Well, look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes.

Faith ,'End of Days'


The Great Write Way, Act Three: Where's the gun?

A place for Buffistas to discuss, beta and otherwise deal and dish on their non-fan fiction projects.


Typo Boy - Jan 27, 2011 8:18:48 pm PST #3969 of 6690
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

Her only help is an assassin with a tongue as sharp as her knives. Dare Aimee trust the woman who once nearly killed her?


Deena - Jan 27, 2011 11:22:49 pm PST #3970 of 6690
How are you me? You need to stop that. Only I can be me. ~Kara

Maybe we need to know why the assassin nearly killed her? I mean, it wasn't like a car accident. It was deliberate. Or maybe we don't need to know the assassin tried to kill her before.

Her only help is an untrustworthy assassin, a woman with a tongue as sharp as her knives.

I'd be intrigued by untrustworthy without having pesky questions about why the woman almost killed our heroine.

eta: otherwise, I like Gar's version, except "Dare she..." is a bit fantasy cliche too.

Also, I would remove the word "However" in the middle. That always strikes me as academic writing, or awkward, anyway.


Gudanov - Jan 28, 2011 5:42:59 am PST #3971 of 6690
Coding and Sleeping

Humanity, hunted by demons and a savage race called the Fari, huddles within the mystical barriers that protect the few remaining cities. A mad priest threatens their survival when he reawakens the ancient power of the Dead Mountain to bring forth an apocalyptic battle.

Aimee Fallon, a sheltered creator of magical gadgets, discovers a mysterious artifact—the key to stopping the Mountain’s magic—and joins an expedition to destroy the power’s threat. Along the way, she is betrayed by those she trusts and abandoned in hostile Fari lands with a forbidden lover who suspects her of murdering his kin. Her only hope for help is a sharp-tongued woman who once tried to kill her. Aimee must sacrifice everything she loves to save all she knows.

THE DEAD MOUNTAIN is a fast-paced 120,000-word fantasy adventure mixed with romance and betrayal and a female hero who relies on her wits and determination rather than swords and spells.

#

Thanks everybody. This is my latest iteration, trying to smooth things out a bit. Technically the woman in question didn't really try to kill her, just badly wound her indifferent to whether it was fatal or not. Definitely not an accident though. There is a sacrifice to be made at the end so I tried to sneak that in as well.


Amy - Jan 28, 2011 6:35:11 am PST #3972 of 6690
Because books.

Gud, how about, "...a sharp-tongued woman with her own agenda"?

I think I'd tweak the end, too, to make it, "...who relies more on her wits and determination than swords and spells," since there are still some swords and spells involved, right?


Ginger - Jan 28, 2011 7:13:12 am PST #3973 of 6690
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda

Hunted by demons and a savage race called the Fari, humanity barely survives in cities protected by mystical barriers. A mad priest threatens that survival when he reawakens the ancient power of Dead Mountain.

Aimee Fallon, a sheltered creator of magical gadgets, discovers a mysterious artifact — the key to preventing an apocalyptic battle — and joins an expedition to destroy the Dead Mountain's threat. On the journey, she is betrayed by those she trusts and left to to face the Fari, demons and a forbidden lover who suspects her of murdering his kin. Her only hope is a sharp-tongued female assassin with a hidden agenda. To save all she knows, Aimee must sacrifice everything she loves.

THE DEAD MOUNTAIN is a fast-paced 120,000-word fantasy adventure mixed with romance and betrayal and a female hero who relies on her wits and determination more than swords and spells.


Gudanov - Jan 28, 2011 7:29:59 am PST #3974 of 6690
Coding and Sleeping

Thanks for all the input. I think I'm getting set on this.

since there are still some swords and spells involved, right?

She doesn't do spells and barely uses a sword, but other people do.


Deena - Jan 28, 2011 8:37:51 am PST #3975 of 6690
How are you me? You need to stop that. Only I can be me. ~Kara

My mental tongue keeps tripping on:

a sheltered creator

I don't know why, and it may not need fixing, just thought I'd mention it.

I like it, by the way. This last version is nice and tight.


Connie Neil - Jan 28, 2011 8:40:02 am PST #3976 of 6690
brillig

To save all she knows, Aimee must sacrifice everything she loves.

Is there a different phrasing for this? It's got good sound and rhythm, but it feels like I've seen it in a lot of places.


Gudanov - Jan 28, 2011 10:19:18 am PST #3977 of 6690
Coding and Sleeping

Thanks. A few more things to weigh, but it sounds like I'm close, just tweaking the phrasing now.


Typo Boy - Jan 28, 2011 10:32:41 am PST #3978 of 6690
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

And when you tweak, Ricky Nelson lyric to keep in mind:

"But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself."