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Posts Tagged ‘sequels’

Why I’m a (Modified) Discovery Writer

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes I’d really like to be able to outline a story and know exactly how it goes. But that’s just not the way it works for me.

I do at least map out the high (and low) points of a novel before I start. (Though they have been known to change as I go, too.) But I could sit and stare at the screen for days waiting for the inspiration to know how to fill in the very wide blank spaces that leaves. It just would never come.

The only time those ideas come to me is when I’m actually writing. Well, not necessarily when I have my fingers on the keyboard. But, you know, when I’ve gotten up for a little and I’m walking the dogs or (infrequently) cleaning the house. That’s when I get the ideas for how to get from point A to point B. But only if, when I sit back down, I’m actually writing the story.

And, anyway, sometimes a story will just take a left turn and go somewhere else instead. And that’s often better than what I’d planned.

Not going to happen in the last book of the DUAL MAGIC series. (At least, I don’t think so.) But that is exactly what happened in DAUGHTER OF THE DISGRACED KING.

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Blurbs

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Still working on the blurb for BEYOND THE PROPHECY.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????If beginnings are hard, blurbs (or queries) are even harder.

Here’s what I have so far–on the third try. Still not there, yet.

Being one of a handful graced—or cursed—with both kinds of magic places Vatar at the center of turmoil. In more ways than one.

As power shifts in his adopted city, Vatar must choose. Support the traditional rulers for the sake of stability, even though their rule is based on a lie. Or reveal that lie and help those who would create a new order. Only Vatar, with ties to both sides, is in a position to decide which is best.

But that choice will have to wait while he tries to find a way to deal with enemies gathering on the border. Foes that could mean disaster for both his city and the plains-dwelling tribe who raised him. Only magic can provide a reliable defense. Magic the plains people fear more than any enemy.

But when he’s captured by one of those enemies, Vatar will have to prove his boast that it’s impossible to imprison anyone who can do what he can—or die.

Now, if I can just find a way to work in some of the unique aspects of the world without driving the word count up.

Yeah, blurbs are hard.

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Backing Up

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on June 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Not in the data protection sense, although I do that, too.

No, this time I mean backing up as in going back a little for the start of this story (Book 4, currently untitled, of the Dual Magics series). I said in my last post that beginnings are hard. And they are–until you find the right place to enter the story.

In my first stories, I more often had to cut from the beginning, because I’d started the story too early. A couple of times now I’ve had to back up and put the beginning a little earlier. I guess that’s a kind of progress.

Anyway, I backed up to, among other things, start with a little more urgency–and a tiny bit of action. I like this beginning much better. Of course, I won’t really know if it’s the right place to start until I write THE END at the bottom of the first draft.

Meanwhile, I’m also trying to iron out the blurb for Book 3, BEYOND THE PROPHECY, which is much harder.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Blurbs, pitches, and queries are an art form unto themselves. And they take a lot of revision to get right–or close to right.

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Plotting for Pantsers

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , on May 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I’m a discovery writer (or pantser), but a modified one. Why modified? Because once, when I was fairly new to writing, I actually managed to write over 100,000 words on a novel and, as I was writing the final scene, I looked up and said to myself, “But it’s not a story.” I knew intuitively that it wasn’t a story, but it took me a lot longer to figure out why. (By the way, once I finally figured it out and learned a few other matters of craft, that not-quite-a story became THE VOICE OF PROPHECY.)

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????So, now I try to figure out a few sign posts along the way before plunging in.

Obviously, I need to know where the story begins. By which I mean not necessarily the opening scene, which can change. The inciting incident is usually pretty stable, though, and that’s what I need to know.

A few of the major plot points along the way is nice. I do make notes of or even sketch out a few scenes that come to me, but I’ve always done that (even in that draft that wasn’t really a story). Some of those will make it into the final version intact. Some will have to be changed to fit. And some will have to be left out or cut.

I like to know the climax. Of course, I’ve known the climax the DUAL MAGICS series was headed for for a long time, now, so that’s not a problem.

Sometimes I’ll even write out what I call a proto synopsis, hitting just the high (or low) points of the story.

But the main thing I absolutely have to know is the central conflict. Without that, it’s just a string of events. That’s the reason that that very first version of THE VOICE OF PROPHECY (then known as THE IGNORED PROPHECY) wasn’t a story. The germ of the central conflict was there, but it just wasn’t clear enough to be the backbone of the story.

I’ve been organizing all of this because, very soon now, I’m going to be starting the first draft of Book 4, the final book of the DUAL MAGICS series, tentatively titled WARRIOR OF MAGIC. Can barely wait.

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Four Chapters a Day

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , on May 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

That’s what I’ve calculated I need to accomplish on this round of revisions to have BEYOND THE PROPHECY ready for beta readers on June 1st.

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So far, so good. Fortunately, this round is only looking for small inconsistencies and some style issues. Also, places where I need to add more description.

As soon as I’ve handed it off, I get to start work on the fourth (and last) book in the DUAL MAGICS series. Looking forward to that.

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Round Three

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , on May 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I’ve started the third round of revisions to BEYOND THE PROPHECY.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????This will be the last round before I turn it over to my beta readers next month.
Whew! Good thing, too. It’s sort of beginning to all run together. About time I gave it a rest and came back to it fresh.

On schedule for a September release, if all goes well.

While my beta readers have it, I’ll be starting the fourth (and final) book of the DUAL MAGICS series, tentatively titled MAGIC’S WARRIOR or possibly WAR OF MAGIC. Yeah, this is the one where it all hits the fan.

Though I’m a (modified) discovery writer, I’ve been doing a little planning for that.

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Round One Complete

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , on May 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, I finished the first round of revisions on BEYOND THE PROPHECY.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????There are probably two more to go before I turn it over to beta readers in June.

During June, I can start the fourth–and final–book in this series. (Final, unless I decide to write the prequel stories at some point in the future.

Then July and August for the revisions coming out of the critiques and the polishing edit. And I’m on schedule for releasing BEYOND THE PROPHECY in September.

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Multiple Threads

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on April 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I’m at the point in my revisions on BEYOND THE PROPHECY

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????where I have to balance multiple threads of the story. I now have major characters in three different locations doing three different things in support of the main goal.

Things get complicated at this point. I have to keep the timeline straight. Does Event A actually belong in chapter 30, or should it happen after the events–in another location with different characters–in chapter 32? Moving whole chapters around isn’t too difficult, but remembering what any given character should know if I move that chapter might be.

Add in that I don’t want any one of those three characters to get left out of the plot for too long and it becomes a real balancing act.

Progress slows a bit at this point for a reason.

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Revision Ups and Downs

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on April 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I started the revisions on BEYOND THE PROPHECY just about a week ago.

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I’ve made really good progress up ‘til now. I’m on Chapter 25 of (currently) 51.

Honestly, the most major change I’ve had to make so far—other than adding some details and punching up the emotions in a couple of places—was to delete part of a few scenes since I’d decided that a couple of characters weren’t there after all. Not too big a deal.

Not that I’ve addressed everything in those first 24 chapters. There are things I left for a later pass because I hadn’t decided quite what to do with them yet. And there will still be the need to edit for more setting details in some areas. (Always something I tend to gloss over in a first draft.)

But I’ve just arrived at the part of the story that’s going to need more work. The part I wasn’t happy with in the first draft anyway. It’s always the middle, isn’t it? I know what needs to be done—generally. But now I have to do it. New scenes. At least one new chapter. New emotional conflict—can always use more of that in the middle. This part will be almost like going back to the first draft.

But the story will be so much better for it.

Once I get through this, hopefully the rest will be more of a downhill slide. Then at least two more revision passes until I’ll be glad to close it up while my trusted beta readers have it. Then I’ll know how well I did.

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Almost Forgot

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2015| 2 Comments »

I’ve been doing so many other things today–laundry, a bit of house painting, and the first round of revisions on BEYOND THE PROPHECY

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????that I almost forgot to blog. In my defense, I’m at one of the most fun parts of the story, where two young characters are starting to feel the first urges of something more than friendship–and still don’t quite know what to do with that. To cap it off, one of them is about to go away for a while. Here’s a snippet:

“You are coming back aren’t you?” Kiara asked.

“Nothing could keep me away. This is my real home.”

“How . . . how long will it be?”

“I don’t know. Two years. Maybe three. I’ll study hard and try to make it back as soon as I can.” He looked down and back up. “Will you . . .” He stopped and shook his head. “It’s not fair to ask you to wait for me.”

“I’ll wait.”

Theklan smiled. “I . . . I made something for you. It’s not a courting gift. I’m not even allowed to offer a courting gift until after the manhood test. More . . . more maybe something to remember me by?”

Kiara smiled. “I’ll keep it for you.” The traditional reply to an accepted courtship gift. She looked around. “What is it?”

Theklan laughed. “It’s not here. I hid it in my bedroll. It’s a bridle with a pattern of lions and eagles worked on it.” Unaccountably, he blushed. “That’s what I wanted the berries for . . . that day. To make a dye to bring out the pattern.”

“Pity we lost them all.”

His eyes blazed as he looked into hers. “No. Vatar’s bringing a purple dye from Caere. That’ll be better. It’ll last longer and . . . the other would have been pinkish. That’s not really the right color for you. You’re more . . . vivid than that.”

Kiara sucked in a breath. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, just briefly. A promise for another time. In two or three years. When they were both ready. It would seem like a long time, but maybe it was better this way.

Unfortunately, all is not going to run smoothly for these two. Not for a while at least. But it’s still fun writing this.

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