52°39'02"N 7°14'57"W
Gusty 12 knot eastward winds
Captain's Log: 11/04/2025
Like most of my previous log entries, these past 30 days have been filled to the brim with events, tasks, and various activities outside of my usual daily routine. But nonetheless lets get this report moving savvy?
Concerning my writing:
While I've managed a good four or five pages since my last entry, I've come to terms with the list of narrative tasks that will need to be addressed in my current project before I can finally bring about the events of the first act. What one of my beta readers has definitely come to learn about me as a writer, after beta reading The Last Pirate King, is that I'm particular and overly vague in my build up to the first main act; that it's not until the first main act that you'd even know the theme or what the narrative is even meant to be. A task I've taken much needed focus into correcting while working on my second project. However out of this focus, I've unintentionally started writing with an editor's mindset, compared to that of a drunken creative sailor. All joking aside, while much narrative focus is needed when writing out a first draft, my current focus should be more on the just establishing the narrative compared to trying to get it right on the first draft. A habit, I'd presume, all first time writers would have when it comes to trying to trad publish their first project.
All rambling aside, this next dialogue scene will not only set the stage for the first act, it will also be an excellent place for some exposition among characters. Something I'm not the best at with placement, but on the bright side the exposition is there, even if all I need to do is move it around in the next drafts, to ensure it works with the pacing of the story. Especially with characters in the previous story, as well as introducing ones in the next.
Among the methods I've taken the past few weeks into learning, I've developed this format that I believe may be a helpful formula in proper pacing with character development:
Introduction, action, result, exposition, action, development, result, repeat. While anybody else could develop a better method, this one I'm going to experiment with on my first draft and see how it works for me. Edits are inevitable, but if certain methods work, it'll make for a much easier editing process.
Concerning my opinion on writing:
I've recently come to truly love the anti-hero archetype, and I've come to accept that to be my personal favorite kind of protagonist/ side character. The Anti-hero follows nobody's rules but their own and sit perfectly in that gray zone between good and bad. To be morally good or immoral. This is style of protagonist, especially one set in a world with no magical or otherwise "super" powers. Where they have to break the rules set in that world in order to achieve their desired goals. While not only are these characters my favorite, I feel especially fascinated by the Anti-hero to villain narrative. Such as Light Yagami from Deathnote or Walter White from Breaking Bad. How one can become so consumed by their own personal desires, that they lose their humanity in the process. As Obi Wan Kenobi put it, "Until you became the very thing you swore to destroy."
I have a feeling many will be coming back to this particular entry haha.
Concerning the Captain:
As I stated in my opening statement, much has been happening. This month was my beautiful Fiancée's birthday so I treated her to a trip to the Kent Fashion Museum. There they have on display, two of the outfits worn by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, while filming Wicked. After that we treated ourselves to lunch at the legendary Mike's Place.
During this month, I finally purchased myself an iPad Pro with the intention of getting back into doing digital art. While I'm not one to shy away from the traditional paper, pencil and pen, with a few markers; the undo button makes for a cheaper alternative compared to possessing lots of white out or white acrylic markers in the event I make a big booboo when working on a sketch. I'm eventually hoping to do a sketch on not only Elric's crew, but of many moments in the story. After watching the many helpful sketching streams by Jim Lee, I've composed my first official sketch of Capt. Elric Johnson, which I'm hoping to remaster on a digital level on my iPad.
For many of you anime freaks out there this may unintentionally come as familiar to you 🤣
Also observe my first attempt at my signature.
Concerning the Crew:
Halloween is over and some are feeling the post holiday depression, mingled with the cynicism of the coming storm that is Christmas. Some are excited but most are currently experiencing the feels of a Halloween come and gone. Nonetheless we sail onward.
Until we next make full sail,
Flynn Forecastle ⚓
