of a god then so be it. Mine do not. If, at such time, the presence of a god will satisfy one of my needs then I may see fit to say thanks, but I will not worship the god like a slave for eternity.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Gods - pt. 2

Moordikiin sees Dilmoth as a parent sees an adolescent; someone with only a basic understanding of the world. In his opinion, Dilmoth does not see the underlying structure of the planes or is able to explain humanity itself, so therefore he cannot create a coherent explanation as to how everything interacts.

Moordikiin’s Theory: Though Dilmoth creates logical assumptions on the creation of the planes other than the Deity Plane. His fallacy lies within the Deity Plane.

How does energy create consciousness? Consciousness is an evolutionary process taking thousands of years. Did the gods go through the same evolutionary process or is there some other method of their creation? I believe there is, yet it requires an open look at chicken or the egg theory. Knowing and believing in the theory of evolution leads me to believe that we, in fact, created the gods. We are conscious beings able to manipulate both energy and time through our minds, though time manipulation is far easier. Still, we are barely reaching our bounds, so what else can the mind do that we are unaware of? I believe I can manipulate time to give substance to energy and therefore I can. Yet, it’s my own subconscious mind which determines my abilities. It’s the simple thought: I believe, therefore I can. And I can as long as I believe.

Now, I do not believe a single person can create a god, but a single person can sway thousands of people into believing there is a god. That being true, the combined subconscious of the many could, in fact, create a semi-omnipotent being which exists throughout time. If the belief of the many, in such a manner, can subconsciously create an omnipotent being then why can’t that being be the source of man’s creation if the many believe in that premise. Thus, man created the gods which in turn created man. Of course, the gods would need to exist throughout time and be far more powerful than man, thereby placing them in the aspect of the Deity Plane which is far closer to Energy than it is to Time.

As for the rest of Dilmoth’s theory on the gods, I concur.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Gods - pt. 1

Now that we understand how the universe has been viewed by three very different scholars, we can take the next step into understanding the gods of the realm. Again, we start with Dilmoth and what he believes about the gods and their existence.

Dilmoth’s Deity Premise: Each god exists as a simple consciousness swimming in a pool of energy known as the Deity Plane. The plane, unlike ours, is primarily energy with little association to time. This gives the gods the ability to see past, present, and future through the use of energy. They use energy to manipulate time just as we use time to manipulate energy. However, the gods are without physical form unless manifesting themselves outside the Deity Plane. To do this, however, they must slow energy through time to create solid forms, yet even those are distorted when viewed. It could be compared to trying to hold a lantern steady in a gusty wind; in which the lantern is time and the wind is energy. However, with the energy they do have, they can create entire, yet bounded, planes of existence for their worshippers to exist upon within the Astral Plane, just as we are able to create material objects through conscious will. However, since the gods are not tied to time, as we are, the conscious creation of a plane, though taking a relatively short amount of time, can and do last forever.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Universe - pt. 3

As we continue on this discussion of the Universe, we discover that theories are meant to be either proven or dis-proven as knowledge is gained. Zol, the smartest mage of his time, disagrees with both Dilmoth and Moordikiin as he expands and corrects their basic principles.

Zol Darklock’s Theory: Though I have spoken to Moordikiin several times concerning the fallacies of his theory concerning the planes, he refuses to listen to logic. However, Moordikiin’s theory does have some relevance, though it creates an unseen problem which any man of his experience should have foreseen. Since the Negative and Positive planes exist side-by-side, what is to prevent them from coming together like the opposite polarities of magnets which would eventually, but instantaneously, destroy one another. This presents the existence of Grey Matter, a neutral substance lying between the two planes keeping them separated. This Grey Matter would be a plane where both time and energy are undefined, where both positive and negative planar material can co-exist within proximity. A plane like the Astral Plane, where Time and Energy exist at the will of conscious thought, not through the manipulation of either time or energy. This changes Moordikiin’s model moving the Astral Plane from between the material planes and ethereal plane to between the negative and positive planes. Therefore, the Astral Plane stretches from Time to Energy along all points. Through the use of the Astral Plane, both time and energy from the Negative Planes can be easily bridged and controlled within the Positive Planes. This also means the planes of Heaven and Hell exist within the Astral Plane by the will of the gods; not as Moordikiin theorized, but rather as suggested under Dilmoth’s original premise.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Universe - pt. 2

In continuing this multi-part explanation of the Universe, we move to Moordikiin. His passion for magic and need to discover the fundamental rules of the Universe led him to both study and refute Dilmoth's principles.

Moordikiin’s Theory: Dilmoth’s theory is fouled in several ways, but the most important reasons are: from where were the planes created and from what. He ignores the premise of which an omnipotent being may have existed before the rest of the universe. This leads me to believe in the existence of two additional points of presence and the existence of additional planes existing parallel to ours, yet having an opposite directional scope.

First, let’s look at the two points of presence to which I refer. They are Time and Energy, existing at opposing ends of the planes. Time can be described as the probable existence of everything without the energy to create it while Energy is everything in existence without the time to manipulate it. This theory functions if one believes matter is just energy existing at a set point in time. This can be and has been proven to some degree in multiple experiments.

Now, starting with energy, as we will travel away from that point toward time we will see if the theory has validity. As one travels further away for an energy source, for instance fire, the heat is spread out over a larger volume of space thereby dissipating its effectiveness though the same amount of energy exists. The same principle occurs between Energy and Time. As energy radiates outward toward time it dissipates and thus takes on physical characteristics. The further it travels away from the source and toward time the less energy exists in the given area while time becomes a greater factor. With this in mind, let’s view the order of which the planes exist. Starting with energy, the next plane of existence would be the Deity Plane where energy exists with very little reference to time. Therefore, the gods’ tremendous power and ability to see past, present, and future since time is very malleable in lesser amounts, and thereby allowing the Gods to appear omnipotent.

Further down the line are the Ethereal Planes. The energy has dissipated enough and time has a strong enough presence to change energy into matter. The Ethereal Planes of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth are actually the four states of matter, which are Plasma, Gas, Liquid, and Solid. Dilmoth, like the philosophers before him, described the Ethereal Plane as best they could by relating the four states of matter to their most common and relatable materials thus enabling the peasants to understand them.

Between the Ethereal Planes and the Living Plane exists the Astral Plane. This Astral Plane exists in a state of flux providing enough energy and time to create anything, yet dissipating the creation when no longer the focus. This plane also provides a conduit to the other planes of existence; those being Heaven, Hell, etc… which exist not within the Astral Plane but, in fact, bridging across the Ethereal Planes themselves by the power of the gods. The last plane of existence before Time is the Living Plane. Time exists as a near constant there. It is where energy has mostly become matter, therefore, time can be measured and energy can be easily manipulated into physical properties.

However, just as Time and Energy are opposites, so must our universe be the opposite of a parallel universe having similar yet opposite polarities. Therefore, I believe the Living Universe is actually a Positive Material Plane with an opposite Negative Material Plane existing on the other side of Time. This would also mean the existence of a Negative Ethereal Planes, a Negative Astral Plane, and a Negative Deity Plane. The main difference between the positive and negative planes is the flow of time, which would flow in the opposite direction of ours.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Universe

Like in every universe, including our own, theories develop on the creation of everything. These theories change as time elapses and science improves. In my universe where magic rules more than science and gods are known to exist, theories on the universe still get written and proven or proven wrong. In his time, Dilmoth was a man of vision, but his theories were only a stepping stone for others. I'll be laying those out over the next few posts.

Dilmoth’s Universal Premise: The universe consists of four separate and distinct planes of existence. They are the Prime Material Plane, the Elemental Plane, the Deity Plane, and the Astral Plane. The Prime Material Plane houses the existence of what humans call the Living Universe. The Elemental Plane is made up of material whose essence is fire, water, air, and earth. The Deity Plane contains the gods responsible for the creation of the other planes. Finally, the Astral Plane which connects the three cohesive planes together forming the center of a triangle. Within the Astral plane the Gods have created, using the material from the Elemental Plane, other planes such as Heaven, Hell, and all the other derivatives.

Mage Of Chaos

Great news, Mage of Chaos, the first of 8 books in my #ShadowGodsSeries, has been published and is available on Amazon. My second book of the series is nearly halfway through it's final edit which I hope to publish in April as a birthday gift to myself. Though I'm a year or two late in publishing these, I'm glad I've reach this milestone.

Series Overview

There are two forms of existence; life and death. There are also two rules of existence; order and chaos. Of the four, my brother and I command the latter pair. We are gods. Of the former, we can only directly influence the dead as we powerlessly watch the living. As Gods, we are weak in the face of humanity, never allowed to interfere with them directly; a task left to our followers. I wished to change that. I wished to alter it and, almost unknowingly, I’ve already begun as my experimental paradox has spiraled out of my control. If I read the signs correctly, the shift in outcome creates a new God; one I will be forced to share my power with and who can take his power beyond our limits and boundaries. He will be a god who can affect the living directly. I cannot allow this to happen. I cannot allow this abomination to be created. I cannot allow the living to succumb to my mistake. I also cannot allow this separation in the equality of Gods. Therefore, I have devised a plan which places my paradox within a paradox. Like a mirror within a mirror, I hope to ensnare this would-be god in a paradoxical chaos of my own. Yet, despite my preparations, I’m not convinced that all my plans will succeed. That is why my best chance of success involves the biggest risk. For that, I need to steal my brother’s power for a moment. In order to do that, I need to convince him to shed his godliness, just as I plan to do, so we may affect the living world directly. Yet, how do we shed our godliness? We do it by forgetting we are gods and hope we rediscover what we truly are when needed.

Cover of...

 My next book....

Big News!!!

So as I've gotten closer to publishing my #ShadowGodsSeries, I've had to contact my guy who does the covers and squeeze some time out of him because he's a busy person. Luckily for me, he's had some time the last few weeks and has finished all 8 book covers which I received today. This is excellent news and means publishing this series rest totally on my shoulders. I just have to get my ass moving and finish the last of the editing and formatting.

But first, my golf clubs are calling me!

The best character I've written

So what's the best character I've ever written? For me, that's not an easy question to answer.

Immediately, the one that comes to mind is Opus Wright from my #StoneVengeanceSeries only because I like his dark nature and the way people under-estimate him because of his appearance. But along the same lines, I find him simplistic and annoying which deters me from saying he's the best character I've written.

Then my mind switches to my #ShadowGodsSeries and Lord Storem. While he's also dark in nature, I love his motivations, the depth of his inherent nature, and his confidence. He has only one soft-spot and he fights against those feelings throughout the series because he hates to admit he has a weakness. Additionally, he's a man on a self-made pedestal who refuses to submit to anyone, even his god, at least until he meets Chalas.

Now Chalas is a character I truly love. If you want to talk about strong women, she's the one that grabs hold of me. She's the anchor, the one that holds the ship together by sheer force of will. She's the one that should lead but doesn't because she's a woman in a world where men still dominate. Yet, by the time the series gets half way through, she's the one setting the tone for everything that happens. She's the one who's logic can't be questioned, who puts Lord Storem in his place with a mere look, and who scolds her warrior husband with a wink. And in the end, she's the only one who figures a way out of the mess they've created.

Yet, is she the best? I'd have to say no only because one more character comes to mind. This person exists as only a footnote in #ARomanceNovel. He's at the end of the book and the reason why Cristina give Taylor a chance. His name is Connor and he has a gift, though some might call it a curse. Yet every time I read those few pages I get tears in my eyes. To me, he's the most powerful character I've written and I doubt I can even begin to explain why. I just feel him at the very depths of my soul because, if given a choice, I would like to be like him; to do good despite the damage it would cause me. As for the rest of the book, it's not my genre even though I wrote it. It does, however, explain who I am in many ways (an autobiography of sorts).

So while you can read about Opus Wright or Connor in books I've already published, you'll have to wait another month or two concerning Lord Storem or Chalas. That's when I plan to start publishing my #ShadowGodsSeries.

https://www.amazon.com/author/sscotttwigg

Progress

So I know that I was supposed to keep up with my weekly writing challenge, but I've been working on my #ShadowGodsSeries instead. During these past few weeks I've finished editing Mage of Chaos and am only doing a finally read-thru before prepping for publishing. I've also uploaded it to CreateSpace and did some formatting to ensure everything is right. Furthermore, I've done some changes to the rest of the series, cutting it from 9 books down to 8 so each of them has approximately the same number of pages. I've also contacted my cover artist and hope he'll be done with all the covers within the next few weeks. All this takes me away from my passion of writing, but its worth it. I need to get this done... woohoo.

Old Friends

For the last several years I’ve begun to wonder what friends truly are. Many would say they are people who you enjoy the company of or know personally, but I think that is a fallacy bred through technology. I say this because there are several people I know I like to spend time with, but that is a momentary thing. I can drink and eat and have conversation with these people, but is there more than that. After all, I’m aged. I grew up in a time when you had to ride a bike across town to see someone or pick up a phone to call them. There was an effort there which no longer exists. Video chatting, text messages, unlimited data, facebook, twitter, and so on all contribute to a sense of separation more than joining. By this I mean that far more people know what’s going on with my life than ever before, but there’s no communication there. There’s no commitment of time. It’s a scanned posting or a few impromptu messaged words of greeting; not a conversation. But what I truly enjoy is the face to face. It’s the hug of a greeting, the truth I see in their eyes, and their body language which I’ve learned to trust. It’s the smile that I notice now along with their desire to do it again and follow through with that promise. Of course, time is the equalizer and the ferryman always comes due, which seems gets in the way. However, there are a few friend whom I rarely see that will always be a part of me, more than any emoji could convey. To them, I give my heart and my every living breath because you have made my life worth living in many more ways than you can even begin to comprehend. Those few are my friends, my soul.

Weekly writing challenge

Doing a bit of a weekly writing challenge with a dear friend of mine. The best part is it's only a paragraph so it doesn't take much time, yet you must convey a complete thought based on a single word. Last weeks subject was 'Aging'.

Here's what I wrote.

 Aging: I’m a scientist. I understand the gravity of my situation. I comprehend what my demise entails. I know the agony I will endure. And I know it will last for centuries, possibly across millennia. Even now, I witness the rest of the universe evolving about me; decades in a single heartbeat. I am torn by these thoughts. I am ravaged by sorrow knowing that generations of my offspring will die before I finish a single long sigh; before a tear touches my cheek. In fact, before my death, my world may vanish as my star becomes a red giant and swallows my planet; my birthplace. I wonder if this has already happened and whether the screams I hear at night are the echoes of its passing. I don’t know, but it’s something I endure each time my eyelids drift shut. I am weary of this knowledge. Yet, through another set of eyes, my death will last an eternity, though that’s not how I see it. From where I stand, my moments are no longer than yours. In fact, our clocks ticks at the same rate and my years burden me just as they burden you, though from a different perspective. The difference is you move far slower than I do so your death occurs in the blink of an eye whereas my death may come when the universe finally collapses upon itself. That would validate my findings and be a proper ending for me. That would be the ultimate culmination of my life's work while providing me the title of my final thesis. I only hope my transmission reaches listening ears as I look beyond the event horizon into the coming darkness.

 And another one:

Space: Clickity-clack go the wheels as the train jostles us in unison; swaying our crowded bodies like wind through a field of wheat. I know this feeling. I do this every day, yet today I’ve ridden three stops past my normal station. I do this not because I’m forgetful or preoccupied, but rather on a whim; on a hope. At moments I believe this a dream, though I have pinched myself painfully to ensure it is not. Rather, I do this for you, though I don’t know you’re name. Unlike my normal boring commute, you’ve intoxicated me. Whether it’s the sweet smell hair or the dry scent of your perfume, you’ve aroused me in a way I’m barely been able to control. Maybe it’s simply the sexy snicker on your face as you sheepishly look up at me as we’re pressed closer together. Whatever it is, I’m yours. All you have to do is but ask and I’d walk to the ends of the earth to see your simple smile, to taste your tantalizing lips. Yet, right here and right now, I await the next changing of tracks so the oscillation eliminates a little more of the space between us.

My life as an editor

First of all, I hate it. Editing is mundane and tedious. It grates on my nerves like sand in my shorts. But like all things as an author, it's a necessity. It just doesn't mean I have to like it. On that note, I'm continuing with Mage of Chaos, book 1 of #ShadowGodsSeries. However, I'm kind of doing 2 edits in one. First, I'm doing corrections off feedback from a proofreader. Second, about forty pages back, I'm doing a indepth read-thru for smoothness and making some minor changes on flow. So far, this seems to be working out well and hopefully when I'm done it won't need further edits. At least that's the goal.

That's it for now, though check out my books on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/S.-Scott-Twigg/e/B007H3TEG4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1466872527&sr=8-1

Per the Norm

During my last post I stated I'd finished the first edit of Warrior of Chaos, book 3 of my #ShadowGodsSeries. In reality, this was a lie. My first edit is a full edit with massive changes, but also includes an additional read-thru with some tweaks in parts. Last week, I completed this second pass-thru and have now printed it off for review. Then I immediately moved onto formatting books 4 and 5 of the series, Brothers of Chaos and Times of Chaos. During those few hours, I reviewed the content of the books and began to remember the full story that I wrote so long ago. With that down, I'm back to doing the second edit of book 1, Mage of Chaos.

On another note, I started to think about my two unfinished books, Opal (of the Stone Vengeance Series) and Child of Need, a stand alone novel based on the occult. Maybe someday, I'll be able to come back to them.