Sparklewood

Sparklewood is my first try at a regular story. It has a less playful, not-so-funny tone to it. Here are the links:

Prolog

Day 1
Night 1
Day 2
Night 2
Day 3
Night 3
Day 4
Night 4

and oh my what a delightful read it is too. Flatter I enjoyed it tons and tons.

I just HAVE to agree with Barb... Sparklewood is refreshing and it has some Stephen King kind of atmosphere (not the horror, but the something is going to happen kind) Like something is in the air but no one notices it yet. You build up the story very good!

Awww, you two girls are just too kind . I'm blushing all over. Thank you very much, it's very much appreciated!

PS: While Stephen King is playing in a totally different league, I had to grin about Fred's description of his writing style. He is really gifted in building up tension. I am sure SK could make it worthwile to read how an orange is getting peeled

Flatter wrote:

I am sure SK could make it worthwile to read how an orange is getting peeled

Exactly!

Hi Flatter, sorry, have been neck deep in assignments and budgets and haven't gotten to this yet - hopefully on the weekend

I have just released a new episode. The link has been placed up there in my first post. Although I have already done most of the writing for two additional parts, I am very slow at creating and adding pictures to it. I am really no good at it. Somehow I still haven't figured out how to use moveobjects with Sims, but that's between you and me . I am sure after the next two parts are released too, the waiting time between new releases will increase a lot!

The tweaking of the narrative is also not easy, because I must always force me not to fall back to a German language style and figures of speech. To illustrate it: Probably one of the most-well known examples is the english "out of the frying pan into the fire" which doesn't sound well in a German word-by-word translation (Germans would say "from the rain into the rainwater pipe" instead which probably sounds strange and less fitting to english ears) . I think it's the same with the idioms and the rhythm of a language. Germans like long sentences, at example. I find myself writing long and complicated sentences in English, especially in the TSR help forum, when I write fast. They come quite easily, but somehow they never sound as elegant as the "original" German sentence I initially had in my mind. Sometimes I suspect good English would translate into bad German if translated word-by-word slavishly. And vice versa. That's why I always spent some extra time with the text. I want to make it sound like good, natural English. I am a bit ashamed to admit but I was really proud when I received praises for my narrative. While I am pretty sure I will never achieve the high picture quality like some of you seem to do with ease, my ambitions focus on the quality of the text. Uh... and on the telling of a good story, of course

Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy Sparklewood as much as I have fun writing it.

Oh Flatter, don't excuse yourself for your english. I think it's great. It's true, it isn't easy to make the sentences in another language sounding as good as in your own. I'm struggling with that as well. Fortunately Fred is lending me a helping hand with the story that I'm setting up right now. We all want to do everything perfectly. Especially you as a german ( ) . I things that your sentences are very beautiful and express very well what you mean to say.
I discovered your story late but better late than never. Very good!

martoele wrote:

We all want to do everything perfectly. Especially you as a german ( )

Hahaha, you've got me there. Just a few days ago I had a discussion with my wife about how strongly one is influenced by the society (s)he's living in and now that. I showed it to my wife and we both had to laugh. You are so darn right about me behaving unwillingly german Thank you for your kind words and greetings from my wife.

ohmy, I have a LOT of catching up to do on this one!!

Day 3 is out.

Somehow approval at TSR seems to be a bit queer. Again my story has been published together with I don't know how many other ones at the same time. I had to scroll down two pages just to find my chapter in the story section - the same happend the last time with the previous chapter. Oh well, the regular readers will find it anyway, I hope. I have added the link to Day 3 in the first posting of this thread.

Yes... Flatter... too bad... There were 3 blockbuster stories out today. Yours, Robs and Margo's
Sometimes it seems the story section is congested. I was able to find yours right away though, and I had a wonderful morning with my coffee and the stories! Thanks!

*BUMP* Seems TSR has released the next part (Night 3). For link see above

I discovered it very early as well. Yeah.... it's featured..... and well deserved!

When I opened up my bedroom curtains this morning, I thought of Jake and started laughing. This is my neighbor's cat, but lately he just hangs around my backyard and cries at my window. Irony! Unfortunately milk-and-bun delivery stopped ages ago in these parts.

Oh my.... It is so that I am allergic to cats... but this is too cute! Nice picture Spladoum... April

April... rofl What an honour memories of Jake's misery manage to surface when a black cat shows up at your backdoor It would indeed make a great picture for the story, such a pity there are not pets yet in Sims 3 (except the odd crocodile in a fishtank, of course ). Thank you so much for putting up the pic, my wife and me had a great laugh

Finally "Day 4" has seen the light of day (hmpf that was not even close to a good word-play). Currently I have some real time issues to work on the story, so the last two or so parts still missing will probably take another 2-3 weeks each to surface. Anyway, enjoy .


http://www.thesimsresource.com/stories/details/title/sparklewood--day-4/category/sims3-mystery/id/19093/

(I have updated the link in the initial post as well)

Next two? All this craziness is happening over a week's time? Jake will be as bonkers as Titus soon.

The plot thickens...

Night 4 has been released and despite the most hypercritical remarks of my wife it made it to the TSR front page. Read it to find out more about it! Here's the link:

Night 4

Will Jake go bonkers as April suspects?
Is love in the air?
Will vampires finally make it into the story (oh no!!!) ?
Was my wife right when she said my narrative was too overblown?

Have fun!

Hm, what did you mean with "I don't know... was she?", my dear Fred YXou are not making my life easier with such evasive comments, lol

Flatter wrote:

Hm, what did you mean with "I don't know... was she?", my dear Fred YXou are not making my life easier with such evasive comments, lol

... Don't worry.. Being a loving wife myself I just know we are always right... (Just kidding)! I LOVE Sparklewood!!!!