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Halfway there

15 Jan

The Day Magic DiedI’m about halfway through the rewrite of The Day Magic Died, Book 4, The Dwarf’s Legacy.

And for those of you who are waiting eagerly to read it, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that “halfway” is about 60,000 words. That means the book is probably going to be longer than 100,000 words, and could be around 120,000 words.

What’s that mean? Two things:

  • At 120,000 words, it would be about one-third longer than The House in the Old Wood.
  • With 120,000 words, you are far more likely to find at least 1,000 you enjoy.

The bad news is, I’ve fallen behind schedule on the rewrite. At this point this is simply a first warning that the book might not be ready for a February release. I am still aiming for a February release. I’m just having some doubts. Here’s why:

The main reason I’ve fallen behind is that the book needed far more work than I initially thought. I’ve mentioned before that I had to swap out one major character with another – which is a lot of work to start with. But as I worked through the book, I realized I also had to fix Karia’s relationships. It’s one thing if she’s confused about love; she’s 15 years old. But it’s quite another if she bounces around like a ping-pong ball.

So when I get done with these changes, I’ll read through the book one more time, and it’ll be proofread, and then it will go out to my critical readers. If everything goes well there, we’re right on track.

But I’m not sure everything will go well there. I’ve been moving chapters around and writing new ones and changing the sequence of events. Do you know what that’s likely to cause?

Well, you know those scenes that creep into a movie or TV show where the character is eating a donut, and at first it’s halfway done, then it’s missing just one bite, then it’s almost gone? Those are continuity errors, and things like that happen in books too.

You see, writers get so involved in the moment – in crafting that scene, just like the director crafting the shot – that we might write something that doesn’t really fit. Characters might say something and later contradict themselves, or act or speak in a way that is out of character. An explanation might not make sense with something that happened earlier. Or I might simply forget something important that preceded the scene I am writing at that point – such as forgetting they are outside in winter and that means it’s cold.

For instance, as I was looking over my rewrite, I spotted a chapter where one character who is normally reticent to speak just comes right out and explains something. That’s out of character, and I’ll need to fix that.

Another type of error is simply omission. In replacing one of the key characters, I made a set of notes on what that character needs to say and do. And as I was looking over it, I realized I left one out. If he does not explain that certain something to Karia, there is no foundation for something that happens later in the book. I’ll have to go back and write that in.

The other error is irrelevance. I’ve written three or four chapters in which Karia interacts with other faeries, and I’m quite fond of them. A number of people have commented on how much they like Generality, so I wanted to give people a look at more faeries. (Yes, they’re apparently all a bit like him.) But as I’m looking back over those chapters, I have to ask myself: Do they do enough to advance the story? Are they relevant?

So it’s likely that my critical readers will spot issues of continuity or omission or irrelevance that I will not have the perspective to see. That would mean more rewriting, and possibly a March release.

As much as I’d like to just plough ahead and get the book out, I’d rather not inflict sloppy writing on you. I’m still embarrassed by the typos in the first edition of The House in the Old Wood, and I added another layer of proofreading because of that. I’m going to have The Dwarf’s Legacy thoroughly checked over before I put it out, and while I know you want to read it soon, I don’t think you want to read it before it’s ready.

I will keep you posted.

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Poll: Tell me which you like

11 Jan

voteSo, I have five ideas for what comes next, and I’d like you to tell me what you think:

Dancer of the Red Sands: Farmers band together and Ferals stand alone, as people try to find some way to survive. The Beasts have overrun their land, and it falls to Tisa – an outcast Feral, now also disowned by the farm family who took her in – to set out in search of the army that was supposed to come and vanquish the Beasts.

The Messenger of Allengia: At age 48, Jek has finally decided that it’s time to step out of the saddle as a Messenger of the goddess of truth, and become an abbot of his order. He welcomes the summons from the Temple of Allengia in Tilaundia. But he isn’t offered a posting; he’s given his most important message ever. It’s a message so important that he’ll be accompanied by two other Messengers: the boy he calls Biscuit, and the imposing mute, Hizardin. Because the last five solo messengers have failed.

Truetouch: The priest is sure the boy is hiding something, running from someone. And the reason he call tell is … he’s running too. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine the strange power the boy is imbued with. It’s a power so great that when they meet a girl who considers herself a goddess, she thinks the boy is a god. Since none of them can go home, they decide to try to make lives for themselves in a new land. Soon enough they discover that there’s something about each of them that cries out for them to not simply live, but to live for others. They band together to do just that.

Bard of the Galaxies: For tens of thousands of centuries, the people of Gralaha atoned for their history as rampaging, pillaging warriors by collecting the songs of every culture, every people, every village, to preserve and celebrate them in the Living Library of Sulah. That all ended 258 years ago when someone destroyed the Library in a cataclysm so great that the only survivors of Gralaha were those few out gathering songs at the time. One of them, Michael, has chased clues across the galaxies ever since, and believes he has finally tracked down the terrorist responsible. He’s hiding somewhere on a tiny blue planet that its inhabitants call Earth.

The Ring of Arrochar: Centuries ago, Sunassa conquered Arrochar. Decades of unrest eased as Susanna instituted reforms and granted Arrochar significant rights to self-rule. While those of Arrochar still consider themselves Arrochites first, most are also loyal citizens of Sunassa. So Maari and her family, who run a public house in the remote village of Djunadil, serve Arrochites and Sunassans alike. She’s even dared to consider the advances of a dashing young Sunassa lieutenant, posted in a tiny, insignificant outpost nearby, though marriage would go against centuries of tradition. Then the rumors begin … rumors of the Ring. The Ring of Arrochar, the rightful possession of the true king of Arrochar, disappeared during the Sunassa invasion. Now people are saying that an ancient prophecy foretells its imminent return. And the rumors say it’s already out there. As unrest threatens to spread into bloody war, Maari discovers that she might just hold the key to stopping it.

Based on Facebook Shares and “Likes” on the blog, it looks like the early leaders are Dancer of the Red Sands and Bard of the Galaxies. But let’s see what the poll says …

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What’s after The Day Magic Died? (Part 5)

10 Jan

May marks the debut of the final book in the series The Day Magic Died. So I’ve got to start on what comes next, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Today, let me tell you about …

arocharThe Ring of Arrochar: Centuries ago, Sunassa conquered Arrochar. Decades of unrest eased as Susanna instituted reforms and granted Arrochar significant rights to self-rule. While those of Arrochar still consider themselves Arrochites first, most are also loyal citizens of Sunassa. So Maari and her family, who run a public house in the remote village of Djunadil, serve Arrochites and Sunassans alike. She’s even dared to consider the advances of a dashing young Sunassa lieutenant, posted in a tiny, insignificant outpost nearby, though marriage would go against centuries of tradition. Then the rumors begin … rumors of the Ring. The Ring of Arrochar, the rightful possession of the true king of Arrochar, disappeared during the Sunassa invasion. Now people are saying that an ancient prophecy foretells its imminent return. And the rumors say it’s already out there. As unrest threatens to spread into bloody war, Maari discovers that she might just hold the key to stopping it.

This one scares me, since I already envision it as a five-book series.

I have written a plot summary and a sketched (in words) of a couple of key characters.

What do you think? Do any of those catch your interest? Is there one that you would be eager to read next?

Tomorrow I’ll post a poll so you can vote for your favorite …

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What’s after The Day Magic Died? (Part 4)

9 Jan

With the last book in the series The Day Magic Died, due out in May, I’ve been thinking about what comes next. So far you’ve heard about:

Today, it’s …

bardBard of the Galaxies: For tens of thousands of centuries, the people of Gralaha atoned for their history as rampaging, pillaging warriors by collecting the songs of every culture, every people, every village, to preserve and celebrate them in the Living Library of Sulah. That all ended 258 years ago when someone destroyed the Library in a cataclysm so great that the only survivors of Gralaha were those few out gathering songs at the time. One of them, Michael, has chased clues across the galaxies ever since, and believes he has finally tracked down the terrorist responsible. He’s hiding somewhere on a tiny blue planet that its inhabitants call Earth.

This is intended at this point to be a standalone book, leading me to be concerned that it could actually end up like The Day Magic Died: a single story told in multiple volumes.

I’ve written a story summary and the prologue.

Tomorrow: The Ring of Arrochar

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What’s after The Day Magic Died? (Part 3)

8 Jan

With the end in sight for the series The Day Magic Died, I wanted to share some ideas I’ve had for what comes next. Monday I shared a concept I’m calling The Dancer of the Red Sands. Tuesday I shared about The Messenger of Allengia. Today, it’s …

TruetouchTruetouch: The priest is sure the boy is hiding something, running from someone. And the reason he call tell is … he’s running too. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine the strange power the boy is imbued with. It’s a power so great that when they meet a girl who considers herself a goddess, she thinks the boy is a god. Since none of them can go home, they decide to try to make lives for themselves in a new land. Soon enough they discover that there’s something about each of them that cries out for them to not simply live, but to live for others. They band together to do just that.

Intended as an ongoing series.

I’ve written about 20,000 words of the first book.

Tomorrow: Bard of the Galaxies

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