Trying to write novels when you have a full time job, a family, and an anime blog is slower going than I wanted to believe it'd be! But I want this series of books to be enjoyable, and that means I need to craft them with all of the skill at my disposal...
Who am I kidding? I'll need more than all the skill at my disposal!
I want to prove to you that I'm still moving forward, so I offer proof that the beats continue to take shape. Here's a screen capture of my Scrivener project after tonight's work:
In my last post, I had six chapters plotted. Now, I have twelve! That's double! And yes, I'm trying to make it sound more impressive than it is!
You might reasonably point out that back in August, I had plotted six chapters. Now, I have twelve. It's double. But it's twelve.
In my defense, I offer this: Given how I approach novels, each early chapter takes longer because I have to build the infrastructure to support it. For example, I've had to design the TransStell Expeditionary Force (TDF) Indiana, the first of the fissure ships. I've had to come up with a new way to rank officers and enlisted crew in an age where corporations dominate. To be candid, I'm excited about this change. I hope you like it and think it's interesting!
I've also been building the star systems on the other side of the Fissures. Take, for example, 61 Cygni:
I'm amazed at what I can find on Wikimedia Commons! Take these images of 61 Cygni, for example...
That doesn't include the work I've done on the characters and situations around the United Nations, the new character from India who will command the TEF Indiana, the plans the Ghast is laying now that she's off world. That's not to mention an overarching story that I just put into place.
See, I've been reading the Lensman series, starting with Galactic Patrol. E. E. "Doc" Smith, Phd, wrote them in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Culturally, the books show their age. But technologically and philosophically? They're fantastic! Like Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, the Lensman books reminded me that I need a theme or over-arching concept to tie the books together. And I think I've established that with the character of Adam Barnasha.
Which will mean nothing to you until you read the books!
I know it's taking me forever to get this done! I know that even as I plot the fall of Arequipa, Peru, time is screaming by. But this blog is helping me keep focused.
I'm going to finish the beats for this book, and the next, and the next. Then I'm going to write these three books and the prequel. Then I'm going to offer them to you and the rest of the world!
And I really hope you like them! Because without readers like you, what's the point?
