Monday, February 24, 2014

1 down...

Last night I finished The People That Time Forgot. In true Burroughs fashion, it sort of just ends. All the loose ends are tied up neatly, but the climax is a bit underwhelming. Over all, it's not his best work, but it was a fun little romp (weighing in at a scant 125 pages). Incidentally, when I was putting it back on the shelf, I noticed that I actually already have the first book in the Caspak series, The Land That Time Forgot. I'll have to dig into that one at some future date. It's much longer, and probably more detailed and better written.

The next from my pile is going to be a Mack Bolan book. I have a ton of these from the 70's and 80's, and I'd like to work through as many of them as I can. I had settled on a title, but after reading the reviews at MackBolan.com, I'm thinking of finding a different one. Either way, they're all about 200 pages, so they fit my needs. I'm kind of excited to read some good, old-fashioned paramilitary action. These books provide a good inspiration for the type of writing I'm working on now.

Speaking of which, I haven't really been able to sit down with that project much lately. But, I plan to remedy that soon. Also, I'm probably going to alter my plan for this book. I'm still aiming for 50k words in the month of March. However, I will also aim for another 30-50k in April, with revisions and editing in May. As many pointed out, 50k is pretty short for a novel.

Other than that, school is in full swing. This class seemed like it was going to be difficult, but I am finding that much of the first few weeks are covering stuff I learned in my last class, so there's not a whole lot of reading and research required at this point. For my research paper this time I am focusing on the Teutonic Knights. I was going to compare/contrast the Templars, Hospitaller and Teutonics. But I have decided to narrow my focus. We'll see how that goes.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Simple Tastes

This is the best cover for this book.
As you may recall, a few weeks back I made a commitment to read five short novels in a two-month period. I did this mainly because I seem to have ADD when it comes to reading, and I struggle mightily to read anything more than 250 pages long. So, with that in mind, I made a small pile of books from varying genres, and set to it.

The first in the pile was Nine Princes in Amber, the first in the Amber series by Roger Zelazny. I was looking forward to this one as it is considered a classic, and EVERYONE I talked to assured me that I would just love it. Well…

It’s not that it’s a bad book. And it’s not that I won’t finish it. But, the truth is, it’s not grabbing me. I’m fifty pages in and all I have seen is verbal fencing matches, and a bizarre road-trip, interspersed with a couple of “ok” fights. It is interesting that the main character knows literally nothing about himself at first, and that the reader learns bits and pieces as Corwin learns them himself. But, it’s taking too long. And that is getting frustrating. Basically, when I put the book down out of necessity, I am not compelled to pick it up again by anything other than a sense of duty to finish it.

My copy has this cover.  Frazetta!
Compare this to last night. One of the other books in the pile is The People That Time Forgot, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Having read several of ERB’s books, including a couple from the Pellucidar series, this seemed like familiar territory. After tucking Connor in, I found myself more-or-less alone in the house (Michele and Faith were both at work). So, instead of plopping in front of the computer or Xbox, I grabbed the ERB book, and lay down on the couch. By the time Michele came home an hour later, I was already over fifty pages in, and didn’t want to stop.

So, the question is, why? Why are the melodramatic musings of Burroughs more appealing than the intellectually challenging narrative of Zelazny to me? I think the answer is in progression.

Fifty pages into Amber, and I know the main character’s name, the names of his siblings, most of whom I have already lost track of, and the fact that they are all somehow tied to a mystical realm called Amber (presumably as royalty, based on the title). I know that getting to Amber involves some kind of magic, but I have no clue how that magic works, or why. In short, Corwin is being pulled along through the story, and it’s all he can do to make it look like he knows what he’s doing when he clearly doesn’t.

Fifty pages into ERB and I have a summary of the previous book, a background of the main character, and enough information about the supporting cast to make them feel real without being overwhelmed with details. There’s been action, danger, and fights for survival, and even a budding romance. I have a feel for the world that makes it real in my mind, thus making the obstacles the character is facing more real. But more than any of that is the sense of forward motion. Tom Billings is being proactive, even in the face of his own sense of doom and gloom. He knows his plight is hopeless, but he moves forward, weapon in hand, and determination in his heart.

And this may be the crux of my problem. The hero in Burroughs’ tale is a Hero; a selfless man of action. Zelazny’s hero is a thinker, a ponderer, and a bit of an egotist. In short, he is not what I like in a “hero.”

All of that being said, I’m sure Amber will get better. I’m sure, as things get revealed, the plot will move more briskly, as Corwin will eventually know enough about the situation, and himself, to be proactive. But, before I get there, I want to know how Tom Billings will survive Caspak.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

I have a plan...

I have made a plan in my head about how I am going to produce my first novel. And it's a doable plan, I think. But, we'll see.

Step 1 - Outline and Details
I'm already hip-deep into this one. Character backgrounds, "world" details, and an outline of the entire plot, chapter by chapter; these are all in various stages of completion. The actual plot is about 3/4 done, and I know how it is going to end. I'm at the part where the plot starts to move with urgency, so I have to figure out how to get it to the end in a way that is logical, and has a lot of action and suspense. And I even have a few ideas on that.
Deadline: February 28th.

Step 2 - First Draft
I am aiming for 50,000 words for my first draft. I would imagine that, when I begin editing, I may lose some words, but will most likely gain many more. I'm hoping to have a final word count around 70,000. I'm going to try for the NaNoWriMo standard of getting that 50k in one month.
Deadline: March 31st

Step 3 - Edit and Re-Write
Once I have the first draft complete, I will spend a month doing a full edit and re-write. Since I am chronic self-editor while I write, I would imagine that most of that will be dedicated to fleshing out parts, trimming the fat, and maybe adding subplot(s) that fit.
Deadline: April 30th

Step 3 - Submit to an Agent and pray
This is where I might hit up my more experienced friends for tips and advice (though I welcome any advice during any of these steps). I have a local friend who is a literary agent, so I may see if he is interested in it first. Otherwise, I'll be looking for an agent to shop it around for me.

During this third step, I will also be building a website (probably a Blogger page, though I might go with Worpress) for the book. I'll have inside info, non-story details, maybe some teaser art, and probably some free short fiction, all related to the book, and its (hopeful) sequels.

So, my author friends, does this sound like a solid plan? Or are you shaking your head and whispering "Amateur..."?

Monday, February 3, 2014

Progress

My characters will be trapsing around space in
something similar to this, but more beat up looking.
The outline is coming along nicely. I have short paragraphs for the first 14 chapters. I’m aiming for 25 chapters total, but I’m obviously flexible on that. I just want to be sure to tell a complete story. Today I have gotten some good work time on it, thanks to the situation at my day-job. I can keep the file open, and switch to it in between tasks easily enough. This is actually how I get a lot of my writing done these days.

Today I managed to work my way through a plot hole, and add a few elements that will set the story, and setting, apart. Basically, it was starting to sound like a straight-up sci-fi action story, with very few fantasy elements. But, I managed to figure out how to add in more magic, and make it integral to the plot. I’ll now need to detail out a few new characters, and piece together how certain plot elements work. It’s all starting to shape up nicely.

I also figured out how one of the characters’ personality quirks will fit into the overall plot. Admittedly, it may creep some people out. But I think I can present it in a way that’s both tasteful and powerful, and probably even a bit chuckle-worthy. Which brought me to the idea that I would like to do that with a few of the characters. Not all of them yet, as I am aiming this book to lead into sequels, and I need to save some details for those.

Over on the reading front, I finished the L’Amour book last week, and immediately started in on my next choice. For those who don’t see me on Facebook, I posted a picture last week of five short-ish novels that I plan to read in rapid succession. My goal is to try to read them all by the end of March. I thought about setting my goal for the end of February, but I need to be realistic about my reading speed. The five novels I chose are:

Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
The Land That Time Forgot, Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Executioner #65, Cambodia Clash, “Don Pendleton”
The Black Mountains, Fred Saberhagen
The Maltese Falcon, Dashell Hammett

I figure that’s a good mix, and really reflects my eclectic tastes in reading.

My new semester starts today. I will need to log in and make my initial post this week. I usually try to get that out of the way on Monday, but the website is really bogged down today (most likely from the sheer number of students with the same idea), so it may happen later this week.

In other news, it’s effing cold outside!