Eastern Glow

It was an incredibly difficult decision, but I ended up having to rewind and throw out two chapters. It only set me back a couple thousand words, being that they were only outlines, but Ive spent over two weeks in this particular area of the story and just now finally managed to get through it.

In the end, I know this was all a good thing, but it was pretty tough to do. I was confused, myself, what it was I was trying to say. There was a lot to say in these two chapters, and I had to find the right way to explain it to the reader while at the same time having it make sense for the characters. It was tough, but I think I managed to pull it off, and the story is much better for it.

The story of the crazy/ridiculous chapter from last week got scrapped entirely. A character briefly summarizes the events in a new scene I developed, but the event no longer includes the over-the-top stuff I'd written out in the scrapped chapter. I was going for quantity, not quality, and at this point everything hinges on quality. I can do quantity much later after this first book sets the ground rules. No point in going all out just yet, although the climax of this book will certainly be intense.

So yeah... new numbers below... :(

Chapters Outlined: 12
Rough Word Count: 13,144

February Sun

Finally hit a wall. Im about to go into heavy-dialogue territory, so in order to outline this right I really, really need to know what the hell it is I want the characters to talk about. Unfortunately, this is the point where I had to step back and design part of the society that wont really come into play until much later, but it was necessary in order for me to understand what the characters needed to say. Seven of nine... items... have now been fleshed out. Hopefully I can continue forward with this chapter now.

Thanks For Being Away

I just finished a chapter that, of all the ones Ive outlined so far, is easily the most ridiculous. Perhaps its because, until recently, everything in the story has been as "normal" as plot goes in this particular setting. But man, I cant help but feel I went a bit over the top with this.

I dont know, it could be a good thing. Im going to leave it in the outline and see how it presents itself in rough draft form. I cant help but feel, though, that Im going to have to cut it. Or, at any rate, give it a real good scrubbing. The chapter does serve a purpose, and I do need something that works similarly to what goes on here, but Im not sure if the idea I chose suits the realism Ive been shooting for. But then again, maybe it does? Maybe its so crazy that it just might work? At any rate, I was able to round off the chapter with some intentional symbolism that I think works very well with one of the themes/messages this story conveys.

Im a little nervous that Im starting to lose sight of where I was going with the ending. I know how it ends, and I know which direction to go for the next few chapters, but theres a gap inbetween that Im drawing a blank on. Hopefully the next few chapters will shed light on where Im supposed to go from here.

Chapters Outlined: 12
Rough Word Count: 13,659

Reciting the Airships

The past week has seen my outline finally cross into Act 2 territory. The plot has opened up and a bunch of different characters are now screaming at me for their turn in the limelight, and still others are showing up to the party hoping to get through the door.

The belly of the beast.

In a way its like Ive restarted, because the plot has shifted focus from the main character to a larger conflict. The difference is that at this point, the characters that have already been introduced are now moving around with three-dimensional personalities. Rather than being character-building, the chapters are now character-driven. Plot-driven, too, but the characters are starting to uncover themselves, driving the story forward in ways I hadnt thought of.

Before starting this outline, I was scared I wouldnt be able to write a 50k word novel. With all of the ideas that keep flooding onto my screen, Im beginning to think I may cross that finish line two times over.

The next couple weeks are going to be slightly tougher than recent ones. Im going to have to climb the Act 2 ladder until I reach the top and can slide back down to the start of Act 3 (the Final Act). But its going to be fun! Act 1 was the hardest. Act 3 should be the easiest, since its the last push to a complete outline. But Act 2, I think, is the most important. Its what keeps your interest past the initial "wow" factor of Act 1, and its what makes the outcome of Act 3 so impactful.

Chapters Outlined: 11, 12th one started
Rough Word Count: 12,697

What Fell Down From The Moon Last Night

Plot twists. One big one fell into my lap today, and then the mother of all plot twists hit me like a truck this evening. This changes everything. Everything Ive thought up so far has been set on its ear. At some point in a future novel, something will be revealed that will make everyone reread this first novel in a new light. And not just a generic "Ooooh, it was really just this the whole time." Various scenes will be seen differently. Oh man, I'm so excited!

In addition to the plot twists, some new character relationships have sprung up with potential to be the most epic relationships in the entire series. Oh maaaaaaaaaaaan! Blank and Blank are going to have the most badass relationship in the history of the universe.

The further I get into this outline, the more and more this has all been coming to life. In fact, I had my first dream about my story the other night, pretending I was one of the characters. It was an amazing experience. I hope there will be many more like it.

I need to try and not post as many of these "OH MY GOD THIS IS AWESOME" posts, but Im bubbling over with excitement tonight. I cant wait for November to get here.

The Fleeting Beauty Of A Butterfly

Im now over 10K words. Thats 20% of a small novel. Wow.

After a brief hiatus, I went back to work tonight on the outline. I was able to further develop Elena's character, introducing her in a new chapter that takes place early on in the book. Short and sweet, but I now have a better idea of which direction to take with her. I learned something about her tonight that shocked me, but at the same time it made perfect sense and gels really well with what I'd already thought up for her. Its a great little twist that I think will melt some hearts. And faces.

Chapters Outlined: 10 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 10,194

The Evil That Never Arrived

It amazes me how easily this can sometimes come together. What gets me even more is that it falls into place with perfect symbolism, even when I had no intention of writing it that way. Either I'm just lucky, or I've got destiny on my side.

I finally managed to bang out the outline of the first major plot twist, but had problems with the chapter as whole. Id been frustrated with the middle part, and this frustration caused me to dawdle around with the outline for a week before finally deciding to move on. I was trying to force some story to lengthen the chapter, but ultimately decided that I should let it be the length it needed to be, even if that meant short-changing a newly introduced character. I'm going to have to figure out somewhere else to grow her background. Either that, or on my second pass of the outline I hope to bring a fresh look and think up some stuff to put in the chapter to lengthen it naturally and solidify her as a character and not an archetype.

Speaking of archetypes, I realized that even though this is "the beginning" of the series, Im still going to have to think up some details of certain characters' pasts to make them a bit more three-dimensional. History. Why they are the way they are. Even if its just a few sentences, I need to provide something extra for readers to go on. The main characters wont be a problem because theyll be fleshed out over the course of the first novel, but the secondary characters are going to need some special loving until book two rolls around.

Anyway, now the book starts to get fun. The next chapter contains the first real action sequence, and from here on out it will be a wild roller coaster ride. Looking forward to it.

Chapters Outlined: 8 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 8504