Wulf's Collected Story Hour -- FINAL UPDATE 12/25

[pogre]

Bump for the Story Hour that was the reason I joined ENWorld.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Tolkien's birthday is a fine day to bump this Story Hour.

It's hard to believe that the first post was over 20 years ago.

 

[coyote6]

In eleven days, it will be old enough to drink (in most of the US).

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Why bump this again? Well, because it is Tolkien's birthday again.

But mostly because, this time last year, I committed to (actually, finally) finishing a novelization of this Story Hour. It's taken 20 years (of procrastination and rumination) because a D&D game is not, in and of itself, a good foundation for a traditional fantasy novel. But if there are yet any fans of this SH out there, I am happy to share the news with you that the work is almost complete - though my original goal of 1 year was certainly achievable, it was nevertheless ambitious. But with 85k words (that's about 300 pages...) behind me, I find myself in the midst of Speaker in Dreams and certainly the finish line is within view.

And so, here's a look at the starting line(s):

Long, long ago, between the elder days and the age of Men, there lived a dwarf, and he was a bastard. Not a common bastard, in the sense that he was born out of wedlock – although he was that, too – but a recalcitrant bastard with a heart like a nasty, dirty, wet hole full of the ends of worms and an oozy smell, and a soul like a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it. This dwarf was a right bastard with a grudge, and that meant somebody was gonna pay.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Why bump this again? Well, because it is Tolkien's birthday again.

But mostly because, this time last year, I committed to (actually, finally) finishing a novelization of this Story Hour. It's taken 20 years (of procrastination and rumination) because a D&D game is not, in and of itself, a good foundation for a traditional fantasy novel. But if there are yet any fans of this SH out there, I am happy to share the news with you that the work is almost complete - though my original goal of 1 year was certainly achievable, it was nevertheless ambitious. But with 85k words (that's about 300 pages...) behind me, I find myself in the midst of Speaker in Dreams and certainly the finish line is within view.

And so, here's a look at the starting line(s):

Long, long ago, between the elder days and the age of Men, there lived a dwarf, and he was a bastard. Not a common bastard, in the sense that he was born out of wedlock – although he was that, too – but a recalcitrant bastard with a heart like a nasty, dirty, wet hole full of the ends of worms and an oozy smell, and a soul like a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it. This dwarf was a right bastard with a grudge, and that meant somebody was gonna pay.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

The long-suffering (if not long-awaited) novelization is done. If there are any fans remaining here who would be interested in serving as a beta reader, please reach out to me.

 

[Rune]

The long-suffering (if not long-awaited) novelization is done. If there are any fans remaining here who would be interested in serving as a beta reader, please reach out to me.

Having just read that draft, I encourage others with enough time and of like mind to do likewise. Can’t wait to see the final version!

Also, bump.

 

[carborundum]

I've recently started several books and not got into them. I think it must be a sign that my brain craves the SH goodness. I'd be very happy to read what you've done with the whole thing!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I've recently started several books and not got into them. I think it must be a sign that my brain craves the SH goodness. I'd be very happy to read what you've done with the whole thing!

Reach out to me here via ENworld in private messages, and we can exchange emails, and I will send you the entire manuscript in a word doc (or any format of your liking). It's a hefty 125k words, but I flatter myself that it's an easy read.

Offer stands for anyone else!