Map Complete

Well I took a week off from writing to complete my map of Kilcrest. Chapters 8 through Infinity take place in the city, so I needed a clear picture in my mind.  The best way to put a clear picture in my mind is to put a clear picture on paper.  There it is, to the left.  I'll also send it to the readers via email.

I have written a few pages of Chapter 8, and it is good so far.  It's not as tension-angst-depressing as Ch 7, so the going is easier for me.  I should be able to meet my 2-chapters-per-month goal and get 8 finished before September.

Been a while since I've done a page count.

Current Page Count:  91 pages single-spaced 12-pt. Courier.  That's pretty good, I think, considering I only have 3.75 chapters finished.

Ch 5 and 6 - Some Editing Feedback - Text of an Email

I received a ton of great feedback from several editors so far on Chapters 5 & 6.  Please do your editing (or not!) on your OWN timetable.  I have no schedule for this and do not intend to make corrections on any chapters until I let them sit for a couple months; I want to be able to look at them fresh when I revise.  I am learning a lot and already feel that Chapter 7 is (grammatically at least) much stronger than Chapter 6, and infinitely better than 5.

So, take your time if you are still looking at them.  I do want to summarize some general feedback that everyone so far agrees on.  You don't gotta read it all if you don't wanna, but I keep these emails for my own records.

General Notes:

1. You probably noticed that you found more issues with the beginning of Chapter 5 than any other section.  It is much older and is poorly revised.  I was aware of this when I sent it but wanted to get it into your hands.  I could have re-hashed it forever, but I felt it would be better to get feedback and learn something.
2. Sorry - Chapters 5 through 7 are definitely the foundation of a "minor climax" that occurs at the end of "7".  Some of it may be a little grim and depressing, but I promise the rest of the story is very much NOT like that.
3. This is General Note number three.

What I Am Apparently (Usually) Good At:

1. Transitions between chapters and sections
2. Dialog - I am very pleased with the feedback I got on some of the dialog.  I read that dialog is one of the hardest things for a writer to do well, but I find it enjoyable.  As long as I know the point of the conversation, it seems to flow for me.
3. Characterization of minor characters - Brand and Graedin will develop over Chapters 1 thru 4 and a lot of their physical attributes should be left to the reader's imagination, but minor characters such as the waitress in the Greasy Spork and Samith Raliton (this is the correct spelling!) got some good feedback.

What I apparently Suck At:

1. I sometimes forget to introduce characters, such as Arthe Cral (Rajan's 2nd-in-command) and some of the mercenaries.  Sorry about that...I am making notes.
2. Word use.  I have a list of "bad" words.  They are:
1. "Which"
2. "Had" & "Have" (unless intentionally using passive voice to flash back briefly - VERY briefly)
3. "Um," "Uh," "Look," and "Well," at the beginning of sentences in dialog
4. "Just"
5. Am, Is, Are, Was, Were (and sometimes "Y"?).  Passive voice attached to the action verb sucks!
3. I am addicted to Commas.  I promise I am trying to break the habit.
4. Rambling unnecessarily about things the reader doesn't give a crap about, like which compass direction the river flows.
5. Inconsistent use of italics.  This really annoys Lauren.  After reading her comments the italics started to annoy me too.  I will try to restrain myself.

Things I Don't Usually Suck At Because I Have Been Trying To Pay Attention To Them:

1. Use of passive voice - the Achilles Heel of the amateur novelist.
2. Split Infinitives - I love the phrase "Split Infinitive".  I think I'll make a new Bean Man villain and name him that.
3. Trying too hard to be funny.  I'm funnier when I don't force it.

Did I forget any of my major problems?  Enjoy your reading!

Chapter 7 Sent!

I have completed editing on Draft 2 of Chapter 7 and sent it to the editors.

I am exhausted, maybe I'll post more tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Chapter 7 Draft One Complete

Wow Chapter 7 was grueling.  Very difficult to write.

I am now going to proof/edit it once, then send it to you guys.

Ch 7 Scene 2 Complete

Tonight I finished Chapter 7 Scene 2.  There is a ton of dialog in this Scene.  It's a difficult Chapter because of all the chapters in the entire book, this may be the one where the most tension between the protagonists is built.  I want to keep my "lighthearted observational" style that I have developed, but at the same time I need the subject matter to be serious.  The reader truly needs to get the sense that the main character is feeling alone, unwanted, and depressed.  I would like to accomplish this without making the reader feel alone, unwanted and depressed, but that's the trick isn't it?

So far Ch 7 is 8 pages in MS word, single-spaced in 10 point Times New Roman font.  In less detailed terms, it's a little over 6,000 words.

I'm going to read through the first two scenes tonight for the first time.

Chapter 7 Progress

I have completed the first draft of Chapter 7, Scene 1 and have started Scene 2.  There are 3 Scenes in Chapter 7 and I hope to be done by the end of the week.

I am going to set a pace of two chapters per month, in the hopes that I can complete the final book by late 2011 and begin preparing it for publishing.  Wish me luck; I am aware this is a really ambitious goal, but as I write I find myself enjoying it more and am able to complete more in a single sitting.  Also, Chapter 6 is a good length for a chapter (I think), and I blasted through that much quicker than the muddier Chapter 5.  As I improve as a writer, I hope I am able to pick up the pace even more.

So, my new deadline is August 31 for Chapters 7 and 8 to be sent to my editors.

Does anybody read my blog?

2010-Aug 07

So far I have received some wonderful feedback from a few of my editors. I hope to summarize what I have learned in a follow-up email after I get feedback from most of you, though I do not intend to revise Chapters 5 and 6 right away. Instead, I will continue with the story and allow my writing to mature before I go back to correct my errors. This way, nobody gets bored (including myself).

I have written the first few pages of Chapter 7. I feel like it will be a strong chapter but very emotional, as Graedin is slowly isolated from his friend Brand by the backlash of the events at the end of Chapter 6. Could it be a misunderstanding, or is there truly a problem between the two? That's what we call a teaser.

I have also started story-boarding the major plot events on notecards so I can lay them out film-editing-style and find a good pace for the book. There are several intertwined plotlines and major goals of character development, and I realized that to make the book work, timing and spacing between revelations has to be fairly spread. The idea is for the climax to be set up by slowly revealing bits of information (like a mystery story) to the main characters as they concurrently learn how to deal with their own emotions in a large and sometimes hostile world. Accomplishing this is going to be tricky.