R.N. Green's Blog

Sequel Progress Update March 21th, 2025

I think I've fixed what was wrong the playlist for the sequel to Alpha's Ghost. I write to music, so if the music is wrong, the scenes will be wrong. I realized my mistake this week: I was too heavy on Future Garage, and didn't have enough Wave like I did for the playlist I used for Alpha's Ghost. However, because I want the sequel to be different, I needed to add a little something to make it distinct. After some research, it turns out that Phonk (Drift Phonk, specifically) has an origin that matches the setting of the sequel, and I lean into happy coincidences like that. The playlist now feels like the soundtrack to a movie whose screenplay I want to adapt into a novel, which is my process in a nutshell.

I am continuing to add depth and layers to the antagonists of the story, but I have my hands full. There are two tropes that I am trying to bend and twist into something original by layering other tropes on them. I should mention that I am not afraid of tropes, as tropes are just like design patterns in software - they're the typical way an effect is achieved. In software, if you use a design pattern the way it's typically used, it's a good thing. In writing, using a trope the way it's typically used is very, very bad unless you're being deliberately ironic.

The benefit of self-publishing is I can do whatever I want, and I'm pretty sure that I would be asked to separate the two antagonists into separate books by a publisher, but in the movie in my head, I want the internal and external threat to the team. Why? I just think it's cool to have to look out at the horizon for a threat while also having to look behind you.

I want a chase to feature prominently in the book, but I'm facing a realistic problem (damn realism) in that to create the chase I want a lot of innocent people would be put at risk. While STRAND agents are anti-heroes, I don't want them mowing down civilians to accomplish the mission. However, I want them mission-focused. As a result, I can't put an innocent civilian between a STRAND agent and the agent, as I don't know what they'd do (I never had an idea until I'm writing that line). However, it's very hard to have a chase that involves roads that doesn't have civilians on it. No clue how to resolve that without something stupid and cheesy like, "The road just so happens to be under construction." I don't have a solution yet, but I really, really want to write a chase scene.

I love layering themes, and one of the themes of the sequel is loneliness and how we react to it. Now, Alpha's Ghost had a similar theme, but it was more unrequited love than loneliness - but the result is the same: you are alone and have to deal with the feelings of isolation. The trick is to play with this theme without making it obvious, but to still make it felt. This is part of the art of writing that's similar to twists: on 2nd reading it's obvious that the twist is coming, just like the themes are obvious on second reading. On the first reading, however, they have to be invisible or it will feel too "on the nose."

I am still struggling with the opening chapter, and the direction I'm leaning towards is the story starts DEEP in media res - like kick-the-door-in media res. This might be jarring for people coming from the epilogue of Alpha's Ghost, but it could also be super cool, like, "Oh shit, the movie started already." Among other challenges, the story would start with very little dialogue (the action has begun, so no time for chit-chat) so I guess I'll just have to "show, don't tell." Oh darn. I guess I won't be using info dumps and inner monologues this go around (NOTE: Alpha's Ghost has no info dumps, organic exposition, no inner monologues, and excusive uses show-don't tell).

It's about to be April and I haven't started writing, but I'm not ready to start writing yet. The writing for Alpha's Ghost started very suddenly without any warning, and then I kept writing practically non-stop for 6 months. Right now, I'm tracking for publishing in early 2026, but I was MUCH rather a kickass sequel than rush the shot.

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Audiobook Progress Update Feb 18th, 2025

New microphone and stand? Check. New audio correction software purchased? Check. Now I just need to figure out how to get started recording the audiobook for Alpha's Ghost.

For the record, I do not really want to record the Audiobook myself, but my wife (my developmental editor) heard me read a few chapters and perform lines the way they sound in my head, and her reaction was, "You're the only one who can bring the story to life."

The #1 reason I don't want to do the audiobook is the burden of editing. I've recorded and edited long-form works before, and it's murder. However, for those works it was just straight narration, not performance. It's one thing to make sure you are enunciating words properly; it's another thing to make sure that character voices are distinct.

I did theater in high school, and even experimented with standup comedy at one point, but in neither case did I have to voice women. I have to say, I'm a little afraid of sounding ridiculous. I know that professional voice actors do this all the time, and I've watched YouTube videos where male narrators explain their approach. Sadly, I kinda think they sound ridiculous.

My approach to recording the audiobook will most likely follow the same pattern as writing Alpha's Ghost itself - just go for it. I figure if I give it maximum effort, maybe people will be so into the story they'll forget the fact that I'm a dude voicing three female leads and a supporting cast.

That said, I think I have my, "Gabriella" voice down, and I have most of my "Jasmine" voice, but Naomi is - just like her character - a pain in the ass. She goes through just about every emotion in Alpha's Ghost, and at best I think I can handle some of them.

Beyond the leads, there are certain supporting characters I'm intimidated by. Ironically, they happen to be the most intimidating characters in the book. I won't spoil who they are, but suffice to say that I think I lack the gravitas the characters warrant. However, I am not above doing equalization tricks in post-production to get my voice closer to how I hear the character speaking in my mind.

I'd mid-Feb now, and I have everything I need to start recording, so now it's pure procrastination. Once I start a project I don't stop, so it will be all-consuming while I do it. If history is any guide, it will take me about two months. The time, however, isn't really the source of me dragging my feet - it's listening to the sound of my own voice for hours listening for minor imperfections.

The biggest imperfections I listen for are called "mouth noises," which are the little clicks that our mouths make every time we talk, but we only notice when we are on sensitive mics and we "compress" the audio to make soft sounds louder and loud sounds softer. I have my mouth noises most under control, but the click still sneaks in, and every time I hear one mid-vocalization (meaning, in the middle of a word) that I know I can't remove I die a little inside.

To compensate, I finally broke down and purchased the recording industries best mouth-noise removal tool. I won't tell you how much it costs, but it's one of the most expensive software purchases I've made - and I develop software for a living. However, if it can remove my mid-vocalization mouth noises it will be worth every penny.

Hopefully once mouth noises are removed, listening to my own voice for hours will simply be an exercise in excruciating tedium and not also be a protracted exercise in self-flagellation.

That still then leads to the problem of getting the line delivery right, which I know from test readings is going to take several tries. Since I like cliff hangers and twists, certain lines have to be delivered exactly right or it will fall flat. I guess I'll have to do what they do in movies and do multiple takes.

There is a time pressure for getting this done: the summertime. To record I need to turn off my heating and cooling system or the noise cancelation software introduces strange artifacts. I can wear warm clothes in the winter, but I can't wear cold clothes in the summer.

Alright, off to find something else to do but start recording the audiobook. Maybe another short story?

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Sequel Progress Update Feb 15th, 2025

Finally! I have a climax for the sequel to Alpha's Ghost!

A major part of my process is location scouting, and I found the perfect place for the climax to happen and actually make realistic sense in the context of the plot. It really is fate, as I couldn't have asked for a better location than what I found.

But that's not all! This week:

Thanks to identifying to location of the climax, I am also able to map out the physical journey from story start to end. This now allows me to place the obstacles in front of the protagonists so that I can have the constantly escalating tension that is core to stories in the STRAND universe.

I got the titular character figured out finally! I've had the title since before I finished Alpha's Ghost, and I use the same technique I used to come up with "Alpha's Ghost" - I pick two cool sounding words, put them together, and make the first a possessive. I then build the story around those two words.

I also finally figured out the character arcs for the main dynamic characters (characters with an arc).

I (think) I've solved the ex-Machina problem that was plaguing the plot. It's going to be tricky, however, and I need to tell the audience that an ex-Machina is coming so that they don't notice it's an ex-Machina. It's the difference between a cringy eyeroll and standing up and cheering.

My wife (my developmental editor) wants me to turn the knob up on the sexy in the sequel. I don't want the STRAND universe to turn into smut, but I can increase the smoldering a bit more than I did in Alpha's Ghost. During editing, it's only a question of if my wife wants more steam than smolder.

I've got two antagonists figured out so far. Alpha's Ghost had four, so I feel like I could be cheating the audience if I stopped at only two. I could stretch and give one of the main characters a complex dual role, but that would be an anti-hero...but all STRAND agents are already anti-heroes.

I am practicing new writing techniques in my short stories that I want to use in the sequel to see if I like it, primarily around off-screen action. I think it will be cool, but I need to practice to make sure I can write it in a way that's not confusing.

I'm still not ready to write, however, because:

My "in media res" Chapter 1 isn't tight enough yet. I want it to be as short as chapter 1 in Alpha's Ghost, so that I can hook the audience quickly. This means mercilessly chopping down to just the bare elements the audience needs to commit to reading chapter 2.

The original Chapter 2 action sequence is tactically unrealistic and would require Hollywood-level plot armor for the main characters to make it out alive. The problem right now is ingress, egress, and the ability to clear hallways. I'm to the point where I may have to start over to create an exciting yet tactically plausible opening.

I haven't figured out secondary supporting characters yet, since I don't want to re-use supporting characters from Alpha's Ghost.

I have not decided yet how much world-building I'm going to do in this book verses assuming people read "Alpha's Ghost." This is something else I'm working out in my short stories - can you have a good time without any context into the STRAND universe? So far so good - the short stories read well even completely out of context.

I've crafted an antagonist so powerful I don't know how the team will defeat them yet. I don't need to know the specifics, but right now they can't be beaten - I need to give them a weakness while maintain their relative power-level compared to antagonists.

The constant struggle with the sequel is to stop it from becoming too sad. I have the low point of the sequel, but not the happy-ending feel-book bounce-back. Right now it would be anti-climatic, which is not what I'm going for. I want the audience to end one of my books with a smile on their face, not tears in their eyes.

Still building up my playlist of music that I'll listen to while I' write. Music drives all of my major set pieces, so the vibe of a song directly speaks to the cool of the scene. I listened to my Alpha's Ghost playlist at least 100 times while writing.

I'm thinking of this next novel as book 2 in the "Aegis" STRAND storyline. The name Aegis comes from what it sounds like when you say "AGS" out loud, which stands for "All Girl Squad" - the first time Jasmine, Naomi, and Gabriella are referred to as a trio in Alpha's Ghost (by Gabriella in Chapter 6). The fact that two of the definitions of the Greek word translate to "violent windstorm" and "shield of a deity" makes it pretty perfect. I have no idea if I'll every refer to the trio as "Aegis" in-world, however.

I'll continue to let this stuff bounce around in the back of my mind as I go through my day. I keep everything in my head, and the mental sticky notes are piling up and getting organized. I'd like to start writing by the summer, but I'm not going to rush it. Alpha's Ghost set a high bar and I want to at least meet it. I also don't want to fall into the trap of, "The Sequel must be better!" which I think puts too much pressure on the writing process. Instead, I want it to be as-good, but in a different way.

Alpha's Ghost took about 6 months for first draft followed by 3 months of editing, putting the next book release somewhere in 2026. If things follow the same pattern as Alpha's Ghost, there will be a lot of re-work in these early planning stages, so check back to see how the sequel evolves over time.

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