Status: Writing Chapter 20 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Nothing at the moment. (Quiet day.)
Listening to: "Track X" by Sheep on Drugs; "No Love Will Heal" by In Strict Confidence; "Maniacal" by KMFDM
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 173)
TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING THE BOOKS YOU INTEND TO WRITE
When the Price of Freedom is completed sometime in 2011 or 2012; I'll either be looking at an impressive personal record of 1 million words, or I'll be pretty damned close! (lol)
But the point of writing the first book in this six-book saga isn't to simply shoot for a million words, but to tell a story. I've already crossed the threshold by achieving a new high in any of the books written so far. But I still have a long ways to go.
Of course, I'll have people tell me that I should cut my book down and fit it into the space of a breadbox. but seriously everyone: Who am I writing this book for? An industry that doesn't want the book anyway, or for a small eclective group of readers--whom might enjoy something a little different from usual fare of commercialized literature?
I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me--in terms of editing--but for right now...I need to focus more on finishing the book instead of worrying about all the little details about publishing, marketing, and shrinking it down so massively that what is left is completely unrecognizable to the average reader with an 8th grade reading equivalent. (Sad but true. There are studies that show that some Americans can't read past the 5th or 6th grade level these days.)
13 years ago, I couldn't have imagined doing something on a scale this large. My maximum ceiling limit back then was 60,000 words (like today's minimum allotted word counts by agents and publishers), and I was having a bitch of a time trying to break 100,000 words.
Nothing I wrote seemed to be working! lol
No...
Scratch that.
The problem wasn't the word counts. It was me.
My mind simply hadn't evolved to a point where I started to see things differently with my writing. Doors inside my mind were still very much closed off and I was just plodding along the best I could.
Sometime in 1999, I finally did it though.
I hit the magical number of 100,000 words! (Okay, so it was 99,500. But close enough. Is anyone going to roast me alive for stretching things out a little here? >g<)
But the problem was, my book back then wasn't good enough. It needed some work. However, I couldn't see that.
Couldn't see beyond my own limitations. It took the words of one editor to finally unlock the doors to greater potential within me.
I spent the next 10 months rewriting that book and broke through another milestone while doing it: 200,000 words!
But even then, I wasn't done with the book. While the novel was being looked at by my second agent, I suddenly had an ephinany; a revelation like none other: I had this "urge" to go back and rewrite that book over again and make it better!
So began another long journey into what would become 300,000 words. (With some spare change included of course.)
And that book was none other than The Starchild.
But why 1 million words (potentially) for The Price of Freedom and only 300,000 words for The Starchild and its sequel; Starchild Duel?
Quite frankly, it's because of the way I've approached each storyline by the extent each saga will run: One will always be longer than the other by design. Not by simple default.
For example: Stories of the Dead Earth is a first-person POV saga that limits itself by the simple fact that the storylines will be shorter and the action fast-paced. So the maximum word count for this saga shouldn't breach no more than 125,000 words maximum. (I'm shooting for 110,000 conservatively.)
The Starchild saga could easily breach 400 to 500,000 words--eventually. 300,00 words (for right now) is the absolute ceiling limit for the first 2 novels in this 30 book series. (I planned out this saga some 10 years ago with some storyline modifications over the last 4 years.)
The Price of Freedom is so much different than anything I've ever gone and created. This saga involves a much deeper and more richer storyline than what I have currently running in both The Starchild and Stories of the Dead Earth. (Which was my answer to people's nagging persistence that I write 'shorter novels'.)
And it has taken me to new levels of storytelling than I ever thought possible. Add the erotic romance elements into the mix, and you have something that makes those classic 'Civil War' novels look like a walk in the park. (The books that were titled by each state's given name; Texas!.)
Tooting my horn a little? Yes and no. I am proud of what I've gone and accomplished as a disabled individual and as a writer in question. But I'm not going to glorify this as a new publishing standard and hope to hell that people will follow me and emulate what I've spent the last 4 years trying to finish.
In fact, I would advise against trying in the first place. Seriously here folks. Don't even try!
Writing expansive tomes that stretch hundreds of thousands of words takes years of practice and a deep understanding of your craft.
Simply jumping on the band wagon and declaring in a broad voice; "I want to be like So and So!" isn't going to make your book any better.
Wanting to be like someone and understanding what they really wrote are two different things here. I've come across newbie writers whom want to be like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, but they lack the general understanding of what they've gone and written.
No single book that they've published is one and the same. Each storyline or plot will be different from last book. And in time, the next generation of novels that they publish will take on a life completely apart from the very first novel that they spent years writing and publishing.
Which is why I don't want to copy or be copied by anyone who wishes to follow in my footsteps.
Each of my novels may have a singularly running theme in the beginning, but over time?
Everything changes.
But you also have to have a deeper understanding of what I'm writing as well--and be prepared to encounter (and deal with) the myriad of track changes and pitfalls that each book has engrained within.
For example, The Starchild explores the beginnings of the legendary Starchild of Ancient Lore; and Isis McGowan's thrust into that unsuspecting mantle. The 14-year-old girl is plagued by both uncertainties, challenges, setbacks, and everything under the sun--while grappling with the repercussions of having virtually unlimited power at her fingertips.
Pretty straightfoward, right?
Think you can duplicate the book down to a science?
No.
And why not?
Because while you may be able write something similar in style to The Starchild you won't be able to grasp the subtle nuances and inflections embedded into the novel itself.
And what's more, Starchild Duel completely blows off the cover to what sequels should be and read like!
Here you have a much different storyline which deals with personal confrontations, past events, but also has a much darker tone to the overall storyline than the last book.
This novel is a "no holds barred" entity--where anything goes and there is no line drawn for anyone involved in that conflict.
Which makes trying to duplicate The Starchild that much more difficult. If you were expecting to find the same pattern in the second book--from the first one--prepare to be vastly disappointed.
The same applies to The Price of Freedom. While the first novel may illustrate a generational war being fought on many levels and fronts, the second book; The Catalyst of Freedom will completely deep-six that notion entirely--throwing off any hope of trying to ensconce into that one entirely.
Stories of the Dead Earth may be a little easier on the surface (based on its fantasy orbits), but the storyline elements itself may prove to be a migraine for even the most enthusiastic entrepreneurs of "copy and paste".
If there is one thing I enjoy doing the most, it is to make my work as layered as possible.
I know most people will complain in the near-future that my works are to "wordy" for their tastes, but this is the way I approach my writing. Prose should be used to tell a story; not to limit oneself by getting your point across in the fewest words possible. (Where's the fun in that? lol)
With Stories of the Dead Earth, I took my cues from both fantasy, religion, and a multitude of my favorite RPG games--and combined that knowledge to create what has become a very fun and exciting adventure!
Most aspiring writers only look at the one thing which they like about their favorite author; the one thing which they want to adopt and integrate into their own works.
Not what makes that book so universally recognizable under the surface.
There is so much more to writing a novel or copying someone else--than just first-time impressions.
"I want to write horror like Stephen King!" I hear from the majority of new writers.
"I want to write a book like JK Rowling!" (Personally, I hope not. 10 years of dealing with that insane book craze is enough for me. Can we go onto something else that won't make my hair go gray prematurely? lol)
But do they know how to write those kinds of books or what it takes to reach that kind of level of professionalism?
Most likely not.
Which brings me back to my own books. I know enough of my own storylines and plots to see where everything is going to fit--not to mention all the deep-seated nuances and inflections contained within. People can try and copy what is The Starchild, what is The Price of Freedom (good luck going for that 1 million words kids!), but unless you can truly understand what I am trying to write--or what King and Rowling wrote and published--the best you can come away with is more of a pale copy of the original--that is nowhere near as good.
This is why I am such an ardant advocate of sticking with what works for you; while trying to stay as original to your books as close as possible.
Unfortunately, few people ever listen to me anyways. It's like I'm talking to a brick wall or a room full of deaf people. (No offense to the deaf!)
Showing posts with label word count. Show all posts
Showing posts with label word count. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
THURSDAY'S MUSINGS. (PART 2)
Status: Writing Chapter 16 to Stories of the Dead Earth-Book 3: Jasper
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Nothing at the moment. (News hasn't started.)
Listening to: "Sugar Steps" by Kama Sutra; Visions of Ibiza--Disc 1.
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: BUCKING THE TREND
As I discussed earlier at the beginning of the last entry, there are people out there who want to either sanitize or severely trim my books so that they read better, sound better, and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I remember coming across someone yesterday in one of my writer groups; telling everyone that her book was 195,000 words, but she managed to get it down to 120,000.
She said that it sounded better, read better, and was more "action-packed".
The sad thing about this example is this writer may not even know her own true potential--if she keeps axing out all the important parts to her novel; if she keeps streamlining her work to fit a standard template for publishing.
I've seen this many times over the years, where writers have novels ranging from 150K to as much as 300K--but in the end...?
They end up taking so much out of it.
And for what? To fit in?
The point of being a writer isn't to destroy what you've gone and created for the sake of money, the premise of being traditionally published, and the potential to become one of those famous authors who can live independently on their own self-absorbed income.
The point is to tell a story. To build a foundation for yourself and your work.
Naturally, I have people tell me that I cannot hold onto everything I write, but I do--because I am telling a story. Not just writing a novel.
The use of words is more than just an illustrious example of going for the Big Cheese and impressing your peeps on the internet.
We use them to express ourselves, to illustrate our creations, and most importantly--to tell a story.
But if we strive to limit ourselves in our pursuits of that, then we limit ourselves in our own potential as a writer.
How do we profess to be published authors, if we continue to take out the most important parts to our novels--by toning down our words, trimming out every bit of prose and replace it with choppy; non-connected sentences and phrases?
It may look good and passable to the untrained eye, but for those of us whom write and weave our tales into telling tomes which enrapture our respective audiences...?
Inside, I'm screaming!
For example?
In my first generation version of The Starchild, there is a scene between Isis and Bayen at a place called Observation Park.
This is the first opening sentence to it:
"...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been to. The trees in the park gave way to a translucent dome that showed a panorama of stars and a pure white moon..."
To anyone reading this, this would sound okay, right?
Wrong!
This opening paragraph just sucks! Why? Because it doesn't show anything!
It doesn't go into depth, doesn't express the whole feeling of actually being there, and doesn't impart anything important to the reader.
It lacks detail, it lacks depth, and it lacks impact.
But this example is what publishers want for their books! Overall, the majority of the novels we read today are done in this particular format.
This streamlined example is what goes into most writers' exposes when they complete their books.
Here is the updated version to that same scene. And while you may instantly notice that there is no mention of the dome, the trees, or the stars in the opening scene, most of what went into Observation Park's description had been taken out for something more sublime and easier to assimiliate:
"...The very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world. From her point of view, that’s exactly what it was. And this raw sense of feeling left her breathless as a result..."
What's changed between the two examples? Quite a bit!
In the 10 years since this book was completed, the style and voice in which I had been stuck with had suddenly transformed into something which exudes more confidence, more imagination, and more emotion.
The first opening words to the first example: "...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been in..."--had been replaced with, "...the very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world..."
4-5 years ago--this particular change had taken place because I had started to see things differently about the way I was writing. It wasn't something which I was desperate for, but it was a natural evolution in my abilities and writing.
And I took that opportunity in May of 2003 to reconstruct The Starchild completely from scratch by rewriting the 2nd draft version into something new.
But this new version was much different than the old-version. The old version was more compact, more direct--and didn't offer the reader a chance to do much of anything--except to plow right through the novel at a breakneck pace.
This second example illustrates how my writing style transformed into something else. Something which is lacking in the current media mainstream of novels.
The first example only used 2 short sentences to describe the opening scene (which was on page 105 of the first draft), and didn't use more than one powerword to impact the reader with. (Breathtaking)
The second rough example used three sentences to revamp the opening scene with (which was on page 480 of the third draft). But they aren't short sentences either. They are elaborately spun pieces of prose.
By drawing out the scene into something the reader can picture inside their heads, the reader can get a good, solid grasp of what's really going on.
This isn't what publishers really are after. They want books that are quick and to the point. Namely because readers these days have woefully short attention recall, and the older generation of readers aren't reading as much as they used to. (Not to mention that teens these days are spending more of their reading time on the 'net, on their games, and other techno-distractions--that reading has become something of a lost 'art' these days.)
The second example also uses a revamped version of breathtaking by using the word breathlessly to describe an emotional state.
When was the last time your character freely expressed themselves in one manner or another--rather than just blindly rushing through the whole scene or the process altogether?
Dollars to doughnuts, they haven't. And if they have, the moment in question was much too fleeting to pay it any mind; for both the author and the reader.
Oddly enough, I find that the second example needs some further tweaking--which is yet another clear example of my abilities evolving further still.
But...
The second example has been transformed from what was a bland form of writing into a more emotional core platform which gives Isis McGowan a sense of realism and physical presence.
Which the first example clearly lacked.
This is what is meant by "bucking the trend" in writing.
By doing something which rubs against the grain of conventional thought and due process.
This is what the industry and many of my critics are so dead set against wanting to see happen.
Being traditionally published may be good and all for the aspiring writer whom craves nothing more than their 15 minutes of fame, but what it will always boil down to is whether or not that published plebe has the ability to convey themselves well as a master story-teller.
Doing a rush job on the whole thing won't get any of us any closer to our said goals. Because once you write something and complete it, you really aren't finished with the project in question.
You're just starting a process that only scratches the surface.
If you really want to shine, then you have to really grasp what you've written. Not just how well it reads to you, but every little crack, every little nuance--until (at some point)--you're really certain that this is what you first envisioned when you started out.
Because if it isn't...?
Then you still have a lot of work ahead of you until you do.
And that's the truth.
Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; answering e-mails; working out
Watching: Nothing at the moment. (News hasn't started.)
Listening to: "Sugar Steps" by Kama Sutra; Visions of Ibiza--Disc 1.
Reading: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (Page 123)
TOPIC: BUCKING THE TREND
As I discussed earlier at the beginning of the last entry, there are people out there who want to either sanitize or severely trim my books so that they read better, sound better, and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I remember coming across someone yesterday in one of my writer groups; telling everyone that her book was 195,000 words, but she managed to get it down to 120,000.
She said that it sounded better, read better, and was more "action-packed".
The sad thing about this example is this writer may not even know her own true potential--if she keeps axing out all the important parts to her novel; if she keeps streamlining her work to fit a standard template for publishing.
I've seen this many times over the years, where writers have novels ranging from 150K to as much as 300K--but in the end...?
They end up taking so much out of it.
And for what? To fit in?
The point of being a writer isn't to destroy what you've gone and created for the sake of money, the premise of being traditionally published, and the potential to become one of those famous authors who can live independently on their own self-absorbed income.
The point is to tell a story. To build a foundation for yourself and your work.
Naturally, I have people tell me that I cannot hold onto everything I write, but I do--because I am telling a story. Not just writing a novel.
The use of words is more than just an illustrious example of going for the Big Cheese and impressing your peeps on the internet.
We use them to express ourselves, to illustrate our creations, and most importantly--to tell a story.
But if we strive to limit ourselves in our pursuits of that, then we limit ourselves in our own potential as a writer.
How do we profess to be published authors, if we continue to take out the most important parts to our novels--by toning down our words, trimming out every bit of prose and replace it with choppy; non-connected sentences and phrases?
It may look good and passable to the untrained eye, but for those of us whom write and weave our tales into telling tomes which enrapture our respective audiences...?
Inside, I'm screaming!
For example?
In my first generation version of The Starchild, there is a scene between Isis and Bayen at a place called Observation Park.
This is the first opening sentence to it:
"...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been to. The trees in the park gave way to a translucent dome that showed a panorama of stars and a pure white moon..."
To anyone reading this, this would sound okay, right?
Wrong!
This opening paragraph just sucks! Why? Because it doesn't show anything!
It doesn't go into depth, doesn't express the whole feeling of actually being there, and doesn't impart anything important to the reader.
It lacks detail, it lacks depth, and it lacks impact.
But this example is what publishers want for their books! Overall, the majority of the novels we read today are done in this particular format.
This streamlined example is what goes into most writers' exposes when they complete their books.
Here is the updated version to that same scene. And while you may instantly notice that there is no mention of the dome, the trees, or the stars in the opening scene, most of what went into Observation Park's description had been taken out for something more sublime and easier to assimiliate:
"...The very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world. From her point of view, that’s exactly what it was. And this raw sense of feeling left her breathless as a result..."
What's changed between the two examples? Quite a bit!
In the 10 years since this book was completed, the style and voice in which I had been stuck with had suddenly transformed into something which exudes more confidence, more imagination, and more emotion.
The first opening words to the first example: "...it was the most breathtaking place she had ever been in..."--had been replaced with, "...the very second the doors opened, Isis felt like she was walking into another world..."
4-5 years ago--this particular change had taken place because I had started to see things differently about the way I was writing. It wasn't something which I was desperate for, but it was a natural evolution in my abilities and writing.
And I took that opportunity in May of 2003 to reconstruct The Starchild completely from scratch by rewriting the 2nd draft version into something new.
But this new version was much different than the old-version. The old version was more compact, more direct--and didn't offer the reader a chance to do much of anything--except to plow right through the novel at a breakneck pace.
This second example illustrates how my writing style transformed into something else. Something which is lacking in the current media mainstream of novels.
The first example only used 2 short sentences to describe the opening scene (which was on page 105 of the first draft), and didn't use more than one powerword to impact the reader with. (Breathtaking)
The second rough example used three sentences to revamp the opening scene with (which was on page 480 of the third draft). But they aren't short sentences either. They are elaborately spun pieces of prose.
By drawing out the scene into something the reader can picture inside their heads, the reader can get a good, solid grasp of what's really going on.
This isn't what publishers really are after. They want books that are quick and to the point. Namely because readers these days have woefully short attention recall, and the older generation of readers aren't reading as much as they used to. (Not to mention that teens these days are spending more of their reading time on the 'net, on their games, and other techno-distractions--that reading has become something of a lost 'art' these days.)
The second example also uses a revamped version of breathtaking by using the word breathlessly to describe an emotional state.
When was the last time your character freely expressed themselves in one manner or another--rather than just blindly rushing through the whole scene or the process altogether?
Dollars to doughnuts, they haven't. And if they have, the moment in question was much too fleeting to pay it any mind; for both the author and the reader.
Oddly enough, I find that the second example needs some further tweaking--which is yet another clear example of my abilities evolving further still.
But...
The second example has been transformed from what was a bland form of writing into a more emotional core platform which gives Isis McGowan a sense of realism and physical presence.
Which the first example clearly lacked.
This is what is meant by "bucking the trend" in writing.
By doing something which rubs against the grain of conventional thought and due process.
This is what the industry and many of my critics are so dead set against wanting to see happen.
Being traditionally published may be good and all for the aspiring writer whom craves nothing more than their 15 minutes of fame, but what it will always boil down to is whether or not that published plebe has the ability to convey themselves well as a master story-teller.
Doing a rush job on the whole thing won't get any of us any closer to our said goals. Because once you write something and complete it, you really aren't finished with the project in question.
You're just starting a process that only scratches the surface.
If you really want to shine, then you have to really grasp what you've written. Not just how well it reads to you, but every little crack, every little nuance--until (at some point)--you're really certain that this is what you first envisioned when you started out.
Because if it isn't...?
Then you still have a lot of work ahead of you until you do.
And that's the truth.
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