Nils Nisse Visser's Blog, page 4
May 17, 2015
Update on Forgotten Road
The book has 'come to life'. This might sound wishy-washy but there is a moment (hopefully) when the characters take over and you feel pretty useless as a writer because you just write down what they dictate.
Maisy Robbins, allied with her ferret Valkerie and pony Sparky, has chattered her way from being a temporary side-kick to becoming the main POV who has reduced the protagonist to the role of side-kick and banished the other main character altogether. This is fast becoming her book.
Currently she is planning to defend the Wyrde Woods setting in 1940 against invasion. With allies on her right and left flank and a wild bunch she has named the Wyrde Warriors (armed with spears, bows and arrows) building 'Fort Defiance' in the middle of the woods she is reasonably confident a possible German invasion is doomed to failure.
If this sounds far-fetched then I'll happily refer you to dozens of newspaper clippings from the 1940s describing gangs of English children building redoubts on the common because NO WAY were those Nazis going to take their playgrounds. It might bring a smile to your face, but remember what you were like aged 10-11-12? Dead serious about childish mischief and savvy enough to transform it into reality.
If I keep up at Forgotten Road at the same pace I am managing now an autumn publication date is possible.
Truth be told, Maisy aint giving me a whole lot of choice.
She also told me to raise the percentage of royalties pledged to the Abington Ferret Refuge to 50%, rather than the meager 10% I was hoping for.
You gotta keep them happy, innit?
Maisy Robbins, allied with her ferret Valkerie and pony Sparky, has chattered her way from being a temporary side-kick to becoming the main POV who has reduced the protagonist to the role of side-kick and banished the other main character altogether. This is fast becoming her book.
Currently she is planning to defend the Wyrde Woods setting in 1940 against invasion. With allies on her right and left flank and a wild bunch she has named the Wyrde Warriors (armed with spears, bows and arrows) building 'Fort Defiance' in the middle of the woods she is reasonably confident a possible German invasion is doomed to failure.
If this sounds far-fetched then I'll happily refer you to dozens of newspaper clippings from the 1940s describing gangs of English children building redoubts on the common because NO WAY were those Nazis going to take their playgrounds. It might bring a smile to your face, but remember what you were like aged 10-11-12? Dead serious about childish mischief and savvy enough to transform it into reality.
If I keep up at Forgotten Road at the same pace I am managing now an autumn publication date is possible.
Truth be told, Maisy aint giving me a whole lot of choice.
She also told me to raise the percentage of royalties pledged to the Abington Ferret Refuge to 50%, rather than the meager 10% I was hoping for.
You gotta keep them happy, innit?
The Weird and Wonderful
I like the weird and wonderful (duh).
There is a very simple test I have when encountering new materials: Will it elicit a possible response that part of the story seems too ludicrous even for a fantabulist introvert like myself? If it will I know I simply need to use it.
Hence the introduction of a character called ‘Walking Tree’ in the 1940s Sussex countryside. Walking Tree is a Lakota warrior, related by blood to Sitting Bull and by spirit to Crazy Horse. His appearance is brief but he has an important role to play as ally of the children’s gang preparing to defend their place of play from a German invasion in 1940.
Realistic or not?
Thousands of men and women from the First Nations, the Native Americans, served in both the Canadian and the US armed forces during both World War One and World War Two. After Dunkirk the Canadians were the only organised army of size on the British Isles and they would have had to bear the initial brunt of a German invasion. Sussex was crawling with Canadians. French-speaking ones too (Shock! Horror!)
If more fusion is required the Native Americans who served in Canadian regiments with Caledonian roots wore Scottish kilts.
Will Walking Tree wear a kilt? I am still considering it. What do you think?
There is a very simple test I have when encountering new materials: Will it elicit a possible response that part of the story seems too ludicrous even for a fantabulist introvert like myself? If it will I know I simply need to use it.
Hence the introduction of a character called ‘Walking Tree’ in the 1940s Sussex countryside. Walking Tree is a Lakota warrior, related by blood to Sitting Bull and by spirit to Crazy Horse. His appearance is brief but he has an important role to play as ally of the children’s gang preparing to defend their place of play from a German invasion in 1940.
Realistic or not?
Thousands of men and women from the First Nations, the Native Americans, served in both the Canadian and the US armed forces during both World War One and World War Two. After Dunkirk the Canadians were the only organised army of size on the British Isles and they would have had to bear the initial brunt of a German invasion. Sussex was crawling with Canadians. French-speaking ones too (Shock! Horror!)
If more fusion is required the Native Americans who served in Canadian regiments with Caledonian roots wore Scottish kilts.
Will Walking Tree wear a kilt? I am still considering it. What do you think?
May 16, 2015
Juggling
One of the things I am going to get have to get used to is 'working' on several books at any one time. This week:
1. Escape from Neverland.
A bit of marketing. I've entered two copies for a Goodreads give-away and am pleased with the response. Trying to find serious reviewers to add to the low total of reviews.
2. Dance into the Wyrd
The paperback publication took more time than I anticipated, partially because it was phased with different editions (something that I am going to stop doing, useful as part of the learning process but I know what works now, and I'll stick to that) When the main edition was available on Barnes & Nobles and Amazon at long last I still managed to be caught by surprise, none-the-less. There is a slow realisation too that: Hey, I've got two books out there now. I have my first two copies of the paperback and decided to enter one of those into another Goodreads giveaway. I hope it helps to generate interest.
3. Will's War
Waiting impatiently for the completion of the first draft of Forgotten Road. Will's War is ready for one of the final redraftings and is therefore the most likely candidate for the next publication. This is the odd one out. Very much a Wyrde Woods book, but almost all of it takes place in Brighton.
4. Forgotten Road
2/3 of the way done on the first draft. It will then have to mature in some oak casks in a Somerset brewery for a few months. For good measure I'm throwing a few beta-readers into the cask as well. Give it all time to ferment a bit and then study the responses. The fermentation time will be used for Will's War. An autumn publication of Forgotten Road is not inconceivable.
5...Nope. Not telling yet.
1. Escape from Neverland.
A bit of marketing. I've entered two copies for a Goodreads give-away and am pleased with the response. Trying to find serious reviewers to add to the low total of reviews.
2. Dance into the Wyrd
The paperback publication took more time than I anticipated, partially because it was phased with different editions (something that I am going to stop doing, useful as part of the learning process but I know what works now, and I'll stick to that) When the main edition was available on Barnes & Nobles and Amazon at long last I still managed to be caught by surprise, none-the-less. There is a slow realisation too that: Hey, I've got two books out there now. I have my first two copies of the paperback and decided to enter one of those into another Goodreads giveaway. I hope it helps to generate interest.
3. Will's War
Waiting impatiently for the completion of the first draft of Forgotten Road. Will's War is ready for one of the final redraftings and is therefore the most likely candidate for the next publication. This is the odd one out. Very much a Wyrde Woods book, but almost all of it takes place in Brighton.
4. Forgotten Road
2/3 of the way done on the first draft. It will then have to mature in some oak casks in a Somerset brewery for a few months. For good measure I'm throwing a few beta-readers into the cask as well. Give it all time to ferment a bit and then study the responses. The fermentation time will be used for Will's War. An autumn publication of Forgotten Road is not inconceivable.
5...Nope. Not telling yet.
May 2, 2015
Forgotten Road
My plan was to work on the revision of Will's War, but Forgotten Road is in full productive blast and it's been hard to tear my mind away from this new Wyrde Woods adventure that takes place in the summer of 1940 and winter and spring of 1941.
Readers of Escape from Neverland and Dance into the Wyrd will (probably) be pleased to encounter Willick and Joy in these stories, not as wise elders this time but as Children of the Wyrde Woods themselves.
I want to avoid spoilers but there is a teaser out there, just to give you an idea of what is on the way. The teaser can be found here: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/T...
Readers of Escape from Neverland and Dance into the Wyrd will (probably) be pleased to encounter Willick and Joy in these stories, not as wise elders this time but as Children of the Wyrde Woods themselves.
I want to avoid spoilers but there is a teaser out there, just to give you an idea of what is on the way. The teaser can be found here: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/T...
Weird Wyrd
One of the weirdest/wyrdest aspects of writing about the Wyrde Woods has been the setting. Some of it is based on real locations spread out over Southern England with Sussex and Somserset as the major contributors.
Some of it I made up, or so I thought. On recent trips I have discovered places which I didn't knew existed and walking around in these locations was like walking into my very own fictional setting. I truly thought I had conjured it all up, but these places exist and the sense of Deja Vu is incredible.
Such as the Whychwoods: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/T...
Some of it I made up, or so I thought. On recent trips I have discovered places which I didn't knew existed and walking around in these locations was like walking into my very own fictional setting. I truly thought I had conjured it all up, but these places exist and the sense of Deja Vu is incredible.
Such as the Whychwoods: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/T...
April 12, 2015
Far fetched
I like it when readers ask me if I don't think a particular plot item is too far-fetched.
Why?
Because in 9 out of 10 cases they will be referring to something that is happening in the factual world and which I actually toned down a bit precisely because it was practically unbelievable.
The road building theme in Dance into the Wyrd is a prime example.
Read this: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/M...
Why?
Because in 9 out of 10 cases they will be referring to something that is happening in the factual world and which I actually toned down a bit precisely because it was practically unbelievable.
The road building theme in Dance into the Wyrd is a prime example.
Read this: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/M...
Far fetched
I like it when readers ask me if I don't think a particular plot item is too far-fetched.
Why?
Because in 9 out of 10 cases they will be referring to something that is happening in the factual world and which I actually toned down a bit precisely because it was practically unbelievable.
The road building theme in Dance into the Wyrd is a prime example.
Read this: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/M...
Why?
Because in 9 out of 10 cases they will be referring to something that is happening in the factual world and which I actually toned down a bit precisely because it was practically unbelievable.
The road building theme in Dance into the Wyrd is a prime example.
Read this: http://nissevisser.hubpages.com/hub/M...
April 2, 2015
Update
So where are we?
Well I am about to depart to England for another Wyrde Woods adventure, I usually return with plenty of inspiration.
Status books:
Escape from Neverland (Lord of the Wyrde Woods 1) is out in paperback and kindle.
Dance into the Wyrd (Lord of the Wyrde Woods 2) will be published in April/May of 2015.
Will's War is being seriously re-edited. It shows here because it used to be on kindle. New publication date: Summer 2015.
The Wyrde Woods: Forgotten Roads is due out in Autumn 2015.
The Wyrde Woods: Secret Spring is due out in Winter 2016.
Well I am about to depart to England for another Wyrde Woods adventure, I usually return with plenty of inspiration.
Status books:
Escape from Neverland (Lord of the Wyrde Woods 1) is out in paperback and kindle.
Dance into the Wyrd (Lord of the Wyrde Woods 2) will be published in April/May of 2015.
Will's War is being seriously re-edited. It shows here because it used to be on kindle. New publication date: Summer 2015.
The Wyrde Woods: Forgotten Roads is due out in Autumn 2015.
The Wyrde Woods: Secret Spring is due out in Winter 2016.
