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 elcome to the website of Shawn C. Speakman — webmaster and writer. Shawn has developed websites for New York Times bestselling authors Terry Brooks and Greg Keyes, among others.
Shawn also writes full time. The Dark Thorn, Book One of The Dark Thorn cycle, begins an urban fantasy in the tradition of Terry Brooks's Word/Void trilogy, Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The first novel is currently being written.
To gain a glimpse of The Dark Thorn, read the Prologue (HTML | PDF)! Feel free to post your comments about Shawn's progress or any questions in his blog below.
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Chapters 1-5 Posted
This is just a short update. I have uploaded the first five chapters from The Dark Thorn onto the site. So many of you have been so patient with me that I decided I might as well share more of the book. In the first five chapters, you are introduced to 3 of the 4 Point of View characters. I hope you enjoy them. Click HERE to read Chapters 1-5. In other news, I've received my first rejection letter. You can read about it HERE. I have since queried Matt Bialer, a fantastic agent who represents the likes of Tad Williams, Patrick Rothfuss, Diana Rowland, Blake Charlton, and many others. As per the guidelines on his website, I probably won't hear anything back from him for 6-8 weeks. I will make great use of my time. I have to redesign Terry's website, get my own website redesigned, and prepare for some rather large signings later this summer via The Signed Page. Hope to hear from some of you after you've read the chapters! Labels: Craft, Excerpt, The Dark Thorn
Rewrite Finished
Over the weekend I killed the last four chapters on The Dark Thorn rewrite. They went fairly easily. Two of them were fairly complex to rewrite, the other two almost didn't change. There are still some small things that need to be added in and it will take me re-reading the book again to spot them and fix them. But that is easy. I'm not worried about that at all. Later today I will put together a single file that comprises the entire book. I will know how many words this version is and how many pages it is. I will also by tonight begin writing my query letter for it. That will be the fun part. The query is the harest thing to write in the entire pricess, I think, and since I've done it a few times, I love the challenge. Then I'll do some research to figure out who should receive the query... and away I'll go with finding an agent. More soon! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Rewriting Almost Finished
After several months of not touching The Dark Thorn, trying to figure out how I could get around not rewriting with Terry's suggestions and yet still have a better book, I finally gave in two weeks ago and began rewriting. Going against the advice I'd give anyone else, I really wanted to submit the first 10 rewritten chapters with the shifted POV, not having the rest of the book's rewrite completed. I thought, quite erroneously, that I could have an agent look at the chapters, at which point they would tell me to finish the rewrite or to go with the first draft of the book. I realized that would be foolish. I would be wasting the agent's time. And my own. Once that understanding hit me, I unleashed a torrent of rewriting. For the last two weeks I have rewritten Chapters 10-25. That is 13 hour days to complete them. I'm not stopping. I figure I can rewrite each chapter, shift the POV characters, one per day. Some of the chapters coming up aren't changing -- in fact six of my remaining ten are not -- so I might be able to do more than one a day. We'll see. All in all, I plan on being finished with the rewrite a few days after V-Day. My editor ex-girlfriend has been given each completed rewritten chapter. She went over the first 10 and was invaluable in finding places where I could tighten things up or where I had a word change issue. When I finish though, I am going to send it unedited to King's agent. If he'll still want it since we haven't spoken in six months. If he does, great. He'll read it and if he likes it, I'm his. If he doesn't, I'll let Rachelle finish her edits, do the small rewrite, and then start query agents and editors like all writers must do to get published. So that is where it stands. I will say this newly rewritten version of The Dark Thorn is infinitely improved. Shifting the focus of the book from Bran to Richard has improved it dramatically. Terry was spot on in that regard. Once I finish the book, the fun doesn't stop there either. I'll be redesigning Terry's website as well as my own. I will be putting together a website for a friend who is trying to get into architecture school and needs to put her portfolio up online. And then I'll begin work on the next book's outline. There. An update. Now back to rewriting! Labels: The Dark Thorn, Writing
Silent Auction for ARCs
 Want one of the Advanced Reader Copies I created to give to friends and family as proof readers? I created three extra copies of Song of the Fell Hammer and I have one extra copy of The Dark Thorn. I have decided to silent auction off these copies. If you are interested in putting in a bid on these ARCs, visit The Signed Page for more information! Labels: Song of the Fell Hammer, The Dark Thorn
Rewriting Continues
Yes, I am alive. If barely! Many of you have written me emails or posted comments on previous threads asking after my writing pursuits. First, thank you all for your interest. It's always nice to wake up to an email from someone curious about what I am up to, even though I've technically not done anything worth warranting such interest. If any of you follow me on Suvudu.com, you will know from reading my article The Healthy Writer that I had to take some time after Terry read and gave his insight on The Dark Thorn. I spent that time recovering. I had allowed The Dark Thorn to overwhelm the rest of my life—eating healthy, working out, seeing my friends and family, even my reading time. I decided I had to reassert a level of control and find some balance. It took two months to really do that. It doesn't mean I haven't been working on the rewrites for The Dark Thorn. Far from it. Incorporating some of the things Terry had to say, I've spent the last few months solving numerous plot problems that arose from the changes. Some were easy to figure out; others were not so easy to figure out. One problem was particularly nasty, one that took three weeks to figure out all by itself. Now all of those have been resolved. Which means I've been rewriting. A lot. I'm not that far into it. By the end of the month I will probably have seven or eight chapters finished. I am really taking time as I rewrite, trying to make sure every word is necessary, building a story that flows off of the page. I'm quite happy with what I've done. I am really happy with the first three chapters. The fourth and fifth chapters will barely change. The sixth chapter will be rewritten and streamlined. The seventh chapter will be all new material. I am rewriting as I juggle a very busy The Signed Page and Suvudu. The rewriting is going to take some time. I'm not that worried about it. I decided to spend time building up my business and ensuring in this tough economic climate that I am not thrown out on the street. It has allowed me to gain some more perspective on The Dark Thorn, and as my friend Pat Rothfuss says that is always a good thing. I've also been working on a new story idea about death. More on that later if I ever decide to do it. Then I might put the first seven or so chapters into an eBook of some kind, but I might have something cooler than that if things come together right. Stay tuned. So yes, I am alive. And rewriting. And I hope to hear from some of you and perhaps get some questions! Hope you are reading something great. Labels: Suvudu, The Dark Thorn
The Reading Terry
Today I went over to Terry's house to pick up some baseball tickets they could not use. And we talked about The Dark Thorn. Terry is just over halfway through the book. He is enjoying it thus far. He really likes the story; he thinks it echoes Dan Brown but in a good way. He really likes the characters and how they are developing -- even Bran which is what I was most worried about. Right now he knows of two scenes he thinks I should rewrite to make stronger -- he won't tell me which ones until we sit down and talk about it after he has finished reading it -- and he pointed out I have some tendencies to overwrite. But he said he is invested in it which is a good thing, he hasn't seen anything that would leave him to believe it shouldn't be a published book, and that I will have some work but nothing extensive. So that's all positive. I told him not to hold back. I want him to use his critical teaching eyes and rip the book apart so I can learn. I think that is an important lesson for young writers to learn. I'm not one of those writers who protects the integrity of his work from others because I know best and they be damned. Far from it. I believe quite strongly that I have a lot to learn about the craft of writing and I want Terry to be straight with me. Just like I want Ralph to be straight with me. Just like I want Betsy or any other editor to be straight with me when they eventually read it. Any suggestions they make to improve the story I will take into consideration and most likely implement if it makes even a modicum of sense. After all, they are professionals. As yet, I am not even close! Terry plans on being finished reading here in the next few days and next week we'll sit down and he can tell me what he thinks and how it can be improved. Hopefully Ralph will want to work with me to make something special. I think it has massive potential. Right now it is a seven book series with several short stories planned, the entire series cataloging the life of Bran until he is almost 70 years old. Could be great fun to tell that story. But I wait. Patiently. I go to baseball games. I work on the author websites I oversee. I maintain The Signed Page. And I have begun my research for The Long Winter. Tis a fun life full of possibility! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Galley Pictures
Here are pictures of the galleys I produced for my early readers:
I created five of them. Cost me $200. But having early input is always helpful and is worth bars of shining gold. These pictures were pretty much the last thing I needed to do. Now I have to redesign the Terry Brooks website front page and get some books shipped off to be signed for fans of The Signed Page! If you have any questions about the process I went through or publishing, now is the time to ask them. I have nearly nothing to do for a while, at least until I hear back from Ralph. I don't know when that will take place. Ralph notified me he uploaded the file to his Kindle yesterday morning but I don't know when he'll get to reading it. After all, Kindles can hold a lot of books! Who knows where my book falls among them. At any rate, I hope he likes it and is willing to work with me to make it the best book it can be. Because I really feel this book is worthy of being published, all bias aside, and the marketing platform I bring is strong enough to have a break out debut book. I've worked hard to make this a reality. Time will see what fruit grows. Labels: The Dark Thorn
Editing Finished
Saturday night I finished my extensive edit on The Dark Thorn. Until the weekend I had been averaging two chapters a day, combing over my first draft and removing that which was not needed. Going into Saturday I had five chapters left to edit. I had plans with friends to watch soccer but they fell through, leaving me with a free Saturday night. And how do I use my free Saturday night? I edited. I edited for ten or eleven hours straight. I finished the book around 9 pm. But that wasn't good enough. I went to my local watering hole, ordered a glass of Sterling Cab for my accomplishment, and created the outline for what would become my map. I drew its shape, its rivers, the mountains and lakes. After my one glass, I went home, scanned the fledgling map into Photoshop, and spent the next two hours adding names for cities, mountains, rivers, marshes, caves, etc. Here is the map I quickly put together:  At this time it was 2 am Sunday. But I was on a roll. I couldn't sleep. I decided to put together my galley file. I created one .doc file with the entire book, from Prologue to Epilogue, and added a title page and the map. I then rendered that .doc file into a .pdf. Here is what the title page looks like:  By 5 am, I had everything I needed to get done. Almost. Today I went to Kinkos and had them print off five galleys of The Dark Thorn. I'll post a picture of them soon. I will give these to my early readers—my mother, Terry Brooks, friend Dave, and friend Eldon. I will keep one for myself. In the morning I will send the .doc file to Ralph Vicinanza, one of the agents for Stephen King. He read the first four chapters in 2008 and liked them enough to ask for the rest of the book. Ralph reads his queries and submissions on his Kindle, which I think is really cool, but it may take some time for him to get to The Dark Thorn. The last time I spoke to him he had just received in manuscripts from Peter Straub and Robin Hobb. That will take up some time, I'm sure. I have no idea when I will hear anything back; it could be two weeks, it could be two months. By the way, I edited my book down from 162,000 words to 149,000 words. So, that's that. What will I do now? I have to redesign the front page for the Terry Brooks website in preparation for the release of the forthcoming Landover book, A Princess of Landover. I have a short story I want to write that takes place before the events in The Dark Thorn; that short story I would put up for "order" somewhere, somehow. And I have a few small errands I should finish up. The Dark Thorn is done. For now. Labels: The Dark Thorn
The Editing Continues
I finished the book last Wednesday. It's been a week. I decided to give myself until this last Monday before editing, thinking I needed a few days away from the project to recharge my batteries. Instead, I discovered I wanted to get back into it! When Monday came, I had already edited the first four chapters of the book. They were the chapters agent Ralph had read and liked enough to ask for the entire book. Upon reading and editing those chapters, I can't understand why he asked for the entire book. Honestly. They were that bad. It goes to show how much a writer can grow in the span of a book. I rewrote those first four chapters extensively. I am now fairly happy with them. The first half of the fifth chapter, Chapter Four, had to be rewritten entirely. As I wrote The Dark Thorn I received whispers of what the second and third and fourth books in the series would be about. I realized I needed a new character would take on a large role in The Long Winter, and that character had to be introduced in the first book somehow. I rewrote Chapter Four from scratch, introducing Laur Pemley, keeping the scene I had originally envisioned but having it be dialog between Bran and Laur. It worked out great. The chapter is so much better for it. I'm pretty sure Chapter Four is the only chapter I will have to entirely rewrite. Now I just have to edit three or four chapters a day and I'll be done! Ralph asked me to send the book on April 23rd. He will be in Britain for the London Book Fair next week and he is preparing for it until then. Once he gets home he will read my book, which is really exciting and daunting. Not sure how long it will take him to do so, but I'm not worried about it. Just having an agent of Ralph's caliber reading my book is a wonderful thing by itself. I will also give the book to Terry. After this weekend and Norwescon, Todd Lockwood is going to do a few pieces of art for me. He's been under deadline for a few covers lately and those take precedence of course. So next week I may have something to show. Things keep rolling... I just have to get this book edited enough to send it on! And then I can relax for a day before I have to redesign Terry's website and my own website! Labels: Ralph Vicinanza, Terry Brooks, The Dark Thorn, Todd Lockwood
Epilogue
It is done. I sit here with the largest of writing weights off my shoulders. After 16 months, three of which I really didn't write in due to traveling and the infection in my left elbow, I have finished The Dark Thorn. The Epilogue was mostly already written, the final chapter in the book one I've had in my head since the book's inception, and it only took me two days to write it. I am very happy with the outcome of the entire story and I think my readers will be too. Final Word Count: 162,734 The final word count is quite a bit larger than I imagined it to be at the beginning of this project. Song of the Fell Hammer, an epic fantasy meant to be larger, was just over 200,000 in first draft form and I took several thousands words off of that by its current form. I expected The Dark Thorn, an urban / contemporary fantasy, to be between 110,000 words and 120,000 words—it was even outlined as such. But The Dark Thorn grew, mostly because I underestimated my additional point of view characters. To bring four point of view characters together into one climax took a bit of weaving and that took words to accomplish. At about the 2/3 point I realized I needed at least four or five additional chapters to complete the story and have the end of the book feel real and not rushed. Done with Richard. Done with Bran. Done with Cormac. Done with Philip. I couldn't be happier with how it all played out. By the way, I will have a female point of view in The Long Winter. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984
Chapter 17: 5441 |
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30: 5216
Chapter 31: 6089
Chapter 32: 5511
Chapter 33: 5607
Chapter 34: 4620
Epilogue: 3392 |
So. Now what? Well, I still have to rewrite three or four scenes and I still have to read through it and edit it. I think I will take tomorrow off to do some errands, clean, get my life back in place, and then Friday I will visit the University of Washington Suzzallo Library, sit in the quiet reading room, and edit edit edit. I have no idea how long this will take. If memory serves it took me almost two weeks to edit Song of the Fell Hammer. This book is cleaner than my first, so it might take me fewer days. Then after that, I will send The Dark Thorn on to Todd Lockwood for some art, to Ralph Vicinanza to gain his agent favor, and to Terry Brooks for mentoring. Oh, and my mother. Gotta keep mama happy. And possibly a few others who want to read it. Off to celebrate! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 34
Chapter 34 is completed. It only took four days really. As I said, I already had the majority of it outlined and it's a chapter I've been thinking about almost from the very beginning. It also helps that it was almost more than a thousand words less than the previous four or five chapters I had been writing! The ending left me a little sad. Sure, it is the wrap-up chapter, but it is more than that. Every story or quest has a separating of characters who have come together and I find writing the scenes in Chapter 34 left me almost as sad as those characters really feel. I don't know why. They aren't real, right? Hmm. And for those of you interested in how The Dark Thorn is different from Song of the Fell Hammer, this is one of them. My first book was not self-contained so I didn't have to write this large wrap-up chapter. I had a small wrap-up chapter in Fell Hammer, sure, but it merely set the stage for the next two books, kind of like Darth Vader spiraling out into space after A New Hope. With The Dark Thorn though I had to write a real wrap-up chapter and it was actually harder than I thought it would be -- even though Peat Brett told me it would be one of the harder things I write. You were right, Peat. I'll listen from now on. Promise. Well, I'm happy it is finished. And maybe I'll touch a few people out there with it. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984
Chapter 17: 5441 |
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30: 5216
Chapter 31: 6089
Chapter 32: 5511
Chapter 33: 5607
Chapter 34: 4620
Epilogue: |
Now for the Epilogue. I already have 850 words written down, the rough outline of the chapter waiting for me tomorrow. I think it will be a great deal shorter than the Prologue, probably around 2000 words. Maybe a bit less. It wraps up all story elements begun in this volume while leaving opportunities down the road. When I finish the Epilogue, I should be able to look at it and the entire book and think, "I wanted to write a self-contained novel and I have done so!" And I'll be curious how long this book is. The book I had outlined was meant to be 110,000 - 120,000 words. I have a strong feeling this one will be around 150,000 or so. If I can finish the Epilogue tomorrow, I plan on going out and having a great dinner. A couple of glasses of wine. Hopefully some good friends. And I can finally relax. At least until the truly hard part comes. Editing! And finding The Dark Thorn a home! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 33
Every once in a while my passions overlap. And when they do, I'm unbelievably insanely happy. When I was studying biochemistry at the University of Washington, I did several things to keep sane. I've always been artistic and sometimes the sciences do not allow for creativity, so I went looking for it. I began the Terry Brooks dedication website as part of that desire. I also tried to take as many creative electives as I could, my favorites being centered around Art History and Italy. Well, Chapter 33 is set in Rome, more specifically Saint Peter's Basilica. Although I've never been there, Saint Peter's is one of those pieces of artwork I studied a decade ago. Bramante. Bernini. Michelangelo. Sangallo the Younger. Maderno. These artists and architects have a spot in my heart and forever will. I'm not Catholic. I don't hold to a particular religion. But the beauty created by mankind in Rome is just a miraculous thing and one day I plan on standing among those masters and rejoicing over their abilities. So imagine my enthusiasm when I wrote a scene—writing being one of my other favorite things—taking place in Saint Peters! | Above the doorway Bran had emerged from the statue of Saint Longinus towered from its niche in one of the main pillars, the centurion who stabbed Christ carved by Bernini into marble relief, his sight restored and the Holy Lance gripped in his right hand. |
 I of course won't share more than that. But I thought throwing up that sentence alongside the image of Saint Longinus might be a fun thing to show. It will give those of you who come here a better understanding of what I am doing with The Dark Thorn and hopefully pique curiosity. Chapter 33 came along slower than I had hoped but it was another long chapter with the most important dialog in the book. I'm pleased with how it came to a conclusion. It was the final climax chapter of three or four, and for all intents and purposes the stories of Bran, Richard, Philip and Cormac are not complete. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984
Chapter 17: 5441 |
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30: 5216
Chapter 31: 6089
Chapter 32: 5511
Chapter 33: 5607
Chapter 34:
Epilogue: |
Chapter 34 is the all important wrap-up chapter. But there is some serious conflict that will take place in this chapter and it is important to what will transpire in later volumes. For the record, The Dark Thorn is a complete novel unto itself. A person could read it and never read another one of my books and it would be a finished experience. But as with my showing Saint Longinus and the Holy Lance, I am eluding to things in this book that won't happen for several books if I get my chance. If I am published, I want readers asking me, "Did you know you were going to set this up in the first book?" and being able to smile with evil wry humor at them and say unabashedly, "Yup." I already have some of Chapter 34 outlined. The first part of it will be written quickly. The second half might take a bit. Peter V. Brett wrote me a few days ago, asking about the book, and I told him I was dreading this wrap-up chapter. Turns out he believes the wrap-up chapter to be the hardest one to write in a book. I guess I have my work cut out for me. And then the Epilogue, which as I've said is almost finished anyway. I am sending artist Todd Lockwood the first four chapters of the book today so he can start reading it. One of the scenes I want him to sketch is the Richard scene in the Prologue, as the knight holds Arondight out before him in all of its fiery glory. That will give you all something cool to look at, I think, and see how artists interpret passages differently. So, back to writing! It's been a fun journey, no? Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 32
Another one bites the dust! And it happened a bit faster than I thought it would. As many of you know, I've been really busy as of late. Usually I am a chapter a week writer, although if pushed I can do it in four days. Chapter 32 was finished two days ago really, but yesterday I went in and tweaked a few things that, after I had slept on it, I thought needed fixing. I also had to go back into Chapter 31 and add another 103 words to make that chapter ending work a bit better. But the work I am doing elsewhere has slowed my writing down a bit, shipping and boxing books galore! Now that my spring signings are mostly finished, I have nothing to do but write the book and write for Suvudu. In two weeks, I probably won't know what to do with myself. The Dark Thorn will be finished. I will have gone over it with an edit. And it will be with Ralph for a number of weeks until he can find the time to read it. I guess I will spend the time researching The Long Winter. More on that later. Chapter 32 came together, ultimately, quite nicely. It is the last Richard POV chapter in the book and it wraps up his entire story arc. Richard is a complex character, filled with lots of gray, and readers really feel that in Chapter 32. With his story arc finished, I am going to miss him just like I already miss Cardinal Vicar Cormac Pell O'Conner! As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984
Chapter 17: 5441 |
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30: 5216
Chapter 31: 6089
Chapter 32: 5511
Chapter 33:
Chapter 34:
Epilogue: |
Most of the Epilogue is already written, so really I only have two chapters left. I am still on the fence about Chapter 34. I might need it, I might not. I won't know until I am finished writing Chapter 33, which is a Bran chapter and the ultimate climax of his storyline! I've written about 700 words in Chapter 33 already. It's fully outlined and I know everything that takes place in it. I hope to write it rather quickly. We'll see how it plays out. There is a fairly tricky part in the middle, a series of dialogs, that I am not looking forward to writing simply because it is the driving dramatic moment of the book and I CANNOT screw that up. Ugh. I hope I have the talent to write it. We'll see. Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 31
How long does a chapter take to write? Chapter 31 took almost a month! Even if it is a short month, a month! It was by far the hardest chapter for me to write in The Dark Thorn. It is long at 5986 words—two chapters in one if you look at some of my earlier chapters—and it is the first part of a two part battle sequence taking place out on the plains fronting the Forest of Dean. I'm really happy with how it turned out but orchestrating the battle from the point of view of a character who doesn't know strategy or tactics made it difficult. Plus, I was juggling more than a dozen characters. Tough to do. Now that I am finished with it I have to step away from it. I know it will need editing, but I can't do that now. I have to leave it alone and come back to it in a week or two to ensure it is up to my standards. So, now what? Chapter 32 and 33 and 34 and Epilogue. While I was having a hard time with Chapter 31, I sprang ahead into the last chapters of the book and fully outlined each, even writing some scenes and writing the final scene of the book. Basically the last two pages of the Epilogue are finished, so I wasn't sitting on my laurels for the entire month really. If you notice Chapter 34, then you are probably also noticing that Chapter 34 is an extra chapter. Yup, the story required it. Which means I have even more work than I thought. Yeah, I know. I had hoped to be done with this by the end of February. It didn't happen. But I am that much closer to finishing and that makes me happy. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984
Chapter 17: 5441 |
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30: 5216
Chapter 31: 5986
Chapter 32:
Chapter 33:
Chapter 34:
Epilogue: |
No more additional chapters. With those last three chapters and epilogue outlined now, the story is complete to me. On to the next chapter! Chapter 32 is a Richard chapter, the final Richard chapter of the book. I have twisted Richard to the point of breaking and I can't wait to write this one. Some fun things happen in the battle, but the inner struggle of Richard is what I am looking forward to writing. He is a mess and the end of the chapter will see me do something controversial—for those who know how to look for it. Let the fun begin! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Back Up Your Book!
Let this be a lesson to you kiddies: Always back up your work! That's right. You guessed it. The motherboard in my five year old Mac decided to hang its boots up and call it a day. I've killed it during that time, putting it through Adobe Photoshop rendering to uploading videos for Suvudu. It put its time in, of that I have no doubt. When it died, it took most of my files with it. Good news: I got to buy a shiny new 24' monitor G5 Mac with all the bells and whistles it could possibly come with. Bad news: I lost some files. For the last four days I've been trying to save those files, mostly to no avail. Sad huh? But thankfully I back up my book files a couple of times a week. I could have conceivably lost an entire year's worth of writing. But Terry, a long time ago when I began this dream, gave me a few pieces of advice and one of them was to back up, back up, back up! You see, Terry has lost chapters, plural. Several times. He almost lost a book once but it was retrieved by the Apple people. He learned his lesson after those first few escapes, and he backs up incessantly. And prints off a hardcopy of what he's written that day. Smart man. So smart that I've tried to adopt that thinking. Although I don't print a hardcopy I do back up in four different spots. That way, if something goes wonky, I won't lose what I am working on and, therefore, have to destroy all physical matter and dark matter I see around me. I'm finally back on track though, after NY Comic Con, three signings and the time it takes to ship those books out, and now this computer fiasco. I've almost uploaded onto my new computer all the programs I need to function. So now maybe I can finish the book! And I am close. I'm almost finished with Chapter 31. The battle is on. It rages. Bran is doing what he can but it won't be enough. Even he knows it won't be enough. And when the chapter ends, the reader will be wondering about the fate of the Tuatha de Dannan. Then comes a Richard chapter. And let me tell you, that Richard chapter is going to be hellfire-ishly awesome to write! At that point, Richard's arc will be complete. And I'll have two out of three POV character arcs wrapped up. Weird, huh? Then a chapter, maybe two chapters, and The Dark Thorn will be finished, editing aside of course. And just in time too, because The Long Winter is literally screaming at me to be outlined. Every day I get a great scene pop into my head or a character idea that works. It's really coming together in my head and once I get The Dark Thorn out and to New York for judgment I will start on outlining The Long Winter. It is best to be prepared if lightning strikes, right? Saw Dan Simmons this week. Was fun. Taped his event and that will be up on Suvudu.com in a few days. Tomorrow author Ken Scholes, whose debut book Lamentation is getting great reviews, will be coming over to my place to sign several dozen books. Should be fun. But for now, back to writing! And that's where you should be too! Labels: The Dark Thorn, The Long Winter
Chapter 30
I finished Chapter 30 today. And it was more fun than I expected! When I finished Chapter 29, I had two ways I could venture into Chapter 30. I had two point of view characters who could both relate the same information to move the story forward. One of those characters, Cormac, needed a final POV chapter to finish up his character development arc; the other character, Richard, needed a final POV chapter to finish up his character development arc. Both would work well for what the story needed. So, what to do? After two days of pondering it, I made my decision. I went with both. How can one chapter have two POV characters in a novel where all chapters are single POV character chapters? I had to add a chapter. Yes, I added a chapter to the end. It was necessary. There was no way to get around it and still have the end of the novel present strongly. It will take me a bit longer to finish the book but it will now be a better book. So I wrote a Cormac chapter. I kind of thought that was the way I wanted to go when I finished Chapter 29 but I wasn't sure. I wasn't excited about it. It had to wrap up some things but nothing really exciting was going to happen. Not yet. It would say the things the story needed it to say and that would be that. I thought it would be short. I thought by the end Cormac would be placed exactly where I wanted him. I was pleasantly surprised. The chapter became really fun to write. It came alive, more than I thought it would. I found a very fun way to introduce some cool new fantasy items and it worked. I got really into it. And Cormac's arc is solid and I'm happy with it. It is also the last Cormac chapter of the novel! So part of the novel is entirely finished. That feels weird to me. It shouldn't, but I've spent a year with Cormac and now our relationship is over in this book. The end is really feeling close now, in a concrete way. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30: 5216
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Chapter 33:
Epilogue: |
So, that is 33 chapters finished. I have three chapters and an epilogue left to write. The epilogue I could write right now in my sleep. As for the chapters, it is the major climax of the entire book and I know how all three of them play out. Big things happen. I hope I am up to the task of writing it. Chapter 31 will be a Bran chapter. It is the beginning of the end. I will be done by the end of February. I hope to be done with the editing too by the end of the month. Then the real fun begins. Todd Lockwood painted sketches. Querying. And patience, patience, patience... Labels: The Dark Thorn, Todd Lockwood
Chapter 29
After two weeks of being extremely ill, I finally got another chapter done. I had hoped to be finished with the book and well into editing by now, but... life intervenes. So it is. No reason to beat myself up over it. I finished Chapter 29, which was a Bran chapter. Half of it was action, half of it was setting the final stage of the book. The dialog is a bit stilted at the end in this chapter so I know I will have to revisit it once I get into editing. But for now I am happy with it and it is time to move on. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29: 4698
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
The next chapter is a Cormac chapter. Should be relatively short and fun to write. Chapter 31 will be a Bran chapter. Chapter 32 will be a Richard chapter. Chapter 33 will be a Bran chapter. And then the Epilogue. Not sure about, but I might need another chapter after Chapter 33. We will see. It all depends on how quickly the book feels like it wrapped up. Don't want to shortchange readers with the climax. Going to New York for Comic Con in about 13 days. Should be great fun! I know I won't have the book done by then, but I'll be close! Labels: The Dark Thorn
A Cool Illustration
In my research this last week, I ran across this image:  I'm in love with it. I must have a good print or giclee of it, to be framed on my wall. Does anyone know who it is and what it represents? I do. Yes, that's right. I do. I thought I'd share it though and play with your minds a bit. The image is part of my back story and will give you a tiny glimpse into it, although it doesn't give away a thing about The Dark Thorn really. Which reminds me. I should probably write Todd Lockwood and see if he wants to get together in a week or so to talk about the sketches. I'll take several excerpts from the book that I think would make a great cover or interior illustration, and let him choose those he likes to sketch. Should be fun! Labels: The Dark Thorn, Todd Lockwood
Chapter 28
One more done! This one took me a while. The holidays really interrupted what I was trying to accomplish. I spent seven days with my parents and with all of the eating and drinking and games to watch on the television... well... I didn't make the time to finish much there. My mother did, however, sneak a peek at the chapter I was writing one day when I wasn't at the computer. I had to laugh. She's been pressing me for chapters for months now and I've told her no. She'll be my first reader. I know she'll like it. That will help with my self esteem! Chapter 27 went exactly the way I thought it would. It was great fun to write. It moved the story forward more directly into the climax as well as set up a major plot thread in The Splintered King. I had to do a bit of research to complete it the right way, however, and that research took time but it also led to a name I've needed for the entire book and simply hadn't found yet. Even research can continue after being well into a book. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28: 4838
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
Chapter 29 is another Bran chapter—and the beginning of battles. Plural. Lots of carnage and mayhem and hopefully a few surprises. I'll start outlining it tomorrow. So. Getting close! I can't believe it. I see the end. It drives me onward, to the point where I'm not sleeping very well at the moment; I have the last remnants of the story wanting to be free of me and they won't leave me in peace for eight hours. Once I exorcise this demon child from me, maybe I'll be able to relax for a couple of weeks? Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 27
Well... wow. That was fun. Ever finish writing a scene and you have withdrawals? Yeah. That's me. As I said in my last post, the scene I was writing for Chapter 27, the 30th chapter of the book, was one I've had in my head since the very beginning. Now that Richard has had the worst visited upon him, in some weird way I miss what I've done. If that makes sense. The chapter flowed smoothly and out of me and hopefully is as emotional as I imagined it so long ago. Several times during this book I've had ideas arise that I didn't see coming until I was actually in the chapter—ideas that I ultimately put into the book. One of them happened in 27. I don't think what I did contradicts with what came before, but I am a little bit worried about it. When I go back to edit the book from start to finish, I'll be very conscious of that minor addition and make sure the rest of it lines up. And the addition... it's a doozie. It's the first big twist at the end of the novel, one, I hope, that will take the reader by surprise. We'll see. I'm a terrible judge of such things when I am in the thick of it. There are a few more twists and turns here in these last few chapters, and I am looking forward to writing them as well! As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27: 3715
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
So, next, Chapter 28. It is a Bran chapter, and as I've said earlier its a chapter I've known since the very beginning. I am super excited to write it. I am now in the thick of the climax and it is full steam ahead. God, I love writing this book! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 25 & 26
Every holiday season it is difficult for me to get work done. From just before Thanksgiving all the way to the first week of New Year's recovery, I struggle with getting any writing done. It should be the easiest time; The Signed Page goes into a weird hibernation since authors don't usually tour during the holiday season. But there are too many distractions—family or otherwise—and I revel in them like a kid. Unfortunately, that also means my word output suffers. The good news is I am at the end of The Dark Thorn. As of last week it has been a year since I started writing it, and that coupled with the reality I tossed away three months in the summer for fun and games, I'm fairly happy with where I am at right now. But some interesting things have happened as of late, and I must bear down. My future is there, waiting, and it is time to grab it and make it mine. As all writers should. Right? People who dream to write need to write, damnit, and put themselves out there! First off, I have finished Chapters 25 & 26. That means I have a total of 29 completed chapters. The chapters ended the way I expected them but two characters in particular grew in the telling a bit, which I liked. As you can see those chapters are a bit longer than those that precede them; hopefully that won't happen in the next few chapters where the hard-hitting climax must be quick and furious and kick all sorts of extraneous ass. Gotta force myself into shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs, short dialog, and lots of action. I don't think it will be a problem. Chapter 26 ends with Bran in some serious trouble. He has some major choices to make coming up, choices that will shape him from here on out. To those of you who read this blog, I really do try to have my characters evolve and develop. Without character development a book is nothing in my opinion, and I hope I will leave Bran and company drastically changed by the end of the book compared to its beginning. Time will tell, but I'm fairly happy about it. That's the first news. Here is the second of three. Artist Todd Lockwood, who I've become good friends with over the last two years and who I respect a great deal, has agreed to create four or five pencil and/or paint sketches of key scenes in my book—all before I submit to my agent and to Del Rey. In return I will act as a sounding board to his own writing efforts, something I'm more than happy to do anyway. Not sure if the sketches will be pencil or paint. Here is an example of what it could be like:  As you can see, I'd be happy with either. Using the sketches when I submit will hopefully do two things: 1) It will help focus the agent and/or editor on certain parts of the book and given a visual representation of what a cover could look like... as only Todd could paint it, and 2) It will remind the agent and/or editor that I have dozens and dozens of professional contacts in the industry, many of which I call good friends who will help in any way they can to make my project a success. I want those I submit The Dark Thorn to to be reminded of my strong marketing platform and what better way than to have one of the best artists going show he is my buddy. I know, egotistical. Presumptuous. Does it really matter at all? Well, I'm leaving nothing to chance. As I wrote to one of the blog comments this morning, a submitting writer's job is mostly trying to remove as many roadblocks to the process as they can, and I want that marketing platform to be obvious to the agent and editors I send The Dark Thorn to. Now, for number three. Random House is bringing me to New York City to cover the NY Comic Con in February 2009 for Suvudu and I can't wait. I'm super excited about it! That also means I need to finish up The Dark Thorn by mid-January, give it a good edit, so I can meet with a few people about it. We'll see, but timing is everything in this business and sometimes Luck is a wind being choked by a closing window. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25: 5046
Chapter 26: 5458
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
So, the next chapter will be Chapter 27, the 30th of the book. Chapter 27 is the second to last Richard chapter. It is a chapter I've known from the very beginning of this process almost, one of those sets of scenes that I was shooting toward as I outlined the book. When I began the outlining process I had this climax in mind and I had to move Richard in that direction, telling his story as I went, opening him up to the reader—or closing down to the reader, as the case may be for some. Chapter 28 I've also had in my head from the beginning. There are two writers out there who I have confided in about this chapter and both of them loved what I want to do. I'm fairly confident, in a subtle way, the scene and its direction has never been done before in Celtic mythology. We'll see if I can pull it off. So, off to outline Chapter 27. Thanks for reading this blog. It's nice to know some people have been following me along my own journey. Let's hope the fun continues! Labels: The Dark Thorn, Todd Lockwood
Chapter 20/24
Yes, odd subject heading. After I went back and looked at the development of all of my characters, I saw a gaping hole in the transition for Cardinal Cormac Pell O'Connor. That required me going back and writing a between chapter. So the I chapter I wrote is Chapter 20, which means the chapters above it get a +1. It took me two weeks to write Chapter 20. It required a lot of research I hadn't done yet, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4122
Chapter 21: 4537
Chapter 22: 4220
Chapter 23: 4275
Chapter 24: 4468
Chapter 25:
Chapter 26:
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
Now what? Back to Mr. Bran. Basically all heckfire breaks loose beginning with Chapter 25 and it should be great fun writing the rest of the book! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 23
Chapter 23 is done, wrapped, finished. It was a chapter I got to wrap up one small plot thread as it merged into one of the larger plotlines. An event took place that bears on the final climax of the book. Bran has seen a great deal of Annwyn but it is time for him to see even more... As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4537
Chapter 21: 4220
Chapter 22: 4275
Chapter 23: 4468
Chapter 24:
Chapter 25:
Chapter 26:
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
Now on to a Cormac chapter! I like Cormac because he is so gray and I like exposing the overall story from a different perspective. Tomorrow I will begin outlining it. I know the general point of the chapter but haven't spent any time thinking on it. We'll see what happens! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 21 Excerpt
Ever since I posted the Prologue to The Dark Thorn people have asked me if I'd post any other excerpts. I've largely said no, simply because I want some semblance of my marketability left in tact if I do get a book deal. I need chapters to post before a book comes out, chapters that will hopefully entice people to buy the book the week it comes out. But a year is a long time to wait and we are coming up on a year since I began talking about this project. I thought it time to post something new. This excerpt is taken from the middle of Chapter 21, where knight Richard McAllister and college student Bran Ardall are within the cave city of Caer Glain, trying to convince the obstinately reclusive coblynau leader Lord Fafnir to join the Seelie Court and wage war on their common enemy. The coblynau are Celtic fey creatures, similar to dwarves in many respects, who burrow and mine the mountains of the Snowdon in the middle of Annwyn. They have long not been a part of the governing body known as the Seelie Court, protected from Caer Llion and the murderous High King by the mountains they reside within. That protection is near an end, however, as the war expands into the very reaches it once could not reach, and Richard comes to inform Lord Fafnir he must join the Queen of the Seelie Court and wage war on the High King if Caer Glain is to have a chance at survival. Chapter 21 ExcerptI cannot stress enough this excerpt is not the entire chapter. One, I don't want to give away plot points that take place before and, Two I don't want you to know what happens after. How is that for secrecy? This excerpt is also not edited, so if you see something feel free to let me know. And be sure to post your thoughts in the Comments section of the website. Labels: Excerpt, The Dark Thorn
Chapter 22
After finishing up most of the new website for Laurie Brooks, I got back to writing and finished Chapter 22 last night. It was a Bran chapter and brought that character closer to his inevitable climax at the book's end. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4537
Chapter 21: 4220
Chapter 22: 4275
Chapter 23:
Chapter 24:
Chapter 25:
Chapter 26:
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
The next chapter will be great fun to write. Monk "dwarves," dragons, and a lake in the heavens. It's going to be a lot of fun to write. Technically Chapter 21 and Chapter 22 should be one chapter but it would just be too large if complete that way. I think Chapter 23 will be a quick chapter to write and I will begin that tomorrow. It is already outlined. Chapter 24 will see a return to Cardinal Cormac. I am really looking forward to that chapter. Then two chapters with Bran. Then a chapter with Richard. And by that time, the end battle will be on. For those of you who wish Terry would write longer climaxes... you'll get one with me. Chapters 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 are battle-strewn mayhem! All of the build-up the last year moves toward those last chapters. All storylines come together, all foreshadowing becomes real, and I'll be able to breathe a bit once I get there! Wish me luck! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 21
I finished Chapter 21 yesterday. It was every bit as fun as I expected it to be! I am going to post a bit of it here on the website, unedited of course and quite raw, but you'll get a feel for what is going on. And like most of the chapters I get into, I had some unexpected things happen but all minor; this time, I added a Catholic-like saints system for the underground "dwarves" Bran and Richard are visiting in Chapters 20 and 21. Fun stuff. I hope people like it. With the completion of Chapter 21, I am now finished with 24/36 chapters. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4537
Chapter 21: 4220
Chapter 22:
Chapter 23:
Chapter 24:
Chapter 25:
Chapter 26:
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
So, now on to Chapter 22. I am creating a new website for Terry Brooks's sister Laurie Brooks, who has her first book coming out next week titled Selkie Girl. I'm actually having a lot of fun building this website; it is a different form of creativity that I enjoy almost as much as writing. Almost. I plan on finishing this site over the weekend sometime. I've been working on it all day today. Like writing, I "outline" the website and then create a "first draft." I then walk away from that draft for a few days, come back to it, tweak it, and then finish it by getting it posted for all to view. But that takes time, time that will take me away from my writing. So we'll see when I finish Chapter 22. Chapter 22 has one of the fun battle scenes I get to write in the book, which I'm excited about, and Bran and Richard meeting the dying Dragons of the Snowdon for the first time. All fun, fun, fun! My next post will be an excerpt from Chapter 21, an excerpt that probably won't make a whole lot of sense but I hope it interests some of you in some way. Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 20
I am slowly beginning to realize this book is larger than what I had originally outlined. Once again, a chapter I was working on expanded farther than what I had hoped or intended. George RR Martin, anyone?? There is just too much going on and to shorten the chapter would cheapen the story and piss off the reader. So I can't do that. Gotta stay true to the story. That means Chapter 20 is split. I had to add yet again another chapter to the original outline. Now there are 32 chapters along with a prologue, two interludes and an epilogue. That's 36 chapters in all. With the completion of Chapter 20, I am finished with 23/36 chapters. On to Chapter 21! Chapter 20 was a Bran chapter and it expanded his world view as well as introduced the reader to a lot more of Annwyn. The chapter also introduced a new character I had not anticipated, Master Guardsman Henrick, who helps protect the mountain city of Caer Glain. Richard was an integral part to this chapter and he did something I didn't expect, which only shows that even though a person can outline a book, it doesn't mean surprising events do not take place or that the writer needs to follow their outline to a definite end. Rather than trust the outline I am trusting my instincts—mostly because I think my instincts are more attuned to what readers will like as those instincts grew from being a reader as well. As the word count stands: Prologue: 3045
Chapter 1: 4075
Chapter 2: 2973
Chapter 3: 3241
Chapter 4: 4144
Chapter 5: 4547
Chapter 6: 2793
Chapter 7: 3598
Chapter 8: 4939
Chapter 9: 4257
Interlude: 2372
Chapter 10: 3346
Chapter 11: 3185
Chapter 12: 3639
Chapter 13: 4878
Chapter 14: 4562
Chapter 15: 3840
Chapter 16: 3984 |
Chapter 17: 5441
Chapter 18: 4725
Chapter 19: 5651
Interlude: 3687
Chapter 20: 4537
Chapter 21:
Chapter 22:
Chapter 23:
Chapter 24:
Chapter 25:
Chapter 26:
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:
Chapter 31:
Chapter 32:
Epilogue: |
That is 91,459 words, the average size of a novel. I thought originally my novel would be around 105,000-110,000 words. As you can see, that isn't going to happen. The Dark Thorn is going to be a bit longer than that. If the average stays true of 3976 words per chapter until the book's end, the book will be around 140,000 words. Which is a good sized book! I'm kind of happy about that. In the meantime, as I try to finish The Dark Thorn, The Long Winter keeps screaming for my attention. Damnable vampires and druids! So what's next? Another Bran chapter, the latter half of what was originally in Chapter 20. Most of it is written and has a scene I've been dying to write ever since the first outline appeared. It's going to be so much fun! Can anyone say "Gwydybyll match?" I may even post a paragraph or two from Chapter 21... because I like it... Cheers to all of you! Got any questions for me? I love to answer questions! Labels: The Dark Thorn, The Long Winter
Interlude II
I finished the second Interlude two days ago... and then I finished it again today. How can that be? After stepping away from the second Phillip Plantagenet POV chapter, I didn't like the ending of the chapter. It felt limp. It felt weak. It did not have the resonant power I felt it needed. So I went back in, rearranged some things, and now I am happy with it. I've received a lot of advice over the years from writers far better at the craft than I am: 1) Brian Jacques offered, "Learn how to paint with words." 2) Terry Brooks said, "Read Read Read, Outline Outline Outline, Write Write Write, Repeat." 3) Greg Keyes advised, "The right sentence tells you it is in the right spot." It's the Greg Keyes advice I find more and more useful as I write more and more. I can't even explain what the advice even means in a tangible way. The right word, the right sentence, the right paragraph—it just feels right when it is in the right place. I feel at peace when it is right. If a word or sentence or paragraph is not right, it feels like a bee buzzing around in my head and it won't leave me alone. It forces me to look at that part of the chapter; it nags and nags and nags. Until it is fixed. Until it can be put to rest. The second Interlude had several moments like that, including the ending. The chapter commanded me to reexamine it because it wasn't laid to rest. Now it is and it is a relief. The word count stands: Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Chapter 12: 3639 Chapter 13: 4878 Chapter 14: 4562 Chapter 15: 3840 Chapter 16: 3984 Chapter 17: 5441 Chapter 18: 4725 Chapter 19: 5651 Interlude: 3687 The next two chapters are with Bran Ardall. I will start outlining the first tomorrow, after I ship out the signed Paul of Dune books and the signed Anathem books. And then I get to write the climax of the book—where all hellfire breaks loose in Annwyn! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Suvudu: Second Post
The second post was finished on Friday as I took the train southward from Seattle to Vancouver WA. I think it accomplishes the two things I wanted it to do: 1) discuss Suvudu a bit more in depth, and 2) talk a bit about me so people know where some of their content is coming from. I'm definitely a personal life type of blogger. Rather than report straight news, I like blogs that give the reader a feel for who the writer is. It adds a level of intimacy between the writer and the reader that I feel is necessary to easily navigate through all the spin that is out there. Some of the people who will be also contributing to Suvudu have read the first two blogs and liked them both. I can wipe that sweat from my brow. Both posts were fairly dry but they needed to be; now I can branch out a bit and begin talking about things that are hopefully not only interesting to me but to others out there. I have since left Vancouver WA and drove the 14 hours to Bakersfield CA. In the heat only the middle of California can dish out, I'm thinking I will continue writing my Paolini/Bowling/Fantasy Writers piece, and then I have to go Hellboy 2, Wall-E, and later this week The Dark Knight to review them. Should be great fun. And next week: the San Diego Comic Con! I have my schedule planned out for all four days of the Con and which panels I will be going to. It's going to be a very busy four days but I am really looking forward to it! I wonder if any of you are going to be there? Hmmm? But right now, I need to write on The Dark Thorn. Therefore I am going out to the pool, find some shade next to the water, put my feet in a bit, and then write on my laptop beneath the sweltering heat. I want to finish this 20th chapter so it is off my back entirely and I can get back into the beginning parts of the march toward the climax! Fun stuff! Labels: Suvudu, The Dark Thorn
Chapter 17
With the Suvudu news out of the way (look at the previous post), I can now talk about how my writing is going! You all know I am an outliner. I spent two months reading, researching, and constructing an outline for The Dark Thorn. Outlines really help me focus on what I want the point of the book to be, help me develop the characters in a strong way, help me bear down and actually write the book! It is really great to sit down every day, look at my outline, and know where I am at in my story and where I need to go. Chapter 17 threw all of those notions out the window. I began writing Chapter 17 two weeks ago. It was a Bran chapter, a pivotal chapter, where the story turns toward its end and climax. Sure, it had to be handled properly but it shouldn't have taken two weeks. So what happened? In short, I got 2/3 finished with writing Bran's chapter when I realized, "Bran? I don't want Bran here! I want Richard!" Imagine me, frustrated, crumbling pages and pages of paper and shooting them into my waste basket—for the first time ever! As I grumpy? You bet I was! I saved some of the dialog from the chapter; the point of the chapter was still there but it just had to be told from a different point of view, a POV that has its own distinct thoughts and feelings on events. For the last week I wrote Richard's new chapter, a chapter that was longish anyway... and I have to say it is one of the strongest of the book. Just realize that even though I outline, sometimes the unexpected still happens! The word count is now thus: Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Chapter 12: 3639 Chapter 13: 4878 Chapter 14: 4562 Chapter 15: 3840 Chapter 16: 3984 Chapter 17: 5441 The next chapter is a Bran chapter. My characters have been in one place for a few chapters and now they are making their way into the mountainous environs of Snowdon. There, they will meet coblynau and the dark thorn and... well... I shouldn't give it all away! Sheesh! But all the while, Caer Llion grows stronger... Labels: The Dark Thorn
3 Chapters
It's been a while since the last update, and I thought it wise to get something down before I jump into the next chapter. Since the last update, I took six or seven days off from writing. It was time for a short recharge of the ole' writing battery. For me, there is nothing better than taking a short trip to a new place and this time I ventured deeper into Washington State's San Juan Islands. I rented a place with friends on Orcas Island where we relaxed, BBQed, hiked, whale-watched, traveled to a vineyard, and conversed politics, good books, and great wine. It was exactly what I needed after a year of no real vacation other than my trip to New York City, and I'm happy I went even with the loss of a week of writing. Upon returning, I jumped right back into The Dark Thorn. It became very apparent that I had shorted the story in the middle chapters. Events as I was writing them were transpiring far too quickly; the story needed to breathe to eventually set up the climax of the book. I added two chapters, both of which helped the character development of Bran and Richard, as well as gives the reader a greater sense of what it means to be in this new world Bran has found. Three chapters later, here is the word count: Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Chapter 12: 3639 Chapter 13: 4878 Chapter 14: 4562 Chapter 15: 3840 Chapter 16: 3984 With the additional chapters, that means there are 29 chapters, two interludes, a prologue and an epilogue. That means it is 33 chapters. I don't foresee any additional chapters being necessary, and there is a possibility at the end I can consolidate two into one. But right now I am 55% finished and by Monday that will probably go up to 58%. As you can see, every little bit. And by the time all the little bits add up, you have a book written. Chapter 17, a Bran chapter, should be written in a few days. It will be a fast chapter and is the pivotal turning point of the book as it marches toward the end. In other news, I will be attending the San Diego Comic Con next month. Eldon Thompson has conned me into going, and the stars aligned just right for it to happen. There is another, potentially very fun project that might get me down there to in a professional capacity, but I won't speak of that until I know more next week. It will be nice going to San Diego again and seeing many writing and editing friends. More soon! Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 is now finished. This is going to be a short post because I just murdered one of my characters and I think I need to go have a drink at the restaurant next door. The book has a total of 31 chapters, if you include the prologue, epilogue, and two interludes. Chapter 13 is in effect Chapter 15. That puts me right at the half way point. Tomorrow I will start outlining Chapter 14 to begin writing on Monday. The word count stands as: Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Chapter 12: 3639 Chapter 13: 4878 Labels: The Dark Thorn
Chapter 12
Chapter 12 is now finished. It took a bit longer than I thought it would, mostly because it is pivotal chapter where important new characters are introduced into the story. That always must be handled with utmost tact, and it took me -- particularly in two spots -- a longer time to get the correct words out in the right order. That said, I really like the chapter. It was the last Bran chapter of three straight and is the finish of a good short arc. The word count is: Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Chapter 12: 3639 Gotta keep on writing. That's the name of the game. In like news, last week the agent I am working with on this project asked for the outline to the entire story. I went back over my original outline, preparing it by adding aspects to it that have just been in my head for a long while, and I was struck with how close I've stayed on the outline's path. After looking at the outline again, I'm even more excited to get to its end; I think it is a good strong story that will appeal to Terry Brooks and Jim Butcher fans. I hope Ralph likes the outline. And if he doesn't, I hope he can share insight into how to improve the story. A writer can only read so many books on plot development and storyboarding -- the writer must eventually build their own story and sometimes we are so close to our own projects that we can't see their flaws. I might be one of the latter writers, so having a professional look it over is great. We'll see what happens; I may be rewriting a huge chunk of the book for all I know! Okay, time to outline Chapter 13, which is a Cardinal Cormac chapter. I am gonna enjoy writing this one, because I get to introduce the other Vigilo, the Pope, and set into motion other events that have a serious outcome on the climax of the story. Not sure when I will finish the chapter but I hope to by the end of the week. As for right now, I have to read Aidan Moher's first 25 pages of his novel, Through Bended Grass, and get back to him on it. I haven't been doing a lot of reading lately, so it will be nice to break the writing routine and do something for fun for a change. Labels: The Dark Thorn
An Agent's Response
I initially started this blog as a diary for myself, to put down on electronic paper my journey from the beginning of a book to its end. Only second have I thought it being a resource for beginning writers trying to break into the industry, and lastly third I wanted it to possibly be the beginning of a marketing platform for potential book sales down the road -- if I am so lucky. This post kind of hits on the second one: a means of helping people understand the industry better along with the practice of writing. And this post is a cautionary tale for those of you who will be jumping into querying agents in the future. I received word back from Ralph Vicinanza, the agent for Terry Pratchett, Robert Jordan, Robert J. Sawyer, Robin Hobb, among others, as well as Stephen King's foreign rights agent. He asked for the first four chapters of my book, The Dark Thorn, and I sent them to him a few weeks ago. Today he wrote:
Shawn -
Good chapters, Shawn. Great Prologue!
I like the set-up you have here. Intriguing. Sometimes the prose can get a little purple when you're dealing with the beasts and I understand why you're doing that, but that's nothing a little line edit couldn't fix.
Anyhow, I'd love to see where this is going so keep sending me chapters as you complete them. I'm not exactly sure how the Graal will fit in with all of this, but I'm hooked enough to want to see.
Best,
Ralph
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Now, I am thrilled with Ralph's response—not from what he wrote but more with how quickly he got back to me. He took time out of his busy schedule to read little ole' me's first four chapters and that means a lot. Agents like Ralph have a massive workload, and I thank him up and down, left and right, for reading my excerpts and reading them in the time he promised. I share his note with you, not out of vanity because I am self-actualized enough that I don't discern happiness through other people, but because you should get to see what an agent writes back to a writer. Most of the responses I have received from agents have been like this one -- both the good aspects of the writing accompanied with the areas of development needed. With that said and after a quick read, you'd think I have a great shot at getting an agent, right? Well, remember what I just said in the previous paragraph? I've received notes like Ralph's before. Many times. Sure, it was a different book and I've improved a lot since I wrote Fell Hammer, but all of those replies were similar. Do I have an agent right now, even after such positive words from other agents? No, I don't. This note from Ralph could be one more in a string of them. Is that fatalistic? Not really, at least I don't think so. It is realistic. It's great getting excited about such compliments but not great when they don't bloom into fruition. It took me about three rejections to overcome the feeling of being rejected; for some people they never get over the response to receiving a rejection. I've since embraced the process a bit more and realized rejection isn't a negative thing but a positive one if put into context. It's that reason I wanted to post this letter—to highlight for all of you not falling prey to the excitement or the rejection. The important lesson here is this: Do not get so excited at the prospect of an agent liking your work that you lose focus on what is important. Kind words are just that—kind words. There is no meaning beyond them and therefore no reason to get excited. At least not yet. After a writer sends out a query, the agent will usually request a partial; a partial, after all, tells the agent a great deal about the story and the writer's ability with the craft. Sending a partial out to an agent, having it read, and receiving word back on it is just one tiny aspect of the process. The rest of the process is finding an agent who loves the entire book, then finding an editor who enjoys the entire book, and then finding a fan base who enjoys the entire book. This is reality, and good word on a partial does not a published writer make. At the end of this post, I write it as much for me as for you guys. I have to remember to stay focused; I have to remember to not read into anything. Ralph enjoyed the first few chapters, "enough to want to see" more. That word "enough" is the key and it might have been intended on Ralph's part and it might not have been. "Enough" to me sounds like I barely made the cut; we'll see what he thinks of the rest of it. You may ask, "Well, what about the letter are you happy with?" I'll tell you, and it will probably make most of you laugh. I really enjoyed Ralph's take on my purple prose. Yes, I admit it, I have a problem with purple prose—the kind of writing that is flowery and over the top and too descriptive. He nailed me good with that observance and I can tell Ralph knows exactly what kind of writer I am. With that said, I'm so very happy he said "but that's nothing a little line edit couldn't fix." I've been hoping hoping hoping for an agent who might take the time to highlight those areas in my manuscript that do go over the top; I'm happy to fix every one of them, after all, but need help in identifying them. Ralph gives me hope that he might be someone who can do that for me, or at least put the book in the hands of someone who can. Overall, I am touched by Ralph getting back to me so fast. I am also pleased that I can still keep writing with a very strong goal in mind—to knock Ralph's socks off! Labels: Craft, The Dark Thorn
Chapter 11
I finally finished Chapter 11 this morning of the newly titled book, The Dark Thorn. At the beginning of the chapter I had a fairly strong epiphany about the third book in the series, and I realized the perfect place to plant a seed for that third book was in Chapter 11. It took me a while to straighten out all the details for that third book so this chapter took a bit longer to write than I had originally thought. But the results make me happy and that's all that matters. Word count is as thus: Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Now on to Chapter 12, which is another Bran chapter. After that comes a Cardinal Cormac chapter, which is going to be great fun to write. All I know is I keep having more and more fun as each chapter is started and I don't think a writer can ask for more than that other than a contract, great cover art, a publisher behind ya 100%, lots of readers, and meeting fans. Oh wait... guess I have a ways to go! Labels: The Dagda King, The Dark Thorn
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