Today I finished the "first draft" of the story I was working on (the working title was Krullus, but the actual title will be) The Dragon's Spine. It also went from a short story to a novella. It seems I seriously underestimated the length of the story, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
It needs a few runs through the editing machine, but so far I'm quite happy with it. The editing process, I think, should be fairly painless this time around, partially due to the length (it weighs in at just over 13,000 words), and partially due to the way it was written.
With The Dragon's Spine I was really editing as I was writing. Initially, as I was sitting down to write for the day, I would start at the beginning, reading and editing as I went, to get the creative juices well and truly flowing, as well as to tighten the whole thing up. As things progressed, I would start at a story break, rather than at the beginning. When I reached the end of the "editing" part, I found I just flowed straight into the writing for the day. It was quite seamless. It was also a good way to write, at least for me, on this particular story.
So, what's it about?
The story is set in the Eria universe, several hundred years before the novel. It focuses on a young warrior Krullus, and his two companions - a mage, Aldor, and a rogue, Nystar, and their trip to The Dragon's Spine Mountains. Rumors abound about the mountains, and Krullus, having found no one that claims to have been to the mountains, decides to go there himself. Why has no one else been there before? Is there really a dragon under the mountain?
I'm not going to give away any more than that - where would the fun in that be?
I will say, however, that I went in to the final phases of the story with two possible endings in mind, and in the end (after a fashion) used both. Yeah - I didn't think it was possible, but it was, and it worked, I think. I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks when it hits the Kindle bookshop!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
How I Write
Someone asked me the other day how I write - plan things out in advance, or just sit down and write. This is the response I gave (more or less):
I used to sit down and see where things went - for a long time I had a great deal of success (for want of a better word) with it - I found just writing would lead my characters on their own adventures, and things would crop up that I hadn't considered before, and that'd be fun. But there was also a lot of time spent staring at the keyboard, or blank page, or whatever medium I was using.
These days I plan somewhat. I have a distinct ending in mind, a good idea of where I want to start, and normally a few things along the way that connect all the dots. That's not to say that I don't surprise myself from time to time - I think that will always happen. I don't plan nearly as much as some people I know - I don't have (when I'm writing a novel) a hard chapter by chapter breakdown and word count in mind when I start. Sometimes I don't even have everything I need plotted out. I have enough, though, to know the kind of story that I want to tell.
I think if I plan, plot, and layout everything, it kills off some of the creative urge, because it feels like I've already written the damn thing (even if it is only in bullet point form).
There are, I will admit, advantages to both styles. I think at the moment, the hybrid style I use is the right "fit" for me. I take the "sitting and just writing" step before I sit and write more often than not these days. I find myself thinking about a story before I go to bed, or before I take a nap, etc., and make a few notes on my cell phone (it's always with me, so it's just easier this way).
Like last night - I rolled over and grabbed my phone a few times to make some notes about some short stories I've been thinking about (or had just thought about), and a couple of novels (or longer works). I was tempted to jump up and grab the netbook, but I like doing it this way (as I said, for now).
I used to sit down and see where things went - for a long time I had a great deal of success (for want of a better word) with it - I found just writing would lead my characters on their own adventures, and things would crop up that I hadn't considered before, and that'd be fun. But there was also a lot of time spent staring at the keyboard, or blank page, or whatever medium I was using.
These days I plan somewhat. I have a distinct ending in mind, a good idea of where I want to start, and normally a few things along the way that connect all the dots. That's not to say that I don't surprise myself from time to time - I think that will always happen. I don't plan nearly as much as some people I know - I don't have (when I'm writing a novel) a hard chapter by chapter breakdown and word count in mind when I start. Sometimes I don't even have everything I need plotted out. I have enough, though, to know the kind of story that I want to tell.
I think if I plan, plot, and layout everything, it kills off some of the creative urge, because it feels like I've already written the damn thing (even if it is only in bullet point form).
There are, I will admit, advantages to both styles. I think at the moment, the hybrid style I use is the right "fit" for me. I take the "sitting and just writing" step before I sit and write more often than not these days. I find myself thinking about a story before I go to bed, or before I take a nap, etc., and make a few notes on my cell phone (it's always with me, so it's just easier this way).
Like last night - I rolled over and grabbed my phone a few times to make some notes about some short stories I've been thinking about (or had just thought about), and a couple of novels (or longer works). I was tempted to jump up and grab the netbook, but I like doing it this way (as I said, for now).
Sunday, March 11, 2012
A Long Overdue Update
I've been away on holidays. I know the internet doesn't take a holiday, but I'm human, haven't been away for over a year, and so I took a couple of weeks off. I had planned on posting while I was away, but the internet gods were not happy at all with my mobile internet device, which was both odd and annoying.
So, what did I get up to? Lots of driving (15 hours each way, plus a few smaller trips of 2 to 4 hours thrown in for good measure), visiting my daughter that I haven't seen in nearly 2 years (yes, I have a daughter - she'll be 5 this year), catching up with a variety of old friends (school, old gaming friends, ex-house mates), visiting the places I once lived and frequented, and some good old fashioned chillaxing.
It wasn't all fun, though. My return trip was interrupted by a series of floods, and I came up close and personal with some floodwater (which is not good in the early hours of the morning when you've been driving all night and hit it at highway speeds). That which does not kill me can only clean my car.
As a result of my trip, one of my friends has offered me her spare room if I want to move back to that part of the world, which I will more than likely be taking her up on. I lived in Brisbane for the best part of 2 decades, most of my Australian friends live there (or close by), and the employment opportunities are (at a rough estimate) about 50 times what I have here. Don't get me wrong, living here has allowed me to pay off debts and save a wad of money, but my social life has been non-existent, and of late I have just felt myself getting in more and more of a rut. A big, ugly, frustrating rut. So, unless a brilliant, high paying, challenging, rewarding job with room for advancement comes my way by Easter, I'm moving.
Enough about me.
February was my best full month for sales of Eria, which is just awesome. It's nice to know that people are still buying and (hopefully) reading my novel. Additionally, I had a couple of reviews, which is very nice. It's a great feeling.
My current story about Krullus is moving along nicely. I really like the way it is coming together. It's longer than I'd anticipated at the outset, but it's still in short(ish) story country. All going well, I'd like to have it finished and out there by the end of the month. Watch this space - I'll be sure to keep y'all posted.
I've also been making a few notes about a follow-up story featuring Krullus. There's more to say about him that just doesn't fit with the current story (well, not without making it feel forced). My only concern (if that is the right choice of words) now is that it might not be a short story, or a series of short stories, but a full blown novel. We'll see once I lay out all the notes and ideas.
As well as Krullus, I've been making some notes for a sequel to Eria. There's some good stuff in there, and I'm definitely interested in pursuing it. I'm not going to say much more about that just yet, however.
Last, but by no means least, I've got some ideas for 3 short stories. One is a playful little story about Dren. The second is a less-playful story about Bædyr. And the final one is about Zelton. More about those later, when they are more than just ideas, and I have something better to say about them.
That's where things stand at the moment. Busy, exciting times ahead, for me, and for my writing. Hopefully I'll have something fun for y'all to read soon!
So, what did I get up to? Lots of driving (15 hours each way, plus a few smaller trips of 2 to 4 hours thrown in for good measure), visiting my daughter that I haven't seen in nearly 2 years (yes, I have a daughter - she'll be 5 this year), catching up with a variety of old friends (school, old gaming friends, ex-house mates), visiting the places I once lived and frequented, and some good old fashioned chillaxing.
It wasn't all fun, though. My return trip was interrupted by a series of floods, and I came up close and personal with some floodwater (which is not good in the early hours of the morning when you've been driving all night and hit it at highway speeds). That which does not kill me can only clean my car.
As a result of my trip, one of my friends has offered me her spare room if I want to move back to that part of the world, which I will more than likely be taking her up on. I lived in Brisbane for the best part of 2 decades, most of my Australian friends live there (or close by), and the employment opportunities are (at a rough estimate) about 50 times what I have here. Don't get me wrong, living here has allowed me to pay off debts and save a wad of money, but my social life has been non-existent, and of late I have just felt myself getting in more and more of a rut. A big, ugly, frustrating rut. So, unless a brilliant, high paying, challenging, rewarding job with room for advancement comes my way by Easter, I'm moving.
Enough about me.
February was my best full month for sales of Eria, which is just awesome. It's nice to know that people are still buying and (hopefully) reading my novel. Additionally, I had a couple of reviews, which is very nice. It's a great feeling.
My current story about Krullus is moving along nicely. I really like the way it is coming together. It's longer than I'd anticipated at the outset, but it's still in short(ish) story country. All going well, I'd like to have it finished and out there by the end of the month. Watch this space - I'll be sure to keep y'all posted.
I've also been making a few notes about a follow-up story featuring Krullus. There's more to say about him that just doesn't fit with the current story (well, not without making it feel forced). My only concern (if that is the right choice of words) now is that it might not be a short story, or a series of short stories, but a full blown novel. We'll see once I lay out all the notes and ideas.
As well as Krullus, I've been making some notes for a sequel to Eria. There's some good stuff in there, and I'm definitely interested in pursuing it. I'm not going to say much more about that just yet, however.
Last, but by no means least, I've got some ideas for 3 short stories. One is a playful little story about Dren. The second is a less-playful story about Bædyr. And the final one is about Zelton. More about those later, when they are more than just ideas, and I have something better to say about them.
That's where things stand at the moment. Busy, exciting times ahead, for me, and for my writing. Hopefully I'll have something fun for y'all to read soon!
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