Dev Blog 5: Juggling HK416s & MMCNs
This morning we hit something of a milestone regarding the development of Engines of Extinction. So I figured it would only make sense to talk about it in the dev blog, right?
A couple hours ago I completed the initial draft of "Episode I: The End & The Means." There's still a ton left to be done before it's ready for launch on 3/10/15. And more generally, there's still a huge amount of work to be completed over the next six months or so (and hopefully continuing beyond that).
Even though I have had the basic idea for EoE in my head for over a decade and have been actively shaping it for the past couple of years -- including more than a thousand pages of notes, a detailed 130+ page series bible, a carefully constructed timeline, and outlines breaking down each individual episode -- you really don't quite know how it's going to take shape on the page until it does.
For one thing, it's running somewhat longer than I anticipated. Hopefully you'll consider it a good thing. It's a bit of added work for me, but I'm cool with that. If all six episodes prove to be this approximate length, the entire collection will be considerably longer than your standard novel. So, bang for your buck and all that.
As I've touched on before, I've view striking just the right balance between the real-world and the sci-fi concepts absolutely critical to Engines of Extinction's success -- both artistically and commercially.
The risk is that it could prove too real and too enmeshed in actual events, units, techniques, etc. for the sci-fi crowd, while stretching out a bit further than military nonfiction/fiction fans are comfortable with when the near-future concepts get incorporated.
Of course, the flip side of that is that it may simultaneously appeal to both. Hopefully it provides sci-fi fans with a very real and grounded world in which these near future ideas can exist, while also giving those readers more interested in real-world military and special operations a painless transition to the more fantastical elements -- not to mention a glimpse of the sorts of technologies that may come to define SOF in the years ahead.
It's impossible for me to truly tap into any individual reader's mind other than my own. And therefore, I'm really writing this thing for myself and hoping others will come along for the ride.
Another juggling act must be done when deciding just how much detail to provide. Does it really matter if the Special Collection Service is involved? Or which USAF squadron pilots the RQ-170, for whom, from where, and from where the drones are launched?
I dig detail -- a lot -- but I don't want to bury anyone under it either. I hope to make it relatively simple to follow while still offering genuine depth -- maybe even a bit of sideways "edutainment."
Judging from how Epi I is taking shape, I guess I'd say if you enjoyed my previous military books and ebooks, you should feel pretty at home. And hopefully the added element of characterization, motivation, plot, along with the basic hook and premise will keep things interesting for even those who find the nonfiction stuff a bit too dry and clinical for their tastes.
The whistleblower format as described in the previous dev blog does offer opportunities to manage this problem. The narrator is in a position to outright inform the reader whether a certain section is especially critical to their understanding of the story or simply superfluous detail that, while potentially interesting to some, is relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
Both juggling acts are front and center in my mind at the moment. I believe things will balance out nicely over the course of the series, but if someone isn't hooked in Episode I, there's little chance they'll return for more.
And Episode I is very much a prologue. As such, it's greatly weighted toward the real-world end of things, so that's something of a gamble as well. While a pivotal sci-fi tech idea is indeed introduced -- and inspires the episode's title ("The End & The Means") -- 95% of the episode is firmly entrenched in reality.
In other words, outside of a few critical sections, Episode I could be viewed as military fiction rather than military science fiction. And more than that, it's probably much closer to nonfiction than the vast majority of military fiction titles.
At the same time, I've worked hard to demonstrate how today's real-world military and intelligence operations -- particularly at the elite level -- are much, much more sci-fi-like than you likely imagine.
Additionally, this is a case where another military sci-fi author might decide that a simple description like "former Delta Force operator/OGA contractor" is enough to establish a character's credentials and leave it at that. That doesn't cut it for me. On the contrary, I want to explore what that means and why it matters going forward and do so with some depth. I've also used this backdrop as a way to introduce the protagonist's personality -- sense of humor, quirks, and scars -- that will have implications as the series develops.
So, military fans -- I think you're really going to dig this one. A lot.
Sci-fi fans -- you might have to be a bit more patient, but we've got something really cool for you in Episode I too. And it'll just be a small preview of what's to come.
Okay -- last time I said I'd describe my hunt for an artistic collaborator in this blog. Well, that didn't happen. Consider this free-flow, close quarters blogging. I'll come back around to that story in a future installment. It'll probably be the next one, but I've learned my lesson, and I want to give myself a bit more room to adapt in case plans change again.
Thanks again for reading and showing your interest. Check back regularly and if you think this all sounds pretty cool, help spread the word. I really mean that -- we're going to be extremely reliant on word-of-mouth to pull this thing off.
My aim is to give you all something worthy of talking about. After that, it's up to you.
A couple hours ago I completed the initial draft of "Episode I: The End & The Means." There's still a ton left to be done before it's ready for launch on 3/10/15. And more generally, there's still a huge amount of work to be completed over the next six months or so (and hopefully continuing beyond that).
Even though I have had the basic idea for EoE in my head for over a decade and have been actively shaping it for the past couple of years -- including more than a thousand pages of notes, a detailed 130+ page series bible, a carefully constructed timeline, and outlines breaking down each individual episode -- you really don't quite know how it's going to take shape on the page until it does.
For one thing, it's running somewhat longer than I anticipated. Hopefully you'll consider it a good thing. It's a bit of added work for me, but I'm cool with that. If all six episodes prove to be this approximate length, the entire collection will be considerably longer than your standard novel. So, bang for your buck and all that.
As I've touched on before, I've view striking just the right balance between the real-world and the sci-fi concepts absolutely critical to Engines of Extinction's success -- both artistically and commercially.
The risk is that it could prove too real and too enmeshed in actual events, units, techniques, etc. for the sci-fi crowd, while stretching out a bit further than military nonfiction/fiction fans are comfortable with when the near-future concepts get incorporated.
Of course, the flip side of that is that it may simultaneously appeal to both. Hopefully it provides sci-fi fans with a very real and grounded world in which these near future ideas can exist, while also giving those readers more interested in real-world military and special operations a painless transition to the more fantastical elements -- not to mention a glimpse of the sorts of technologies that may come to define SOF in the years ahead.
It's impossible for me to truly tap into any individual reader's mind other than my own. And therefore, I'm really writing this thing for myself and hoping others will come along for the ride.
Another juggling act must be done when deciding just how much detail to provide. Does it really matter if the Special Collection Service is involved? Or which USAF squadron pilots the RQ-170, for whom, from where, and from where the drones are launched?
I dig detail -- a lot -- but I don't want to bury anyone under it either. I hope to make it relatively simple to follow while still offering genuine depth -- maybe even a bit of sideways "edutainment."
Judging from how Epi I is taking shape, I guess I'd say if you enjoyed my previous military books and ebooks, you should feel pretty at home. And hopefully the added element of characterization, motivation, plot, along with the basic hook and premise will keep things interesting for even those who find the nonfiction stuff a bit too dry and clinical for their tastes.
The whistleblower format as described in the previous dev blog does offer opportunities to manage this problem. The narrator is in a position to outright inform the reader whether a certain section is especially critical to their understanding of the story or simply superfluous detail that, while potentially interesting to some, is relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
Both juggling acts are front and center in my mind at the moment. I believe things will balance out nicely over the course of the series, but if someone isn't hooked in Episode I, there's little chance they'll return for more.
And Episode I is very much a prologue. As such, it's greatly weighted toward the real-world end of things, so that's something of a gamble as well. While a pivotal sci-fi tech idea is indeed introduced -- and inspires the episode's title ("The End & The Means") -- 95% of the episode is firmly entrenched in reality.
In other words, outside of a few critical sections, Episode I could be viewed as military fiction rather than military science fiction. And more than that, it's probably much closer to nonfiction than the vast majority of military fiction titles.
At the same time, I've worked hard to demonstrate how today's real-world military and intelligence operations -- particularly at the elite level -- are much, much more sci-fi-like than you likely imagine.
Additionally, this is a case where another military sci-fi author might decide that a simple description like "former Delta Force operator/OGA contractor" is enough to establish a character's credentials and leave it at that. That doesn't cut it for me. On the contrary, I want to explore what that means and why it matters going forward and do so with some depth. I've also used this backdrop as a way to introduce the protagonist's personality -- sense of humor, quirks, and scars -- that will have implications as the series develops.
So, military fans -- I think you're really going to dig this one. A lot.
Sci-fi fans -- you might have to be a bit more patient, but we've got something really cool for you in Episode I too. And it'll just be a small preview of what's to come.
Okay -- last time I said I'd describe my hunt for an artistic collaborator in this blog. Well, that didn't happen. Consider this free-flow, close quarters blogging. I'll come back around to that story in a future installment. It'll probably be the next one, but I've learned my lesson, and I want to give myself a bit more room to adapt in case plans change again.
Thanks again for reading and showing your interest. Check back regularly and if you think this all sounds pretty cool, help spread the word. I really mean that -- we're going to be extremely reliant on word-of-mouth to pull this thing off.
My aim is to give you all something worthy of talking about. After that, it's up to you.
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