Challenges

On the nanowrimo forums, there are threads to help people get to 50,000 words.  Some of these are challenges, and the concept of these challenges inspired me to do my own in the Walker series.  Three novels of the five have a challenges in them.  But it all started with Novel 1.

The challenge for Novel 1 was to see how often I could get my male main character, Walker, naked.  (And recently I just thought of another place for this to occur.)  Why?  I think because I started out with him naked, and I thought, "cool, why not?"

The Prequel, or Novel 0 (I really have to rethink my numbering scheme), has a minor challenge:  a greeting.  Basically, if possible, whenever Walker and the vampire meet, Walker flips the vampire Valor, straddles him, and threatens him in some way.  Why this?  Because I had an image when thinking up this novel of Walker doing this after a long time apart and saying something funny about how they keep end up meeting this way.  I really don't think I can have Walker do this more than a couple times in the novel, but we'll see.

The final challenge came to me recently upon thinking why I am turned off by much of current fantasy fiction:  The ubiquitous romance subplot.  Well, I can't write romance--every time I do, it ends up bad, and instead of happy endings, I like killing people off (at best) or making them have ulterior motives (at worst), or both.   So that lead me to thinking of something related to the ubiquitous romances, but in tv/movie media:  The rampant, pointless sex scene.  Now that I could work with.  So, in Novel 3, the challenge is rampant sex, with bonus points for making it pointless.  Why that novel?  Because I already am using sex a couple times, one time to make a plot point and another time for humor.  So why not?  Oh, and don't worry, it's not erotica.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but that would be a major upset in tone for this series.

As of yet, Novel 2 and Novel 4 do not have any challenges.  Probably because they are more serious, and the other novels have a stronger sense of humor running through them.  But anyway, that's what I'm doing in this series:  Challenges.  Don't ask me why, I think it's fun :-)  And I can't see traditionally published novels doing this.  :-)  And I get bored easy.

So what about you--are there any challenges you can add to your novels?

Walker Novel 2 & Characters & Donald Maass

As I worked on the KPP2 of Novel 2, I realized I never posted the revised KPP1. I'll have to rectify that this week.  The major changes in both key points dealt with changing characters.  The Wonder Twins, though I love them, are removed from Novel 2.  Why?  Because as I worked on the outline, I realized they didn't have a recurring role in that novel.  It hurts, but they didn't . . . fit.  Sad, but true.  Just like in real life, huh?  Sometimes you spend less time with certain friends because they just don't fit into your life anymore.  By removing them, I strengthened the relationship between Walker and Maha, his desired lover.

Same in KPP2.  Instead of Smiley, Walker's out-of-place, off-reality friend, it is Maha's voice he hears.  That make his understandable hatred of her after his rescue that much stronger.  Doesn't make it any more reasonable.  But it's there.  He's not very reasonable in that world.  Hard to be reasonable when you are a walking wound, hurting.  But, also, removing Smiley here meant removing him from KPP1--so that happened too.  I think it helped strengthen Coustin Bustis's role in Walker's life because she is a minor character that is seen across several novels--a little bit in Novel 1, more in Novel 2, somewhat in Novel 3.  I like her, too, because like her cousin, Walker's wife, she is provides levity through her sexual attraction, joking with, and baiting of Walker.  Also, she is a kinder version of Walker's wife, although that makes her a tad less fun.

I made all these changes on characters before I started really re-reading Donald Maass's books.  He believes in complex relationships in novels.  That is, characters who have more than one role in the main character's life.  He says these are the "most absorbing" ones in novels.  To that end, he suggests combining characters.  When I first read that long ago and took his advice, it really changed how created characters.  It made them so much richer. Unconsciously, I still try to do that today.

Speaking of Donald Maass. Did you know he has a new book coming out? I bought it and another book I had been eyeballing (a sequel to Martin Lindstrom's Buology, which I adore).  I used my membership, a gift card I had earned from B&N ¹, and online coupon.  Except for a few cents, the gift card covered the entire cost.  Don't you love it when you and a book are meant to be?  It's is supposed to ship in a few days--that is another reason why, if I can, I order books from B&N.  Their freebie shipping?  They don't punish you by adding an extra two weeks to the delivery time; rather they try to get to you fast!  Unlike some other online *cough* Amazon *cough* venues I could name.


1 Note: I have B&N's credit card, and love it.  It means free gift cards after 2500 points from non-B&N purchases.  But using it to make B&N purchases has benefits too--a discount of . . . I can't remember.  It's not much, but it usually comes close to matching the s&h fee or the sales tax, so I'm happy.

Updates: Launches and Retirements

 

On Launches.....  

I have recently finished the first KPP1/beginning edits for all novels.  My goal is to get the KPP2s, the launch points, done this week.  What are launch points?  I read something in Donald Maass's (lit. agent) workbook about building interesting or tense content between opening pages and the main events of the novel.  He called it "bridging conflict."  When I started writing out of order, I felt that there had to be something to balance the climax section of the novel.  So, I started thinking about what the beginning meant.  It is a hook, an introduction to the important elements of the novel.  The climax is the key scene before the denouement, or end.  Now, I couldn't have an idea as important as the climax in the beginning, but I could have something that started the plot ball rolling. Something that moved the reader and characters to the main conflict.  What was that point?  I called it the launch point.

The Difference Frequent Editing Makes

Well, the first KPP1/Beginning of Walker Novel 2 is clean-edited ¹. I can definitely feel the difference in it and in the newly written KPP1s of Novels 3, 4, and Harem. Namely because this isn't the first edit for either of Novel 1 or 2.

That is why I think my current method works. After I write all the new blocks, that same week I go back over them and flesh them out. Then once they are all done, the following week (like this week) is dedicated to line edits or polishing.

After this week, and it should only be this week because I am on track, I will start on the KPP2s/Launch Points, going through the same process again. Not so bad, methinks. Not so bad at all.

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1 Notes:  I don't have time to post the new version today, but I will this week.  However, I really hate cutting it up into so many blocks to make blogable.  I may end up hosting it on my webpage and posting a link to it here.  Not sure yet.

Walker Universe Series: Novel 1: KPP1 (Edit Pass One)

WALKER UNIVERSE SERIES:  NOVEL 1
FIRST KEY PLOT POINT:  BEGINNING

Early Draft, Edit Pass One

Copyright ©  2011  Jodi Ralston

My sometimes-wife had the knack for finding me while I was in the bare.  It was how we met and how she found me now when I was knee-deep in the teardrop pool at the first House of Health.  She of course was fully clothed back then; this time she barely was.  A sheer dress.  And stringy golden breast-band and loincloth almost rivaling the size of the golden kohl around her eyes.  In other words, dressed to impress.  Dressed for trouble.

Critique and Realizations

I've received my first critique on KPP1 (beginning block) of Harem, and I realized something.  No matter how much of a hurry you are in to get comments from a crit group, never submit work with less than polished wording and grammar.  Why?  Because it interferes with the critiquer's ability to study and review the content or substance of the story.  I should have realized this; as a writing tutor at college, I notice grammar and wording first.  You have to train yourself not to.

So that realization lead me to another.  Whether I post material here on Novel 1 and Novel 2 for demonstration of my writing technique or just for fun, I need that material to have that a higher level of polishing, too. Which means, I will have to spend a lot more time upfront on editing and polishing than I planned on (I had planned on spreading it out over more phases of writing and editing).

That lead me to another realization that I am trying to bite off more than I can handle.  This is a new technique, writing out of order.  This is a new technique, working on all novels same section at once.  I do not need to be worrying about how to make the process go faster; I need to be worrying about getting the basic technique down.  That means I need to delay this series' publication.  As I dislike posting something this large with only a month or two to go in the year, especially for tax reasons, I have settled on a January 1 publish date.

As a result, I expect to have more time to work on and publish monthly stories and more time to analyze the writing technique so that next year I can shave off weeks or months of time.  Over all, I expect better results period.

Progress Report 3-2-11 so far

Progress Report:

• Walker Novel 1: 2062 words edited on KPP1, this pass done.
• Walker Novel 2: 1088 words edited on KPP1, pass incomplete ('tis long).
• Monthly Fiction: 4 handwritten pages (and twice that many notes), done yesterday.

Not bad for being depressed (partly because of writing expectations not met; mostly because an oppossum raided our chicken pen last night and killed several chickens, including one of my favorites).  Although being depressed is the worst time possible to make decisions, I decided that I'm going to give Dole this weekend yet to see how far I can get.  I tend to overestimate word count, after all; it may not be 30,000 words.  My insane goal?  To get it half written before the weekend is up.  If I can manage that, it might still make it as a March fic.

March Story and Adult Content

For a while, my March story was stalling.  I even posted on DW Smith's site when I saw that it happens to him too, and he was kind enough to respond.  Then on the car ride home from work last night, I had an idea on how to get me excited about it again.  The problem?  If I do so, it is longer, closer to short novel length (i.e., 20,000 to 30,000 words).  That means it won't be done this month.

Also, I realized that I may run into problems with "adult" content (and not just on this story).  Blogger allows adult content if you label your blog as Adult.  Not my preference, but I may have to, especially since Bluehost.com, my website host, doesn't want content "deemed adult related."  Dole, my March story, does have some sexual content--though not explicit.  A couple of the Walker novels make allusions to sex, nudity, and some other situations--though, again, nothing explicit.  All have mature language in them.  Maybe there is a way to censor the scenes the way people do with curse words.  Not sure.  All I know is everything just got more complicated.  Darn.

Quick Progress Report

Walker Series: 

• 1178 words written on Novel 3, KPP1.  Is done for this pass.
• 1593 words written on Novel 4, KPP1.  Is done for this pass.
• 2351 words edited on Harem/Prequel, KPP1.  Is done for this pass and posted to crit group.

Daily Ideas:

• Nada.

Monthly Story:

• Nope.

So, some progress is done.  Though, I wrote over on Walker Series, at the expense of exercise and Monthly Story/Dole, it was worth it.  Tomorrow, I hope to edit Walker 1 and 2.  Then lightly edit all of KPP1s the next day.  Then Saturday, a day ahead of schedule, I hope to implement my new method of revision.  That is, in one week I write, say, all KPP1s.  The next week I go over them, revise them, make them good.  (Which is when I can post them too.)  Then the week following, I rinse and repeat with KPP2s.  The only area where this will really get tricky is when I get on the events, what I call tertiary level (with KPPs being primary).  But I'll simply give myself more time to write, and I should be good.

With my new schedule?  It looks like likely October is a more likely post date.  Not bad.

Anyway, as I have to leave in a bit, I'm going to save writing on the Monthly for tonight. It's a story I am struggling with.  One hand I like the idea and the story works, but it is different for me and it is . . . well, I'll save that for another post. 

That's what I've got so far.  Hopefully, by early next week, the revised Novel 2 KPP1 and the new-to-the-blog Novel 1 KPP1 can be posted.  Cross your fingers, anyway.

Not So Bad

Today is my official start on goal for my Walker Series as well as for my monthly fiction.  I had a late start, because of the evil free Starz channels.  Even so, I wrote about 700 new words on KPP1 (Beginning block) of Novel 3.  Then I revised Harem's KPP1 (about 1600 words).  There should be one more part to Novel 3's KPP1.  Harem needs one more look over on its opening.  It feels a little . . . stark, not quite finished.  Then Harem goes off to my crit group for an edit.  Tomorrow, I hope to finish up both of those KPP1s, so that on Thursday, I can get a move on to the KPP1 for Novel 4.  I know right now any of my key plot points are going to have another full-fledged edit at a later date.  They are the hardest to write, but the most important.  I'll have to revisit them after I get in the groove of later writings.

As for monthly fiction?  Nada so far.  Despite my late start on the Walker series, I managed to write over my allotted two hours.  So, I will have to take a break then get some words down on it.  It too is a vampire story, just like Harem is.  But Blood and Bread (aka Dole) won't be as "fun" as compared to Harem.  In fact, it is rather bleak.

That's all I have time for.  Let you know how it goes later.

Posting and Writing

Tomorrow swiftly approaches.  I have printed out my outlines and record sheet.  I have a plan of how to write and edit.  And I have a goal of having everything ready to publish on the three main sites, Smashwords, B&N's Pubit, and Amazon's Kindle by the end of September.  So, what is left to print out and prepare?  What I will post this blog and how I will post it, that's what. 

Walker Series Outlines

I'm further behind than I thought on the Walker series, but sometimes you cannot force ideas.  No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't.  Today I have to make my changes to Novel 2, the one I was posting on the blog.  But once I am done with that, I believe I will be at a step where I can organize and print out my outlines.  I'll likely save that step for Monday, the last day of this month.  Today, I'll focus on last tweaks to my outlines' content.  So, maybe they will not be quite as ready as I wanted, but they will be strong enough where it counts to start writing and revising on them come March 1st.

Lost Stories in Walker Universe Series

I wrote in my last post I regret not being able to write all the stories I wanted to in the Walker Universe Series.  What can a writer do when that happens?

Well, if the stories can still logically fit within the timeline of the series, the stories can be written.  Not quite doable here as I have the tendency to have short time settings covering weeks or days--even between novels--excusing Novel 2 which covers several decades, sorta.

Sometimes you can strip the stories of their identity and put them in a new unrelated world/series/story.  Could be possible in my case.

They could be made into fanfic for yourself or possibly for readers.  Gary Paulsen wrote Brian's Winter for that reason.  It wasn't called fanfic, but that is what fanfic writers often do--write a story on a What If basis.  Then somehow the alternate universe Brian's Winter became somehow canon and used in later books.  I'm actually toying with a similar idea for Walker Universe, inspired by the fact that Gary Paulsen played with chronology.

Those are some possibilities.  Not sure what I will do, yet.  Depends on how final and satisfying the series feels once done.

Character Drift in Walker Universe Series

I've been working on Valor's Tale, a side story set in the Walker Universe Series, and I realized that vampire story doesn't really fit the series or even the character anymore.  That made me realize I no longer really want to show his tale in a story of its own.  It just doesn't quite fit when everything else is from Walker's pov and is about Walker primarily.

The problem is that originally I intended Valor to be far more prominent--but then again, I also planned on about 7 or so novels in this series.  But the more I worked on this series, the more I narrowed its focus.  There are stories I mourn not being able to write, but they wouldn't work with the story as-is.  

So what is left to do?  Well, I need to glean from the other outlines who Valor morphed into and see if I like it.  Then once I settle on his character and background, I need to include that in Harem, the surviving side-story.  That is really where Valor will get his most face time.  After all, he is important to Walker.  Just turned out he became more of a minor character than I expected.

Update: Walker Universe

Phew, what a day for updates.  But I do have one more to make on Walker Universe.  I've been busy this week, especially this four-day weekend, working on the outlines of Walker Novels 1 - 4 and two side-stories/novels.  I have a rough outline for novels 3, 4, and side-story Harem.  I need to flesh those out and do a firm write up on key plot points and events for all of those.  I also need a firm outline on novels 1 and 2, which mostly need organized into a clean outline.  Finally, I need to start the rough outline of side-story two, Valor's Tale.  Valor is the vampire who once owned Walker, which is shown in Harem.

I am cutting it close, but I feel I can get enough to start working on the key plot points at least starting in March and complete the lesser events later if need be.  I'd prefer the whole six story series to be plotted and ready to write come next month.

Walker Updates: Changing Things Up

I've been busy changing things up on Walker Universe series.  As I work on the outline of one novel, I find plot, world-building, and even characters to change in another.  That is why I am holding off on any writing until all four planned novels and two novelettes are outlined. 

Plot-wide changes are not the only thing I am changing up.  Since these will be self-published novels, I am free to break certain rules I couldn't before.  Normally, a writer must keep the same format for each novel in a series.  In this series, I don't have to.  For example, in novel two, much of what happens to Walker in Paradise isn't shown.  In novel three, he is being interrogated and has to make the story of what happened to him good for a reason.  In other words, novel three is like a giant flashback.  This simply isn't done in a series meant for traditional publication, but you can experiment and play more when you are self-publishing.

Over all, I'm very excited about these changes.  I hope you, readers, will be too.

Thinking with the Heart

This week, I intended to work on Walker Universe.  Instead, I chose a different path, one where I could both write commercially and for myself, one where I could write something the publishers might deem acceptable while keeping the most precious ideas for myself and my faithful readers.  In following this path, I followed my mind, my reason, and in doing so, I failed.  I hadn't wanted the traditional market exorcising out what made me and my writing tick, so I did so myself, and thought I could be two different people.  In my attempts to protect my heart, I had forgotten to follow it.  The novel idea failed.  I was lost.

The failure cut deep.  I took it to heart that I was therefore a failure.  Why had I wasted so much time?  I should have been working on Walker.  So I went back to Egyptian studies, to play catchup on Novel One, to ease my way in.  I did this because the headache of my recent failure was too strong and painful that I feared ruining something precious to me.  But in studying ancient Egypt, I realized something important:  though my project failed, it did not fail its purpose in my life.

This is what I learned.  The Egyptians believed the heart was the source of both thoughts and feelings, unlike in our times where our heart symbolizes the seat of our emotions and our brain the seat of our reason.  In our world, thoughts and feelings are often in conflict with each other.  In the Egyptian world, they must have lived in harmony.  That is what I want for my writing.  Harmony of mind and heart.  Passion and reason.  Projects I love that earn me my living.  This is what my failure taught me:  I cannot have one without the other.  My plans for my writing career must include the satisfaction of both reason and passion.  Though my plan needs to be developed, I can see that path ahead of me.  Though I am not ready to walk it, at least, I will not choose a path upon which I will be lost.  No, not when I am ready to think with my Egyptian heart.   

Walker Novel 2: Key Plot Point One, Two, Three: Index.

Walker Universe Novel 2: Working Title: Paradise

(c) Jodi Ralston

Key Plot Points One, Two, and Three: Edit One

Important Caveat:  This novel is being written experimentally--that is, out of order.  Below is the correct reading order.  You can also find the same on the Works in Progress Page.  

• Key Plot Point One's Parts:  One, Two, Three, and Four
• Place Holder Summary #1 (Between KPP1 and KPP2):   Entire Post.
• Key Plot Point Two Parts:  Entire Post
• Place Holder Summary #2 (Between KPP2 and KPP3):  Entire Post
• Key Plot Point Three Parts:  Entire Post

Walker Novel 2: Key Plot Point Three: Edit One.

Walker Universe Novel 2: Working Title: Paradise

(c) Jodi Ralston

Key Plot Point Three: Edit One

Important Caveat:  This novel is being written experimentally--that is, out of order.  I will post the correct reading order as I go on the Works in Progress Page.  

For those interested in reading what came before this point, I will post an Index shortly.


By suppertime, I was finishing up work on what I termed the Final Project. Horse hated the entire idea. Over the last while of our time together, he did everything he could to jar the thought from my mind. He almost succeeded. A small band of survivors almost succeeded. Hope of escape almost succeeded. Any desire to fail at the Final Project died with them. Everything came to an end. Not everyone was so fortunate as to choose that end.

Besides, the horse would survive. He survived before my coming, survived the mist, and would survive me taking leave. He was a survivor. I was not. I didn't have the heart for it. I didn't particularly want to die, but I was resolved to escape Paradise. Permanently. Leaving nothing behind for it take. Over the year, I had come to see that this was the only way left me.

Walker Novel 2: Place Holder Two, Version One

The following summary covers the more important bits that lie between the posted KPP2 and soon-to-be posted KPP3. For those interested in this novel for the story's sake instead of the writing method, I hope this summary will help catch you up and not spoil your reading pleasure.

Summary of Main Events between KPP2 and KPP3.