Wednesday, February 04, 2009

A Quick Break & An Idea.

You might be wondering what the new poll asking about a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure [TM] style story is all for. Well, I was reckoning that when Book 3 1st draft and maybe edit passes are finally done we could embark on a project together where I write an entry upon a certain Half-Continent character, list a poll of options for their next action, give you a week or two or three to choose which way next, write that, give you more options to choose for the next bit and so on (am I making sense?) and maybe build story together. So I have put up a poll to start and we shall go from there.

Thoughts anyone?

To add a little spice to the entry I am also including some sneak peak appendices proposed for Book 3 (though constraints of book length might mean some do not make it in... we shall see) Until then, I hope you enjoy these.



If you find any errors (such as the one for "parry" on the sabrine adept image) don't fret, these have yet to go under an editor's scrupulous eye.

54 comments:

smudgeon said...

I wish all authors were as good to their audience (it's a brave idea, and an interesting concept). I've cast my vote & am intrigued to see where this goes...

And it will certainly fill in the gap between now & May 2010!

noelle said...

My vote is an emphatic "Yes"!

One question, though...if any facts or secrets about characters happen to come out during this "choose-your-own-adventure," is it considered canon?

Great pictures. I'm bummed out slightly because I can't click on the 4th picture, however :(

Achughti: a person who holds his nose before sneezing or otherwise stifles a sneeze so that it comes out as an odd "squeak" sound. This is enough to give people grounds to mistrust that person.

Anonymous said...

Choose your own adventure huh? Would we get writing credit in the book?

Love the pictures, but the 4th one doesn't work for me either. I like your style of drawing. It fits the mood of your stories so well.

Looking forward to the third installment, and now that we may have a say, it's all the more exciting!

bersesti - small weapon, usually a dagger, that is built into proofing, yet is removable if ever need be (let's hope it doesn't come to that).

D.M. Cornish said...

Which book elorneo?

The 4th should work now, folks - slight technical hitch solved.

Anonymous said...

The pictures are amazing; I would love to draw like that. I like this idea of a choose-your-own-adventure collaboration as well. But will a completely new character be used or will we be able to vote for which character(s) are involved? And if it's a character we know, do we pick what we want them to do or what seems most in line with their character? Sorry I'm so full of questions, I'm just getting so excited about the prospect!

Anonymous said...

It sounds fun! But here we have a saying: the more cooks the lousier soup.Not that is isn´t possible that turns out quite nice. But we are a lot of people here with different taste and imagination so in that case , Mr C, you have to be the judge on what´s the best for the story, if we are going up the walls.

D.M. Cornish said...

I'm not sure whether anything writ will be cannon or not - I certainly will be keeping things within the bounds of the Half-Continent and will give options that shall be H-c based and consistent with the setting as I know it.

Essentially it will be short serial exclusive to Monster Blog, where you goodly folks will get to have a say in its unfolding (though I might have to reserve one or two vetos....)

Meh, it might not work - we'll just have to see.

Jeffrey L Riffe said...

An expanded, stand alone compendium of your appendices would be a nice follow-up to your third book..... Hint, Hint.

...Especially with details and elaborations on your armor designs...

Rikee Lucy Ricardo's husband.

ms_ventress said...

Beautiful work. I love all the detail. I hope they all get into the book. :)

Anonymous said...

oo that sounds like fun--i vote Yes Indeed

your pictures are magnificent. but you know that already

patedna: the invisible film left behind on things that have been touched by Theodore

Anonymous said...

I would be willing to try it. It could turn out to be fairly bad, but it could also end up being really great. An interesting experiment...

-LotR fan

RottenPocket said...

I very VERY interesting experiment I'd say.

I'm with JL Riffe with the stand alone Appendices.

But also with Anna with her saying.

I still stand by my suggestion of Europe's book being unveiled. Especially after book three and her life with Rossamund as a Factotum.

Anonymous said...

Choose-your-own-adventure - AWESOME!!
A novella made up from snippets chosen by MBT-fans - this concept sounds great Mr.C!
Is bringing back the memories from primary school.
Thanks for sharing the graphics. So... many... details :o)

miztres said...

I just finished Lamplighter and rushed to this blog to find you wanting to create a "Choose your own Adventure" style story with us! Sign me UP!

Ooh! Factotum is finished first draft? I can see I will need to re-read the series in anticipation.

M. Walker said...

Arghh! My comments don't seem to be showing up. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I like the idea. Definitely reserve your veto rights, though. Author knows best!

By the way, the Troubadier is awesome!

Anonymous said...

Master Cornish, I regard you as the finest Author living.
Your artwork is truly awe inspiring as well, and provides so much character to the excellant books.
Thankyou.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...I'm not sure...I mean, it's a great idea, but I think if we kinda knew what was going on before the third book is actually published, it sort of takes the surprise and suspense away. Not to mention that we'd already be familiar with some of the book before it comes out...

But I think it's wonderful that you are allowing us to be a part of the fates and destinies of your characters!

Differlot said...

well you know what would be kinda cool. if it was more of a game. like choose your type of armor or what you want your job to be.
Actually now that i think about it you could a have the game of life half continent style???good idea?

what's with all the people who always leave words at the bottom?
is it like exploricarium or something else. Are they actual words?

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, oops. I read your post thinking that the third book would be a choose your own adventure. Oops.

I still like the idea though. I think you may be the right author to pull it off!

skinsol - a rash that is caused by a reaction to treacle. It usually wears off after a few months of taking the treacle.

D.M. Cornish said...

Cheers, ellornoe!!!

Ummm... anonymous, I was not meaning the third book... I'm am a tad bemused where folks are getting the idea that I am thinking of Book 3 with this whole choose-own-adventure-thing. Book 3 is Book 3 - I'll write that one.

There are other stories to tell of the Half-Continent, through different characters in separate situations. I did not build the H-c just to write MBT, the H-c existed well before I knew properly of Rossamund and the rest; the story of MBT is simply one of many possible scenarios - and it is one of these OTHER tales I was hoping to explore with you'all in due course.

How's that for clarity?

Also, the words at the bottom dear Differlot, are folks making up meanings from the word verifications we have to enter below in order to comment. Like mine now:

squilsa = small puffing bladders made from the body of anoctopus or squid.

We're building a kind of explicarium here we like to call a verificon - a lexicon of verification words. Please, join us! (I sound like an idealistic alien...)

portals said...

Wow- I've had school and haven't commented for AGES. Lots to catch up on.

Favourite monster? If ghosts and spirits count, then definately them. You can't beat things you can't see.

The Appendices are amazing. Mr. Cornish, you should make a 2 minute Youtube video teaching people how to draw like you.

I'd love a story that everyone joins in in making. Will everyone debate about it as well, or will it only be polls?

Anonymous said...

portals: o, i don't think we'll have too much trouble debating about it anyway

somanicu: a collective term for various species of magic beans

portals said...

Monday- Yeah, I guess

My word verification ins't there. Its gone.

Differlot said...

I wonder if their are any parasitic monsters?
like maybe Some kinda tick that grows off fingernails?


so can we make up our words meaning?

biana- Type of accident related to using the sink.
The man had a horrible biana that rearranged his face when he was washing his hands.

Really urgent question!!!
what is with all the hattyness in the books.are hats really that important?

RottenPocket said...

It's foolish to travel without one's hat!

Snatiph: Nickname for giant elbow leeches.

portals said...

We all love our hats.

Anonymous said...

I love hats too! Can´t be without them. All true Ladies and Gentlemen wears hats (lol).

To share my awful secret, I am a collector, so I have a small hat-collection aswell. Bowler-hat, "high"-hat, old stuff from the 30´s-40´s, even a "cowboy"-hat made in Australia. I also am very fond of my cap´s.

RottenPocket said...

.... I bought a hat in the shape of a Beer Keg for my friend's birthday.

Apparently it's the best gift she's ever gotten...

Anonymous said...

Anna, I'm jealous of your collection. I only have one hat but I'd love to have more. So here's where I'm piping in with my own "I love hats" comment.

sundi: type of person who wears too much jewelry so they 'shine like the sun' - a newer definition can be used to describe a very vain and rich person, even if they don't wear all their wealth

Anonymous said...

Here, people like antique stuff so there are lot of auction´s or antique-markets where you can find old things.

wish I would dare to wear those old hats out in public but I´m not very fond of people looking at me.

Anonymous said...

I give my assent to the ‘Choose-Your-Own-Adventure’ and the author retaining full veto powers. I must ask if any of our fan characters will be featured as background characters? I’d be interested to see what Mr. Cornish does with their stories.

As for the new appendix pictures, I absolutely love the Sabine Adept, and his therimoir in particular. Though I’m not learned in any form of fencing, I think that grip has some drawbacks and could potentially cause wrist injury. Still, it looks excellent. The caladine spendonette/astatine is good as well.

On the topic of hats, I must ask if scourges wear the signature skold’s topper or if they content themselves with being moving mummies?

I myself were hats just about never, though if I had a good hat and wearing such hats were fashionable I might wear it out more. I suppose it would give the old, hopeless romantic side of me a thrill to tip my hat to ladies in passing or take it off indoors.
The real question is, what kind of a hat does Mr. Cornish wear?

terti: a scabbard worn on the back, with the handle pointing downward on one side. Certain warriors will wear two terti in addition to a more conventionally hung scabbard.
-Ben.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... I have developed sudden and overwhelming urge to find a tricorn hat and wear it. Tricorns are the coolest sort of hat!

Where does one find a tricorn in this day and age?

I ramble, bad me. I agree with what has been said by Ben Bryddia. The new artwork is stunning. Thankyou very much for showing us Master Cornish.

Mogybu- (n) A mythical bugbear used to frighten children.

Anonymous said...

I see on the internet news that it´s pretty hot in Australia in more ways than one. I hope non of you Aussies isn´t living where the worse fires are.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like a good idea. If it can all be out together right..

Love the drawings!

Honestly I don't know how you come up with the, and then draw in so much detail!
Awesome

RottenPocket said...

It's hot here regardless of fires or no fires. It's just that this time the fire's were lit deliberately and people have lost their homes and some their lives.

If it were like any other year and the fires were natural I'd say that that country has always been prone to fires, it's just a quirk of nature, and that it was pretty sad to see so many houses being built throughout the area. Usually the people who've lost their homes head up to northern states and so Victorians aren't too welcome within the rest of Australia's house hunter community.

Fact is, the fires were lit by some stupid person and now people are dead, homeless, animals are gone and we of the north can't do much but watch the news and sweat out the heat blown up our way.

It's nice to see concern in other communities though.

Mr Cornish- How're things closer to the action your way?

Anonymous said...

I always worry about my friends whether we´re long time friends or just met. When you post stuff here you get to know each other in a way.

noelle said...

Ohhh. I like Ben Bryddia's idea of using the characters we made up for ourselves. If not in the "choose-your-own-adventure," maybe in something else?

I wish I was brave enough to wear hats. The problem is that I am a girl with very short hair and certain hats make me look like a man, although I do like my top hat, my pink felt fedora, and my fur hat. And I agree, Magos Kasen, tricorns should most definitely come back into style.

Stsogrec: a style of architecture and interior design that was popular for an extremely brief period of time; it involved lots of gold leaf, filigree, and garish colors. It was very impractical and usually structurally unstable, so few examples of stsogrec architecture exist today.

Anonymous said...

where are these fires? close to any of you? *worried dog-ish whimper*

**
a simple method of making a tricorne is to take a basic soft round-brim hat, fold the edges up, and stitch them into place; my brother has a magnifcent brown one that my cool mother made him, and we fight over it around halloween

i myself own a fedora, which i never wear, several thousand beanies [mostly crocheted], and a lovely gray cloche-type item that makes me feel 'Vintage' or something

everyone else who has invented a H-c character for themselves: dare you to write a short story about them :)

Redingi: a rhyme, mursery or otherwise, beginning by mentioning a number ['Three blind mice' 'There were three ravens sat on tree' 'on the first day of christmas' etc]

A, D and E said...

Mr Cornish, I would love to study this blog-CYOA-story, but can't join in - it would seriously hurt my reputation as a researcher! But would really help my work on your series.

Just for your info, I'm totally re-writing my chapter 4, thesis, to incorporate books one and two, and have changed my theoretical framework to make it all fit...! I'm trying not to cry that I don't have book 3 to use too, but am resolved that the trilogy can form the basis for a paper later, if not part of a post-doc.

I have a question, if I can be so bold, as it isn't related to this topic, can other characters feel threwd? (or just Rossamund)??

Sorry for the long post!

Anonymous said...

Huzzah, Noelle, you and I must start working to reintroduce the Tricorn to todays society.

On a far more serious note, I hope everyone who posts here is alright and unaffected by these horrible fires. It is sad that people can deliberately cause such misery.

D.M. Cornish said...

Things over my way hot, Ms Reinmuth, anna but no fires. We are safe here in Adelaide for now; very concerned for those who are not though - Lord be with them.

Alas no, Master Brydia, I am not a hat wearer, that is why I have made up a world where they are worn to excess. I too would wear a tricorn if it was possible. As for scourges and hats, I reckon they'd where whatever they'd like to - conice or otherwise - and there would not be much one could say in contradiction.

***SPOLER(ish) ALERT*** (I think...)A,D & E, more obvious threwd is definitely felt by people, that frightening, being-watched feeling you get out in a wild place is a good example. Monsters use threwd to frighten everymen (the ancient nickers can even terrify a person to death with it). Rossamund, however, is more especially sensative to its fluctuations and nuances, to the light traces of it in the land and about other monsters that other people cannot tell. Apologies Book 3 is not ready for your thesis... almost there!

Oh, and cheers very muchly indeed Magos Kasen and others for your fine remarks, I have treasured them away.

leroo = a very rare species of wallaby with only vestigal arms and legs but a thick and powerful tail by which to move.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if using the caracters made up by the posters here won´t be more "difficult" than use one in the book. Perhaps not everyone is familiar with them, and what the creator wants the caracter to be.
It would perhaps be possible in a smaller community but we are quite a bunch here all with different taste and likes. I fear it would be a real fruitsallad.

portals said...

The Fires are absolutely terrible! over 100 have died! From fires! Thats like people dying from falling trees! Fires should be avoidable, but these ones just sweep through the countryside killing people! I'm no where near them, but to think of what they have done is scary.

portals said...

The Fires are absolutely terrible! over 100 have died! From fires! Thats like people dying from falling trees! Fires should be avoidable, but these ones just sweep through the countryside killing people! I'm no where near them, but to think of what they have done is scary.

RottenPocket said...

Officially over one-hundred, but expected over two-hundred, but not found. It's so hot here and I'm a whole two states above the fires...

There's a place near the city that sells Tricorn hats.... but I'm not paying eight hundred bucks for them....

tanita✿davis said...

Sounds like FUN!!!

Could it be that since you're thinking these thoughts, Book 3 is... ALMOST done??

A, D and E said...

Thankyou so much for clearing that up, I think threwd is the most fabulous and original concept.

I love the hats, they really make the outfits unique.

Now lets both get back to writing ;)

Anonymous said...

Wow, a fantastic treasure of a community you guys have here. I have long been a MBT convert, but have only recently chanced upon this great blog.

I have a small question for Mr Cornish - will the superb MBT series necessarily be a trilogy, or is there a chance of further excursions into the Half-Continent after Book 3?

This must be a common question, but one I haven't been able to find an answer to and one my curiosity will not allow me to keep to myself any longer.

Differlot said...

HEy guys are you all teenagers or older because it just seems that way, like people's messages seem pretty BIG?
Have you guys actually seen real soda drink hats? i hear about them but never see them. O yeah and what is the thing to the right of the screen? The Invidists, The Sedorners and those in between. is that a different blog???
Conse- A person that has a A a strange feeling about them and does not seem to blink often enough

Sam Hranac said...

I'm glad to hear you are out of harm's way, Mr. Cornish. Stay safe.

Super_Art_girl said...

Ah! These illustrations are, as usual, beautiful!!! The detail in the clothing is especially impressive :) On the subject of a choose-your-own-adventure style story, I whole-heartedly agree! I think it would encourage me to sepnd far too much time on the world wide web, but it would be time well spent.

Super_Art_girl said...

Ehr, that one word is supposed to be "spend", not "sepnd" or whatever I typed. Sorry :/

the Moribund Rose said...

Wonderful pictures, Mr Cornish... I particularly like the Spendonette...

Gwen said...

I love them! I especially love the troubardier's cuffs. I'm curious about them too... you mention them as being heavy boot cuffs. Are they leather? How thick? How do they stay on the garment to protect the forearms? I LOVE the look, but they seem like they'd be bulky, heavy and cumbersome if they needed to fight.

They remind me of the cuffs/gauntlets which are ever so popular among the "dark ages" crowds. The checkerboard lorica is awesome!

Your work is SO inspiring. And I'm really impressed with the reader for your audio book. Very intriguing and engaging. Thank you for being quick to offer your book on audible. :)