Boarders writing a novel, part 10

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

Finished a novel yesterday. 200,000 words. Unlike some of my previous novels, there wasn't much elation at first, probably because I know the last 10k words will need to be raked over the coals and mostly re-written... in order to sort out the complexity of this particular climax, I wrote it as a skeletal draft rather than trying to get all the little details in, focusing mostly on larger plot points and the event-sequence. I'm glad I did, as a particularly novel solution to one hanging question was resolved in the immediacy of the craft (at least, the structure of the solution...) and now I have a template to insert the missing/underdeveloped stuff.

I suppose most of what I feel is relief. This book took 2.5 years, rather unusually long for me... in large part because I completed four other novels, three novellas, and four short stories in the span of that time; this was always my fallback/between projects work, which meant the pressure of incompletion loomed longer than most.

Wow, I think even Brandon Sanderson would be impressed by that amount. :P

Congratulations.

[kuenjato]

Hello, kuenjato, I haven't met you before. Congrats on finishing your book. And five novels, three novellas and four short stories in 2,5 years? Wow.

I used to post on these threads a few years back, but since then have mostly lurked (except in Bakker threads).

Three of those novels were short, between 60-80k (two regular-Capital-L literature books, one borderline-YA written for my daughter). Another was a collection of interrelated short-stories/novellas in my epic-fantasy world--I started it in 2004, and wrapped up the last 90k during that 2.5 years (so, 'finished' as opposed to 'composed' -- it's at 270k total).

Congrats! I have never worked on a project for as long as that so I can imagine you're feeling really content. What is it about?

I'm working on an 'informal' trilogy -- in other words, three stand-alone epic fantasy books that have connective tissue and an overall arc, but different characters, (mostly) different settings and take place years apart. It's part of a larger fantasy project; these three serve as 'prequels' to the novella/ss collection mentioned above and two other completed novels (of a five-book series).

This particular novel .. it's the second of the trilogy... hmm, should I try a back-cover summary?

"For forty years the Empire of Jovaal has maintained a fragile peace, its capital Synkalash serving as a bastion of light and learning in a world wracked by ceaseless war and daemonic manipulation. But now, at the peak of prosperity, a threat has arisen in the south. The warlord Teluk marches toward Synkalash at the head of vast army, eager to despoil and degrade, compelled to fulfill his dark masters' fell aims.

Yet Teluk is the least of Synkalash's troubles, for into this chaos strides a man called the Lash--a man blessed by the God with unimaginable powers; a man determined to judge the city, to save it or destroy it. Forty years ago, the Lash was nearly murdered by Synkalash's current king, his brother; and though the voice of the God advises he transcend, and judge according to higher principles... the God is not the only voice the Lash hears.

The Lash, and Synkalash, are about to discover... No one escapes the past."

I guess that's adequate for a rough draft. Much more simply... Teluk = Timur Lane; The Lash = dissociative disorder coupled with delusions of grandeur.

[TrackerNeil]

Congrats! I have never worked on a project for as long as that so I can imagine you're feeling really content.

I think it's wise to take a good long while on a good long project. In my experience, the longer your story has to germinate the more interesting ideas you'll get and connections you'll make. There's an upper limit on this, of course, and one should never forget the artists's prayer ("Let me finish this before I f*ck it up"), but in general I think that a good story deserves some time.

[Victarion Chainbreaker]

I think it's wise to take a good long while on a good long project. In my experience, the longer your story has to germinate the more interesting ideas you'll get and connections you'll make. There's an upper limit on this, of course, and one should never forget the artists's prayer ("Let me finish this before I f*ck it up"), but in general I think that a good story deserves some time.

A work of art is never finished, it's only eventually abandoned. (paraphrasing DaVinci)

[kuenjato]

I think it's wise to take a good long while on a good long project. In my experience, the longer your story has to germinate the more interesting ideas you'll get and connections you'll make. There's an upper limit on this, of course, and one should never forget the artists's prayer ("Let me finish this before I f*ck it up"), but in general I think that a good story deserves some time.

Agreed. The actual 200k took around 7/8 months; the time length of 2.5 years involved a) working on other projects, b ) figuring out the details (I usually have a general structure / beginning-middle-end before starting), c) a nine month break from writing fiction due to work issues. If I had just pumped out that 200k in a straight 8 months, it would have been much, much poorer a work, mostly due to the psychological development of the main character being the key conflict (and the subsequent difficulty in depicting this in a satisfactory manner), and the way many new and interesting details arose over the span of craft and composition.

[Snikt5]

I'm approaching 100K words on my sequel - still no title yet! Feeling good though, writing consistently and am on target with my self-imposed deadline.

I promised myself that when I reached a certain amount of sales with the first book, I would treat myself to a professional cover (I am all about the targets). This week the new cover went live - I am really happy with it. I'd love to here what you guys think?

[Selysin]

I wish I was writing consistently, unfortunately I'm really bad with self imposed targets. At least NaNoWriMo will keep me going next month.

Congratulations on reaching your sales target Snikt5, the new cover looks great.

How is everyone else doing? This thread has been freakishly quiet for the last week or so.

[Littlefingers In The Air]

I'm just steadily pushing along at my 1000 word a day cap.

[kuenjato]

How is everyone else doing? This thread has been freakishly quiet for the last week or so.

Working on some unfinished short stories, which I usually do as a much-needed break between novels.

[Howdyphillip]

I am right in the middle of busy season at work which means up to 100 hours a week. I will probably not be able to get back to work on the book until December.

[Arthmail]

Instead of just sending in my query letter and synopsis to In Scars, I've started the first redraft to its sequel, In Sorrows. I am half way through the book, and I have managed to bring the word count down from 193k to 179k.

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

I'm 25 pages into my second novel.

Figured, 'I'll be waiting around awhile waiting to hear back from agents, so why not do something productive?' Feels weird though. Like I'm staring up at a mountain and preparing to scale it... once again. :P

[Samsaptakas]

Working on 2nd draft and sequel at the same time. Also started another project. It will be a fiction outside of fantasy/sci-fi. I feel I've more chance with this one.

[First of My Name]

The Ensekyrai stories are going slow as always, but I like this pace. I just write when I feel like it (meaning about 500 words every week or so). Someday I'll feel like mailing an agent about it.

[Zoë Sumra]

I'm 25 pages into my second novel.

Figured, 'I'll be waiting around awhile waiting to hear back from agents, so why not do something productive?' Feels weird though. Like I'm staring up at a mountain and preparing to scale it... once again. :P

I should be at this stage but am instead at the stage of moping around the house, playing the piano to the distraction of all within a half-mile radius, and playing computer games, at the moment X3: Reunion and Freelancer (spot a theme). No clue which item of my Ideas Notebook to start drafting next. Something will stand out from the others within a few weeks and I'll have a place to start.

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

I should be at this stage but am instead at the stage of moping around the house, playing the piano to the distraction of all within a half-mile radius, and playing computer games, at the moment X3: Reunion and Freelancer (spot a theme). No clue which item of my Ideas Notebook to start drafting next. Something will stand out from the others within a few weeks and I'll have a place to start.

I had two weeks of that. Mostly spent on GTA 5 and Fifa 14. But the nagging at the back of my mind grew worse and worse each day until finally I had to start. Plus, I can't play the piano...

[Ebenstone]

I wish I was writing consistently, unfortunately I'm really bad with self imposed targets. At least NaNoWriMo will keep me going next month.

Congratulations on reaching your sales target Snikt5, the new cover looks great.

How is everyone else doing? This thread has been freakishly quiet for the last week or so.

As a teacher, this time of year is just short of mildly insane, so I'm not being very productive, though I am plodding through a YA contemporary idea right now with hopes of sending a submission package to my agent to see what he thinks so I'm not wasting time. I'm almost 10k in and enjoying it. Completely different than anything I've been working on before: 1st person, very YA and no fantasy at all. I know I'm digging it because I'm thinking about it all the time.

[awesome possum]

I've been mulling over a story that my kid and I have been making up the last week or so at bed time. The way it works is she says a couple lines then I do and back and forth. I think the story we've come up with can be good, if not completely original:

It takes place in a world of superheroes where your powers start generating around age 8. If you haven't had any noticeable signs by eight and a half, you're not "Gifted." If you do, however, you can probably expect to be picked up by the government and poked, prodded, and tested to see the extent of your abilities. If you're powerful enough and prove malleable enough/not a psychopath in the making, you're admitted to the S.U.P.E.R. program (haven't figured out what that stands for yet) where you're basically turned into a soldier/agent for the government. If you're not powerful or your powers are relatively inconsequential, you're allowed to return to your life with frequent supervision. If you fail the psycho test, you just disappear. Harsh, but that's the world this takes place in, where a nine-year-old throwing a tantrum can destroy a city.

The protagonist is a little boy going on ten years old. He never developed any powers, much to his great disappointment, but little did he know he has a power. He has the power to absorb other people's powers, but only upon their death. If he is never around a Gifted person dying, he never generates powers.

Enter the villian, a former government agent tasked with hunting down people with powers who somehow avoided the government sweeps when they were 8. His job is to bring them in for processing or bury them. Only, as time went on, he stopped bringing any in and was just killing them. This was discovered and he was fired (maybe jailed for a few years, not sure) but that didn't stop him. He had the skills to track Gifted people and he continued doing so, murdering them as he found them even if they were eight-year-olds whose powers were just developing. He hates Gifted people, as his mother was one who was also insane, and her torture of him when he was a child seriously messed him up.

Fast forward to a field trip for the protagonist. Just a normal day, riding the bus, going to a farm to see people act like they live in the 1600s. Only they never get to the farm because a bomb goes off on a bridge they're driving over. It's a trap by the antagonist to try to kill the local city's government-sponsored superhero team. There's a shape-shifter, someone who can control the weather, a telekinetic, and someone with massive strength. They arrive and start saving people before the bridge can fully collapse and the antagonist springs his trap (not quite sure what it is yet) and successfully kills all four heroes which in turn transfers their powers into the protagonist.

The protagonist discovers his powers and all that jazz, and manages to keep it a secret from everyone. A little time goes by and then a situation presents itself where the protagonist has to use his powers to help save someone and its recorded by a couple camera phones and placed online. While his identity is kept secret, the video gets millions of hits online (because even though heroes are common place, their actions are usually censored by the government) the antagonist sees the video and sets out to find and kill him while the government agency sets out to find and bring him into the fold.

If only I could draw, I think this would make a neat little graphic novel but I'll just have to write it out instead. And I'm excited, as I've had some troubles fleshing out new ideas since I completed my last novella.

[Samsaptakas]

When I started writing, some 15 months ago, I'd try to imitate the style of the Authors I was reading at that time. Only now after one full draft+1/3 of second draft+3/4 of first draft of sequel+first chapter of another project and continuously reaching a set word count for last two months, I fee like I'm getting familiar with my own writing. I'm finding it to be very enjoyable experience.

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

When I started writing, some 15 months ago, I'd try to imitate the style of the Authors I was reading at that time. Only now after one full draft+1/3 of second draft+3/4 of first draft of sequel+first chapter of another project and continuously reaching a set word count for last two months, I fee like I'm getting familiar with my own writing. I'm finding it to be very enjoyable experience.

It is strange isn't it? Having your own voice. Your own individual style of writing. It took me several years to discover mine too.