After a couple weeks off, I have begun molding my novel into a second draft. I am using Holly Lisle's One-Pass Manuscript Revision as my guide. I honestly don't anticipate finishing the novel after just one pass, but I hope to have everything related to how the characters should act, plot, etc. finalized after this go round. The only things that (I hope) will remain will be grammar and sentence structure improvement.
The prologue's first edit has been completed. It was a very quick process, but the chapter itself is relatively short and it has already received many unofficial edits over the generation of the novel's first draft.
But I'm on my way! :)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
I WROTE A BOOK
As of today, April 4th, 2013, I am officially an author. Not a published author. And not even an author of a publish-ready piece. But I have completed the first draft of my first novel, and in my mind that makes me an author.
HOLY CRAP I ACTUALLY DID IT!!
I'm about to reminisce; if you want to know more about the novel scroll down to the bottom.
This all started back in high school. Specifically, my sophomore year. There was an online contest for an AOL forum called Antagonist, INC. (ANT for short). For the contest, you had to submit a short story fiction. I submitted a story about a man working on a space station and, to my surprise, I actually won! (The prize was virtual tokens used to buy random things - I bought a custom-made drawing of Gohan from Dragonball Z.).
A few weeks or so later after winning the contest, my English teacher gave us an assignment to write a two-page piece of fiction. I happily turned in my contest submission as my paper. When he handed them back graded the next week, he looked me in the eye and said if he ever found that I had plagiarized my homework, that he would ensure I get suspended. He handed me back a paper with a big fat 100 on it.
That is the single most-cherished compliment I have ever received, and it stuck with me.
It was then I realized my creativity was badass. I began writing more short stories for fun. Eventually I decided I wanted to put my writing to use. Back then I wanted to be a game designer; specifically, the creative story designer. So I set out to write a story that I could later turn into the world for a videogame.
It was this "game" story that would eventually evolve into the universe which spawned this first novel. As I went into college, I realized my story needed backstory. I then set off to create another story, a prequel novel. I made a full outline and wrote about 8 or 9 chapters before the fatigue of writing brought everything to a halt.
Jump to November 2009. National Novel Writing Month. I was eager to write a novel again. Looking at what I had written, though, I realized I needed even MORE backstory. So that month I began writing yet another prequel. I only got a few chapters in before writing fatigue hit and I again gave up.
Summer 2010. That itch returned. Only this time I sat down and looked at the universe I was creating with a mature eye. Not only did I need even more backstory, but I needed an entire trilogy's worth. And so I set out to outline what eventually became the novel I finished drafting tonight. If you do the math, that's six novels worth of story, with the original idea being the sixth in the series.
From November 2010 to today, I have been writing the first entry in the series: How They Got Their Wings. It was a long and hard road, mostly because I really don't like to write. I like to fantasize. To create. Writing is the easiest outlet for me, albeit a boring one, but one in which I can fully realize my fictional universe without thousands of hours of digital media effort (we'll save that for Hollywood, yeah?)
The first draft clocks in at 21 chapters plus a Prologue/Epilogue. The word count is only at 52,581 words, which is 20K shy of the first Harry Potter novel (which, by the way, was the smallest novel in that series). The word count will go up with revision. There were lots of scenes that I rushed through without providing much detail. The chapter count is very likely to increase as well.
And before anyone asks, no, you can't read it (yet). My wife hasn't even read it, and I'm not letting her until I at least complete the first revision (because a lot of it is pretty unreadable). I have no idea how long that's going to take. It may be another few years before I'm ready to publish. But hey, I'm 50K+ words farther along than I was 3 years ago :)
As for what its about? Well, it is a supernatural fantasy set in a modern world with some sci-fi elements. And its called How They Got Their Wings. It would be safe to say that I want this story to do for angels what Harry Potter did for wizards or Twilight did for vampires. Only it will be more mature than Harry Potter and it won't suck (pun intended) like Twilight. As for anything specific about the story, you'll have to wait a little while longer. But know that this story/universe has been building in my mind for 13 years. This isn't something just slapped together. It's going to blow. your. minds.
The road to taking over the world continues...
HOLY CRAP I ACTUALLY DID IT!!
I'm about to reminisce; if you want to know more about the novel scroll down to the bottom.
This all started back in high school. Specifically, my sophomore year. There was an online contest for an AOL forum called Antagonist, INC. (ANT for short). For the contest, you had to submit a short story fiction. I submitted a story about a man working on a space station and, to my surprise, I actually won! (The prize was virtual tokens used to buy random things - I bought a custom-made drawing of Gohan from Dragonball Z.).
A few weeks or so later after winning the contest, my English teacher gave us an assignment to write a two-page piece of fiction. I happily turned in my contest submission as my paper. When he handed them back graded the next week, he looked me in the eye and said if he ever found that I had plagiarized my homework, that he would ensure I get suspended. He handed me back a paper with a big fat 100 on it.
That is the single most-cherished compliment I have ever received, and it stuck with me.
It was then I realized my creativity was badass. I began writing more short stories for fun. Eventually I decided I wanted to put my writing to use. Back then I wanted to be a game designer; specifically, the creative story designer. So I set out to write a story that I could later turn into the world for a videogame.
It was this "game" story that would eventually evolve into the universe which spawned this first novel. As I went into college, I realized my story needed backstory. I then set off to create another story, a prequel novel. I made a full outline and wrote about 8 or 9 chapters before the fatigue of writing brought everything to a halt.
Jump to November 2009. National Novel Writing Month. I was eager to write a novel again. Looking at what I had written, though, I realized I needed even MORE backstory. So that month I began writing yet another prequel. I only got a few chapters in before writing fatigue hit and I again gave up.
Summer 2010. That itch returned. Only this time I sat down and looked at the universe I was creating with a mature eye. Not only did I need even more backstory, but I needed an entire trilogy's worth. And so I set out to outline what eventually became the novel I finished drafting tonight. If you do the math, that's six novels worth of story, with the original idea being the sixth in the series.
From November 2010 to today, I have been writing the first entry in the series: How They Got Their Wings. It was a long and hard road, mostly because I really don't like to write. I like to fantasize. To create. Writing is the easiest outlet for me, albeit a boring one, but one in which I can fully realize my fictional universe without thousands of hours of digital media effort (we'll save that for Hollywood, yeah?)
The first draft clocks in at 21 chapters plus a Prologue/Epilogue. The word count is only at 52,581 words, which is 20K shy of the first Harry Potter novel (which, by the way, was the smallest novel in that series). The word count will go up with revision. There were lots of scenes that I rushed through without providing much detail. The chapter count is very likely to increase as well.
And before anyone asks, no, you can't read it (yet). My wife hasn't even read it, and I'm not letting her until I at least complete the first revision (because a lot of it is pretty unreadable). I have no idea how long that's going to take. It may be another few years before I'm ready to publish. But hey, I'm 50K+ words farther along than I was 3 years ago :)
As for what its about? Well, it is a supernatural fantasy set in a modern world with some sci-fi elements. And its called How They Got Their Wings. It would be safe to say that I want this story to do for angels what Harry Potter did for wizards or Twilight did for vampires. Only it will be more mature than Harry Potter and it won't suck (pun intended) like Twilight. As for anything specific about the story, you'll have to wait a little while longer. But know that this story/universe has been building in my mind for 13 years. This isn't something just slapped together. It's going to blow. your. minds.
The road to taking over the world continues...
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