R.B. Thurman's Blog, page 3

What is left – The Silent Invader

Last week, I mentioned that while the next book is a continuation of this one, it stands to reason why the protagonist would appear a few chapters into the book, and then be ‘dealt with,’ by the middle of it.  What is the rest of it about?  This:

“So let me see this straight. The Silent Invader came seeking revenge on us because, after we destroyed them, we went into the past and attacked them?” 

Richard Tyberius

I touched on this before when I introduced Richard in a blog, but I will just mention this again: Be careful who you listen to (in the book. Well, in life in general too, but that’s another matter…).

Let me give you a simple example, using Richard as a marmot.  When Richard introduces himself, he made this statement:

… I can assure you I am in excellent shape, especially since Fitness, Stamina, Dexterity class is required the first two years…

Richard Tyberius

But here, after ‘exerting’ himself briefly, he relates:

Richard, moving onto another couch nearby, looks over to his wife, tries to tame his heavy breathing while shaking his head. “Oh, no! I … I am just a little out of round!” He finally admits, laughing between gasps. “I did not exercise strenuously that often toward the end of the semester, so anything heavier than a plate of food I might have trouble lifting.”

Richard again.

Depending on your perspective, this could simply be an exaggeration of his strength.  But, it could also seem like more.  You’ll have to read more to see which you feel is the case.

The point is that he said one thing, but the facts stated something different.  And while not everything in the book is this overt, the things that don’t make it harder to discern who may know the most about a given situation.

You also have to recognize that not everyone shares what they know, even well into the next book.  Can you be certain that all is well?  Can you be certain you know where the next conflict might be?

This is why identifying the Silent Invader is crucial for Richard, since there are both the present dangers from threats that may appear suddenly, but also the dangers presented by their history give them worries.

Then there is this statement:

“You will soon understand who truly is your ‘Silent Invader.’”

M

The key thing to realize is that while the Silent Invader is present, like some antagonists, they are not always the first to introduce themselves.  This is why it may not seem like the book doesn’t have it in there.  As you read more, and especially after you realize who the Silent Invader is, you’ll see that not only that they’re present, but it will make you wonder what else you might have missed.

That’s actually the point.  Once you see who the Silent Invader is, then you wonder about what else is happening in each of the books.  How much of what is presented actually involved the Silent Invader possibly directly, and how much really didn’t.

You may even be curious who would make the above comment regarding the Silent Invader, or some of the other quotes you’ve seen recently.  Next week we’ll find out more about them.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

What is left.

I could give away the ending, but even that wouldn’t help you know what’s next.

I could also start quoting areas of the book that only my early backers could read before the book was out.  Actually, I may do that.

There are three things that I’ll touch on:

Stuff that just seemed to happen for no reason
How to write a sequel to “The Silent Invader” when the antagonist is gone
Who are these people in the Epilogue?

We won’t get to all of these this week, so let’s cover what we can throughout this month.  By the end of the month hopefully, you’ll see why I wrote what I did.

Why did that happen?

There were a couple of things in the story that happen to Richard with surprising regularity. So surprising that even his best friend found the event out of place.  It is because of what you read here that I bring this up:

She glances over to Richard’s ship. “I notice you don’t have our new Earth Eurasia parking permit.” She quickly yanks out an application.

Richard suddenly gasps in horror, raising his hands defensively before the raised sheet of paper. “Listen, I told the last girl I am a diplomat of the Tyberian Empire. Certainly you have record of this?”

She slides the application to Richard. “I’m afraid the captain’s yacht of the recently decommissioned Viking series of battle cruisers in the Alexandrian naval fleet is not on my registry of official ambassadorial shuttles.” She smiles at Richard with a piercing, overeager look. “If you can just fill this out, and if I could have you relocate your ship to the commons, we can have you on your way!

Richard looks over to Joe. “Is it public knowledge on your world when we decommission ships?” Joe shrugs. Richard turns back to the pleasant girl behind the counter. “I am not sure how you have come to have such information regarding my ship, but I do want to know why you are not aware of who I am.”

She looks at Richard, wondering what he means by this remark. “Sir, I assure you we make every effort to have your stay at each of our interstellar transit centers as pleasant an experience as possible.” She points to Richard’s ship. “However, I can’t allow you to park in an area designated for the Alexandrian royal family. Please understand we want to ensure our center is convenient for all our travelers.”

Joe shakes his head. “Sorry, I didn’t know. Did this happen at the last transit center?”

Richard folds his arms. “In much the same manner.”

Richard is observing a change in demeanor towards him that seems inconsistent with how he thinks the people of earth perceive him.  I will volunteer that his ‘contact’ with people on Earth was limited.  But, this does point to the idea that this seems off to him.

This is made clear by this observation in a conversation with his father:

“…did you notice anything unusual about the behavior of any of the Terran females you came in contact with?”

Richard folds his arms, thinking for a moment. “Well, not really…” he mutters. Then laughing, he says, “Well, except when I would land at the transit centers. They would always give me a difficult time about the Spartacus not being an ambassadorial shuttle.” Richard pauses. “And it did seem strange that they always knew that it was from the decommissioned Thor series.” He looks up at his father. “We do not make public such information, do we?”

By only reading the first novel, these events are meaningless and even superfluous, given they don’t seem to forward the story.

But, you are only reading half of the original book.  So remember, there is more.

There are a few other things that could seem like self-contained anecdotes.  Encounters with a particular party, casual conversations that seem to run off the rails, people who seem to have issues, though what they are is not clear.  I will admit some of these things didn’t resolve well when I split the book in two, because elaborating would’ve created new issues, and removing them would remove plot points referenced later, or even change the story adversely.

There is also a long arc that the story is starting with this first book.  In St. Louis, I made a point of telling people the novel is an introduction to this world, and as such, it doesn’t dive deeply into everything that is there.  Even with the Clouds of Thought, there wasn’t a need to put on display everything this ability can enable Becky to do.  Her explanation is concise and doesn’t really hint at what will be seen if a person understands it well in even the next book.  And it also doesn’t touch on what (if any) limits there are on the Clouds of Thought.

There is also the interactions between various parties in the book.  When I was plotting this all out, I think I was trying hard to have certain characters retain personality traits of the people I had associated them with when I was growing up.  When I took a hiatus from writing and returned (it was way too long, yes), I couldn’t remember the personality traits I wanted to be associated with each character.  Or rather, which ones were most important to associate.  After reading it through, I did observe certain dominant traits, but I also realized that there was definitely more there with many that weren’t being brought entirely to the surface by events.

Even when most of the characters meet with Richard in a group setting (you’ll have to read why this happened), I introduced conflict between certain characters, without there being a reason why they were upset.  I thought I needed an explanation, and I resolved many of these things when I addressed the ending of the book.

I’ve mentioned that before, that I got stuck while writing this book, and set it aside for a while to resolve that.  What I haven’t mentioned previously is where that was in the book.  Taken as a whole, it actually happens after the portion of the original text that is now ‘The Silent Invader.’  As such, it means you’ll have to keep reading to see what I needed to overcome to continue the story.

It’s interesting to think that if I put more of the details in, I could likely have 4 or 5 shorter books, as opposed to the two it became.  And I resisted even splitting this book because I didn’t care to divide the book and create a new transition.  The point where I did separate it was one the book actually allowed for, and it happened that it left the two books pretty even in word count.  Not a critical measure, but I think splitting it and having a 180k/50k split might set up some unrealistic expectations about the books.

Next week, let’s focus on who the “Silent Invader” could be.  After all, I’m implying that it’s in both books, and I’m indicating the antagonist was defeated.  Am I having my cake and eating it too?  Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Me of the Month – November 2018.

I’m attempting something ambitious:  Writing a blog while talking to people.  Let’s see if I can avoid dropping my laptop on my foot.  Its old enough for that to hurt.

[image error]The 2018 St. Louis indie Book Fair

I am actually starting my blog this month in a venue that is new to me: A book fair in St. Louis, Missouri (United States).  It is unusual because I don’t typically have as my ambiance discussions regarding a plethora of novels on a cornucopia of genres.  This proves to be an interesting case study in exposing introversion to forced extroversion.

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It’s everything you’d expect it to be if you understand introversion.

I will admit that I am less introverted than in the past, so I am not as drained conversing with people.  I find that asking the right questions allows you to avoid talking about yourself (or talking for that matter).   Then, the person you speak to can share abundantly, and you can listen and focus on the one person, rather than all the people that now surround you.  In the coming months, rather than write so much about myself (I’m boring), I will be writing a brief blog about a few of the writers here.  I want to feature all of them, but that would take me years to compile.

[image error]Mark Pannebecker, host

Instead, I will try to feature an author profile each month, probably a different day, maybe once or twice a month.  It’s hard to focus on what to do when people are tripping over themselves to get your book (Seriously? No, not seriously… But it is hard to focus).

While I would like to write about something other than me, I do have a few things to share this month (no really.  I do actually want to share this time), that I finally got to say in person:

I’m not 14 anymore

I know, many people may have wondered if I was still 14, but no, I am not.  I’m glad I could clear this up with everyone.

 

This novel is actually only Part I

This would’ve been a fun thing to point out to my editor if they weren’t already working on the second book.  I should point out that I’ve already tweeted quotes from it, since some may wonder what comes next.  You can follow me on twitter (@RB_Thurman) if you want to see more, but some of those tweets will need context, just FYI.

The first book is only half

I was tempted to have my first novel be the entire manuscript but like Tolkien (actually, I think his publisher made the call on this), I considered splitting it up might be better.  It would be unrealistic to present to my readers the idea that I write 200k words books on an annual basis.  Yeah… No.

But I also think that most people may not readily consider a new novel of that size from just anyone.  Even more popular recent series are in the range of 80-120k, and some are typically favoring shorter just to get the story out sooner.  I will also add that it is inherently cheaper to edit a short novel than a long one, for obvious reasons.  That didn’t help me, since I wanted them edited together, for the sake of continuity.

I’m sure that point makes some wonder ‘where is the other book?’  That’s a valid question.  The problem is editing.  I mentioned in a past blog I didn’t always finish what I start.  What I mean is that I didn’t always get all of the words into the book that were supposed to be there.  My editors were awesome. However, they would point out that some things were missed.  I think they would ask ‘What?’ or ‘WHAT???’ and I would realize I left something out.

But it is also a troubling sign when you have 7 iterations of your novel, and you send your editor the wrong one.  That’s not their fault; it’s just an expensive mistake.  And it also requires a second edit.  In case you’re wondering, here is a recent picture of my money tree:

[image error]You’re probably wondering why I would grow a money tree in a desert. You’re probably right to do so.

Not dead, but not doing so hot right now.  Maybe too soon for the word ‘hot.’

Since this is about me, I’m sharing this because since I’m working on the second book, I’m changing the ‘Me’ in the ‘Me of the Month.’  Instead of a teen who was obsessed with visual arts and graphic design and happened to write a book, it will be an adult trying to figure out which way is up.  I can’t say I could provide that guy much insight on the matter (I’m really not that far removed from that timeframe). I’ll be adjusting my viewpoint as a result.

For example, being an adult and reading a kids’ in-depth perceptions of the world… is enlightening.  In the sense that when I read this book after it was lost for so long, I realized I had changed.  I wasn’t him anymore.

That was actually more jarring than being old.  Had I really changed that much?  I didn’t think anything had changed in my perspectives until that point.  Well, not dramatically, anyway.

But that’s the point.  The changes weren’t dramatic (well, most of them weren’t.  A couple was.  We’ll get to that later) but they came over a lengthy period of time. So long that I didn’t realize all the adjustments that got me to this ‘adult’ guy.

Enough about ‘me.’ Let’s look at ME instead.  The guy promoting his book in human form:

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In the coming months, I’ll also be posting a short blog about most of the authors I was able to meet (I couldn’t meet all of them because there were just so many.  I did try, though).  Look for them in the coming months.

Arrgh, enough about any of me!

I guess it’s worth considering what remains. Especially after sharing so much at this event.  Next week, we’ll focus on there.

 

Thanks for coming to visit in St. Louis!  If you haven’t already, please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

What I’m working on (Part FOooooooouuuuur…)

Before I get started, I would like to invite you to something:

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Don’t say I didn’t invite you!  Well, you can say it, if you must.

Feel free to come by and have a word with me.  I’ll be sitting at the table with pictures from my blogs.  If you like, I make available my book (in print) at a ‘you had to see him to believe it’ price.  I will also make available the ebook, thru the various retailers (Kobo, B&N, iBooks, Google, Kindle, Etc.) also.

While that is still technically the future, that wasn’t the future I was referring to in my previous blog.  I’m talking a little more forward than that.  Basically, I’m referring to what I will be writing about in this blog in the future.  There are three things specifically I’ll be touching on:

What is left
What comes next
The Maelstrom

Among other things.  Next month I’ll focus on the first one.  This is to help everyone see what is going on in the novel (who haven’t read it) while bringing out a few points that could be overlooked (for those who have).  There’s a reason for this; you’ll have to visit me at my booth in St. Louis to know that reason.

What comes next will follow in December. Precisely as it implies, I’m outlining where this story is going.  If you would like to know all of that sooner well, I’ll be in St. Louis to answer all your questions in person.

That will close out the year, so there is a lot to looks forward to!

Oh yeah, I did mention another point, didn’t I?  I’ll get to that next year.  Or, Just ask me in St. Louis.  Your choice.

See you there.

 

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Next month (November 2018) I will be making an appearance in physical form.  It will be on the North American continent, in the United States, in the state of Missouri.  I am attending the 2018 St. Louis Indie Book Fair, along with many other authors, and I invite you to join us there.  In the coming weeks, I’ll be providing more info through my blog, but you can learn more about it here.

As always, your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

What I’m working on (Part…Three? Really!?!!).

Hello! I’m a writer of books.

I try to think I will make a career of writing.

I’m kidding!

I try to think I’ll finish all the books in this series.  That’s unfortunately true.  I’ve mentioned that my vocation is plumbing work, and while most people would picture me doing something like this:

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Most of my experience has been in places like this:

[image error]In refineries – This is not ‘plumbing’ work, per se.  It’s pipefitting typically.  Unless you’re a welder of pipe.  Then, it’s not.

 

[image error]Hospitals – I have only worked in a few, but two were brand new buildings (not adding on; new free-standing hospitals) and one, well, was built for the original United States VA program, after ‘The Great War.’

 

[image error]Semiconductor facilities – there is a lot of piping in these, to get to the finished product. More planning, just because you don’t want to layout your tubing, and then realize you have 6 lines crossing in the same physical space (tried to find a better picture, but I guess the insides are secret. Though, it’s basically an empty space with a wall of piping, valves every few inches or feet off 20-30 different liquids and gases. A plumbing dream and/or nightmare).

 

[image error]Other significant structures – Mostly malls and commercial remodels, some more interesting than that though.

 

I think you get the idea.  While I would like to build a house someday (and do my own plumbing), the reality is that commercial and industrial plumbing is a different reality from residential plumbing.  There are things I’ve seen in residential plumbing that I would never do (even on my house), and things that I didn’t realize could be done in residential plumbing (because it didn’t come up for me).

For the present time, I’ll support myself with that.  But, should my book do more awesome, I’ll at least consider early retirement.

Which brings me to my current project.  Since I have a day job, there aren’t copious amounts of time available to simply indulge this project like I hoped. But, it is moving forward.  The challenge at present is deciding how to present this.

I thought about it and thought about it, and felt it would be better to do so in person.  That way I can personally address questions, talk to readers and get a general feel of what they think is next.  What they think will happen.  Or even, if they think anything will.

I invite you to join me in St. Louis, Missouri.  It is a state in the Central United States, bordered on the east by the Mississippi, the longest river in the U.S. and the Missouri River (partially) on the west.  St. Louis is along the Mississippi.

I will be attending the 2018 Indie Book Fair, along with a number of other authors, and will share more about my project there.  Find a link to the event below to learn more.

And while this project at present is seemingly all-consuming, there is still more ahead.  Next week, let’s focus on that.

 

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Next month (November 2018) I will be making an appearance in physical form.  It will be on the North American continent, in the United States, in the state of Missouri.  I am attending the 2018 St. Louis Indie Book Fair, along with a number of other authors, and I invite you to join us there.  In the coming weeks, I’ll be providing more info through my blog, but you can learn more about it here.

As always, your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

What I’m working on… (Part two-ish)

I’m working on a book.

Yes, I did publish a book, but I decided not to stop there.  However, I wasn’t sure I would ever get to this point.  I had mentioned time and money being problems, but really, there was a moment when there was no desire to do so.

I know that is not necessarily a thing most writers want to share about writing.  The idea that you don’t want to actually write.  Even now, I’m writing this blog, and thinking, man, I could be sitting here staring at the ceiling in a daze, instead of writing this blog!

However, I don’t feel that way because I have nothing to share.  It’s because Introversion derives joy from solitude.  So, I write this blog for me, and I just happen to hit publish at the end and accidentally share it with everyone else in the Sol system.

Sorry for the overshare.

 

 

But this blog is not about me. This blog is about my efforts to finish my book.  The biggest obstacle to finishing my book… was finishing.  I realize I mentioned seeking an agent, losing the book, or even the trappings of self-publication as obstacles.  But the real barrier was the finality of completion.

Once it was done, I had to decide if this was just for me, or if I would share.  The unusual thing was sharing wasn’t going to be hard, lots of ‘people’ had already read it, and many ‘spoke’ to me, in ‘conversation,’ and gave their ‘approval.’ Maybe that last one didn’t need air quotes. I’m getting carried away with that.

And this would actually be the hardest part.  Deciding to do a final edit for publication, deciding on the cover, and really deciding how far this would go. I’m fortunate to have time to ruminate some of these details before the first book was released. But unlike some, I’m also the sort of person who could dwell on all of this another 20 years and come to a completely different conclusion, and be satisfied with that.

A friend I had spoken to years back–they were also writing a book–shared a unique (to me) viewpoint.  This friend had written a modest-length book, full of action and adventure, but very fast-paced.  They shared it with their family, but it didn’t go any further.  I haven’t even read their book, though this friend had read and helped me with mine.  They didn’t need to have everyone on earth approve of their novel.  They didn’t even require the approval of people outside their family, and they were satisfied with just having that.  It could seem like a lot of work to write a book that very few (if any) read, but what I learned from this is that writing isn’t always about saying something to everyone else.  It doesn’t need to be.

Sometimes you just need to say it to yourself.  When you write a story, you are formulating how to convey a concept that could start out in such abstraction, you don’t know how to begin.  And as you write, you are reading what you’ve written to see if this is sufficiently plausible to be comprehended.  Obviously, if you don’t understand what you’re trying to say, how will anyone else?

It also helps you see the order in events.  You may want a character to jump out of an airplane over the Indian ocean, but you have to consider: Why is he there?  How did he get there? What prompted him to jump into the ocean there? What is his motivation for doing all of this?  It may be important to share all of this; it could be more interesting to share little or nothing regarding this.  It could be that when you share is as important (if not more) than what you share.

I realized after talking to this friend, I shouldn’t finish the book ‘because I had to.’  I should finish because I wanted to.  And beyond that, it should still be up to me to decide if (and when) I would share.  That decision was a recent one, and I’m glad I did.

Next week, we’ll touch on what I’m planning next.

 

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Next month (November 2018) I will be making an appearance in physical form.  It will be on the North American continent, in the United States, in the state of Missouri.  I am attending the 2018 St. Louis Indie Book Fair, along with a number of other authors, and I invite you to join us there.  In the coming weeks, I’ll be providing more info through my blog, but you can learn more about it here.

As always, your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

What I’m working on (Part…One?)

I have a secret I want to let you in on:  I wrote a book.

Not much of a secret now, but not many knew.  Even among close friends and associates. But that has more to do with when it was written.

For one final time, we will step into the deep past, to explain why this is.  And, by deep, I mean deep.

The year was (on or about) 1991.  I had an assignment to write a short story: 500 words, any genre (sci-fi, fantasy, modern life, steampunk. Maybe not steampunk yet…).  I had a few days, so I bounced a few ideas off my head (I was introverted.  Actually, I am introverted, I’ve just accepted that there are others, known as ‘people,’ and they aren’t going away), and came up with a story.

With any story, you likely need nouns to wrap your verbs and adjectives around, so chose people I knew for my nouns.  The story was simple and basic (to me; I don’t think that it actually was, but I thought it was, anyway), and it was interesting to me.  I got a really good grade on it, and I shared it with others (I know, I was surprised too.  Why would I be talking to ‘people?’  I must’ve been going insane in my joy) and they thought it was a neat story (Yeah, clearly I was going crazy.  Not just talking at ‘people,’ but having ‘conversations.’ I was probably lucid with joy).  I decided to listen to the others and continue the story (Not sure where I was getting this energy from.  It drains me to think I was talking to so many people, but it was probably spread over a longer period of time than I remember).

But, it was only a short story.  By the time I finished that grade of school, it was maybe 35 pages in a composition notebook, and many things implied by my knowledge of the characters (i.e., my friends).  The people reading the story were basically reading about how I saw them in this situation, so there was almost nothing for details (even they were likely filling in a lot of blanks in the story.  But, this also helped me get ideas to continue it since they would say “I would do this…,” or “I wouldn’t do that!”).  I started a good outline for a book.  The actual book wouldn’t come until much later.

I realize now that for most writers, this is one thing that helps you flesh out a story: Bouncing ideas off of ‘people.’  I realize now that ‘people’ do more than convert the available oxygen to carbon dioxide or consume available resources for food and shelter. They can also provide ideas and insights, and help one be a better writer.

As good as my outline was with their help, I obviously needed more to get to a book.  But, this was my start.  Next week, we’ll touch on how I got to the actual book, without really going into the other details covered previously.

Before I depart for the week, I will mention that while I can seem stand-offish when I write my blog, I’m much worse in person.  To prove my point, I’ve chosen to venture out in the world and speak to ‘people.’  I’ve chosen to make an appearance November 3rd, 2018 at the St. Louis Indie Book Fair, in Missouri, United States, North American Continent.  It’s on the third planet orbiting the star the locals refer to as Sol, in the so-named system.  Not sure where you might be seeing this blog, so I figure I would give the ballpark location of the venue. Should your circumstances permit, I invite you to visit me in person here and see why I don’t come out in public (Don’t ask about the scar. Just… don’t).  Should they not, I’ll be publishing another blog next week about writing.

 

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Next month (November 2018) I will be making an appearance in physical form.  It will be on the North American continent, in the United States, in the state of Missouri.  I am attending the 2018 St. Louis Indie Book Fair, along with a number of other authors, and I invite you to join us there.  In the coming weeks, I’ll be providing more info through my blog, but you can learn more about it here.

As always, your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Me of the Month – October 2018

I’m not done, but I am ready.

The past couple of months, I’ve been working on a project, one that has (unfortunately) taken years to get this far.  But, I’m close.  Really close to being done.

But that’s not what this blog is about.  This blog is about me.

This month, I would focus on why I’ve been blogging about a time period some of my readers may have never seen.   As you will see here, here, here, and here, I’ve barely entered this century to talk about myself.  While that could seem strange, it’s more because of what I shared here regarding the book:  that it was written a while back.

And while I’ve published the book, it’s not actually ‘finished.’  Most of what I’ve shared was with regards what it took to get that much of the book completed since that’s what is available for you to read.  The rest is still with me.

Shortly after overcoming writer’s block (featured here), I restarted the novel and finished the rough draft.  My goal was a ‘novel,’ so I wanted the story to be of sufficient breadth and depth to involve the characters I had created.  I wanted each of them to have a stage on which to perform.  And while the timeframe was very brief for the entire novel (less than 2 months, fact), a lot happened in that two months.

For me though, this was several years of contemplation and plot hole resolving.  I realized that although the main characters had their storylines, I also recognized some of the other characters might need something, too.  Most of those storylines I worked up would never see the light of day because they were just too mundane.  And I already had a lot planned for the few main characters as it was, beyond the ‘completed’ book.

The problem, though, is I had finally finished the book, but a lot had changed by the point in time.  I wasn’t the same person I was when I started the book.  I didn’t feel the same way as the kid who started writing it, regarding many of the things covered in the book.  And life experiences had even changed where I thought the focus should be.  I could notice even in the final portion of the novel how this affected Richards’ view of the whole situation with The Silent Invader.  The story didn’t change though; I did.

This led to an epiphany: Do I go back and rewrite the entire novel?  Do I start over? (actually, I tried that already–that didn’t work). Do I just… go with it?

I decided that I would focus on ensuring the story was preserved, rather than reinterpreting my vision.  I think this was the better option since it allows Richard to reflect the maturity the situation would force him to attain.  I actually had to get old in order to appreciate what Richard would learn in a matter of weeks.  That kid (me) started this adventure I’m on now.  I can now applaud his imagination and drive, along with the support of my family and friends along the way to get to this far.

But I’ve grown up, and so somebody else finished that adventure for him.  From now on, we’re going to focus on that guy (but, bizarrely, still not Me.  I’ll explain at a later date, I’m sure), since he would take over the heavy lifting on the project started in the 20th century.

Next week, let me share what I’ve been working on.

 

Thanks again for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads (I do a few book giveaways there, so you may want to check it out for that).  Your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

My Favs – Lost and found.

(This is a repost of my December 5, 2017 blog. This is one of the few things from this timeframe that has not changed at all.  I still lose stuff, so writing about it made me hyper-aware of how this affects everything I do.  Now, I need to go find this blog I’m typing for next week…)

I am prone to losing things. Keys, money, important documents, myself–anything that can be lost, I could find a way to lose.

As a result of my “need for a job,” I sought to liquidate some assets to soften the financial blow of “needing a job.” Things that held value: furniture, computers, and other electronics.  I didn’t possess multiple computers obviously, so I would need to do something with my book.

By this point, I started typing my book on my computer, and so losing my computer would be … traumatic. This trauma was mitigated by the hope that someday I will own a computer again, and would continue the story. It didn’t hurt that my writers’ block had yet to abate, so the sale of the computer was allowed to continue.

As a precaution, I made several backups: a double density and high-density floppy disk, a Zip disk, and a rewritable CD, each with the book in multiple formats. My book was safe and future-proofed. (This is amusing now, considering NONE of these are used today by me. Though if I had to, I could look at a CD).  This pause did help, but not like I thought.

‘Having a job’ proved rewarding, enough so that I sought a place of my own. After a move, I purchased another computer and was ready to start again.  However, there was a problem:  I lost my book.  All of them.  They were stored separately, to avoid them being damaged together (when you can’t find any of them, does it really matter?), so after a thorough search, I gave up.  It would be a few months before I could stomach a decision.  On what to do now.

I finally decided to start again.  It shouldn’t take much, I thought. I knew the story, and it’ll be better.  Yeah, this is an opportunity: a chance to fix everything I messed up in the previous draft.

So, I wrote three chapters… and gave up. Not that I didn’t try to get further. Rather, the beginning was to my liking at the time. The parts I wanted to adjust though were much further in, so it presented a challenge to rewrite a section I already liked.  I also felt there were details I was missing, including why I remember a particular action being taken, with nothing in the story at that point explaining the actions. After starting and stopping a few times, I was forced to shut my rewrite down out of frustration.

Moving is a chore

When I moved again a short time later, I wasn’t looking forward to it.  To make it a little easier to deal with, I decided to take the opportunity to clear the clutter and see what was actually needed.  I had a lot of junk.  A. LOT.

But, it would prove to be a rewarding effort.  In one of the last boxes I had to dump (it was a box I realized I hadn’t seen since I moved to this place–not sure how…), I found a pile of drawings I was looking for, and underneath…, wait. Seriously?

There they were. Together. Two floppy disks, a Zip disk, and a rewritable CD! (Who did this?  Why are they together?  They were supposed to be… Never mind).  I immediately copied the contents of each to my computer, as this was exactly what I thought it to be.

Finally, I had my book!  I could finally finish it!

Wait, what was the story again? What was giving me writers’ block?

By this point, so much time had passed, I had forgotten the story I was writing (we’re in a different century).  So, I read it again, to refresh. I found myself reading my book like everyone else will.  It was surprising how little of it I remembered writing, or what motivated me to convey a thought with these particular words.

Or, more surprising, how little detail there was.  I would read a section, and I would realize that half the story was missing.  I understood where I was going; as I read it, I could recall more and more plot points.  But, I was realizing most of them were still in my head as I was writing (see my previous post about writing SLOW…). This meant that I was paraphrasing to compensate: get enough of the story on the page to continue writing what I could. It also meant I needed to fill in some blanks I didn’t realize I left.

But, I also noticed something interesting.  As I finished reading this draft, I realized I didn’t remember the story the way I wrote it.  In fact, I looked at the three chapters I had started separately, and realized I had fixed my writing obstruction with those three chapters.  I suddenly knew where the story needed to go.

I finally could finish!

…

…

But wait, what do I do after that?

 

Blogs in this series:

The Challenge of the Written Form

Original blog – Lost and Found

Near Completion

Publication, of one’s self

My Favs – The Silent Invader (Part Two)

(This is a repost of my May 15, 2018 blog. Like last week, I’m still trying to elaborate on what I know about The Silent Invader.  What made it the most difficult is remembering what is in this book, what is only in my notes, and what is in the books to follow.  I hate to think I would give away the ending to the third or fourth book in the series, and I haven’t even written them yet! )

How do you confront something, when you’re not sure who (or what) it is?

Very Carefully. Or not very carefully.

The confrontation with The Silent Invader is something that is not at the forefront of the story.  In fact, it may not at times seem to be the story.  But, that’s what happens when you focus too close to things.

When I wrote the book, and as I’ve mentioned with characters like Becky and others, everyone has a story.  Why they’ve crossed paths with the others, and why these have gathered for this adventure.

This includes The Silent Invader.  They (I’m going to at times use an indefinite article, like ‘they,’ ‘it,’ or maybe ‘he/she,’ for The Silent Invader. It’ll be Italicized, with a capital letter for clarity.  But it’s not meant to define The Silent Invader as singular, or not define it as a group) have a story, one that I didn’t have time to touch on in this book, but will get into more in the next.  That doesn’t mean you won’t learn anything about Them in this one.

I mentioned in a past blog that I also wasn’t planning a series when I wrote this book.  That was very much true.  I was intending to write a single volume.  But, I realized that completing the story I had in mind in a single book was going to take north of 400k words. Based on the word count of this book, that would be a roughly 1100 page book.  A decision needed to be made:

-Write a single compendium, in all its exhaustive glory, and drop that on the reading public. Or …

-Complete the ‘series’ in several parts, each with a clear objective of its own.

The problem was It was a portion of what would be covered in each book, though It would not always draw the immediate attention of the other characters with its actions.

And while this book covers less than 3 weeks, the ‘entire’ story would actually span years, touching certain epochs in time.

For my own sanity (sorry), I decided to apportion the original novel. As a result, there is closure, but not finality.  This is not to diminish the threat faced in the novel. Rather it recognizes the danger in each epoch for the characters, along with how each epoch changes the views and conduct of the characters. Considering what they face in this book, it makes you wonder how they will react to any other ‘threat’ that may arise.  Will they run at it, ready to face it down?  Will they stand to the side, and watch others instead?  Will they choose to depart, possibly even running from the danger?  And just think It is still in each of these books!

It becomes important, then to start at the beginning.  The Silent Invader can seem like merely a momentary threat in this series, but realize that this book will neither be an exhaustive history of It. And despite its importance to the story It will also choose not to make itself known openly for yours (or anyone else’s) benefit.

That alone should tell you a lot about The Silent Invader.

 

Original Blog – The Silent Invader. (Part Two)