Research Finished
Finally.
After a wild few weeks of doing some traveling and meeting with friends and family, I have finally finished the research reading I had set out to accomplish! It took about a week longer than I had hoped but I also had several online signings to cater to and then hundreds of books to ship out so it was not time wasted. In fact, more people than ever read my Prologue after discovering it, so there was a benefit to not writing I guess.
I read four books on Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology, along with part of a fifth, and used Google numerous times to flesh out ideas I had while knee-deep in the reading. The story itself did not change—I just looked over the rest of my outline and it remains solid—but I am much more confident that I have a firm grasp on the details of it. Details, if not handled right, can take a reader right out of a good story and I didn't want that to happen with this one.
The history of the Plantagenet family and how they figure into the story is now set, and Philip has become a very real King to me. Ruthless and powerful, he wants more than he should, and even though he gains power to protect the world it will be that same power that causes grief for Bran and Richard. The Interlude I will start writing today is about Philip; the reader will finally know what is going on in its entirety in this story.
All the while I did research, however, this book's sequels grew as well. I have a far firmer grasp of this storyarc than I did before and that will help me down the road if given an opportunity to write more than one book.
So, I am back. Look for updates again. The middle of this book is going to be great fun to write because it is more directly fantasy-based than the first 1/3; I hope I can pull off those fantasy elements to the readers' liking.
After a wild few weeks of doing some traveling and meeting with friends and family, I have finally finished the research reading I had set out to accomplish! It took about a week longer than I had hoped but I also had several online signings to cater to and then hundreds of books to ship out so it was not time wasted. In fact, more people than ever read my Prologue after discovering it, so there was a benefit to not writing I guess.
I read four books on Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology, along with part of a fifth, and used Google numerous times to flesh out ideas I had while knee-deep in the reading. The story itself did not change—I just looked over the rest of my outline and it remains solid—but I am much more confident that I have a firm grasp on the details of it. Details, if not handled right, can take a reader right out of a good story and I didn't want that to happen with this one.
The history of the Plantagenet family and how they figure into the story is now set, and Philip has become a very real King to me. Ruthless and powerful, he wants more than he should, and even though he gains power to protect the world it will be that same power that causes grief for Bran and Richard. The Interlude I will start writing today is about Philip; the reader will finally know what is going on in its entirety in this story.
All the while I did research, however, this book's sequels grew as well. I have a far firmer grasp of this storyarc than I did before and that will help me down the road if given an opportunity to write more than one book.
So, I am back. Look for updates again. The middle of this book is going to be great fun to write because it is more directly fantasy-based than the first 1/3; I hope I can pull off those fantasy elements to the readers' liking.
Labels: The Dagda King
posted by Shawn C. Speakman | 11:57 AM
4 Comments:
If you can be excused for not writing, this would be the time. I haven't read my mail for the last couple weeks, let alone 4-5 books. Good work, it'll pay off!
I'm sure the writing will fly out now! good luck Shawn.
It's about time, Webby. I was beginning to think you forgot about the rest of us.
Glad to hear that you feel comfortable with the details now. It is the details that can make or break a book. Too little and you loose interest or get lost in the plot. Too many and the plot becomes incomprehensible and overbearing. But you aren't worried about that, are you. ;o)
Good luck!! I look forward to the finish product.
Jim: Thanks for the well wishes and the advocacy! I hope you have gotten to your mail. haha
Chris: Fly out? Boy, I hope so!
Anonymous: I look forward to the finished product too because I keep having story ideas for the next several books and they won't leave me alone. Grrr.
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