From the notes of Louis L'Amour --- How long does it take to write a story? Into each, a life-time. Where do I get my ideas? If I didn't have ideas I wouldn't be a writer. With some writers actually getting down to work is the problem: Hemingway sharpened twenty pencils. Willa Cather read a passage from the Bible. Somerset Maugham read Candide before beginning a new story. Thomas Wolfe sometimes walked the streets of Brooklyn all night long. Many writers start the day by writing a letter. Alberto Moravia never prepared in any way at all. Francoise Sagan had to start writing to have ideas. Georges Simenon took a physical exam, then locked himself up for 11 to 14 days while he wrote a book. MAURIAC did not prepare in any way at all, simply begins writing. There are as many ways as there are writers. The important thing is to start. The second most important thing is to continue. Flaubert wrote very slowly. In one period of five months he wrote but 65 pages. It took him 7 years to write MADAME BOVARY. ARNOLD BENNETT; in 1908 Bennett wrote 4 books, and 2/3 of his best novel, OLD WIVES TALE, often included among the hundred best novels of all time, a half a dozen short stories and 60 newspaper articles. At the same time he was studying Italian and learning to play the piano. A NOTE FROM PAUL O'DELL - Your moderator here... I got a call yesterday from a young lady I met on a plane flying between Los Angeles and Seattle several years ago. From a small town in Canada, she was an enchanting conversationalist especially when she found out I worked with the L'Amour's. You see, growing up she had listened to ALL of the Bowdrie Audio Dramas and in fact, quoted lines from them to me from memory! She expressed an avid interest in writing and we spend the hours on the plane discussing Louis L'Amour and his craft. This is for YOU Vanessa! Keep writing! #louislamour #westerns #authorsofinstagram #authornotes https://www.instagram.com/p/CScvA3hBhoj/?utm_medium=tumblr
What I am about to post is actually a deleted scene from Gladnis - In Plain Sight. It didn’t make the final cut and it’s not finished but it was just dragging on and I couldn't work out a way to move it from one point to the other. I also didn’t like the big time skip - eighteen months compared to six months, the first anniversary compared to the first date. It was also technically hiding from Prompto and Noctis and their moment of fame comes next chapter so I didn’t want to give them too much limelight lol
The original plan was to have Noct on Gladio’s side and Prompto on Ignis’ but then Prompto (bless him) says why can’t you do both. So then the scene would have shifted to the Restuarant then finally picked up at the Cinema but it was getting too long and fillery and there was no context or anything it was just me rambling and forcing them to stay stuff for the sake of it lol. I’m actually happy with the way Chapter 4 worked out, I mean it’s a bit short lol but I like it :D
Oh, fun fact! Touellia is the name of that random restaurant in Altissia in the plaza up from the Secretaries Estate/Square Enix, it’s like a bunch of chairs with a blue bannered fencing around it - it took a while but I managed to angle to camera just right to read the blue banners and Touellia is what it said lol.
It had been over eighteen months since the kiss and exactly a year to the day since they had finally started dating. If Cor had thought anything, nothing was said. When Ignis had arranged the meeting to discuss Prompto they half expected it to come up in conversation, but there was nothing. Not even the smirk Ignis had thought he'd seen, all professional and in Ignis and Gladio's eyes still none the wiser.
With their first anniversary coming up both Ignis and Gladio had different ideas of how to spend it.
"I have tickets to the midnight showing of Crystal Wars: Episode VIII The Last Royal," Gladio said one evening a week before their actual anniversary. They were at Noctis' apartment, Noctis has invited both of them and Prompto over for a movie night. Whilst Prompto and Noctis squabbled over what movie they were watching, Gladio had decided to help Ignis in the kitchen.
"Gladio, movies are not first-anniversary date material," Ignis said stubbornly. "What is, is a candlelit dinner for two at Touellia, the Accordian restaurant on the wharf."
"That is an extremely hard place to get reservations for, at least I had booked this tickets for enough in advance that we actually got VIP seating, free popcorn and free 3D glasses."
"I have reservations, it's amazing what an establishment will do when you dropped your title into a conversation," Gladio didn't know whether to be proud or appalled that Ignis had pulled rank in order to get dinner reservations. Actually, he didn't feel any of those things, he felt jealous. He waved the movie theatre tickets in front of his boyfriends face.
"Come on, you love Crystal Wars. You had all the memorabilia set when you were younger and a Toda the Tonberry bedspread. You also had, if I remember correctly a custom made Crystal Saber."
"Who had a custom-made Crystal Saber?"
"Specs did," Noctis answered Prompto's question as they both sidled up to the counter. Gladio and Ignis glanced at each other. How much had the younger two heard? They weren't exactly public about their relationship, neither of them wanting it to get back to Gladio's dad or Ignis' uncle and had decided against telling Noctis and Prompto for fear of being posted all over social media within five minutes of them telling them. No this sort of relationship was best kept between them and had been for over a year.
"No way dude!" Prompto's eyes widened as he reached over the counter and Ignis braced himself with excuses should the need arise. "You have tickets for the Premier of Episode 8?"
"What! Gladio, you're holding out on me!" Noctis said and Ignis stepped back as Gladio dodged out of the way of the two grabbing hands that tried to take the tickets out of his grasp. "Dude as Prince, you have to take me!" he demanded.
Gladio just laughed and stuffed the tickets in his back pocket. "Er no, that is not in my job description."
"Yes it is, you are to protect me out and about and if I go, you go…"
"You don't have tickets," Gladio pointed out and Noctis pouted.
"Fine, come on Prompto we're going to call people and use political persuasion to get us our own tickets…"
"You will do nothing of the sort," Ignis interjected, pointing a finger towards the Prince. "If you wanted tickets you should have done what everyone else had done to make it fair." Noctis harrumphed and stormed off to his room.
"You're one to talk," Gladio teased in Ignis' ear, Ignis jumped at the proximity of his boyfriend.
"That is for an entirely different reason," Ignis defended.
"What are you two whispering about?" asked Prompto in an equally low whisper. They hadn't realised that he had stayed behind after Noctis had stormed out and so the two sprung apart.
Gladio didn't like look Ignis had just given him, he smiled smugly then turned to their blonde friend.
"Maybe you could help settle something for us Prompto," Prompto had the right idea to look scared, even Gladio was wary of the look Ignis was giving them both.
Prompto held out his hands. "If this about who taped over the latest episode of MasterChef then I'm sorry, I need space for a Photography Seminar for class…"
Ignis' eyes twitched and Gladio sighed. He shot Prompto a warning glance as Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's…" Ignis paused, and Gladio put a tentative hand on his shoulder. He knew how much Masterchef meant to his boyfriend, and to hear that the latest episode he hadn't gotten round to watching yet had been taped over, must be hard on him. There were a few beats of silence as Ignis wrestled with his temper before he finally spoke. "We'll deal with that another time, what we really need is your opinion." He took a deep breath and Prompto looked apologetic, but mustered a small smile. "Gladio here has a date on Friday."
The change in atmosphere was almost laughable. Prompto went from one who was distraught and wracked with guilt to ecstatic and generally pleased. He gasped and clapped his hands together in glee, his wide eyes looking over at Gladio in admiration. Gladio, on the other hand, spluttered, his eyes wide in shock. What was Iggy playing at? He removed the hand that was resting on Ignis shoulder so quickly it was like the other man had given him an electric shock.
"Oooh, who's the lucky girl?" Prompto asked eyes wide and Gladio saw Ignis smirk. "How long?"
"A year," Gladio muttered, not answering the first question and hoping Prompto wouldn't ask again.
"Dude!" A hand shot out over the counter and punched Gladio's shoulder. "You've been dating someone a whole year and you haven't told us!"
Gladio scratched the back of his neck and risked a glance at Ignis, who in turn flashed him a small smile. Gladio knew he was still processing the loss of his TV show, but there was mischief dancing in his eyes. He was up to something and usually when Ignis was up to something it didn't bode well for the other three, least of all Gladio.
"Yes," Ignis said turning Prompto's attention back to him. "He has his reasons I'm sure, however, he plans to take them to the aforementioned movie premier…"
"Wow, lucky!" Prompto's eyes glazed over.
"However I'm trying to convince him that a movie premiere isn't first-anniversary date material," Ignis finished.
Prompto frowned and used his finger and thumb to stroke his chin. "Iggy has a point…"
"However this is a blockbuster movie premiere, all the celebrities will be going," Noctis stood at the doorway to the living area glaring at Prompto. "When I storm away, you're meant to follow," he pouted. Gladio and Ignis shared a glance. "I was halfway to my room, ranting and raving and wondering why you weren't responding."
"Let's just say, Gladio's significant other doesn't care for brown nosing celebrities. They may be a fan of the franchise however they deal with high profile people on a daily basis that attending a premiere doesn't appeal to them."
"Ooh, what does she do?"
Gladio grinned, two could play at whatever game Ignis was playing. Even if Gladio wasn't au fait on the rules, he knew when he was being thrown under the bus. "They're a personal assistant, secretary, general dogsbody, slave type for a spoilt rich brat."
In early drafts, Kent was more guarded — almost too guarded. Letting the cracks show made him human.
And that’s when the story really started to breathe.
The first scene I wrote for Claiming Kent was actually the last scene in the book. I didn’t know who these people were yet — but I knew where they’d end up.
Everything else was just finding my way there.
Mark was never supposed to be more than a side character. But the moment he walked onto the page, everything shifted. Sometimes the story tells you who it’s really about. 📖 Claiming Kent on Amazon
Maybe a couple more hours >_<!! I am burning the midnight oil here, but I wanna be 100% sure that I am satisfied with how this chapter is going to be! It’s very hard to find a place to stop and then I wonder, if I just worked on it for a couple more days, you guys would be getting an EXTRA 3k words instead of 6 or 7k XD It’s a constant struggle, but I am just so eager to put it out, you know. thats a personal problem of mine, a good problem, but a problem ^^;; lol
for those coming from twitter, hello ^^ *hugs* currently in the stages of being totally obsessed with KTYH bc I love this story so much! I am excited for Wanderer’s banner.
I am hoping twitter doesnt go down, but just in case it does, I’ll be moving all my work probably to this lovely place! It’s super way easier to put all my thoughts up! And also to make LARGE massive short stories for you guys! I’m digging it for sure!
working on a xiao/lumi/childe banana comm & Tangle of Fate xoxo i love my commissioners T_T
