More on Dread Sorceress

Early work in progress images for the cover of Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress are starting to arrive in my mailbox (teaser at left).  It's always a thrill to open up a new revision and see it getting closer to the final product.  It's also a tangible sign that a new novel is really on the horizon.  A novel may ultimately be a collection of words, but a cover somehow makes it seem more tangible--even in the case of an eBook.

I am continuing to get amazing ideas for the final part(s) of the Maker's Fire series.  At this point I am seeing one more book in the series, but who knows--it could be two.  The idea I got today was really amazing.  As I imagined it, I had that simultaneous feeling of pride and humility that often accompanies what I consider to be my best concepts.  I feel that I am not creating these ideas but channeling them from some higher order.  It may sound far fetched, but that's how I feel about my process.  So there is humility, but my ego is still sated in the process.  I do experience pride at being the "vessel" for a good concept.  But, oh woe is me, the idea I had today is still so far along in the story.  I am anxious to get to it--but I don't like to write scenes out of sequence if I can avoid it.  I'll just have to keep writing, and try to get to it as soon as I am able.

This idea I got today strikes me as being more profound than most because it ties in to some dream images that I've been experiencing for years.  Could this story have been connected to me for all this time and only now manifesting?  I'm trying to stay somewhat grounded here, but the magnitude of this latest idea, and the sense of catharsis that it's producing are really significant.  If I'm not destined to be writing these books at this time, in this place, and in the way I'm going about it then I must be really self delusional, because it is proving to be an amazing journey.

I'm still struggling with the price point for Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress.  My two choices seem to be: a) price at $1.99, which would seem to be a fair price given the shorter length, but will likely produce a net loss (after cover art and editing) at the lower Amazon profit margin, or b) price at $2.99 and risk alienating readers who purchased Hemlock and the Dead God's Legacy, which is nearly twice as long as Dread Sorceress, at the same price.  When in doubt, I think it's best to side with the reader, so option a) is in the lead.  Another option would be to price at $2.99 on Amazon and $1.99 on other outlets through Smashwords.  Perhaps that is the best option, although it's kind of bending Amazon's publishing rules.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you are doing well!

Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress

I've been dutifully writing over the past few weeks, and wrapping up the first draft of the new novel.  The title is going to be "Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress: The Maker's Fire, Book III, Vol I".  Quite a mouthful, huh?   It looks like the word count is going to come in at a little over 40K words.  So, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, it's going to be a shorter work.  What can I say about this new book without giving anything away?  How about revealing a first draft of the synopsis!

Hemlock has retreated back into the shadows of the Warrens, content, for a time, to let events come and go as they may.  But she knows that a new enemy is returning to the City: a titan of the past who intends to wrest control from Gwineval and the wizards.  When word reaches the City that the rogue wizards have moved against the eastern mountains, it becomes clear that DuLoc's campaign has begun--even if the man himself has not yet arrived.  Gwineval marshals the forces of the City to resist DuLoc's plans, but Hemlock feels she must take another path.  She makes a radical decision to forgo the initial campaign in order to pursue what she hopes will be a greater boon.  But she doesn't anticipate that another dark presence stands between her and her goals.  She must face this unanticipated foe in order to advance her plans to save the City.

I've contacted the cover artist and plans are in place to start work on the cover toward the end of April.  Assuming I can complete and edit the first draft by the end of May, I hope to release the book sometime in the beginning of the summer.  I hope readers are as excited as I am about this release.  It's funny how every novel I've written so far feels different.  This one is shorter than Dead God's Legacy, and for the most part it is more focused.  This is the first novel in the series that does not use the flashback structure, and therefore it is much more of a straight ahead adventure than the past novels have been.  I've really enjoyed writing this novel and I can't wait to share it with you!

Book III Novella? Serialization and the Art of the Possible

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Contrary to the title, this is not a post about politics.  The phrase "the art of the possible" just sprang into my mind when thinking about the actual topic of this post, which is whether to publish a version of my latest writings as a novella/short novel or wait until I complete a longer work.  When I started writing my latest manuscript, I intended it to be the final Book III of the Maker's Fire series (aka: Hemlock series).  I carefully laid out the key plot points over a series of months, and projected that it would result in a novel that would be at least 100,000 words.

But something started to happen as I wrote.  First, I realized I was making slower progress than I'd hoped.  Second, I noticed that the story has a natural 'cut point' about a third of the way in.  Some books have a conclusion with a complicating factor at this point of the narrative.  In my story it is more of a conclusion and then "on to the next challenge".  So it feels like I could stop at this point and call it a stand-alone story without compromising the integrity of the story arc.

It's been over a year since Hemlock and the Dead God's Legacy was released.  I managed to complete that book in about a year's time, but I absolutely killed myself to do it.  After I finished that book I resolved that I wouldn't subject myself to that arduous writing schedule again (I'm only a part time writer, alas).  So, here I sit a year later with about 30,000 words completed on the next book.  But I want to get another story out there.  I think readers can forget about authors who aren't releasing new work in a timely manner.

But 40,000 words (projected length) is short.  Fantasy novels are great because they are immersive.  And as a reader I sometimes find the immersion kicking in around the middle of a novel.  This is the negative of serializing like this--the story could be over just as the reader is getting settled into the narrative.  Of course I would price the work at $0.99 to reflect the shorter length--but my fear is it could be unsatisfyingly short.  Still, despite that fear, I fear being forgotten more.  So, I am leaning toward serializing and getting something out to readers to keep them engaged.  And I think what I've got is a good story.  As long as I make it clear what the length of the book is, I think I can mitigate the risk of reader disappointment.  And I will probably include a foreward that discusses these very points so readers understand why the book is short.

So, I consider this approach the best one possible, under the circumstances.  The alternative is waiting another two years for my next release.  And that seems unacceptable to me.  In this case, the "art of the possible", or, perhaps, the "possibility of art", suggests releasing a serialized novella/novel this spring.

I don't typically have a lot of interaction with my readers, but I welcome any feedback that anyone may have.

Noble Narrative

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What is a heroic story? Is it just an epic conflict? In the case of fantasy, is it just a character running around in armor and wielding a sword--chopping down foes on the battlefield? No, it's more than that--because we need to know something about that character. Are they well-intentioned, and do we identify with and/or like them? Most folks probably wouldn't romanticize the brutal campaigns of Genghis Khan or call them heroic.

I think it comes down to establishing that a potential hero or heroine is pursuing actions that are noble. And when I say noble I mean noble in the sense of advancing the greater good and not in the sense of being identified with gentry. Our heroes need to be engaged in noble activities. Or, at the very least, aspiring toward them. Otherwise we find it hard to empathize with them and their struggles. Their story must develop a noble narrative.

Honesty and integrity are two critical components of a noble narrative. We will tolerate a lot of mistakes by heroes provided they are made in ignorance. But treachery or deceit quickly erode the foundation of trust that a noble narrative is built upon. Our heroes must be honest with others as well as with themselves.

I believe both the hero and the anti-hero (better term is probably Byronic hero) must have a noble narrative. The difference is the anti-hero tends to make a lot more mistakes along the way or perhaps lives by a philosophy that justifies what others consider morally ambiguous actions. We tend to respect people of principle even if their principles are not in alignment with our own.

This noble narrative is one of the meaningful cross-overs between fiction/fantasy and real life. I think self esteem is built on a foundation of creating our own internal noble narrative. And I think it's important to make sure we are always heroes in our own mind (or at least anti-heroes). When we are unable to construct this noble narrative, we fall prey to self-loathing or self-deception. This is a path that rapidly descends into darkness.

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The manuscript for Hemlock and the Maker's Fire (Book III) stands at about 23,000 words. I am making slow but steady progress now that I've integrated writing into my weekly routine as a scheduled activity. I'm excited about the book but it is still several months away from being a completed first draft. I appreciate the patience of everyone who is interested in reading the next, climactic installment of Hemlock's story. I believe it will be worth the wait!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

If a retro role playing adventure game where you can construct your own dungeons sounds interesting, then you might want to check out an old browser based game I just resurrected.  It is called SourceOfMagic, and it was a project of mine from the late nineties.  It used to be live at sourceofmagic.com, but I accidentally lost the domain in 2007.  Since then it's been mostly dormant, but a recent fit of vanity and nostalgia motivated me to get it running again.  If you are a gamer who is into playing and creating RPGs, and you're not put off by a retro style, then you may want to give it a go.  It's free to play.  My character name is "Spuddo".  The game is richest in Internet Explorer but also works in Firefox.  I haven't tested Chrome or Safari yet, but it should work in those browsers too.

SourceOfMagic Game Link

I have been making slow progress on the writing front.  I'm very happy with what I've written of Book III so far, I just wish I was farther along.  But (of course) I am going to keep at it.  I'm on the cusp of writing a very exciting part of the book, so my (writing) motivation level is rising.

I hope everyone reading this has had a nice January.  It just got really cold here in the eastern U.S., so that is taking a little getting used to.  But things are going well.

Fighting the Hum-Bug

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I have turned into something of a holiday hater lately.  I think my problem is that I always surf close to the edge of what I can accomplish and/or endure.  So the additional stressors that the holidays bring usually put me over the edge.  I become slightly manic.  Last year I was pulling all-nighters trying to finish my second novel right around Christmas.  I'm not doing that this year.  But, even so, I am feeling a strong pull to write.  And, so far, I am having little time to devote to writing.  This makes me feel a bit "Scroogey".

Some good things are happening, though.  I am getting the flashes of inspiration that I rely on to fuel my writing.  And the scenes that are taking time to reach in the manuscript (due to delays in my writing progress) are benefiting from the extra time "in the oven".  They are going to be more vividly realized once I finally get to write them.

I've also been contemplating what I will write after Hemlock Book III.  My latest thinking is this:  while Book III is going to be a strong conclusion to Hemlock's story, it may not be the end of it.  But I will probably write something different after Book III.  Right now I am considering a novel based in a fantasy world called Zhune that I conceived many years ago.  I need to sit down and think about how it would fit into novel form, but the good news is that the "imagineering" is already done for this story.  So I would be able to sit down and just start writing.  That would be a nice benefit to that project.  I also have another novel idea on the back burner.  This one is more of an urban fantasy, and concerns the role of fantasy in our modern lives.

I hope you are feeling more festive than I am.  I did catch an old stop motion animated Rudolph TV show last night.  It brought me back to my childhood years, and I think it helped me "reconnect" with Christmas just a little.  There is hope for me yet!  I wish you all the best over the holidays, and in the new year!

Unexpected Inspiration

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I just finished reading a great fantasy book.  I won't name the book because it really doesn't matter, and I'm not interested in turning this post into a book review.  Like many good books I read, this one made me take stock of my own writing and think about ways I can improve.  This book started from a place that I typically hold in disdain: it didn't bother explaining much about setting or world, instead relying on the collected conventions and archetypes of the established fantasy worlds that have come before it.  But, man, was it well written within these limitations!  Sure, the book could be branded as an official genre novel for a popular fantasy role playing game.  But, dangit, it was a fun read!  It's a book I never could have written: what with my penchant for odd locales, a touch of weirdness, and heaps of earnest drama.  But this book is nothing less than another author fully realizing their creative vision within their own parameters.  It was an excellent read!

I once read that any good book carries the essence of its author between and among the words of the story.  Each book is an individually crafted set of words that should collectively invoke the spirit of the author.  This book I just read succeeded in doing that.  For instance, one thing I now know about this author is they would make an unparalleled fantasy game master (as a side note I am fortunate enough to have another one of these as a close friend!).  This is also a person who understands emotion and has a sensitivity to people.  His characters were warmly and lovingly rendered.

I think this book will influence my forthcoming novel (Hemlock Book III).  I really admired the characterization and set piece battles in this book.  I typically don't drag out my battle sequences for an entire chapter like this author did.  But his account of a climactic battle didn't descend in miscellany or get boring--rather, it was like a small play unto itself with well defined acts and a satisfying climax.

Sometimes I get tired of reading fantasy because it permeates so much of my life between writing, gaming and media consumption.  But this book has reaffirmed the importance of a genre writer keeping up with the works in their genre.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!  I'm not sure if I'll blog again before the New Year; but, if not, please have a safe and happy New Year celebration as well!  I'll be busy writing over the holidays unless I get ensnared by something unexpected.