I'm now onto Chapter Twenty Six of CHERUBIM, and the story is just about to hit the final phase. The big climactic ending is coming. Or, at least, what I hope is going to be a big and climactic ending anyway.
This is very likely to be a very long multi-chapter scene that I'm actually going to have to plan out a little bit. That's probably going to take up a good portion of the next writing session is just planning out where I want to go and how I want to get there. I have quite a few ideas, but I'm not sure what I'm going to fully do as of yet. But it will be helpful in getting a rough idea of the flow of things.
I generally don't do much of an outline before I start writing. It's more of a bare bones type of approach where I just map out the very basics of this is the main plot, this is the villain, I want the story to start here, end here and maybe put in a few scenes in between that I know have to/want to put into the story. Then I just basically start writing and go from there and see how everything fits together when it comes out.
I really don't map out scenes, I like letting them flow out, then go back and tinker with them afterwards, but this time it's going to include a lot of people so I have to be sure I'm able to keep track of who and what is where. Plus there's this particular part I'm going to need to have written, so I'm going to need to make sure everything is kind of working around and with that part of the scene. It's kind of integral to the plot and how everything all has been building too and working from. So it is kind of necessary.
Other than that, we are steadily moving into the endgame. Should be fun, and hopefully it turns out how I want it to. I'd hate to have to do a major rewrite when I'm so close to the end of the first part of the process.
Independent Novelist of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Nightwalker Cover update
I did a little bit of tweaking on the cover of Nightwalker after a conversation I had last night. There's an old saying about judging a book by its cover that is unfortunately very true in the publishing industry.
While the original cover wasn't bad per se, it was a bit too simplistic. And with the changes I've been doing with the cover for Cherubim, I'd like to have a nice even theme going for the series on how they look outwardly.
The cover is the first thing people see when they look at a book, and its what they use to judge whether they want to pick it up and look more closely at it or not. So its always good to put your best foot forward so to speak. Plus, this is going to help unify the overarching look of the series as a whole.
It's not a complete change, but it does look different, and better in my opinion. I've already gotten a little bit more interest since uploading the new cover, so we'll have to see where this goes.
Looks good though.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Heading into the Finale
I'm coming into the final stretch here. it was another light day, but I managed to actually get things set up for the next chapter where we can start the final push towards the end. I'm thinking this next part is going to take a few chapters just to set the final scene, and get everyone in place where I want them to be.
I'm pretty sure the finale for CHERUBIM is going to be pretty long, there is a lot of things that I'm going to have to get through to close out the story while keeping other things open, and possibly opening up new threads.
Well, there are a few threads that are purposely going to be unanswered, because I'm going to need them to lead somewhere sometime down the road. I'm just not sure when that is going to be. But i do have a plan in mind, and an overarching plot is starting to take form. At least in my head anyways. That's probably going to be a long ways away however.
In the meantime, I've been steadily working and sending out review copies of NIGHTWALKER, while I've been busily setting up other things on the back end to keep this whole thing moving forward. Who knew how much work behind the scenes all of this was going to be. It's worth it though, and for now I'm enjoying the process. Whether it gets anywhere or not is anyone's guess.
But i'll have all night to plan things and roll things over in my head. I think I've got the beginnings in my head for something I want to do with Heaven. I want her to grow and evolve, but I don't want it to be too fast or too forced. She's gotta improve herself naturally. Any other way just wont look right, and will probably screw something else up in the end.
On another note, I think I've pretty much finalized the new cover. We'll see how it looks later on.May need a few more tweaks, but I can worry about that later. So much to do.
I'm pretty sure the finale for CHERUBIM is going to be pretty long, there is a lot of things that I'm going to have to get through to close out the story while keeping other things open, and possibly opening up new threads.
Well, there are a few threads that are purposely going to be unanswered, because I'm going to need them to lead somewhere sometime down the road. I'm just not sure when that is going to be. But i do have a plan in mind, and an overarching plot is starting to take form. At least in my head anyways. That's probably going to be a long ways away however.
In the meantime, I've been steadily working and sending out review copies of NIGHTWALKER, while I've been busily setting up other things on the back end to keep this whole thing moving forward. Who knew how much work behind the scenes all of this was going to be. It's worth it though, and for now I'm enjoying the process. Whether it gets anywhere or not is anyone's guess.
But i'll have all night to plan things and roll things over in my head. I think I've got the beginnings in my head for something I want to do with Heaven. I want her to grow and evolve, but I don't want it to be too fast or too forced. She's gotta improve herself naturally. Any other way just wont look right, and will probably screw something else up in the end.
On another note, I think I've pretty much finalized the new cover. We'll see how it looks later on.May need a few more tweaks, but I can worry about that later. So much to do.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Light Day
It was a light day today. It took me far longer than it should have to finishing up just a single chapter today, but I did finally get something done. I feel it was necessary to deal with and finish up the fallout from a few chapters earlier. I'm not sure how far this is going to go, but I have to start getting things set up for the next few chapters, and the final act of CHERUBIM.
I hit almost 70k with this chapter, and I've still got quite a ways to go. Book II is definitely going to be a bit longer than NIGHTWALKER is. This is actually a pretty good thing in my opinion. I'm getting back into the flow of writing and the story that's coming out is showing it. Hopefully I'm improving in my writing too.
Only time will tell on that part, but I'd like to think my writing skills are improving even if it's only a bit by bit. I'm also improving the cover for CHERUBIM too, I think I've gotten a pretty good feel for the novel cover, and I may have just a little bit of tinkering to do on it still, but I think all in all, I'm pretty satisfied with how it all turned out.
Things are coming together, and it's almost time to start the next phase of the novel writing process. But that's for a later date, as I've some work left to do on the first draft before I can continue on. Still, the project is coming together better than I expected.
I hit almost 70k with this chapter, and I've still got quite a ways to go. Book II is definitely going to be a bit longer than NIGHTWALKER is. This is actually a pretty good thing in my opinion. I'm getting back into the flow of writing and the story that's coming out is showing it. Hopefully I'm improving in my writing too.
Only time will tell on that part, but I'd like to think my writing skills are improving even if it's only a bit by bit. I'm also improving the cover for CHERUBIM too, I think I've gotten a pretty good feel for the novel cover, and I may have just a little bit of tinkering to do on it still, but I think all in all, I'm pretty satisfied with how it all turned out.
Things are coming together, and it's almost time to start the next phase of the novel writing process. But that's for a later date, as I've some work left to do on the first draft before I can continue on. Still, the project is coming together better than I expected.
Dream Sequence
I decided to go ahead and try out the dream sequence that I've been mulling over for a few chapters now. And I've gotta say, so far it turned out pretty good. I think I captured just the right amount of creepy mixed in with a bit of illusion and mind control. Plus, when added on to the other two chapters I managed to get through in the last 24 hours, I think it adds a nice little bit of character development for two of the three antagonists in the story.
And I think I'm slowly but surely getting into the endgame now. At least for the first run through draft in any case. As I'm writing, I'm still making notations about what has to be revised earlier in the story, and what changes the plans I have for later chapters. The first part is going to have to wait until everything is all said and done. The second part, well that's a work in progress.
Poor little Heaven though, is still going through a lot. Reminds me of something I read a long time ago about writing good characters and good stories. Pick a character, then beat them up, put them through hell, and beat them up some more.
A good story is about how the characters deal with the situations that are thrown at them. Reminds me of one of Mercedes Lackey's characters from her Last Herald Mage series. Boy did she beat the living hell out of Vanyel over and over again. Now I'm not doing that much to Heaven, but she's still being put through a lot of psychological torment. As I write, she seems to be dealing with it well enough, don't want to leave any lasting damage that I can't eventually repair after all. The finale is going to cause her enough pain emotionally as it is. May have to dial that back some, or give a particular burden to someone else instead. Haven't quite decided yet. Will have to see how it all feels when I get to that part.
If I do put Heaven through that last little bit of torment, I may have to give her a little break next time through. Don't want to break the little kitty. I'm not that mean.
Still working on the other side of this whole writing thing. Working on everything behind the curtains waiting for a few reviews of NIGHTWALKER I put in for to come through, and hopefully all the work I've been doing will pay off. It's slow going, but that's kinda how it goes with this sorta thing. Got to just keep at it.
And I think I'm slowly but surely getting into the endgame now. At least for the first run through draft in any case. As I'm writing, I'm still making notations about what has to be revised earlier in the story, and what changes the plans I have for later chapters. The first part is going to have to wait until everything is all said and done. The second part, well that's a work in progress.
Poor little Heaven though, is still going through a lot. Reminds me of something I read a long time ago about writing good characters and good stories. Pick a character, then beat them up, put them through hell, and beat them up some more.
A good story is about how the characters deal with the situations that are thrown at them. Reminds me of one of Mercedes Lackey's characters from her Last Herald Mage series. Boy did she beat the living hell out of Vanyel over and over again. Now I'm not doing that much to Heaven, but she's still being put through a lot of psychological torment. As I write, she seems to be dealing with it well enough, don't want to leave any lasting damage that I can't eventually repair after all. The finale is going to cause her enough pain emotionally as it is. May have to dial that back some, or give a particular burden to someone else instead. Haven't quite decided yet. Will have to see how it all feels when I get to that part.
If I do put Heaven through that last little bit of torment, I may have to give her a little break next time through. Don't want to break the little kitty. I'm not that mean.
Still working on the other side of this whole writing thing. Working on everything behind the curtains waiting for a few reviews of NIGHTWALKER I put in for to come through, and hopefully all the work I've been doing will pay off. It's slow going, but that's kinda how it goes with this sorta thing. Got to just keep at it.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Midway Point
I managed to get 2.5 chapters done today, passed the 60k mark, and I think I'm just a little bit past the midway point in the story. Maybe a little further than that, I'm not altogether sure yet. I'm going to have to wait and see what develops as I continue writing.
I do know the current scene I'm on is going to be at least one more chapter, maybe two more so I've still got a ways to go on it before I'm finished. Then after that I may go into the dream sequence part, but the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking I may just leave that part out. Still not 100% set on it either way, and I am wavering back and forth. I'm just wondering what it would add to the story if I put it in, or what the story would be missing if I left it out.
What I've got in mind for the dream sequence might bring a bit more tension into the story, and create a bit more of a need for quick action, but I'm just not sure about it still. If anything, I may just write it out separately and see how it works out before I make my final decision. I mean, if I do it right, it'll come off as all nasty and creepy, and that's what I want. That would mean though having to do a lot of adjusting to the parts that would come after it to make the whole thing fit. So, not entirely sure yet.
I got a lot of work done, and I'm pretty happy with it so far. As I get further into the story I see parts that are going to have to be revised, cut, or added to from previous chapters. But that's later down the road. Still got a lot going on before i get to that point, so outside of making notes here and there, I'm not worrying about it much.
Poor Heaven though, she's growing and evolving, but I'm putting her through quite a lot in CHERUBIM. I may have to give her a break soon. Maybe not in this story, but maybe the next one. Who knows.
I do know the current scene I'm on is going to be at least one more chapter, maybe two more so I've still got a ways to go on it before I'm finished. Then after that I may go into the dream sequence part, but the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking I may just leave that part out. Still not 100% set on it either way, and I am wavering back and forth. I'm just wondering what it would add to the story if I put it in, or what the story would be missing if I left it out.
What I've got in mind for the dream sequence might bring a bit more tension into the story, and create a bit more of a need for quick action, but I'm just not sure about it still. If anything, I may just write it out separately and see how it works out before I make my final decision. I mean, if I do it right, it'll come off as all nasty and creepy, and that's what I want. That would mean though having to do a lot of adjusting to the parts that would come after it to make the whole thing fit. So, not entirely sure yet.
I got a lot of work done, and I'm pretty happy with it so far. As I get further into the story I see parts that are going to have to be revised, cut, or added to from previous chapters. But that's later down the road. Still got a lot going on before i get to that point, so outside of making notes here and there, I'm not worrying about it much.
Poor Heaven though, she's growing and evolving, but I'm putting her through quite a lot in CHERUBIM. I may have to give her a break soon. Maybe not in this story, but maybe the next one. Who knows.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Moving Forward
I had a few false starts in my writing sessions tonight. I managed to finish up Chapter Fifteen, but it took a while to get started on Sixteen. I kept having to delete and restart over and over again. It all came down to trying to make up my mind on how I wanted the chapter to start, and more importantly who I wanted the chapter to start with.
I went through a few ideas, one of which is a dream sequence, that i think I'm going to use a little bit later if I can manage to figure out how to go on from there. But I did manage to get it all sorted out, and it's probably going to change a bit when I go through the revision process, but the important thing is to get the words down on paper. Metaphorically since I'm on a computer of course.
Chapter Sixteen is a little bit of the fallout from the previous chapters, and a bit of character building with the new werewolves that have been added to Flavius' repertoire in this book. It's just a small pack, but I think they're going to be very important to the story moving forward in this book and beyond. I'm really liking how the Alpha female is turning out so far. Hopefully that continues.
The next part I'm going to have to deal with more vampires and all their politics than just Flavius and Seraph. Hopefully I can manage to work through it well enough that it adds to the story , and does a bit of world building rather than just being filler. But i have high hopes for what I've got in mind. I'll have to see how it all turns out though.
On another note, I got myself a new tool, a new add-on for Open Office that I've used a little bit on the first chapter, and it looks like its going to be really handy and very helpful during the revision process. Might make things go a bit smoother anyways. That's my hope. And hopefully it helps me evolve and improve as a writer regardless.
Already up to 51k words so far, and maybe 1/3 of the way through. Maybe a bit more. this is actually going really well. I'm really proud of it so far.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Three Chapter Scene
So, it's looking at this scene that I'm working on it going to be over three chapters long. That's three chapters just for the action, and probably going to end up with at least another chapter added on for the aftermath. There's a few casualties in this one, so that's going to have to be dealt with in some fashion before I can move on and continue with the next part of the story.
And I'm remembering that this is just the first run through, the first draft of CHERUBIM, and when I go through it a second time in revision and editing phase, it's probably going to grow a little bit more when I add some things, remove other sections, and flesh the details out a bit more. Right now I'm just going with the flow and getting everything out, then I gotta go back around and make everything a bit more presentable.
How that's going to turn out, I don't know yet, and it may end up looking very different than I have it right now. As it is, this section of CHERUBIM is pretty violent and bloody. I may end up lessening or expanding that aspect depending on what I do with what precedes this section. Don't know yet. Will have to look into it when I get to that point in the writing process.
On another note, I'm going to have to go over and redo everything I have, or thought i had, all planned out for the cover. With the formatting change, mainly because I thought the dimensions of the NIGHTWALKER paperback were a little off to me, it takes revisions. The cover was going off the notion that the book was a certain size, and now that I've made that a bit smaller, the cover dimensions change. So that's going to be fun.
Can't really just resize it, because that would just make everything all messy. Going to probably have to redo the whole thing. But i'm sure I'll figure something out.
And I'm remembering that this is just the first run through, the first draft of CHERUBIM, and when I go through it a second time in revision and editing phase, it's probably going to grow a little bit more when I add some things, remove other sections, and flesh the details out a bit more. Right now I'm just going with the flow and getting everything out, then I gotta go back around and make everything a bit more presentable.
How that's going to turn out, I don't know yet, and it may end up looking very different than I have it right now. As it is, this section of CHERUBIM is pretty violent and bloody. I may end up lessening or expanding that aspect depending on what I do with what precedes this section. Don't know yet. Will have to look into it when I get to that point in the writing process.
On another note, I'm going to have to go over and redo everything I have, or thought i had, all planned out for the cover. With the formatting change, mainly because I thought the dimensions of the NIGHTWALKER paperback were a little off to me, it takes revisions. The cover was going off the notion that the book was a certain size, and now that I've made that a bit smaller, the cover dimensions change. So that's going to be fun.
Can't really just resize it, because that would just make everything all messy. Going to probably have to redo the whole thing. But i'm sure I'll figure something out.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Going and going.
Chapter Fourteen of CHERUBIM is well on its way. A pretty violent and bloody little scene if I do say so myself. Still got quite a lot to go on it still, and unfortunately, no time left tonight to finish it up. The need to pay bills means I have to set everything aside for now, and come back at it tomorrow all fresh and ready.
Hopefully anyways.
I did get my paperback copies of NIGHTWALKER today. Not quite what I expected. They turned out great. The cover looks all glossy and neat looking, doesn't seem to be any print errors. But, for 197 pages, its a bit thin and at 6x9, definitely not what I was expecting. So I'm having to make some adjustments to CHERUBIM's formatting, particularly the font size and all that, to make it presentable for a smaller 5x8 which is more the size I was expecting from a paperback.
Oh well.
It's still a really good feeling being able to hold my own book in my hands though. This is gonna be with me the whole rest of the night.
Hopefully anyways.
I did get my paperback copies of NIGHTWALKER today. Not quite what I expected. They turned out great. The cover looks all glossy and neat looking, doesn't seem to be any print errors. But, for 197 pages, its a bit thin and at 6x9, definitely not what I was expecting. So I'm having to make some adjustments to CHERUBIM's formatting, particularly the font size and all that, to make it presentable for a smaller 5x8 which is more the size I was expecting from a paperback.
Oh well.
It's still a really good feeling being able to hold my own book in my hands though. This is gonna be with me the whole rest of the night.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Progress, is Progress
Now that the weekend is over, once again my writing time for the week is going to be limited due to having to go and do my night job. That's OK. I' think I've made quite a bit of progress today. I've got the stage set up for whats probably going to be a 2-3 chapter action type scene. And that's not even going to be the last of the action scenes or anywhere near to the climax of the story of CHERUBIM
I've actually got something in mind for a dream-like sequence that may, or may not make it into the book. It's an idea that I may try out and see if it works. It might be a good idea, but then again, it may not fit in with everything else I have going or have got planned.
Heaven is at least being a bit more proactive this time around, and I hope that's going to be some character growth that moves forward with her. Admittedly though, I like how Heaven is right now, and don't want to change her and her personality to much. Get her out of her fear of everything, definitely, change to much of her playful personality, nah I think I'll keep that part.
On the plus side, I think I'm getting the cover of CHERUBIM looking pretty good. It needs a bit more refinement, but I still got plenty of time for that. It's looking good though. I'm even getting ideas for the next in the series too.
Which, by the way, CHERUBIM is giving me ideas to go off of for the next book. I've already got a basic idea of what's going to happen going forward, but I'm having to wait until after I'm done with CHERUBIM to move forward with that. Things in this book, are definitely going to change circumstances that will lead to the next book. It's going to change a lot for the secondary plot I got an idea for at the very least.
It's going to be a fun ride one way or another.
On a side note, been selling a few copies of the Kindle edition, and got quite a few copies out for review, so hopefully that will turn into something good. Let's hope so anyways.
I've actually got something in mind for a dream-like sequence that may, or may not make it into the book. It's an idea that I may try out and see if it works. It might be a good idea, but then again, it may not fit in with everything else I have going or have got planned.
Heaven is at least being a bit more proactive this time around, and I hope that's going to be some character growth that moves forward with her. Admittedly though, I like how Heaven is right now, and don't want to change her and her personality to much. Get her out of her fear of everything, definitely, change to much of her playful personality, nah I think I'll keep that part.
On the plus side, I think I'm getting the cover of CHERUBIM looking pretty good. It needs a bit more refinement, but I still got plenty of time for that. It's looking good though. I'm even getting ideas for the next in the series too.
Which, by the way, CHERUBIM is giving me ideas to go off of for the next book. I've already got a basic idea of what's going to happen going forward, but I'm having to wait until after I'm done with CHERUBIM to move forward with that. Things in this book, are definitely going to change circumstances that will lead to the next book. It's going to change a lot for the secondary plot I got an idea for at the very least.
It's going to be a fun ride one way or another.
On a side note, been selling a few copies of the Kindle edition, and got quite a few copies out for review, so hopefully that will turn into something good. Let's hope so anyways.
Drama Out The Way
I think I've finally gotten a hold of the necessary drama that needed to be dealt with the last few chapters. As bad as it seemed initially going in, I think it's going to end up moving the story in a good direction. It forced a character to do something they normally wouldn't do, because of the fallout from said drama. Which is going to lead to some very interesting scenes coming up next.
Which, if i planned this out right, is going to involve quite a bit of action, lots of blood, and more than likely a whole lot of fire. So that'll be interesting. CHERUBIM is going really good so far, and is turning out better than expected. I am so not complaining about that.
That being said, I've got quite a few review copies out, so i can add at least some editorial reviews to the book details for NIGHTWALKER. And quite a few other people have picked up copies as well to read, and hopefully be inspired to give reviews and/or critiques.
It actually feels pretty good knowing that people are picking up, reading, and hopefully enjoying what I've written. I know though, can't please everyone, so I'm just taking everything as it comes. But so far so good.
Still waiting on the paperback copies to arrive. Hopefully sometime this week between TUES -THURS. That would be good. Be able to hold a physical copy of all of my work in my hands, and be able to feel the pages. That's going to be a good feeling. And something I've always wanted to be able to do.
As always though, one step at a time.
Which, if i planned this out right, is going to involve quite a bit of action, lots of blood, and more than likely a whole lot of fire. So that'll be interesting. CHERUBIM is going really good so far, and is turning out better than expected. I am so not complaining about that.
That being said, I've got quite a few review copies out, so i can add at least some editorial reviews to the book details for NIGHTWALKER. And quite a few other people have picked up copies as well to read, and hopefully be inspired to give reviews and/or critiques.
It actually feels pretty good knowing that people are picking up, reading, and hopefully enjoying what I've written. I know though, can't please everyone, so I'm just taking everything as it comes. But so far so good.
Still waiting on the paperback copies to arrive. Hopefully sometime this week between TUES -THURS. That would be good. Be able to hold a physical copy of all of my work in my hands, and be able to feel the pages. That's going to be a good feeling. And something I've always wanted to be able to do.
As always though, one step at a time.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
When Characters Don't Play Nice Together.
Chapter Nine of CHERUBIM is done for now. Took a lot longer than I expected or wanted it to, and I'll still probably have to go back and do a bit of revisions when I get to that step. I wanted to move past everything between Kore and Flavius, but then I realized, that's not going to happen. I'm going to need to deal with a little bit of fallout, so that's turning into Chapter Ten.
I probably should have envisioned Kore being a little more sensible, her stubbornness is becoming a real pain to deal with. But it's part of who she is, and at least as far as CHERUBIM is concerned, it's going to lead to a better narrative because it's giving me the perfect opportunity for Heaven to grow as a character. But still, it is a pain to have to write. Fun, in its own twisted way, but difficult.
True, I could change the characters to fit the story, but then it becomes forced. It's more natural for the characters to dictate how the story unfolds. Within reason anyways. And sometimes, doing that gives opportunities that you hadn't really thought of until they flew out and smacked you in the face.
Chapter Ten is about halfway done, and it's looking like it's going to lead into the next chapter going in a direction I hadn't thought of. Which is a good thing. It's going to pick things up quite a bit, and force some choices on a few characters. Whether they make good choices I don't know yet, I'll get there when I get there. Either way, it'll probably make for a good story.
Can't have everything going right all the time anyways.
On top of that, I'm trying to work on and settle on how the cover is going to look. Not sure if I like any of the ideas so far, but that is coming along nicely. It's fine for right now, still got a whole hell of a lot of time before its needed, but it's good to have an idea of how things are going to look.
We'll see.
I probably should have envisioned Kore being a little more sensible, her stubbornness is becoming a real pain to deal with. But it's part of who she is, and at least as far as CHERUBIM is concerned, it's going to lead to a better narrative because it's giving me the perfect opportunity for Heaven to grow as a character. But still, it is a pain to have to write. Fun, in its own twisted way, but difficult.
True, I could change the characters to fit the story, but then it becomes forced. It's more natural for the characters to dictate how the story unfolds. Within reason anyways. And sometimes, doing that gives opportunities that you hadn't really thought of until they flew out and smacked you in the face.
Chapter Ten is about halfway done, and it's looking like it's going to lead into the next chapter going in a direction I hadn't thought of. Which is a good thing. It's going to pick things up quite a bit, and force some choices on a few characters. Whether they make good choices I don't know yet, I'll get there when I get there. Either way, it'll probably make for a good story.
Can't have everything going right all the time anyways.
On top of that, I'm trying to work on and settle on how the cover is going to look. Not sure if I like any of the ideas so far, but that is coming along nicely. It's fine for right now, still got a whole hell of a lot of time before its needed, but it's good to have an idea of how things are going to look.
We'll see.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Character Issues
Still find myself going through Chapters 7 and 8 and doing a bit of fiddling with them here and there. I keep having to go back and revise little bits of them because while I'm doing other things, little thoughts and ideas appear in my head and I have to go back and see if they're going to fit in , or actually work with what I have so far, and with what I have planned in the future.
What it's doing is making it very slow going in progressing any farther into the story than I'm already at. And it's becoming a little bit of a problem. I'm going to have to force myself to stop, and move on with the story. If I have to go back later during the editing/revision phase, then I'll do that. But i can't be letting all this impede and progress on the story itself.
So Chapters 1-8 are being put aside for the time being, and I am going to focus on Chapter 9 and past that. Which may prove to be its own problem. What I initially intended to be a simple conversation between Flavius and Kore about Heaven, is apparently going to end up being a little bit more involved and heated than I foresaw. I'm not sure if I want to go that route or not. The incident that spawned it is part of the main plot, but the fallout so to speak is more of a continuing the overall storyline of what I have in mind for the series, rather than a specific plot point. So I'm not sure about keeping it, or saving it for later.
Problem I have, is that Event A, has to effect Event B, and so on and so forth. If I want everything to logically fit together, the character reactions have to be taken into account. And yeah, I could alter the characters to fit the story, but that never works out for me. I much prefer the characters, and how they see things, what they do, changing the story and the world around them. It seems more natural and realistic that way. At least to me.
The characters have evolved and grown from what I first envisioned them, and I know them all, even ones not even mentioned yet, enough to know how they are going to react to certain situations. This causes issues when I want something for the story, that the characters themselves aren't going to cooperate with. So I have to make adjustments here and there to get around that.
I could for example, have Kore instantly trust Flavius and everything he does. It would just mean completely changing her character into something recognizable. Her mistrust of vampires, and Flavius specifically, is a part of who she is. And something hopefully I can get her to grow out of organically. Otherwise, it just feels forced to me.
Characters have to do what is in character for them. Even if it means more work for me trying to figure out how to make it all work. Flipping a switch on a character and making them suddenly ok with something they shouldn't logically be ok with, is just lazy.
Always gotta do things the hard way.
What it's doing is making it very slow going in progressing any farther into the story than I'm already at. And it's becoming a little bit of a problem. I'm going to have to force myself to stop, and move on with the story. If I have to go back later during the editing/revision phase, then I'll do that. But i can't be letting all this impede and progress on the story itself.
So Chapters 1-8 are being put aside for the time being, and I am going to focus on Chapter 9 and past that. Which may prove to be its own problem. What I initially intended to be a simple conversation between Flavius and Kore about Heaven, is apparently going to end up being a little bit more involved and heated than I foresaw. I'm not sure if I want to go that route or not. The incident that spawned it is part of the main plot, but the fallout so to speak is more of a continuing the overall storyline of what I have in mind for the series, rather than a specific plot point. So I'm not sure about keeping it, or saving it for later.
Problem I have, is that Event A, has to effect Event B, and so on and so forth. If I want everything to logically fit together, the character reactions have to be taken into account. And yeah, I could alter the characters to fit the story, but that never works out for me. I much prefer the characters, and how they see things, what they do, changing the story and the world around them. It seems more natural and realistic that way. At least to me.
The characters have evolved and grown from what I first envisioned them, and I know them all, even ones not even mentioned yet, enough to know how they are going to react to certain situations. This causes issues when I want something for the story, that the characters themselves aren't going to cooperate with. So I have to make adjustments here and there to get around that.
I could for example, have Kore instantly trust Flavius and everything he does. It would just mean completely changing her character into something recognizable. Her mistrust of vampires, and Flavius specifically, is a part of who she is. And something hopefully I can get her to grow out of organically. Otherwise, it just feels forced to me.
Characters have to do what is in character for them. Even if it means more work for me trying to figure out how to make it all work. Flipping a switch on a character and making them suddenly ok with something they shouldn't logically be ok with, is just lazy.
Always gotta do things the hard way.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Insomnia Strikes Back
Haven't gotten a lot done today. Spent most of the morning trying to sleep before I gave up. So I got up and tried to do a little bit of writing, ended up going back and doing some light revisions on CHERUBIM. It's going to take me a long while to get things done at this rate.
On the bright side, I'll have the next three days after tonight to get some serious writing done. Hopefully I'll be able to do some serious writing.
27K down, who knows how much more to go.
On the bright side, I'll have the next three days after tonight to get some serious writing done. Hopefully I'll be able to do some serious writing.
27K down, who knows how much more to go.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Revisions
So, while I was working last night, I was going over what I'd written so far in Chapter Eight in my head, and it struck me that I already needed to clean some things up. Actually I have to clean up a few things perspective wise in a few of the previously written chapters, and I'll most likely have to go through the whole thing again at some point.
When I began writing CHERUBIM, I had an idea for a single perspective narrative, that now that I think about it , and now that I've started writing, probably isn't going to work. So I'm going to have to change some things up here and there to make it fit in better, and read better. It's really a real big pain is what it is.
Making changes right in the middle of writing, added to the decreased amount of time I have available to write is slowing things down quite a bit. I did manage to clean up and finish Chapter Eight, but that's about as far as I've been able to go tonight. At this rate, this book is going to take forever to finish.
But I look at it this way, I'm getting a pretty good rhythm down, and while it may seem slow to me, it may actually work out for the best as far as writing quality goes. So it may be a good thing. We'll have to see when how things go in the long run. I may have to change things up here and there.
So far, so good.
When I began writing CHERUBIM, I had an idea for a single perspective narrative, that now that I think about it , and now that I've started writing, probably isn't going to work. So I'm going to have to change some things up here and there to make it fit in better, and read better. It's really a real big pain is what it is.
Making changes right in the middle of writing, added to the decreased amount of time I have available to write is slowing things down quite a bit. I did manage to clean up and finish Chapter Eight, but that's about as far as I've been able to go tonight. At this rate, this book is going to take forever to finish.
But I look at it this way, I'm getting a pretty good rhythm down, and while it may seem slow to me, it may actually work out for the best as far as writing quality goes. So it may be a good thing. We'll have to see when how things go in the long run. I may have to change things up here and there.
So far, so good.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Editing
I did manage to run through Chapter Six of CHERUBIM. Turns out it wasn't as bad as I had initially thought last night, but it's still going to take some work when I get into the editing process later down the road. But I'll worry about that later.
Right now I'm just getting focused on making sure the story is progressing how I want it too. I don't make outlines all that much anymore, because, well I tend not to stick to them. Like at all. An idea will often pop into my head, that i think will make things more interesting, or better in some way, and I add it in, and it changes everything else that is going to come after it.
For example, working on Chapter Seven today, and I remembered that this would be the second incident at the Armory in as many months. Realistically, that can't be very good as far as the Authorities go. So I got two options, ignore it and just pretend its either all swept under the rug and no one notices, or deal with it and have Supernatural Affairs show up and be all angry.
I guess I could do it all off-screen so to speak, but that just seems like a cop out to me. I can do better than that. And it will let me introduce some concepts into the story that were in NIGHTWALKER but not really fleshed out.
It might be fun, but will have to see how it turns out. I may just end up scrapping the whole thing, but I hope I'm not going to have to. But who knows. It may work out perfectly. But this is why I don't use timelines. Planning to far ahead with my writing never seems to work out for me.
Right now I'm just getting focused on making sure the story is progressing how I want it too. I don't make outlines all that much anymore, because, well I tend not to stick to them. Like at all. An idea will often pop into my head, that i think will make things more interesting, or better in some way, and I add it in, and it changes everything else that is going to come after it.
For example, working on Chapter Seven today, and I remembered that this would be the second incident at the Armory in as many months. Realistically, that can't be very good as far as the Authorities go. So I got two options, ignore it and just pretend its either all swept under the rug and no one notices, or deal with it and have Supernatural Affairs show up and be all angry.
I guess I could do it all off-screen so to speak, but that just seems like a cop out to me. I can do better than that. And it will let me introduce some concepts into the story that were in NIGHTWALKER but not really fleshed out.
It might be fun, but will have to see how it turns out. I may just end up scrapping the whole thing, but I hope I'm not going to have to. But who knows. It may work out perfectly. But this is why I don't use timelines. Planning to far ahead with my writing never seems to work out for me.
Sleepy Chapter Six
Chapter Six of CHERUBIM is done in its first draft. I'm probably going to have to go back before I continue on, and do a whole lot of rewriting. I'm really not sure if I like what came out. It might be that I was tired when I started, and that didn't get any better as I was writing it. So the chances are I'm going to have to go back and do a massive rewrite sometime after I wake up before work.
That's going to be a lot of fun. But it's got to be done before I can move on and continue on writing the book. I need to be satisfied that Chapter Six is at least good enough for a first draft. Maybe I'll feel better about it when I get some sleep and am able to look at it with a pair of fresh eyes. Either way, i still got a lot of work to do, and my writing time is going to be more limited than it has been these last 10 days since my vacation is going to officially be over tonight.
Lots to do, but am still feeling good about the whole thing.
That's going to be a lot of fun. But it's got to be done before I can move on and continue on writing the book. I need to be satisfied that Chapter Six is at least good enough for a first draft. Maybe I'll feel better about it when I get some sleep and am able to look at it with a pair of fresh eyes. Either way, i still got a lot of work to do, and my writing time is going to be more limited than it has been these last 10 days since my vacation is going to officially be over tonight.
Lots to do, but am still feeling good about the whole thing.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Chapter Five is done
Due to a little bit of a bout of insomnia, I've actually managed to get quite a bit of writing done today. Chapter Five of the first Draft of CHERUBIM is done and in the tank so to speak. I was a little leery of writing this part at first though.
I'm generally not a fan of writing any intimate type of scenes, just because a lot of times they feel gratuitous and not really needed for the story. But for the two characters involved, I felt it needed to be written in there, and I think it came out pretty good. I'll most likely revising a whole lot of it, but it's looking pretty good where it's at so far. We'll have to see when I get the rest of the story down on paper and make sure it fits in with everything else.
I usually don't think I'm very good at writing that sort of thing anyway. I've been told differently by other people before, but when it's in my head, it's in my head. I've got to learn to , not ignore that voice, but take it with a large grain of salt. There's always the chance i'm going to be too critical of myself and my work like I usually am, and that's never a good thing.
On an unrelated note, Amazon apparently thinks City of Angels, the series title, should be spelled City of Angeles. Which, I highly disagree with. So now I'm finding myself having to wait while the novel details of NIGHTWALKER get changed to how they should be. Why it's taking their system so long to change one little word when everything else has already been accepted is beyond me, but that's how it goes I guess.
i think i fight fiddle with the cover idea I have for CHERUBIM a little bit more.
I'm generally not a fan of writing any intimate type of scenes, just because a lot of times they feel gratuitous and not really needed for the story. But for the two characters involved, I felt it needed to be written in there, and I think it came out pretty good. I'll most likely revising a whole lot of it, but it's looking pretty good where it's at so far. We'll have to see when I get the rest of the story down on paper and make sure it fits in with everything else.
I usually don't think I'm very good at writing that sort of thing anyway. I've been told differently by other people before, but when it's in my head, it's in my head. I've got to learn to , not ignore that voice, but take it with a large grain of salt. There's always the chance i'm going to be too critical of myself and my work like I usually am, and that's never a good thing.
On an unrelated note, Amazon apparently thinks City of Angels, the series title, should be spelled City of Angeles. Which, I highly disagree with. So now I'm finding myself having to wait while the novel details of NIGHTWALKER get changed to how they should be. Why it's taking their system so long to change one little word when everything else has already been accepted is beyond me, but that's how it goes I guess.
i think i fight fiddle with the cover idea I have for CHERUBIM a little bit more.
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Nightwalker Paperback.
It has been a successful day. Outside of getting a lot of writing done, the paperback edition of NIGHTWALKER is finally ready to go and is available to buy. I'm actually very proud of myself for going through all of that. It's a big step for me.
Now if I could just get the thing to be linked up to the Kindle Edition, and put on my author page everything will be perfect. This is a really big day for me, and I can't believe how excited I am right now. Getting even a single of the who knows how many books I've written on notebooks in print is kinda overwhelming right now.
Wow.
But that doesn't mean I get to just stop. gotta keep on writing, keep on going. CHERUBIM is going really quickly right now. Which is good because I'm on the last stretch of my vacation so my writing will end up slowing down just a bit. Not to much though, I think I've worked out a pretty good schedule for things. I just have to keep at it and hopefully not get burned out by things.
Yeah that's so not gonna happen.
Once I get started writing its hard for me to actually stop. So, lets keep this ball rolling shall we.
Now if I could just get the thing to be linked up to the Kindle Edition, and put on my author page everything will be perfect. This is a really big day for me, and I can't believe how excited I am right now. Getting even a single of the who knows how many books I've written on notebooks in print is kinda overwhelming right now.
Wow.
But that doesn't mean I get to just stop. gotta keep on writing, keep on going. CHERUBIM is going really quickly right now. Which is good because I'm on the last stretch of my vacation so my writing will end up slowing down just a bit. Not to much though, I think I've worked out a pretty good schedule for things. I just have to keep at it and hopefully not get burned out by things.
Yeah that's so not gonna happen.
Once I get started writing its hard for me to actually stop. So, lets keep this ball rolling shall we.
Cherubim First Draft
The first draft of CHERUBIM is going pretty well I think. Already working through the first three chapters while I deal with the paperback of NIGHTWALKER. Apparently there were some issued with the title page. That should be sorted out by now however. At least I hope so.
But like i said CHERUBIM is going really well. Got the short prologue knocked out with a nice little scene that sets up the mood and basic premise of the story I think. Already had a gunfight and a car chase in the first chapter.
I think this one is going to be a bit more action and blood than NIGHTWALKER, but we'll have to see how it goes. The easy part is that I can hear my characters conversations and their personalities, so its making things a lot easier to put down on paper. A lot of it may not last once I get into the rewrite phase, but I'll worry about that later.
Back to work, back to trying to make sure NIGHTWALKER is fully published on paperback.
But like i said CHERUBIM is going really well. Got the short prologue knocked out with a nice little scene that sets up the mood and basic premise of the story I think. Already had a gunfight and a car chase in the first chapter.
I think this one is going to be a bit more action and blood than NIGHTWALKER, but we'll have to see how it goes. The easy part is that I can hear my characters conversations and their personalities, so its making things a lot easier to put down on paper. A lot of it may not last once I get into the rewrite phase, but I'll worry about that later.
Back to work, back to trying to make sure NIGHTWALKER is fully published on paperback.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Debut Novel
NIGHTWALKER, my debut published novel, is now waiting on Amazon to finish up its review process for the paperback version of the book. I'm actually pretty excited about this whole process. I've been writing for most of my life, mostly in old spiral notebooks, but I just haven't been ready to go down the whole actually get something published path.
NIGHTWALKER is 297 Pages and over 71k words,of me put down on paper. I'm nervous, worried, and excited all at the same time. Just one step at a time.
I'm taking a big leap here, but I'm feeling pretty good about how everything has turned out so far. I've already gotten one chapter done on the next book in the series CHERUBIM. It's going good so far. Let's hope it stays that way.
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