Good Things Are Happening

So, I got a 90 on my Intermediate Algebra Mid-Term. This is an exciting thing for me, mostly because I was expecting, at the most, a low B. But bumping that up by this much is really a positive thing for me. I mean, I've never really considered myself to be all that great at math, so seeing that my efforts are worth of this is quite good for my self-esteem. I'll probably try to find some way to celebrate this. Maybe by doing more math? Ha. Not likely. But, I feel like rewarding myself for this. I'm very happy about it.

Also, I'm sitting down and editing my NaNo today. Hearts in the Sea, the epic story of a normal girl cast adrift in a strange aquatic world, forced to cope with both the odd society of a race of dolphin merfolk and the machinations of a dark being from between universes. It'll really be quite something. Last night I really took a look at it, for the first time in a while. It's not as horrible as I thought it was. There are quite a few parts throughout where it really shines. The dialogue from Koyos, prince of the Delphini, and Soulmore Enigam, the dark villain, is very good. Koyos is witty and forward, while Soulmore is fiendishly evil, and has a lot of fun at it. They're both delightful characters, the ones I am especially proud of.

Alaine, the main character, I still have to tweak. Her reactions to being in this strange new world are often contradictory, or seemingly misplaced. So I need to go through and edit her dialogue and mannerisms a bit.

I also need to add some extra intrigue, such as building on why the Delphini are the way they are, and a potential rape scene. That last one I'm going to have problems with, mostly because such things creep me out a lot. When I read the novel of that other YWSer, there were quite a few mentions of rape and whatnot, and it kind of chilled me. I tend to stay away from a lot of that stuff as it is.

But, it would be something decent to add as far as the story structure goes. It would showcase the Delphini culture a bit, and provide some much needed conflict in the early part of the story, since Soulmore doesn't really appear until halfway in. At the very least, it would get some people to read simply for shock value, since there are people who read just for that.

But yeah, Hearts in the Sea is going to get major attention from me. Though, I won't be neglecting An Iron Sea either. Dr. Claireborne, the main character in that novella, is starting to actually become a bit more solid as a character. I'm not going to abandon him when he's starting to show this much promise. It wouldn't be fair to him at all, reclusive doctor that he is.

I'm also starting to get into my research paper. My topic is the sentience of cetaceans, dolphins and whales, and how we as humans can work to improve the way we treat them. I'm finding that there are more scholarly sources out there for this topic than I previously thought, and this is really buoying my spirits up for the paper as a whole. I think that, for my introduction, I will tell the story of Tillikum, a particularly notorious orca from SeaWorld. By doing this, I should draw some people in by tugging on a few heart strings, securing their attention before I get into the science and the sociology of it all. I like the way this gameplan is feeling solid in my head. It's giving me a lot of confidence.

That's all for now. Talk to you all later, whoever you all may be.