Introduction to the Accountability Post 2021 Week 46
Did I finish the first draft of Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Epsilon Eridani? Am I trying to contain my excitement at making the announcement? What progress have I made on setting up my newsletter? Or its lead magnet? I’ll have answers to those questions as soon as I share my progress for the week.
Accountability Post 2021 Week 46 By the Numbers
Missed it by that much!
You might notice “2 plot points written” and think that I finished! I thought that, too! But I forgot about the denouement. Heavy sigh. I’ll need at least two and maybe three scenes/chapters to wrap things up. The resolutions are done, and together they represent the climax. But there are still a couple of loose ends I need to tie up. So, it’ll be another week!
I would have gotten a little more written, but I backed myself in a corner. But in a good way. I’d mentioned a shadowy organization that the composition of my world suggested as a necessity. It explains a lot that some readers would likely have noticed. But for the Conrad’s resolution to work, he had to interact with that organization. And that meant a new character and some new sets. But I think it not only helped this book. I think it sets the stage for the future, too.
Goals for the Week in Accountability Post 2021 Week 46
- Finish the denouement for Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Epsilon Eridani
- Continue working on the short story that’ll act as a lead magnet
- Continue researching e-mail lists
The Denouement
The denouement has to do with Jack Booth and his friend Lucas Knight. There are two other scenes I might write: One for the over-arching three book plot, and another for the CEO of Terran Consolidated Products, who’s the main antagonist in Book 2. I haven’t decided how much I want to show, but right now, I’m inclined to include it. It’s a second book, after all. I think readers will expect a lead in to the third book.
The Lead Magnet
I started constructing the environment for the short story. I picked a working title, All That Sparkles. Its location is Botswana. It takes place about ten years before the present day, from the perspective of Book 1. The main character is Dikeledi Mogapi, who’s a doctor serving on the Indiana in the “present” day. A tertiary character from Book 1 and Book 2, Thato Dlamini, will play a role.
So far, I’ve sketched the area round Dikeledi’s home town, Letlhakane. A major setting will be Sowa Mine, located on the Sua Pan. Today, in our world, it’s a seasonal lake. In the world of the novels, it’s dry all year around. That allowed a significant uptick in mining for sodium carbonate, halite, sodium sulfate, and sodium bicarbonate salts.
I wish I could visit Botswana to scout locations. Since I can’t, I rely instead on Google Maps. It at least gives me a feel for places like the Sowa Mine.
In the world of the novels, one of Earth’s space elevators connects to Nairobi. From there, passengers could ride a mag lev train all the way to Brussels. I had to construct the southern leg that goes to where Cape Town used to be. Rising sea levels consumed most of the old city, so Cape Town absorbed Paarl. That’s where the unimaginatively named African and European Continent Mag Lev Trains line ended.
There’s a reason its name isn’t very fancy, but I’m not sure I’ll explicitly say why in this short story.
There’s a risk with this approach. I want to portray a global environment, but I’ve never been to Botswana. I’m terrified of misrepresenting something — the language, the air temperature, anything, really. But I don’t want to turn away from a goal simply out of fear. I’ll see if I can do the location justice!
E-Mail List
Someone I know (who lives in my house and whose home office is just down the hall from mine) has had her own business for a few years. She focused on growing her own e-mail list, and she’s built her sales funnel. What I find particularly impressive is that her e-mail list membership is north of 15,000 — and that’s with proper pruning! Clearly, she knows what she’s doing.
I asked her for advice, and she referred me to a video by The Creative Penn. The video was an interview with Tammi Labrecque. My own experience trying to setup a now-abandoned application development security training program, plus the experience of going through Nick Stephenson’s class, prepared me to hear with those two had to say. I think.
I’ll only know if I heard it correctly when I try to implement it. But based on what I think I know, I highly recommend that video. But it’s going to be an uphill battle!
What Do You Think?
When’s the last time you wrote a short story? Have you used one for a lead magnet before? I’d love to hear about your experience! Please feel free to talk about it in the comments.