This blogging lark - takes a lot of effort
Slappy wristies from Mr Stuart - apparently I'm not getting into the spirit of things blog. I guess I should be regaling you, dear readers, whoever you might be, with my pithy sayings and witty remarks on a daily basis. Sometimes life's just too much for that.
Take Thursday, for instance. A day spent reading book one (now book two) of the soon to be legendary Ballad of Sir Benfro. Perhaps one day I will regale you with the whole sad saga of this epic in the making, but suffice it to say this is a manuscript that first burst into the morass of my mind about two years ago. As I work my way through this weighty load of old cobblers, red pen grasped in sweaty fingers, ruthlessly expunging page after page of dull introspection, I'm struck by the realisation that it's really not very good.
A year ago, when I did the first re-draft, I thought it was pretty hot stuff. So what's changed in that time?
Perhaps the problem is that the whole four hundred and fifty odd pages are written from the point of view of just one character - Sir Benfro. I did this in response to criticism of one of my earlier novels, Running Away. 'Too many characters,' they said (those who took the time to read it, at least). So pretending to take criticism well, but not really liking it at all, I decided to write my next book with only one important character and set it all from his point of view. It didn't work, but I'm nothing if not pig-headed and obstinate, so I returned to the format for Sir Benfro.
Now, it might have worked. Especially if there were only one book, of moderate length. But a three or four part fantasy epic, all seen from the same eyes? Apart from anything else it's a bugger to write. So when I came to write a prologue to the book, I introduced action from several other characters' points of view.
That prologue topped out at four hundred and seventy pageslong - I've become verbose in my old age - and is now book one of a series. I think it's much better than book two (which was book one). Plus I've now got to write a whole load of new sections for book two (which was book one) from the points of view of the other characters. This means I have to either start again from scratch or ruthless expunge vast tracts of the existing draft of book two (which was book one). As I wade through the manuscript, the starting again from scratch idea seems more and more the better option. But if I do that, will I then think that book one (which was the prologue) is a pile of pants too?
Those of you who are professional published or soon to be published authors will recognise the root of the problem - poor planning.If I'd taken the time to really work everything out before launching into the writing stage, I'd probably have the whole thing finished by now and have started on something completely different.
On the other hand it took Ian Irvine five years to write his first fantasy epic, and that was after having spent endless time building the world in which it is set. My two years so far could be seen as the beginning of an apprenticeship, perhaps.
So where was I? Oh yes, blogging - it's a hard thing to do. I've not come up with anything remotely amusing or pithy at all. Just a bit of a moan really.
Maybe next time...
Take Thursday, for instance. A day spent reading book one (now book two) of the soon to be legendary Ballad of Sir Benfro. Perhaps one day I will regale you with the whole sad saga of this epic in the making, but suffice it to say this is a manuscript that first burst into the morass of my mind about two years ago. As I work my way through this weighty load of old cobblers, red pen grasped in sweaty fingers, ruthlessly expunging page after page of dull introspection, I'm struck by the realisation that it's really not very good.
A year ago, when I did the first re-draft, I thought it was pretty hot stuff. So what's changed in that time?
Perhaps the problem is that the whole four hundred and fifty odd pages are written from the point of view of just one character - Sir Benfro. I did this in response to criticism of one of my earlier novels, Running Away. 'Too many characters,' they said (those who took the time to read it, at least). So pretending to take criticism well, but not really liking it at all, I decided to write my next book with only one important character and set it all from his point of view. It didn't work, but I'm nothing if not pig-headed and obstinate, so I returned to the format for Sir Benfro.
Now, it might have worked. Especially if there were only one book, of moderate length. But a three or four part fantasy epic, all seen from the same eyes? Apart from anything else it's a bugger to write. So when I came to write a prologue to the book, I introduced action from several other characters' points of view.
That prologue topped out at four hundred and seventy pageslong - I've become verbose in my old age - and is now book one of a series. I think it's much better than book two (which was book one). Plus I've now got to write a whole load of new sections for book two (which was book one) from the points of view of the other characters. This means I have to either start again from scratch or ruthless expunge vast tracts of the existing draft of book two (which was book one). As I wade through the manuscript, the starting again from scratch idea seems more and more the better option. But if I do that, will I then think that book one (which was the prologue) is a pile of pants too?
Those of you who are professional published or soon to be published authors will recognise the root of the problem - poor planning.If I'd taken the time to really work everything out before launching into the writing stage, I'd probably have the whole thing finished by now and have started on something completely different.
On the other hand it took Ian Irvine five years to write his first fantasy epic, and that was after having spent endless time building the world in which it is set. My two years so far could be seen as the beginning of an apprenticeship, perhaps.
So where was I? Oh yes, blogging - it's a hard thing to do. I've not come up with anything remotely amusing or pithy at all. Just a bit of a moan really.
Maybe next time...
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