minstrel's "rodent persistence" progress journal

This is minstrel's progress journal. Right now I have reduced the number of projects I have to three - the rest are short stories and very back burner stuff.

I don't want to give out the actual titles of these works, partly because I haven't decided on them all yet. So I've assigned them working titles:

1) The Search for Steel. This is a terrible title, but I have a great one for the finished book. It's a kind of alternate-history fantasy. No magic, no strange races, just humans in a normal version of North America about four hundred years ago or so. Lots of different cultures scattered across the continent, but no European influence. Low technology (no guns - pretty much the highest tech is a horse-drawn cart). This is my primary work and I cherish it, but while NaNoWriMo is on, I won't be working on it.

2) Moon Boy. Another lousy title. A moon base has been established for research. Owing to a complicated set of circumstances, one of the researchers gives birth to a boy on the moon - VERY much against regulations - and he's the first and only kid ever born there. Very complicated issues arise as he grows. Legal issues, political issues, scientific issues, and most of all, deeply personal and somewhat terrifying issues. This project is also on hold until NaNoWriMo is done.

3) The Winds. Another terrible title, but I have a better one. Researchers on a distant planet are preparing the world for the first shipload of actual colonists, but they are also concealing a deadly secret. This is my NaNoWriMo project for 2015.

 

Made it to 2,215 words on The Winds by today. Somewhat behind schedule for NaNoWriMo, but with luck, I'll catch up.

 

The 'target' for each day of writing isn't set in stone, is it? Some days you'll write more than others. Just gallop when you can. It will be interesting to see how you get on with this nanowrimo thingy. I suspect that once you get going, you'll probably do very well because enthusiasm often breeds enthusiasm. You've created a premise for a story I would certainly read. Good luck.

On another note entirely: would you mind having a word with your Scottish relatives, whom I caught yesterday CHEWING HOLES IN OUR WINDOW SILL OUTDOORS???? I know they are hinting that I should be chucking nut nuggets at them more frequently, but this is having the opposite effect.

 

Story #1 sounds right up my alley - alternate-history fantasy is such an interesting place to work in, it's where I started but I ended up adding spirit animals so there's a little bit of magic, whoops.

Good luck on NaNo!

 

Well, obviously I didn't finish NaNo. I have a bunch of reasons, but none of them should really be counted as excuses. I slacked off, plain and simple.

My focus, for the time being, has returned to The Search for Steel. I'm doing the first chapter of the second draft, and it's been frightening me for a long while now. The reason is that this chapter contains an event (the "inciting event," if you will) that is such a strong scene that I'm afraid the rest of the book (at least until the last couple of chapters) will pale in comparison. I don't know yet how to get around this, or whether I even have to.

This event didn't even happen in the first draft, but the first chapter of that draft was notably weak. I feel like I've replaced Simon and Garfunkel with AC/DC.

Ponder, ponder, ponder...

 

With or without Axl Rose?

Have you had any feedback?

 

Or you can think of something even bigger that happens later in the book. Make it epic.

 

No feedback yet. I don't think it's ready for that yet.