A Flock of Ravens [updated]
Content
A Flock of Ravens FAQ For the most part, my gallery is dedicated to storing work for my project A Flock of Ravens. So, what exactly is A Flock of Ravens? I’ve thought very carefully about how to go about answering that question and, in the end, I’ve decided that a simple FAQ would be the best way. But I’ll say this now: I don’t want to give away too much information since the project still isn’t complete and most likely won’t be for quite some time.
Project-Related Questions:
Q: What is A Flock of Ravens?
A: Currently, it’s a screenplay series that I’ve been working on for the past three years. It started out as my idea for a manga, but it’s developed into something much larger over the years. I’ve decided that, after I’m satisfied with my scripts and I’ve made enough notes, I will work on turning A Flock of Ravens into a book series. The books themselves will be written as “epistolary novels,” meaning, that the story will be told from a series of journal or diary entries from multiple points of view.
Q: How long is it?
A: The scripts originally consisted of 20 volumes, each 50 to 70 pages in length. However, since 20 volumes sounds way too overwhelming, I’ve decided to just double the length of each script, thus chopping the total number in half to 10 volumes. No material is being left out; I’m simply pairing up volumes.
Q: What is the current status of the project?
A: Incomplete… Although all 20 volumes are done, there is still a lot of editing that I need to do. I finished the first round of editing February 14, 2008 (checking for grammar, spelling, continuity errors, awkward dialogue, as well as some major and minor scene adjustments). There will most likely be two more rounds of editing since there are still some scenes I may want to take out/put in and I know I want to clean up the dialogue a bit more. I may even make some name changes. Starting December 2008, I’ve begun another round of editing, which is currently still underway.
Q: Where can I read this story?
A: Nowhere. It’s not online. It’s in script-format, which is very dull and awful to read, so I wouldn’t ever let anyone read it… apart from super-close friends who I trust (and those people know who they are). However, as much as I want feedback, I simply cannot put the story online (aside from tiny excerpts, maybe?) because if I’m serious about publishing this thing, then I must keep as much of the story a secret as possible. Publishers will simply not even bother looking at a story if they know that people have already read it. This goes for other writers, too: if you’re serious about publishing, don’t go showing your work to other people because publishers will NOT look at it and you can never be sure who’s “borrowing” your ideas.
Story-Related Questions:
Q: What’s the story about?
A: This is the most concise summary I could produce
“Fallene had the misfortune of being born into an old, wealthy family with a dark history. Aware of her family’s past misdeeds, as are her brother and sister, Fallene fears for her family's future well-being, for her uncle is manipulating her mother, who’s possibly fallen victim to the curse that haunts all the Rainecourt women. However, when she tries to escape from her family, which is rapidly falling apart, her plans quickly go awry.
“After a chance encounter with a mysterious young man named Nathair, Fallene quickly finds herself at the center of a series of strange and unfortunate happenings. She also finds herself the object of the stranger’s affections, for better or for worse.”
Unfortunately, the above summary goes along mainly with the first book, which is really one gian t prologue; there is much more to the story than Fallene’s family problems, and, while A Flock of Ravens largely comes off as a period drama, it contains many supernatural elements. The general concept of the story was originally inspired by Goethe’s Erlkoenig, or rather, the Erlkoenig myth. Other important influences were Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire.
Q: When and where is the story set?
A: Don’t let my character illustrations fool you. A Flock of Ravens is NOT set in 18th century Europe. Aside from the appearance of the characters and such, it has nothing to do with the 18th century. The story isn’t even set in the real world. It’s all fantasy. The fantasy world in the story is simply based on 18th century Europe… almost like a parallel world/mirror image, if you will. But trust me, A Flock of Ravens isn’t set in the real world.
Q: Okay, if it has nothing to do with the 18th century, then why base the fantasy world off 18th century Europe?
A: The vast majority of fantasy stories either have some sort of medieval/Renaissance/Asian setting or influence in their character designs. I don’t like using medieval or Renaissance type settings/character designs because they’re overdone and I find them boring. And as much as love Asian cultures, everyone expects you to draw kimonos and yukatas the minute you start drawing manga-styled characters. I’d rather stick to something that I’m truly interested in, which would be the 18th century. And even though it’s fantasy, I try to keep the costumes as historically accurate as possible because I’d just feel weird and uncomfortable with “altering” them.
Q: What time period are the costumes based on?
A: The vast majority of the costumes are based on fashions from the 1780s. However, there are also a good number of costumes based on early through mid-1790s costumes. I’m not aiming for historical accuracy, so don’t be surprised if you see some gothic and Victorian touches popping up in illustrations, too.
Q: What’s the genre?
A: At first I thought of A Flock of Ravens as a fantasy story, but it doesn’t really fit into the fantasy genre. I’ve decided that A Flock of Ravens will be my attempt to go back to traditional Gothic horror. As noted on wiki: Prominent features of Gothic fiction include terror--both psychological and physical--, mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, decay, doubles, madness, secrets and hereditary curses. This story is intended to be dark and brooding; it is not going to be a mindless gore-fest or action-packed thriller because that is simply not what the Gothic genre is about, so don’t expect a fast-paced Harry-Potter-esque adventure. This story is also targeted at an adult audience and is not intended for children.
Q: Who are the main characters?
Major characters are: Fallene, Nathair, Rowen, Nell, Baen, Faing, Angelo, Giles, and Skena.
Minor characters are: Draven, Teva, Brennen, Rhys, and Vivian.
There are also many miscellaneous characters who come and go with each book. However, even the characters who appear for only one book are important and often greatly affect the story. These characters include: Nevyn, Nairne, Daegan, Conary, Paxton, Shaylon, Oriana, and many others.
Q: Do you have character profiles anywhere?
A: Eventually, I will have illustrations of each character and there will be profile information in the space for the Artist’s Comments. However, any profiles will most likely contain numerous spoilers, so read at your own risk.
Q: Why do your characters have such random/strange names?
A: When I first started working on the project, it was more fantasy-inspired than 18th century-inspired. So… when I was naming a lot of the characters, I picked mainly Celtic, Irish, and Scottish names since a lot of traditional fantasy names come from these backgrounds. But as the story progressed and I got more into the 18th century, I started to pick a lot of English and French names. Mainly, I just picked whatever I thought sounded interesting.
So, I hope this FAQ answered some of your questions.
Devious Comments
...I'd like to read it in book format... Hell even in script, cuz, for some reason, I kind of like script format. ^_^;;
If you need an editor, I volunteer, but I must warn you, I'm slow. @_@
And I'm paranoid about my ideas being stolen, too. That's why I've only told like three people about my idea for a novel. >_>
I've done a lot of research into faerie folklore/myth and I'll admit to being slightly obsessed with it, so the fact you mentioned erlkoenig has already sparked my interest.
Best of luck with it!
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Riding backwards on a purple horse with yellow spots, down my primrose path to Rouen.
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"You love in order to forget the cold and chase the winter away."
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Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
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Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
--
Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
--
look through other mangas? a lot of ones that I own that are artsy and cool get away without backgrounds.
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"You love in order to forget the cold and chase the winter away."
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