5/27/2010

Thought I'd give an update on my Droc story. I recently finished chapter 7 and am close to finishing chapter 8. My last draft of the story was 18 chapters, so by that mark I'm nearly halfway though the rewrite. Though this is a drastic reworking, a lot of new scenes have already been added since the last version. So this draft will likely end up being twenty or more chapters. Still, saying I'm halfway through is more inspiring, so let go with that :)

It's funny though, I had originally planned for chapter 7 to be a major action sequence, but the entire chapter ended up being mostly character driven drama and setup. Thus pushing the actual battle into chapter 8. I'm glad though, because in older drafts of my story, drama and characterization was always the struggle for me. I'd have huge cinematic battles planned out in my head, and only a couple sentences before dropping the character into the fray. But as we know from big budget Hollywood flops, exciting battles alone won't sell a story. If you don't make people care about your characters, no one will care if they survive your epic battle.

The thing that helped me overcome my characterization shortcuts was the advice of a friend. He said don't force your characters to do or say what you want for the sake of advancing the plot. Let the characters control themselves, make their own decisions. You want your character to dive into some battle because that's what happens in your outline, but if that character doesn't want to, let them do what feels natural to them. What you'll end up with will but much richer, more believable material.

When he first told me that, I thought it sounded good on paper, but didn't believe it could actually happen. I'm inventing these characters, how could they do anything other then what I layout for them. But as time goes on, when you really get to know your characters, when you really get immersed into your writing, they do take on a life of their own. And if you listen, they will be improvisational like an actor and make their own decisions. It's kind of freaky when it happens, but it makes for much stronger writing.

5/10/2010

No updates currently for the Reptilia'Droc. I'm in the process of doing some new samples for my kids book portfolio (my artistic alter ego over at christrefz.com) which has pulled me off the story for a little while.

But while I don't currently have any updates, I thought I'd share some history on how the story developed and what I'm currently doing with it. The Reptilia'Droc, the race alien creatures I invented while in middle school. Being inspired by the Star Wars tilogy, I dreamed a whole galaxy of my own for them to inhabit. I developed characters and a host of alien races and planets.

When I entered into high school I took unique universe I created and began to shape a story around it. For my senior projects I wrote and entire script for it and began to develop the idea into a comic book. I finished enough of the comic to get a good grade on my project, but I was personally dissatisfied with quality of the writing and art work. With only a quarter of the comic book complete and another 20 pages or so of sketches I wasn't happy with, I ultimitely decided to put the idea on the shelf for a while. It was an idea with potential, but at that age my skills needed more time to develop.

Upon entering art school I got the urge to work on the story again, but my work load prevented me from ever getting too far. Still, the summer and winter break over those four years gave me time to start reworking the story, tighting the details of universe, eliminating plot points that didn't make sense, and redesigning the characters.

After college I decided to pursue my illustration career. The Droc was always in the back of my mind, but my kid's book portfolio is what got the most attention from my teachers and from art directors, so invested my time and money into promoting that interest.

A few years have passed since then. I've made some progress promoting my kids, but I've learned that making a living through illustration can be as difficult as becoming a rock star. I still enjoy doing kids illustration, and still casually pursue it. But going to my design job to pay the bills, I started to realize that the Droc has been nearly a life long passion. Getting the skill to finish it properly is part of why I became a professional artist in the first place.

So last year I made the decision resurrect the Droc story. I'm completely rewriting the story and overhauling the characters and themes. My goal is to add a new dimension to the universe I envisioned when I was young. Keep the wild imagination of youth, but add the depth and complexity of the adult world. It's still a slow process. Adult life is full of distractions, and I can't always force myself to be inspired. But with every chapter I write, I learn more, and become more excited and inspired to continue.

4/21/2010

Today I'm premiering my new look for the Reptilia'Droc web site. It's not finished, it's more of an html draft of the new design. The final version of the site will done in flash, and have lot's of fun animations to go with the atmosphere of the story.

04/10/2010

I purchased the domain name reptilia-Droc.com to help promote my illustrated novel, "Reptilia'Droc: Balance of Power". Reptilia'Droc is a pretty unique title, I don't think there was much danger of any one snatching it up, but it's nice to be using the official domain, instead of a sub domain of christrefz.com

The New Reptilia’Droc site is still under construction.
For more content like Wallpapers and Character profiles

Prometheus mission log:

08:00:01(gwt) - 07/37/1206(csf)

Zinge Corp technical advisor Kana’Rei - Final Entry:

"I only have a moment, I can hear them cutting through the jungle, and that terrible scream… But there has to be some record of what happened.

The mission has failed. The Prometheus has been destroyed, and almost everyone is dead. Only myself and few others have made it to the planet’s surface.

We made it out of Reptilia’Droc territory, how did they find the Rendezvous point?

After the crash I though it was finally over, but then the ships started coming. Serpris says they won’t stop until were all dead. But why? They destroyed the cargo, is it just for sport, or to send a message?”

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Reptilia’Droc: Balance of Power is currently available. Interested publishers, please contact me at artist@Christrefz.com