Ive taken a week off work to help the wife with Amelia, which mainly involves me keeping daughter no.1 busy while she is still recovering from childbirth.
So facing the fact that money is going to be tight (wife has given up work) I find myself (as always) wanting/needing to spend money.
I had the unfortunate luck to get 3 speeding fines (9 points) in quick succession, and all I need is one more and I lose my license for a year. Now seeing as I commute by train this isnt much of a daily problem, but the ban is for 1 year, and I do use the car 3 times a week for my private clients. So I need to buy one of those fancy GPS devices.
Been spending the last few days writing up my notes I have for my book, thinking I had tons of material. Well the truth was that I didnt have as much as I thought I did, and barely managed to creep up to 75,000 words. 5 chapters have now been written to draft standard, but still more needs to be done. Introduced a new story thread, and 2 new characters who are linked but not in the normal sense. This book is being to resemble Magnolia in the level of connection and interaction between all the characters, and unlike convential books, there are no real walk-on characters. Im currently up to 16 main/major characters including my protagonist and antagonist, and thats after 5 chapters. I am sure there will be more to come.
Thursday, 29 June 2006
Thursday, 22 June 2006
Progress
Just hit the 73,000 words again, which I am happy with, as I chopped out 4,000 to set aside for a sequel if needed. It was basically too much material being burnt through just to tell the story.
One of the odd things I noticed very early one, is that the story is growing more complicated and organic as the weeks go by, so much so that I am looking at perhaps telling the same story but from several different viewpoints. Incorporating these into my book is proving to be entertaining and challenging.
Still on target to finish the first draft by November 2006, but what I'd really like is a "live" counter on my blog to keep me working harder to finish it on time.
Okay Im scheduled for 33 chapters
3 completed to first draft
9 work in progress
21 yet to start
these numbers may change
One of the odd things I noticed very early one, is that the story is growing more complicated and organic as the weeks go by, so much so that I am looking at perhaps telling the same story but from several different viewpoints. Incorporating these into my book is proving to be entertaining and challenging.
Still on target to finish the first draft by November 2006, but what I'd really like is a "live" counter on my blog to keep me working harder to finish it on time.
Okay Im scheduled for 33 chapters
3 completed to first draft
9 work in progress
21 yet to start
these numbers may change
Friday, 16 June 2006
Writing Limits
Almost back to 72,000 words.
Been writing and re-writing the introduction of my antagonist character, telling the reader about his view on life. It is vital that the reader react to him, hate, love, understanding - anything. If I fail then the whole book fails.
This is chapter 3 and is undergoing continual re-writes - and may do so right until the end of the first draft.
Added more layers to the story, more intrigue and more connections between main and support characters.
***
FJ Gaming are running a proposal contest for scenarios for its Wild West Game Gunslingers and Gamblers. They have requested proposals for its other game lines.
The deadline for the proposal is this saturday, midnight. Im going to try and a make a couple of proposals and see which one they like. If not, at least I tried.
Been writing and re-writing the introduction of my antagonist character, telling the reader about his view on life. It is vital that the reader react to him, hate, love, understanding - anything. If I fail then the whole book fails.
This is chapter 3 and is undergoing continual re-writes - and may do so right until the end of the first draft.
Added more layers to the story, more intrigue and more connections between main and support characters.
***
FJ Gaming are running a proposal contest for scenarios for its Wild West Game Gunslingers and Gamblers. They have requested proposals for its other game lines.
The deadline for the proposal is this saturday, midnight. Im going to try and a make a couple of proposals and see which one they like. If not, at least I tried.
Tuesday, 13 June 2006
Curry Night
My writing friend is coming down to Dartford for the month and we are ahooking up for a curry with a bunch of my other gaming and writing friends.
Looking forward to it, plus we are planning a writing session together this week as well, hopefully the wife doesnt give birth during either of these events - poor woman is still suffering, even though if she gave birth now the baby will be early.
Spent the evening writing a new chapter to be added to the 33 already in existence. It helps explain the background to the country the main characters are in, plus introduces a new villian and those she has gotten under her thrall.
Looking forward to it, plus we are planning a writing session together this week as well, hopefully the wife doesnt give birth during either of these events - poor woman is still suffering, even though if she gave birth now the baby will be early.
Spent the evening writing a new chapter to be added to the 33 already in existence. It helps explain the background to the country the main characters are in, plus introduces a new villian and those she has gotten under her thrall.
Sunday, 11 June 2006
Cut Into Two
At 1pm today my book was at just over 73,000 words. But as I carried on I realised that I had been writing a lot of material that didnt belong to the book I was writing, and in fact was writing material for I suppose what is book 2.
I took out 4,000 words I called it book 2.
Carried on writing and ended up having written a total of 71,000 words before calling it a day.
My word count doesnt include all my notes, footers, review comments, hand written notes, as well as all the notes I wrote when I composed the story.
I was also able to create all the word documents for all 32 chapters.
I need to print the chapters out again as I have too much in my head.
My biggest problem is the overlap of story content between the chapters.
I took out 4,000 words I called it book 2.
Carried on writing and ended up having written a total of 71,000 words before calling it a day.
My word count doesnt include all my notes, footers, review comments, hand written notes, as well as all the notes I wrote when I composed the story.
I was also able to create all the word documents for all 32 chapters.
I need to print the chapters out again as I have too much in my head.
My biggest problem is the overlap of story content between the chapters.
Saturday, 3 June 2006
Writing for Fun and Profit
I'm having an immense ball writing one of my character's introduction into the story.
He, like all the characters, falls into immediate stereotyping, but it is easily side-stepped, by proving these stereotypes are anything but. The stereotypes helps the reader fit the character into their mind, but then I am able to manipulate the perception of their character.
This particular fellow joins the story with a fair amount of baggage, but his needs to remain anonymous and helpful ensure that people do not get suspicious about his origins.
He, like all the characters, falls into immediate stereotyping, but it is easily side-stepped, by proving these stereotypes are anything but. The stereotypes helps the reader fit the character into their mind, but then I am able to manipulate the perception of their character.
This particular fellow joins the story with a fair amount of baggage, but his needs to remain anonymous and helpful ensure that people do not get suspicious about his origins.
Friday, 2 June 2006
3rd Chapter Re-Write
3rd chapter re-write and 3rd entry for the day!
The third chapter of Orchid is proving a difficult beast to write.
Firstly because it was imagined a brief chapter to introduce the main antagonist in about 3 short pages. But as time went on this has grown to nearly 10. Well nothing wrong with that, BUT, I hate it, the chapter, it is a chore to read and I hate writing it. Why? Well having reviewed the chapter to me its because Im still trying to get a handle on the antagonist himself and this is causing the problems. So I have left the chapter as it is, and written out a list of CRITERIA that the chapter requires before it can be classed as being finished. And from this revised list will come a flow of how the chapter will happen in terms of structure, flashbacks and exposition.
Having viewed the chapter in this new light has helped, but I need my muse to help me sort this damn character out.
Why is this chapter so important? Because without my antagonist it makes the protagonists and the rest of the characters pointless.
I am already prepared to leaving it as a series of bullet points and coming back to reading it.
*** JOB ADVERT ***
muse wanted - hours variable - pay nil
*** END ADVERT ***
The third chapter of Orchid is proving a difficult beast to write.
Firstly because it was imagined a brief chapter to introduce the main antagonist in about 3 short pages. But as time went on this has grown to nearly 10. Well nothing wrong with that, BUT, I hate it, the chapter, it is a chore to read and I hate writing it. Why? Well having reviewed the chapter to me its because Im still trying to get a handle on the antagonist himself and this is causing the problems. So I have left the chapter as it is, and written out a list of CRITERIA that the chapter requires before it can be classed as being finished. And from this revised list will come a flow of how the chapter will happen in terms of structure, flashbacks and exposition.
Having viewed the chapter in this new light has helped, but I need my muse to help me sort this damn character out.
Why is this chapter so important? Because without my antagonist it makes the protagonists and the rest of the characters pointless.
I am already prepared to leaving it as a series of bullet points and coming back to reading it.
*** JOB ADVERT ***
muse wanted - hours variable - pay nil
*** END ADVERT ***
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