WIP to EPIC a story of ABC and XYZ plus f ?

Talk about a work in progress (WIP).  I would have never imagined that in the midst of writing one novel I'd fall upon so many ideas.  The bonus part is that not all of the ideas that are flowing out are slated for this particular novel but for future installments.  There is so much 'machinery' to think about and keep track of while writing.  I would guess most folks just figure that a writer must develop the scenes, the characters, and a workable plot.  But ah... there is so much more to it, trust me.

I'm currently juggling the intricacies of how each character will grow over time across several plot lines.  On top of that I need to take into account how this first storyline will influence a separate but tangential tale.  Then both of these stories will combine or more like intertwine as each will need the other to complete the climatic ending of a third story.  Okay I realize this is somewhat confusing, so I'll attempt an example that is unrelated to my current piece.  Hope you like algebra.

book1
a---> A  where character one is little a and through book grows into big A.
x--->X our nemesis also develops and grows stronger in the book so by the end he is big X
So book1 the finale is A battling X where A defeats X and becomes Ax ....

book2
b--->B now little b is character two and he develops in book two and grows to be big B
Ax is still around and helps b become big B so you have B+Ax as a team.
y-->Y is our new book 2 villian and the duo defeat this new villian thus becoming (B+Ax)*Y==>(B+Ax)y

Book3
So you start with By and Axy and they are stronger than ever having survived through two installment already.
This time they will be battling z who turns into Giant Z by the end and they of course win the day as always.
So the final equation is then (By+Axy)*Z ==> (By+Axy)z where our heroes defeated Z and made him little z.

But hey this is the final installment so the boss should be huge and heck if we are crafty enough maybe they have been developing over the course of the three books, right?  So taking that into account then in book 1 we could have a little z thrown in, who by then end of book 1 is big Z.  Then by book 2 big Z has become Giant ZZ.  Finally by book three he's beyond imagination growing to a humongous ZZZ that must be whittled down by our characters who have just now mustered up enough strength and wisdom to overcome the bad baddie beast of ZZZ.  (getting tired for some reason, but lets continue anyways.)

book 1 = a + x + z ==> Ax +Z
book 2 = Ax + b+ y + Zz ==> Axy +By +ZZ
book 3 = Axy +by +ZZz ==> Axyz + Byz

Phew, are you still with me? (Yes, that weird ass crap up there is really how my brain thinks.) Well then what happens after the big 3 part story ends?.. A new beginning starts of course and with it a bunch of new characters.  This time however the setting is changed from what occurred in those first few books and we have so much history to help us create the follow up books.  Let's just say for the sake of this discussion that the author kept the 4th book and maybe more in mind when tackling the development of numbers one through three, wouldn't you think that four would be pretty stellar.   At the very least it would probably fit and flow better.

I think this is why I now understand why so many fantasy novels end up as epic fantasies.  The worlds created by these writers are truly 'green' ever changing and growing as the stories develop over time.  In my case, and probably with many other writers, the 'green' state is alive even before the first printed copy of the novel hits the shelves.  I cross my fingers that all this hard work up front will pay off in the end and that the world I have designed is intricate and wonderful, a place that readers will enjoy visiting from time to time as new installments are released.      

Oh, just for fun... keeping the string theory algebra fun alive a putting book four into the equation then you'd have to add in the elements that might foreshadow the characters or events that could take place in this book in the first three books.  We'll call this foreshadowing the variable f.

book 1 = a + x + z +f ==> Ax +Z +f

book 2 = Ax + b+ y + Zz +f ==> Axy +By +ZZ +f

book 3 = Axy +by +ZZz +f ==> Axyz + Byz + f

book 4 = f + c + u ==> Cu  ... as in Cu L8ter

:)

How Long

What is your retention time for book ideas before you just have to put it down on paper or type it up?  Does it have to be immediate or can you let it stew up their in your mind for a while and develop a bit.  I'll be honest I have a tendency to forget things; my memory is a bit faulty.  So on a general rule of thumb I need to write down pretty much everything the moment I think of it whether it be a single word, phrase, or an entire page.  I believe I've discussed this concept before so I won't linger on it again, but I did want to share a couple of pictures to illustrate it and let you know how much goes into creating a manuscript.

Yes, I do use napkins, backs of crossword puzzles, information tags from work, post its, fliers from horse shows I'm attending, etc.  basically anything I can get my hands on at that moment.  I never want to lose that creative spark/moment.

More inserts and blogging

What, two blogs a day is a no no... who says... lol

Okay so I've written a good bit in the manuscript.  In fact just laid out the works for a dramatic scene of interrogation.  Ever thought about what it would happen if you were put into a situation where your spouse's life is at the mercy of you giving information that you don't have.  What would you do? Possibly make something up, would you freeze in fear, or would you continually plead for mercy explaining you didn't have the information they requested.  Me I'd lie my ass off no doubt.  Whatever it took to save my gal, lol.  That is of course me, and of course easy enough to say when not thrust into the hands of a madman whose sense of reality is well, how should I put it... skewed.  This is the sense of what shall become I believe the new chapter 4 in the rewrite.  So now we have Horrors of the Quarry (chap 1), Fleeing Echoes (Chap 2), Dreams and Prophesies (chap 3), and now let me squeeze in Eshendown (chap 4) right before Settlements and Graveyards (chap 5).  As always, everything is subject to change and knowing me probably will before it is all said and done.  Never the less, I figured it might be fun to at least see where I am tracking with this project.

More on the Journey - Rewrites

So I will have to admit the rewrite is dramatically more difficult to write than the original manuscript.  This time around I am considering the audience, the market, the the science or writing.  There is so much more research involved on this end of the project, much more than I had anticipated.

Originally I just spewed out a bunch of what I would consider artful dialog and scenery.  There was a plot path and it flowed alright, but most certainly had holes in it.  For the rewrite I'm sitting back and looking at the work with the eyes of a reader.  What would they want to know about the characters or how would they like the book to flow.  I have thus added more push and pull between the protagonist and  antagonist giving the storyline more suspense.  It will hopefully give the reader a sense of urgency to read more to determine what the characters are going to do to one another and why the detest each other so much.

I have also new elements of the main characters struggle or conflict.  I believe this was lacking in the original, the reader will now not be left confused about this topic.  Quite simply he can not lose another woman in his life, the struggle with himself not reaching his mother's defense is quite crippling to his ego.  It is a battle which if he can win, will allow him to become the land's greatest protector.  Therefore now he is set on the task with the heroine of the book, will he and can he save her or will he fall short like he had once before?

Secondly, I have thought long and hard about the market the book will be read by.  I had originally set the stage for an adult book.  My current thinking has leaned me towards the young adult market.  I am testing the novel out in that genre editing the text as needed to attain this goal.  For instance, the first manuscript had the hero lose his wife.  This time around I have let him miss the opportunity to save his mother, brought his age down fifteen years, etc.  Logically speaking this should open up the market for the book allowing both older and younger readers some room to show interest.  Also it will leave me some flexibility in case I want to keep the characters around a while for future installments, for which I must admit I have some great ideas for.

Then there is the science of writing.  I have learned so much about what editors and publishers want in a book, I would be foolish not to incorporate this into the creation of the manuscript.  Quite specifically here lately I have discussed the opening lines of a book.  See this post for my explanation on this.  Also I have done a lot of research on the actual art of story telling and adding those elements into the book.  The conflicts, the overlining themes, foreshadowing, revelations, etc.

I look forward to sharing more with you all in the future... stay tuned.

First Paragraph Writing Contest

Another writing contest, this time over at Nathan Bransford's Blog.  I would encourage any and all to take a look at his site.  He is a very consistant and fun to read blogger, with plenty of inside scoops into the litery world.

The contest is quite simple, just cut and paste your first paragraph from the manuscript you have in progress.  A winner is selected from the scads that enter and a prize is then awarded, along with all the accolades of winning said contest.  The reward is non other than a partial manuscript read from his agent.  So basically it will help the winner get past the query step, sorta.  :P  At any rate, it looked fun, so off to submit.   

Below is the entry I made:

Sam Hauser staggered over to the water container, filled the rusty ladle and took a swig.  The prisoners were allowed three rest periods throughout the course of the day.  This was his morning break and he already looked forward to the lunch break still several hours away.  Maybe it was the unusual amount of dust that wisped about his face that tired him.  He took another drink and moved over to the bench that ran alongside the water cooler.  His arms were aching pretty badly and he kept his head lowered to try and shield his eyes from the intense sun that swept across the site.  It was going to be a hard day.

Titles

So what author's blog site would be complete without referencing chapter titles? Sitting down to create a novel from nothing and have it mean something is truly an art form. Any Joe Blow off the street can put pen to paper and write a bunch of words telling a story, but the true test is giving that story meaning; a purpose beyond the literal. I therefore try to put forth some effort when selecting what my titles will be, so I am not mixed up with good ole Joe.

So without further ado, here are the proposed titles for the first book. Enjoy for now and at a later time I would love to go into what each chapter title means if it isn't blatantly obvious.

Protect the Risen Series

Book – 1 (Chances Are)

1. Horrors of the Quarry
   
2. Dreams and Prophesies
   
3. Desert Travelers   
   
4. Settlements and Graveyards
   
5. Pawn or King
   
6. Noose Ends
   
7. Politic King
   
8. Shadows and Light
   
9. Discovery
   
10. Last Wishes
    
11. Combustion
    
12. Memorial
    
13. For Keep Sakes
    
14. Resonation of a Coronation
    
15. Feast Full of Plans
    
16. Castle of Might
    
17. Clashing Arms
    
18. Cures and Curses
    
19. Jeweling Sacrifices
    
20. Into the Breach
    
21. Deadly Heights
    
22. Veil Before Dawn
    

Update

Quick update on the state of things.  Book one is complete, Whoo Hoo!  I hit the print button and I'll be doing some editing on a first ever hard copy of it.  What a milestone this is, but I can't sit on my laurels just yet; there is still so much to be done.  The polishing process will take up most of January I suspect.

Also during this time, I've been doing the framework for book two "Of Diar Age." I want to make sure it aligns nicely with all the foreshadowing I've done with the first book.  As I've previously stated in another blog I've even begun writing the first chapter.  We are talking still very very rough draft. lol

Lastly, I've been finalizing the query letter I'll be sending off to literary agents I'm interested in.  Let me just say this is a very tricky part of the process.  For those of you not familiar with a query letter I guess I should elaborate a bit.  When you write a book, you then have to get it published right?  Well between you and the publisher is a person who will basically represent you and help you sell the manuscript to the publishing firms.  They make sure your rights and royalties are in order and a bunch of other legal stuff.  However the tricky part is that there are so many would-be writers out there that the literary agents get swamped with inquiries.  The result is that the agents have to be very picky with who they take on as a client.  So even though they are representing you, the writer still has to "win" the agent over.  It would be like trying to convince the car salesman to sell you a car and not the next guy.

So to win the agent over a writer has to create a query letter, and a damn good one.  The query basically informs the agent that the writer has completed a manuscript and then describes various elements of the novel. You basically have one page to summarize your entire manuscript and basically "sell" or "hook" this very well informed member of the literary world.  It is as complex and important as a persons resume.  So I've been tweaking my query (can I say that in public) trying my best to give this book a shot at a successful start.

Timing and Editing

Timing is everything, or so it has always been told to me.  Therefore it should come as no surprise that on the particular day I'm dreading putting pen to paper I come across a nice blog post that nearly mirrors my thoughts.  Okay, maybe dread was a bit harsh just then, never the less, I'd rather not tackle my manuscript today.

The book I've been working on for the past year is finally complete, content wise, so the long trek of editing now begins.  I'm faced with reading and rereading the same words over and over again, a task I submit to you is quite daunting.  Heck to be honest it is can be darn right boring, working day after day tweaking ideas that have been floating around your head for so long.  Now don't get me wrong I'm happy overall with what I've composed, so it is mostly just the repetitive nature of this beast I’m dealing with.  


There are days where I will read something and go what was I thinking right there.  Then others where Word will nearly explode trying to figure out what I'm trying to spell.  However the fun days are the ones where I'm looking up the phone number for Webster's letting them know I'm creating a new word and can not believe they don't already have it listed.  Like the word 'dumblify' it should definitely have its place in our literary world.  It would mean the act of lowering someone's intelligence by someone or something else.  For example, have you ever sat at a table with someone and realize the longer they speak to you the dumber you feel, almost like they are bringing you down to their level.  Yeah its kinda like that.  hey wait your not thinking this post is dumblifying you is it.  Dang, sorry about that.     


Back to being serious again though, I do run across the other days with my book.  Those rare gem of days where, believe it or not, I get a single tear roll down my face as I read.  I'm so overjoyed with happiness and pride for what I have created.  Then  I can simply bawl when I get caught up in a character’s story too.  So it is those days quite possibly that help me roll passed the boredom and the dread.     

     

Coincidentally, like I said, I'm not alone in my dread or ‘hate’ for hitting the manuscript during this truly important phase of creating a story. I discovered over at Rants and Rablings many others who have gone through this as well.  

I plan on pushing through it using the time off from work I have coming up and the cold weather blowing in from Ole Mr. Winter to snuggle up to my work and just 'get r done.'  Thankfully, along with my inner editor, who slows me down and doubts what the heck I’m doing; I also have an inner work ethic to help push me through till it is ready for the public.  A day I'm really looking forward to, a day when the words ‘complete’ and ‘done’ will hold treasured meaning for me. 

Words and Phrases

There is a terrific post over at Rants and Ramblings about writing habits during the holidays. Her blog post for nov 23^rd suggest we as writers should make a 'holiday plan.' This is a superb idea and not only for the holidays but for all year. However let us stick to the theme she started and only address this busy and festive time of year.

With all the extra activities pulling our attention away from our writing it is easy to lose the drive, the desire, and the momentum of writing. I offer a simple method to combat this through this time of year. Real quick rummage through that desk of yours and grab a small notebook, or heck a blank sheet of paper will work too. Now stick it in the back pocket of your jeans or into a purse whichever is appropriate for you. Oh and don't forget a pen, you'll of course need it.

Okay now the next part is a bit trickier. I want you to tuck back into the desk your ability to write complete sentences. I want you for the next couple of weeks to become more of an observer than a writer. The caveat of course is that I don't want you to completely forget your work in progress, as if you could anyways.

Pay close attention to what you see over the holidays, the scenes, the smells, the colors, etc. More importantly take a moment to really take a close look at people, because let's face it our books are pretty much about how people interact with one another. Even if you are working on a period or fantastical piece where the characters are nothing like the humans in the here and now, one very important fact remains true. The people around you at the mall, the in-laws house, the gas station and the subway are all your potential audience. They will need to feel the connection to the relationships and scenes you depict in a way that they can relate to. Good observation skills can definitely help you. What better time than during the holidays will you have at watching the behaviors of folks you normally don't interact with on a daily basis. You are out of your norm and so are they.

Remember I told you to forego the writer in you, that person inside of you that fights to be an artist. Stop it, just let go and stop trying so darn hard to be poetic with your usage of our incredible language. Instead listen and watch the world around you. Now jot down a single word or phrase to remind you later what it is you are experiencing. Like I said though keep it relevant to you WIP so that when the busy part of the year is over and you get back into the grind, you have some material to work with and help you get back into the swing of things smoothly and easily.

Tough I know, but let me give you an example from my work (Chances Are - Chap 20.)

"The cracks continued to grow and rippled outward from the walls and more Leesermen were tossed off of their feet. The keep, upon a pillar of soil and rock, was then lifted skyward. Upwards it climbed with all of its contents and occupants; dirt spewed forth and stones fell from the cliff face that was being created."

Now this isn't too bad but we can definitely add to it. I'm riding along the rural road out near Jackson GA on my way to a horse show with my wife and I look out the window. The angle of the sun and curvature of the road have aligned themselves just perfectly to make it appear as though the shadow of the horse trailer we are pulling is actually out pacing our truck. It struck me then that the excerpt above is lacking one key detail that would be obvious to the Leesermen army if they were observing the rise of the keep upon the pillar of stone. In my notebook I simply wrote. "Shadow of the keep."

(Be nice on my handwriting, I was in a truck going down the road, lots of bumps.)

Sometime later I came back and added this to the above passage:

"The cracks continued to grow and rippled outward from the walls and more Leesermen were tossed off of their feet. The keep, upon a pillar of soil and rock, was then lifted skyward. Upwards it climbed with all of its contents and occupants; dirt spewed forth and stones fell from the cliff face that was being created.

Dust bellowed out and rolled towards all that stood on ground level. A great shadow was cast downward and grew larger as the keep rose higher and higher. The Leesermen cried out and began to pray as the darkness fell on top of them. The sun was eclipsed and they feared their god's wrath was behind this cataclysmic event."

So yes please set a goal for yourself during the holidays and throughout the year, it is a crucial step to writing in my opinion. You should also certainly reward yourself for reaching those goals, but also make sure to include the tools you'll need to make the goals possible when life gets busy. So you are at a holiday dinner party and have no access to a computer, whip out your tiny notebook and joy down that cool word or phrase that will later add levels of details to to your work to help make it shine.

Also if you are looking for other great holiday advice, check out this blog post over at Confessions from Suite 500 and get some tips on your query.

Perfection or Progress

Here's a helpful tip from one writer to the next. When you are drafting that magnificent manuscript make an effort to not get yourself bogged down. Getting hung up on that special word or phrase can be detrimental to finishing your story in a reasonable amount of time. Instead, I implore you to write something down even if it is not exactly linear to your current line of thought. In other words skip it and come back.

Whenever I get stuck you can find '…' or 'xyz' listed in the manuscript. The name of a new character being introduced is a good example; they generally get named xyz until I figure it out. Another example, in Chances Are (chap 15), I originally wrote the following while drafting it:

Gavinar signaled Sir Macimar to join him on the dance floor.

"Macimar, I wish to be left alone for a few moments. See that I am not disturbed while I drink my next cup of mead." He then escorted Fardea to a long table and offered her a chair.

"You sing absolutely beautifully." Gavinar remarked as he joined her.

"Thank you; I was quite impressed by your skill of verse as well." She replied while taking a cup of mead offered to her and Gavinar

She laughed in response, "I'll bet, but you have plenty to offer that isn't related to your voice. I can assure you of that."

He followed her gaze into his lap and laughed back. She …"

(Fardea sings, he joins in having been classically trained in arts and music as a child of the court.… afterward they discuss why each sings.  She learned how to soothe men, and to make them feel at ease with her.  Who could suspect a pretty singer. )

--

'Bamph' came the sound of the ball room doors as they flew open and in burst Red Eye. He was still in full armor surrounded by five others also in full war gear, a sight that made many of the attendees gasp with surprise of the sight.

 

Yes I realize to most folks that is a bunch of gibberish, but to me it makes perfect sense. Let me clarify how it all works; from the above nonsense to a full-fledged storyline. So as you can see I was trucking along with some fun dialog between Fardea and Gavinar and then boom, I ran out of steam. So I tossed in the dot, dot, dot to signify that more was needed there and I moved on. The next part you'll see is a cut and paste section in parentheses that instructs me later on when I'm editing what the overall theme for that little section was. Finally the dash, dash lets me know a new scene or dramatic event is then being written about. Whenever I see the dashes I know that I've transitioned and might need more input either before or after it.

So basically I didn't hesitate when I ran out of steam. I just did the dots and dashes and moved on to another topic. In this case it was describing how Red Eye storms into the room and breaks up the flirting/story time between Fardea and Gavinar. It was days later before I went back and fixed the dots and missing text.

The more finished product is listed below:

Gavinar signaled Sir Macimar to join him on the dance floor.

"Macimar, I wish to be left alone for a few moments. See that I am not disturbed while I drink my next cup of mead." He then escorted Fardea to a long table and offered her a chair.

"You sing absolutely beautifully." Gavinar remarked as he joined her.

"Thank you; I was quite impressed by your skill of verse as well." She replied while taking a cup of mead offered to her and Gavinar from the servant Macimar had prompted.

"My story is an easy one; I was the son to a king. My father saw to it that I was classically trained in such things music and art. There was a time when entertaining was very important to me." He made a slight pause, leaned in smiling, "it always helped with the ladies."

She laughed in response, "I'll bet, but you have plenty to offer that isn't related to your voice. I can assure you of that."

He followed her gaze into his lap and laughed back. She was a fiery woman who was not afraid to hint at her sexuality, a trait Gavinar very much appreciated in her.

"So how did you learn to enchant an audience like that?"

She shrugged slightly, "I'm not sure to be honest. It has always been a natural thing for me." Her eyes drifted upwards as she searched her memory. "Hmph, I can't recall ever learning the trade properly come to think of it." Fardea smirked and continued on. "I have although sat many a night in taverns and listened to the entertainers. I guess I've just copied what I heard."

"Well whatever the reasoning behind your melodic aptitude it certainly casts a certain serenity across a room." He stated nearly bordering on poetic, an effort to impress the beauty before him.

"As you can imagine, soothing a crowded room can be very helpful in beguiling the men who sit in it. I have always found this misleading, for a profession like mine, quite helpful. Who would ever suspect the likes of me?" She rebutted back also trying to impress.

"Certainly not me, if I didn't know you better Fardea Panthrex."

"I guess I shouldn't give away my secrets to the king of the realm." She jested then added with a change of inflection to a more serious tone. "Honestly Al. I mean Gavinar, you probably understand me better than any other has. I hate to say it, but…" She hesitated to finish her sentence.

"What is it? And Fardea, you can call me Al. In fact, I kind of like it when you call me Al. There is just something about that accent of yours that drives me wild." He threw one more flirtatious smile her way.

"Okay Al, here's the bitter truth. A part of me wishes you were still that adventurous soul I met back at sea, on the deck of that galley. A king? You? How is that going work? You forget Al, I know you too!"

***********

'Bamph' came the sound of the ball room doors as they flew open and in burst Red Eye. He was still in full armor surrounded by five others also in full war gear, a sight that made many of the attendees gasp with surprise of the sight.

 
It is hard to always have that perfect adjective or witting rebuttal ready. Sometimes you just stove up and I totally get that. Who cares, move on, at least that's my motto. Haven't you ever done a crossword puzzle and locked up unable to finish it, but then a day later with a fresh perspective you breeze through that empty set of blocks? It's a lot like that.

Besides, who said a writer has to think linear, this is the twenty first century for goodness sake. We aren't all plunking away on typewriters with a bottle of white out ready to douse our pages with. Word processors allow us to revisit any part of our manuscripts on the fly. What is the word they throw around here at work so often, "a green document?" It means that the document is living and therefore ever changing and flowing with the current state of things. Let us make our manuscripts "green" up until we submit them then.

So this method is also handy in another respect that has nothing to do with getting stuck. Rather I get an idea for a follow up chapter. In order to not lose the concepts of where I'd like the story to go I'll jot or type them down in a miscellaneous document. Using the dash-dash concept becomes very handy in this situation, keeping all the different scenes, chapter plots, and characters separate. Later I'll fill in the material that was missed and place them in their correct sequence in the story. As a result, I'll often time work on two, three, or four chapters simultaneously as a result of this methodology.

In my opinion this allows the chapters to become more unified and work more integral to each other. Sure the tempo or flow of the book has to be revised, but at least the content is there. Anyways, not sure this will help anyone but thought I would share. Happy writing!

Current Project

Currently I'm working hard on a book series called Protect the Risen. Hence the blog name. I envision it to span across three novels: Chances Are, Of Diar Age, and Jaded Mountains.
Here is a quick and small synopsis of the first book…enjoy

Chances Are:
What is held in the magic of the breath, for some like Sam Hauser it is the chaotic essence of luck. In the first novel of the Protect the Risen Series we journey with Sam as he struggles to uncover his own hidden power. Guided by Kaylie, the new love of his life, whose power as a Risen will be sought after and challenged by a growing evil. If they can make it in time, the union of Kaylie and Sam’s bredth magic will help save the kingdom and start a new chapter for the world.
Mistress Therdra discovers a way to obtain infinite power by harnessing the energy of the Risen, but first she must find the key to this destiny. Could it be that the ancient amethyst dragon holds the answer to those dreams? With a newly formed army of death at her side she moves to the Brethen Kingdom from the west to meet her fate.
There are those who hide in shadows pulling the strings of faction leaders and then there are those who can manipulate a lord himself. Ms. Della with her diabolical schemes and vast resources is capable of both and will stop at nothing, not even assassination, to attain her lofty goals.
Meanwhile from the east, while the kingdom is most vulnerable, a man consumed with hatred and fueled by fear, marches his own army to the gates of the great keep. Having failed to seize it once before, Drehas Haverdack has returned with a massive army of Leesermen and siege equipment that is sure to achieve victory. He will be the rightful heir to the throne and only one man can thwart his plans.
Will King Gavinar Blake unlock the secrets to the Relics of Might in time to save his kingdom from these two behemoth forces? If Fardea Panthrex, the deadliest assassin of the Shadowling Guild has anything to say about it he will.