Aaron K. Redshaw's Blog, page 4

5th Draft Done & Summer Break Writing

Yesterday I finished by 5th draft of the sequel to The Last Place to Stand. This has been a slow process, but it’s really coming together and is by far the longest book I have written to date. I’ve fixed most of the broken plot issues at this point and am focusing on individual characters, tweaking them for consistency. After that I will do a word analysis and replace overused words, followed by another read-through and that may be it. The good news is the hardest part is over.

The other good news is it’s summer, and that means I will have more time to focus on the book, between vacations of course. If all goes according to plan, this book will be out this fall. It has taken me longer than any other work, but having mostly recovered now from kidney failure, which started about this time last year, to not only getting back to my teaching job, but now writing again feels like a major accomplishment. Life is good, and so is God.

I am excited to get this thing out into the wild, and if you are signed up for my email newsletter expect to get a preview of my new book sometime this summer. Now go out and enjoy the sunshine, and maybe bring a good book along with you.

The Making of Star Wars

I, along with so many others, enjoyed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In fact, I watched it twice in the theaters and purchased it on Blu-ray once it became available. So last night I was bored and sat down to watch some of the special features associated with the film (particularly how it was made) and here’s what I found.

The process was overwhelmingly a discover as you go process.

This revelation was encouraging to me because in so many ways this is my process for writing. I write a first draft with at least some help from an outline and some notes. Then I revise it again and again and again, changing character voice, adding motivations, sub-plots, revelations, and personal details. Sometimes the whole theme of the book changes with an important revision.

I am still working on the revisions for book 2 of Space to Stand, and rather than having it out this spring, I hope to have it out in the fall. It is slow going, and some health issues have certainly slowed the process, but I keep plugging away, and eventually it will be published. Anyway, I have so many more stories I can’t wait to get out there!

Progress Report

It has been a while since I have given a report on my writing progress. I have not given up on writing my longest book yet, and the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. Yes, I have had some set-backs, but I am still working through the revisions of my next book. It will be the second book in the series that began with The Last Place to Stand.

In truth, I just finished version 4.0 and will shortly begin another revision. This last revision was the hardest as there is usually one revision in every book that requires me to make the most sweeping changes, the most painful alterations. This was that revision, and while it was painful at times, the book is shaping up nicely for it. The many refinements to come can only improve your overall reading experience.

Now let’s talk about length. The Last Place to Stand was 244 pages long at just over 50,000 words. Yet this one has almost hit 75,000 words, equaling about 350 pages. For some novelists this is just a starting point, but for me it is a record. Move over Brandon Sanderson, here I come!

I have said I planned to have this book out this Spring and that still remains my hope. Before the end of my school year (that’s right, I’m a high school English teacher), I hope to have it published.

 

Read the Bible in 2015

Do you ever think to yourself that it would really be great to read through the Bible? You hear quotes from it, maybe even you have a pastor that teaches from it, but have you read the whole thing for yourself? The thing about Bible reading is that no one else can do it for you. No one else can sit at the feet of Jesus and hear what he is saying to you except you.

Our church (newhopesv.org) will be reading the Bible in 2015 together with this plan, month-by-month (LifeJournal-AllLevels2.0). Here is a two page version (Life Journal Reading Plan-No Dates-2 pgs) which if double sided fits on one piece of paper. I love this plan which comes from Wayne Cordeiro because it goes through the Bible in chronological order, but also includes New and Old Testament reading throughout. The same reading plan can also … Continue reading →

What I’m Thankful For

Over the years we have had a tradition at Thanksgiving. It’s not very innovative, really, but it is important. At the table, before we eat, each person says what they thank God for. As a believer, this certainly should not be a once a year thing, but at Thanksgiving we share these praises with each other. It’s a community and family building thing.

Most years I say something about my family, I know cliche, but always true. This year, however, I have a different answer. You see, having seen someone from our church pass away recently who knew Jesus, I realized something. She knew exactly where she was going afterwards, and seemed very at peace with the ending of her life. And that has given me a new appreciation for my salvation. It means, among other benefits, that I don’t have to worry about the end of my life, because … Continue reading →

Getting ready for revision…again.

I’ll tell you the truth. There are parts of the writing process that I enjoy and parts I wish I could just skip. I often enjoy the first draft of anything. I securely put my internal editor behind bars, and for a month or so, I write the story as it occurs to me. I most enjoy the beginning and the ending of this process.

Then there is revision. I might enjoy the first rereading of the story where I acquaint myself again with the characters and the story and might even be surprised at some of the good things I find. But I inevitably find that the language is also repetitive, the characters lack depth or backstory, or the dialogue is shallow. That’s why I’m revising in the first place, right? Because a first draft if anything is going to be an ugly business.

It is the second through the … Continue reading →

Stand Against Infinity hits the streets

Stand Against Infinity, the prequel to The Last Place to Stand, can be picked up for free on Amazon.com.

H662 has always tried to be a part of the solution, working hard for society and the goals given him by the government. Now he is beginning to see the tragic outcomes of his society, until he wavers on a knife edge of decision.

U2258 works in the largest building in the city, helping to bioengineer the future. But the current experiment has gone horribly wrong and it seems the government has decided not only to cover up their mistake, but they are going to put it into production, endangering everyone who will receive the upgrade.

These two, and others like them, launch out to find a place where they can get away from a world out of control. Finding in the end that the best way out, is by going back in.

Happy reading!

Getting back on the horse

Ever since I broke my leg back at the end of December, I have not been as diligent in writing regularly. In fact, weeks have gone by where I did not write or revise a single word. You might think with so much time on my hands I would spend all my time in a typing frenzy. But you would be wrong there. I read some, watched a few shows, and mostly felt miserable, but I wrote very little. Nor did the muse take me after I was up and walking again. I was surprised at how much a physical disability could affect me emotionally.

But I’m back! I have a prequel that I hope to have ready for beta-readers (i.e. my students) within the next couple of weeks, and soon after I can get it published. Once done with that I can get back to the second book in the series. I’m excited about both stories. I have spent a lot of time and energy on both and I can’t wait to share them with the world!

Am I a writer or an author?

Recently I was thinking to myself: “Self?” I asked. “What does it mean to be an author?”

To which I replied, “He needs to have written a book.” Okay, I don’t really talk to myself like that. You can put down the phone now. My sanity is assured.

I have written and published five books so far, so I guess that qualifies me. But I could never write another book and forever be an author. Harper Lee wrote one book (okay, now it’s two if you want to get technical) and has been forever labeled and author. But that’s not enough for me. I want to be a writer too. A writer writes. They may never publish, but they write. If I ever stop writing I will cease to be a writer and will only ever be an author. That’s like saying I played basketball in high school (which I did.)

No. Ideally I want to keep writing and publishing. It is not only being an author that is a kick for me, but the actual nitty-gritty of writing down stories, revising them ad-nauseum and publishing them. The whole process is so much fun. I may never get the fame of others, but two things are true. I will enjoy myself immensely and I will get better and better at the craft. And there is some hope in that, isn’t there?

Can a Christian story ever be any good?

I suppose first I should define what I think of as Christian literature. It is where the Christian theme is so central to the story that if you removed it you would no longer have a story. With this definition in mind, I realized I don’t write Christian literature.

But…

I write stories that have Christian elements. In my first trilogy for kids, The Gifted Series, I have a character who does not hesitate to talk about his Christian conversion experience. This gives the story a strong Christian flavor, but it does not make the whole story Christian. In fact a person could skip that part and still enjoy the story (though I hope they don’t.)

I suppose it depends on who my audience is. I hope to try for different audiences. Some are already Christians and some know Christians but don’t really understand what the big deal is about Jesus. I hope some of my stories will show them that. I also hope those who have rejected the idea of an all powerful God will read some of my stories and begin to question their assumptions and start the journey of faith.

But can a Christian write a good story? I think the real question being asked here is can something that has Christian elements in it be a good story. Certainly. There are many who have grown up reading C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and they were not even believers but they loved the story. So much so that a successful series of movies has been made from the books.

Then there are people like J.R.R Tolkien. He was a believer in Jesus, but did not want to make his books religious. But his battle scenes are the greatest description of spiritual warfare I have ever read, even from blatantly Christian authors. Well, I could go on with this for a long time, but you get the idea.

My desire is to write stories and write them well. But in all that I do not want to give up expressing my belief in a personal savior. Sometimes I do that with characters that spell out such a belief and other times with a character who just begins to find cracks in his beliefs in a godless world.