It feels like November has been a long month. But now, with Thanksgiving a few days away, I feel like some real progress has been made on the writing front, and I'm eager to share it.
Novels
There were a few weeks in November where not much was being done on writing in general. Despite that, I've made progress during the month as a whole. Most of the worldbuilding is done - a few small details still need to be worked out, but that can happen any time. The magic system is still holding - it looks promising. It has the blend of potential, originality, and balance that I was looking for.
On the character front, stakes for the main protagonist and main antagonist have been solidified. ChatGPT has once again been instrumental, this time in helping me explore the effects of stakes and backstories on characters. Both the main protagonist and antagonist are now developed.
The plot has only received real attention in the last few days, now that the main characters are squared away. The outline has been cleaned up, and the beginnings of the most pivotal scenes are starting to emerge. There's still quite a few questions about how plot events happen - that will be the major thing I'm tackling in December. I expect ChatGPT to be a major help there, as most of the questions boil down to, 'I need this to happen, but also this (which is highly unlikely/impossible). How can I make both things happen?' GPT is excellent at, if nothing else, giving me ideas to break through plot difficulties.
Once I know more about the plot, there are two secondary characters I need to work on. They need to be developed, along with any relevant arcs or stakes. Then it's back to the outline for a final pass, making sure I know how everything works, and exactly what scenes I need. A check on the conflict will follow, where I plan to make sure certain criteria are met, and then look into escalation, and if it needs to happen. At that point, I will be ready to start the detailed outline, which is equivalent to the second-to-last draft. Following that, the writing will begin. Assuming everything goes smoothly, I would guess that writing might begin in the late spring of 2025.
Fan Fiction
I do love writing fan fiction, and I still occasionally have an idea for a story. I'd really like to write something on Valhalla, even if it's just a short foray. Unfortunately, with work taking up most of my time on the weekends, I feel like I have to spend as much time as I can on my novels. This, and the lack of any truly solid ideas for fan fiction, has kept me from the world of HS. I would like to return to fan fiction at some point - possibly once the detailed outlining begins (because at that point the development will be done). But I can only guess if that will actually happen.
The Future
For now, the future looks much like the present. Work on the novels will continue, and there are no plans for fan fiction. My dental job is holding steady, and as long as that is the case, I don't see anything changing, until I begin the writing of my novels. Until then, keep reading.
~TGRF.
Novels
There were a few weeks in November where not much was being done on writing in general. Despite that, I've made progress during the month as a whole. Most of the worldbuilding is done - a few small details still need to be worked out, but that can happen any time. The magic system is still holding - it looks promising. It has the blend of potential, originality, and balance that I was looking for.
On the character front, stakes for the main protagonist and main antagonist have been solidified. ChatGPT has once again been instrumental, this time in helping me explore the effects of stakes and backstories on characters. Both the main protagonist and antagonist are now developed.
The plot has only received real attention in the last few days, now that the main characters are squared away. The outline has been cleaned up, and the beginnings of the most pivotal scenes are starting to emerge. There's still quite a few questions about how plot events happen - that will be the major thing I'm tackling in December. I expect ChatGPT to be a major help there, as most of the questions boil down to, 'I need this to happen, but also this (which is highly unlikely/impossible). How can I make both things happen?' GPT is excellent at, if nothing else, giving me ideas to break through plot difficulties.
Once I know more about the plot, there are two secondary characters I need to work on. They need to be developed, along with any relevant arcs or stakes. Then it's back to the outline for a final pass, making sure I know how everything works, and exactly what scenes I need. A check on the conflict will follow, where I plan to make sure certain criteria are met, and then look into escalation, and if it needs to happen. At that point, I will be ready to start the detailed outline, which is equivalent to the second-to-last draft. Following that, the writing will begin. Assuming everything goes smoothly, I would guess that writing might begin in the late spring of 2025.
Fan Fiction
I do love writing fan fiction, and I still occasionally have an idea for a story. I'd really like to write something on Valhalla, even if it's just a short foray. Unfortunately, with work taking up most of my time on the weekends, I feel like I have to spend as much time as I can on my novels. This, and the lack of any truly solid ideas for fan fiction, has kept me from the world of HS. I would like to return to fan fiction at some point - possibly once the detailed outlining begins (because at that point the development will be done). But I can only guess if that will actually happen.
The Future
For now, the future looks much like the present. Work on the novels will continue, and there are no plans for fan fiction. My dental job is holding steady, and as long as that is the case, I don't see anything changing, until I begin the writing of my novels. Until then, keep reading.
~TGRF.