Cameron Darrow's Blog, page 17
October 22, 2019
What Am I Doing?
Looking back over the last few months of posts here, you would be forgiven for thinking that the From the Ashes of Victory series is a romance or becoming one, and I think I need to pull back on that a bit.
It's not. It has strong romantic elements, with Millie and Elise's relationship being a central part, but these books are historical fantasy, above all else. They are about how those who never saw combat were nonetheless affected and transformed by a catastrophic war, with the added wrinkle that they exist in a world where magic is real. Primarily, the series is about consequences, good and bad.
All the posts I've been making are me sorting out how much I've taken to and enjoy writing the romantic elements, and how it's made me eager to spin off into writing books that are primarily romances (which have their own rules and expectations). I will get to those, believe me, but Ashes takes priority, and I just wanted to take today to restate the case for why I'm writing these books in the event it may have gotten a bit muddled by all my gushing about kissy bits and whatnot. (I still like them, don't worry. There are a lot more coming!)
Anyway.
People who don't like fantasy often cite magic as the reason why. 'It can do anything, so what's the point/where are the stakes?'
Being a fantasy writer, I of course love magic. It's the extra element that can make a story even more special, a layer of non-reality that can make it transformative and not something you see every day. (I see every day every day, and personally, I could do with a little more unreality. Escapism? Maybe. But magic is cool.)
I've tried to make the magic in the Ashes books feel real without being too powerful. It has a cost, and it can't do everything. In some cases, it can't do much of anything at all. As Ivy points out in Hall of Mirrors, its primary use is as a catalyst, making ordinary things extraordinary. It also requires training and willpower, and isn't something you can just do willy-nilly. For Manifested witches, it's a bit different, as they can do a variety of things, but it also comes at a higher cost; the more power, the more taxing it is. Witchlights, as spectacular as they are to non-witches, are relatively benign, and more a symbol of how much control and focus a witch has attained.
One of the things that has always appealed to me, and why I write fantasy, is because those rules and restrictions are mine. They are an element I have complete control over, and can use as I want to, fold into larger stories and add different angles that wouldn't otherwise exist. Could the Ashes books work without witchcraft? Maybe, but they would be very different. That power I introduced belongs to the characters, and forces them to make choices that they wouldn't otherwise be able to, or need to.
What do you do if you're Victoria Ravenwood? The real-world struggle for equality and recognition, the real-world tragedy that so many have faced (and will always face) in times of war, being ahead of your time in many ways, and fighting hard to force everyone else to catch up. Compelling all by itself, but add to her the ability warp the laws of physics. She has to understand them first, but then she can manipulate them as she wishes. What does that do to her? To someone who has seen what she has, been through what she has, and then you give her that kind of power? Without it, her story is still worth telling, because it's the same (undertold) story so many actually lived at that time, but the power/opportunities granted by fantasy change it and enhance it, giving even more avenues to explore her character.
And that is the heart of this series. Not magic, not romance, not action; but the realities of these extraordinary women in this extraordinary time. The fantasy parts make them extra-extraordinary, but the stories begin and end with character. Sometimes things go well, and sometimes bad. Very bad.
Many stories end where this one starts. The end of the First World War is the climax; November 11, 1918, the last day of not only the war, but the story. Not so, here. I wanted to explore what happens when the guns fall silent, when the battlefield is just a field again; about the survivors, only now with the power and resolve to do something about it that is impossible in the real world.
In the process of writing this series, I have come to appreciate romance (something Hollywood tainted for me by shoehorning it in where it didn't need to be and being poorly written in so many cases), and the power that love can have in the proper context and with characters you care about, but I think I've given the fantasy and historical elements of what I do short shrift as of late. These books, like life, are about a lot of things, all working with and against each other to tell a story. A story about life, loss, tragedy, hope, self-determination, the lingering effects of trauma, finding and accepting help from others, trust, taking what you've been denied, rebuilding, and yes, love. In many forms.
Remember, November was my first novel, and From the Ashes of Victory is my first series. It's ambitious, maybe too much so sometimes, and I'm learning as I go about writing it. I've learned from what I've done well, and more from what I haven't, and there are things I will yet learn as more people discover and read my work. Things I didn't know I didn't know, and things I dislike that resonate with someone else and becomes their favorite part!
This post kind of got away from me a bit, but I've been thinking about these things for a while in the background while the new shiny got all the digital ink. But, in short, I enjoy all aspects of my work, but felt the need to clarify what exactly that work is at the moment. I've suffered quite a crisis of confidence lately, and I think I needed to organize some of my thoughts to help me work through it.
Regardless of what I've penned here, I sincerely hope you enjoy my books, and continue on with me and this series as well as on to all the stories as yet untold that are currently holed up in my brain.
If you've read this far, thank you so much, and know that I am grateful. Your patience as I work my way through this journey is appreciated.
Forward and back, the work goes forever on.
It's not. It has strong romantic elements, with Millie and Elise's relationship being a central part, but these books are historical fantasy, above all else. They are about how those who never saw combat were nonetheless affected and transformed by a catastrophic war, with the added wrinkle that they exist in a world where magic is real. Primarily, the series is about consequences, good and bad.
All the posts I've been making are me sorting out how much I've taken to and enjoy writing the romantic elements, and how it's made me eager to spin off into writing books that are primarily romances (which have their own rules and expectations). I will get to those, believe me, but Ashes takes priority, and I just wanted to take today to restate the case for why I'm writing these books in the event it may have gotten a bit muddled by all my gushing about kissy bits and whatnot. (I still like them, don't worry. There are a lot more coming!)
Anyway.
People who don't like fantasy often cite magic as the reason why. 'It can do anything, so what's the point/where are the stakes?'
Being a fantasy writer, I of course love magic. It's the extra element that can make a story even more special, a layer of non-reality that can make it transformative and not something you see every day. (I see every day every day, and personally, I could do with a little more unreality. Escapism? Maybe. But magic is cool.)
I've tried to make the magic in the Ashes books feel real without being too powerful. It has a cost, and it can't do everything. In some cases, it can't do much of anything at all. As Ivy points out in Hall of Mirrors, its primary use is as a catalyst, making ordinary things extraordinary. It also requires training and willpower, and isn't something you can just do willy-nilly. For Manifested witches, it's a bit different, as they can do a variety of things, but it also comes at a higher cost; the more power, the more taxing it is. Witchlights, as spectacular as they are to non-witches, are relatively benign, and more a symbol of how much control and focus a witch has attained.
One of the things that has always appealed to me, and why I write fantasy, is because those rules and restrictions are mine. They are an element I have complete control over, and can use as I want to, fold into larger stories and add different angles that wouldn't otherwise exist. Could the Ashes books work without witchcraft? Maybe, but they would be very different. That power I introduced belongs to the characters, and forces them to make choices that they wouldn't otherwise be able to, or need to.
What do you do if you're Victoria Ravenwood? The real-world struggle for equality and recognition, the real-world tragedy that so many have faced (and will always face) in times of war, being ahead of your time in many ways, and fighting hard to force everyone else to catch up. Compelling all by itself, but add to her the ability warp the laws of physics. She has to understand them first, but then she can manipulate them as she wishes. What does that do to her? To someone who has seen what she has, been through what she has, and then you give her that kind of power? Without it, her story is still worth telling, because it's the same (undertold) story so many actually lived at that time, but the power/opportunities granted by fantasy change it and enhance it, giving even more avenues to explore her character.
And that is the heart of this series. Not magic, not romance, not action; but the realities of these extraordinary women in this extraordinary time. The fantasy parts make them extra-extraordinary, but the stories begin and end with character. Sometimes things go well, and sometimes bad. Very bad.
Many stories end where this one starts. The end of the First World War is the climax; November 11, 1918, the last day of not only the war, but the story. Not so, here. I wanted to explore what happens when the guns fall silent, when the battlefield is just a field again; about the survivors, only now with the power and resolve to do something about it that is impossible in the real world.
In the process of writing this series, I have come to appreciate romance (something Hollywood tainted for me by shoehorning it in where it didn't need to be and being poorly written in so many cases), and the power that love can have in the proper context and with characters you care about, but I think I've given the fantasy and historical elements of what I do short shrift as of late. These books, like life, are about a lot of things, all working with and against each other to tell a story. A story about life, loss, tragedy, hope, self-determination, the lingering effects of trauma, finding and accepting help from others, trust, taking what you've been denied, rebuilding, and yes, love. In many forms.
Remember, November was my first novel, and From the Ashes of Victory is my first series. It's ambitious, maybe too much so sometimes, and I'm learning as I go about writing it. I've learned from what I've done well, and more from what I haven't, and there are things I will yet learn as more people discover and read my work. Things I didn't know I didn't know, and things I dislike that resonate with someone else and becomes their favorite part!
This post kind of got away from me a bit, but I've been thinking about these things for a while in the background while the new shiny got all the digital ink. But, in short, I enjoy all aspects of my work, but felt the need to clarify what exactly that work is at the moment. I've suffered quite a crisis of confidence lately, and I think I needed to organize some of my thoughts to help me work through it.
Regardless of what I've penned here, I sincerely hope you enjoy my books, and continue on with me and this series as well as on to all the stories as yet untold that are currently holed up in my brain.
If you've read this far, thank you so much, and know that I am grateful. Your patience as I work my way through this journey is appreciated.
Forward and back, the work goes forever on.
October 17, 2019
Romancing Romance
I think I might secretly be a romance writer. Not, as in, to you, since I just said it, but to me. The more I write (not just the Ashes books, but the other books that aren't announceable yet), the more I find myself responding to the romantic parts, and looking forward to getting back to them. And not just the kissy bits. Millie and Elise, [SPOILER[ and [SPOILER], {PENDING} and {PENDING], I love them all dearly, and find myself gravitating to them when other parts aren't going so well.
What's the key to conveying proper romance? Emotion. You can't just describe it, you have to show and not tell, or it doesn't work, and that really resonates with me. Feeling along with the characters. I'm not a plot-y writer, I'm a character writer, and romance is about the characters, and feeling what they feel. Vicariously or otherwise. I really like writing it, and I feel it's making me better. Describing action is a pain, and kind of boring sometimes, whereas gushing about how someone feels, all the little tics and physical responses, the internal stuff, is much more satisfying to me. I hope for you, as well. And though I am a big proponent of taking on the body language of your characters to help put yourself in their heads, it's just as well that I am by myself when I write.
As for making it, sometimes it's a piece of music, or something atmospheric, but I almost always have YouTube open in the background while I'm working. The sound of rain or the sea behind some bit of instrumental music (in the dark) helps considerably in getting my head where it needs to be when it otherwise refuses to go there. For example, Remember, November was written largely to the soundtracks of the two American McGee's Alice games, while Hall of Mirrors almost entirely to western movie soundtracks. No I don't know why, but Ennio Morricone FTW.
I've mentioned before that writing long-form works over a long period of time is transformative (actively or passively), and this is just another aspect of that. I'm discovering new parts of myself, honing what works as best I can, and embracing things that I may not have before. Growth is good!
As much as I require a constant drip-feed of inspiration to keep me going, I hope little insights like this can provide it to someone else. The cycle of creativity goes on.
What's the key to conveying proper romance? Emotion. You can't just describe it, you have to show and not tell, or it doesn't work, and that really resonates with me. Feeling along with the characters. I'm not a plot-y writer, I'm a character writer, and romance is about the characters, and feeling what they feel. Vicariously or otherwise. I really like writing it, and I feel it's making me better. Describing action is a pain, and kind of boring sometimes, whereas gushing about how someone feels, all the little tics and physical responses, the internal stuff, is much more satisfying to me. I hope for you, as well. And though I am a big proponent of taking on the body language of your characters to help put yourself in their heads, it's just as well that I am by myself when I write.
As for making it, sometimes it's a piece of music, or something atmospheric, but I almost always have YouTube open in the background while I'm working. The sound of rain or the sea behind some bit of instrumental music (in the dark) helps considerably in getting my head where it needs to be when it otherwise refuses to go there. For example, Remember, November was written largely to the soundtracks of the two American McGee's Alice games, while Hall of Mirrors almost entirely to western movie soundtracks. No I don't know why, but Ennio Morricone FTW.
I've mentioned before that writing long-form works over a long period of time is transformative (actively or passively), and this is just another aspect of that. I'm discovering new parts of myself, honing what works as best I can, and embracing things that I may not have before. Growth is good!
As much as I require a constant drip-feed of inspiration to keep me going, I hope little insights like this can provide it to someone else. The cycle of creativity goes on.
October 10, 2019
There Was an Idea...
... and I'm still trying to work it into the story. A lot of them.
Book IV is unlike any other that I've written so far in many ways. One, it's taking longer (sorry), and two, I have a lot more ideas theme-wise that I want to layer into it. There are more, but they're a bit spoilery for a book that doesn't even have a name yet, so I'll talk about those later.
Given the circumstances of the story, and where the characters are in their lives, I've had a lot of thematic ideas bubble up that I didn't know that I wanted to get into when I started. Some are subtle, some are sledgehammers in the face, but they're all important. Things I've wanted to get into since the first one, some that didn't even occur to me until recently. Folding them in requires a lot of going back and rewriting, re-jiggering, moving things, cutting others, streamlining, overhauls, lots of new material for a second draft.
To give some kind of hint, there are themes of leadership and its attendant burdens, responsibility, the use of power and notoriety, decision-making, renewal, reunion, you know, light and airy things like that. But it all leads into reason two, which is why this one is taking so much longer.
I want to get it right.
The first three came out over a period of 14 months, or every seven months. On that schedule, Book IV would be out... this month. That, uh, won't happen. I don't know when it will be, but it will be better for the delay. These books are my legacy, and I'm not going to rush them to meet an arbitrary deadline set by my own anxiety (the double-edged sword of being an indie author), but nor can I just let it sit forever and get around to finishing it... whenever. I'm working on it every day, and some go better than others. But I've already had so many ideas that have made it better recently, I'm going to take my time and let those ideas come to fruition. It's stressful for me; I feel like I need to be getting work out, but it will be worth it in the end, which is all that matters. You don't see the crap, or the cut stuff, the plot threads that go nowhere, or any of that stuff. I have to think carefully about what I say here to keep it that way.
But for more than my own psyche and well-being, I have to make it as good as it can be for you, and the characters. You deserve the best possible story for your time and money, not to mention the emotional investment you've already made from the first three. And the characters will be around long after me. They have to be strong enough to stand the test of time, and so do the stories they are part of. I can only publish this once, so it has to be good.
It sucks that I'll only have one book out this year, and for that I apologize, but it just wasn't to be. I will have at least two out next year though, including my first non-Ashes book. Yay! I just need time, and your patience. And my own. Nobody wants these done faster or better than me, but that almost always means sacrificing one to the other.
Book IV is unlike any other that I've written so far in many ways. One, it's taking longer (sorry), and two, I have a lot more ideas theme-wise that I want to layer into it. There are more, but they're a bit spoilery for a book that doesn't even have a name yet, so I'll talk about those later.
Given the circumstances of the story, and where the characters are in their lives, I've had a lot of thematic ideas bubble up that I didn't know that I wanted to get into when I started. Some are subtle, some are sledgehammers in the face, but they're all important. Things I've wanted to get into since the first one, some that didn't even occur to me until recently. Folding them in requires a lot of going back and rewriting, re-jiggering, moving things, cutting others, streamlining, overhauls, lots of new material for a second draft.
To give some kind of hint, there are themes of leadership and its attendant burdens, responsibility, the use of power and notoriety, decision-making, renewal, reunion, you know, light and airy things like that. But it all leads into reason two, which is why this one is taking so much longer.
I want to get it right.
The first three came out over a period of 14 months, or every seven months. On that schedule, Book IV would be out... this month. That, uh, won't happen. I don't know when it will be, but it will be better for the delay. These books are my legacy, and I'm not going to rush them to meet an arbitrary deadline set by my own anxiety (the double-edged sword of being an indie author), but nor can I just let it sit forever and get around to finishing it... whenever. I'm working on it every day, and some go better than others. But I've already had so many ideas that have made it better recently, I'm going to take my time and let those ideas come to fruition. It's stressful for me; I feel like I need to be getting work out, but it will be worth it in the end, which is all that matters. You don't see the crap, or the cut stuff, the plot threads that go nowhere, or any of that stuff. I have to think carefully about what I say here to keep it that way.
But for more than my own psyche and well-being, I have to make it as good as it can be for you, and the characters. You deserve the best possible story for your time and money, not to mention the emotional investment you've already made from the first three. And the characters will be around long after me. They have to be strong enough to stand the test of time, and so do the stories they are part of. I can only publish this once, so it has to be good.
It sucks that I'll only have one book out this year, and for that I apologize, but it just wasn't to be. I will have at least two out next year though, including my first non-Ashes book. Yay! I just need time, and your patience. And my own. Nobody wants these done faster or better than me, but that almost always means sacrificing one to the other.
October 3, 2019
Dig UP, stupid!*
On a scale from dental pick to chainsaw, what I'm doing with Book IV now rates somewhere around a hatchet. A lot of cuts, and the occasional 'beat on it until it works.' A draft 1.5 if you will. Kill your darlings, all the cliches (which are cliches for a reason) about writing and editing are happening at the moment, and it's slow going. Slower than I wanted, but the story is much better already. One character in particular, her arc is 1000% stronger than it was earlier, and it's nice to be able to feel that progression. You don't always get that with novels. I feel like I lose the forest for the trees every time I sit down at my computer, and only notice the next day, or later. Digging down and down into a scene, only to come up and notice that it's too long, or a repeat of something I already did. Or, realizing that that thing I repeated works better here. Or that the story isn't about what I thought it was about. From finding small flaws to big ones, that's why you have to be willing to tear apart your own work. Look at all the pieces and ask if they actually fit anymore, and be willing to get rid of them. Sometimes though, those bits have armor, or they're buried really deep, so you gotta dig for them.
*This is a Simpsons reference, not an imperative; unless you're trying to find a shortcut from Australia to Canada, then it's just good advice.
*This is a Simpsons reference, not an imperative; unless you're trying to find a shortcut from Australia to Canada, then it's just good advice.
September 26, 2019
Voice
Few things leave an impression of a character more than their voice. Not just in dialogue but in prose as well, if the POV is restricted to their thoughts and perceptions.
I've been writing a lot of Victoria recently, and it's really made me think about voice, and how unique hers is. She has such a particular way of speaking and seeing the world, and for all the darkness lurking within her, all the things that she's been through, I really enjoy putting myself in her head. She gets such a kick out of the most esoteric things, and feeling that along with her is weirdly satisfying. This arcane, abstruse thing will occur to her, and she will absolutely revel in the joy of it, while everyone around her looks at her like she's crazy. (This week it was quantum mechanics.)
Her power is immense, but her past makes her judicious with it, as does her strong sense of justice and egalitarianism. She can be arrogant and aloof, but since she's right most of the time, she's kind of earned it. I do, however run into the issue of writing a character who's smarter than me, and that can be tricky. She's not a genius (that word is overapplied, I feel), but she is very intelligent, and I have to struggle to keep up with her sometimes.
How? By taking my time. It may take me weeks or months to come up with a solution or insight that takes her a few moments, or in some cases, is instinctual for her. I have to expand my vocabulary to do it, too, so in some ways, I am learning from her. Always be learning, improving, changing, adapting, otherwise what are you doing? This series started with Victoria, and she's still teaching me to be better, and demanding that I not get complacent. I owe it to her, and you, the reader, as well.
She has some changing and adapting to do herself in Book IV, so I'd better get back to it.
Get it! Review it! Please! Additional exclamatory imperative!
I've been writing a lot of Victoria recently, and it's really made me think about voice, and how unique hers is. She has such a particular way of speaking and seeing the world, and for all the darkness lurking within her, all the things that she's been through, I really enjoy putting myself in her head. She gets such a kick out of the most esoteric things, and feeling that along with her is weirdly satisfying. This arcane, abstruse thing will occur to her, and she will absolutely revel in the joy of it, while everyone around her looks at her like she's crazy. (This week it was quantum mechanics.)
Her power is immense, but her past makes her judicious with it, as does her strong sense of justice and egalitarianism. She can be arrogant and aloof, but since she's right most of the time, she's kind of earned it. I do, however run into the issue of writing a character who's smarter than me, and that can be tricky. She's not a genius (that word is overapplied, I feel), but she is very intelligent, and I have to struggle to keep up with her sometimes.
How? By taking my time. It may take me weeks or months to come up with a solution or insight that takes her a few moments, or in some cases, is instinctual for her. I have to expand my vocabulary to do it, too, so in some ways, I am learning from her. Always be learning, improving, changing, adapting, otherwise what are you doing? This series started with Victoria, and she's still teaching me to be better, and demanding that I not get complacent. I owe it to her, and you, the reader, as well.
She has some changing and adapting to do herself in Book IV, so I'd better get back to it.
...
Also, today is your last chance to get Remember, November for free!Get it! Review it! Please! Additional exclamatory imperative!
September 23, 2019
Free Book!
Remember, November is available for free until this Friday! I hope you pick it up and enjoy it enough to read the rest of the series. Please leave a review if you do, it really helps. If you've already read it and know someone who might like it, please share this with them.
A historical fantasy set in Britain in the aftermath of WWI, follow a coven of witches as they try to rebuild and reclaim what was taken from them by the Great War. A sweet lesbian romance, a mystery, magic and a maybe even a little action here or there, too!
A historical fantasy set in Britain in the aftermath of WWI, follow a coven of witches as they try to rebuild and reclaim what was taken from them by the Great War. A sweet lesbian romance, a mystery, magic and a maybe even a little action here or there, too!
September 19, 2019
It Takes A While
One of the things I remember hearing about writing novels before I started writing them myself was that they are a unique in art form in that they take so long to create. So do many art forms, you say, but novels are amplified by the fact that the only constant is you, the writer. But you, the writer change over that time, and so must your work; work you can't see the whole of at any one time because it's this massive, sprawling thing that is almost impossible to keep in your mind all at once. Now, multiply that by four (so far) and you have what it's like to write a series.
I started writing Remember, November in 2016. We're three months out from 2020 now, and I'm not the same person that I was then, and neither are you. None of us are. I'm writing Book IV of the series November kicked off, and not only am I in a different place, so are the characters. They aren't who I dreamed up three years ago; they've grown and changed. It's very important to me that they aren't static, that they learn from their experiences, but that means it's like writing slightly new people every time. They've changed, I've changed, my writing has changed, but it still has to feel consistent, and there is a constant tension there that is fascinating to try to look at. I have to in order to make the series work, and it's not always easy.
Not everything gets written down, I have to account for the things that the reader never sees, but have impacted the character. Why she makes a certain choice or reacts a certain way may be informed by something that even I'm not even conscious of, but since I've spent so much time with her, she tells me without having had to write out an entire bible of backstory. I have quite a lot of that, mind, but things don't always spring from it. Some things, once you realize them, are blindingly obvious in hindsight, and others feel like miracles that you pulled out of nowhere. I prefer the former, but won't say no to the latter.
The sausage-making of this art form is often ugly; there are as many steps backwards as forwards, but when it's all done, it's there forever. A time capsule that contains months and years, rather than a moment, and is all the more revealing for it.
We all grow together; not always at the same rate, or in the same direction, but it never stops.
I started writing Remember, November in 2016. We're three months out from 2020 now, and I'm not the same person that I was then, and neither are you. None of us are. I'm writing Book IV of the series November kicked off, and not only am I in a different place, so are the characters. They aren't who I dreamed up three years ago; they've grown and changed. It's very important to me that they aren't static, that they learn from their experiences, but that means it's like writing slightly new people every time. They've changed, I've changed, my writing has changed, but it still has to feel consistent, and there is a constant tension there that is fascinating to try to look at. I have to in order to make the series work, and it's not always easy.
Not everything gets written down, I have to account for the things that the reader never sees, but have impacted the character. Why she makes a certain choice or reacts a certain way may be informed by something that even I'm not even conscious of, but since I've spent so much time with her, she tells me without having had to write out an entire bible of backstory. I have quite a lot of that, mind, but things don't always spring from it. Some things, once you realize them, are blindingly obvious in hindsight, and others feel like miracles that you pulled out of nowhere. I prefer the former, but won't say no to the latter.
The sausage-making of this art form is often ugly; there are as many steps backwards as forwards, but when it's all done, it's there forever. A time capsule that contains months and years, rather than a moment, and is all the more revealing for it.
We all grow together; not always at the same rate, or in the same direction, but it never stops.
September 13, 2019
Free Short Story Weekend!
This weekend, from September 13-15, my short story By the Moon's Light will be available for free!
It's the first thing I ever published, and a good taste of my writing style if you don't want to jump into my novels just yet, If you like it, I hope you can leave a review, it would really help both me, and others discover not only this story, but my others as well.
Link! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
It's the first thing I ever published, and a good taste of my writing style if you don't want to jump into my novels just yet, If you like it, I hope you can leave a review, it would really help both me, and others discover not only this story, but my others as well.
Link! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
September 12, 2019
The Work
I love the second draft. This is where the story really happens, it's where you have to make all the choices you didn't want to make in the first draft. All the fragments get stitched together, the dialogue filled in, where it becomes a novel. I can take my time, consider things, do that research I meant to do, axe the things that need axing and not feel terrible about it. (The answer to the question 'Do I really need this?' is almost invariably no).
Get in there, get your hands dirty, much around, rearrange things, make those pieces fit together, discover 'Oh! that's what this book is about', do The Work.
I just hope the second draft will tell me what I should call it.
Get in there, get your hands dirty, much around, rearrange things, make those pieces fit together, discover 'Oh! that's what this book is about', do The Work.
I just hope the second draft will tell me what I should call it.
September 5, 2019
Time and Distance
This was the first time that I've completely thrown myself into another project while one of my first drafts sit in the proverbial desk marinating. Usually, just having time away from something is enough for you to gain some perspective on it and be less precious about the work you've done. For me, it's much easier to axe something a month after I wrote it than it is the next day. It doesn't feel like undoing work, it's more like doing a different kind: editing.
Working on something completely different, however, amplified that feeling. I have another story to tell, another outlet, a different way of thinking. HCH is very different from the Ashes books; it's much simpler, more streamlined, and since it was entirely new, made me go back to thinking about structure from a blank slate.
Turns out, that's just what I needed. Looking at the ball of plot and character of Book IV, I managed to untwist that pretzel very quickly, and it's already better.
So now my writing brain gets to rest while my editing brain takes over, and I can focus on improving instead of pure creation. Between Book IV and HCH, I've drafted a novel and a quarter since May. I don't know exactly when you'll get to see them, but I look forward more than ever to sharing them with you.
Working on something completely different, however, amplified that feeling. I have another story to tell, another outlet, a different way of thinking. HCH is very different from the Ashes books; it's much simpler, more streamlined, and since it was entirely new, made me go back to thinking about structure from a blank slate.
Turns out, that's just what I needed. Looking at the ball of plot and character of Book IV, I managed to untwist that pretzel very quickly, and it's already better.
So now my writing brain gets to rest while my editing brain takes over, and I can focus on improving instead of pure creation. Between Book IV and HCH, I've drafted a novel and a quarter since May. I don't know exactly when you'll get to see them, but I look forward more than ever to sharing them with you.
