TGRF's Writing Updates - May
This last month seems to have gone by in a flash. There have been changes in some areas, and none in others, so it's time to update you all on where my writing stands.
Fan Fiction
Fan Fiction remains to be in a weird place for me. I have ideas - almost exclusively about possible sequels to DoD - but I don't want to shift focus away from my novels to write those ideas.
From HS lore, we know that Vydar and Einar both end up betraying Utgar. We know that Taelord and Runa somehow both join the war. How do these things happen? Utgar's well on his way to becoming the villain we know, but how does that story end?
There's a lot of questions and half-formed plots which I could turn into a story, or a collection of stories, but sadly, until I reach a point with my novels where I need to take a several-month-long break, I don't see them being written anytime soon.
Novels
Last month, I had all but completed the development, and was looking into any potential weaknesses of the story, and what I could add to compensate for said weaknesses. One of those weaknesses was that the main villain lacked realistic motives. I thought tweaking the motives would be a fairly simple process.
As it turned out, 'tweaking' the motives turned into a complete overhaul of the villain's position and loyalties, which as a result effected everyone else's position. The end result was that I had to go back to literally square zero and reform the Hero's main arc - the one which defines the entire plot - to make sure it made sense with how things now played out.
The bad news is that I'm not done. While I've reformed the arc, I still need to basically redo all of the development I spent the last four months doing.
The good news is that I've of course done that previously, and a lot of it I should be able to reuse. So while I need to redevelop the entire series, it should take a fraction of the time to do so.
Still, I would estimate that development will take another 1-2 months to finish. This obviously sets me back, but it does give me a chance to correct some shortcomings I think were cropping up with the story. So that's a plus.
Following the re-development, we should be able to move on to the Outlining, and then the writing. I can't at this time give an idea of when all that might happen, but I would still put things around the end of the year - maybe the end, maybe after. I'll know more next month.
The Future
I am STILL searching for a job. Every place I've applied to has failed to call me back, which means I will likely need to return to the inglorious job of grocery store cashier. I have my eye on one job which I think I might actually like, and while the company is not currently hiring, I should be able to volunteer with them, so that I'll be in a position to get hired when an opening comes along. When that opening might be, is anyone's guess. Until then... cashier it is.
At any event, writing progress is continuing. I'll see you all next month, or sooner in the competition. Until then, keep reading!
~TGRF.
This last month seems to have gone by in a flash. There have been changes in some areas, and none in others, so it's time to update you all on where my writing stands.
Fan Fiction
Fan Fiction remains to be in a weird place for me. I have ideas - almost exclusively about possible sequels to DoD - but I don't want to shift focus away from my novels to write those ideas.
From HS lore, we know that Vydar and Einar both end up betraying Utgar. We know that Taelord and Runa somehow both join the war. How do these things happen? Utgar's well on his way to becoming the villain we know, but how does that story end?
There's a lot of questions and half-formed plots which I could turn into a story, or a collection of stories, but sadly, until I reach a point with my novels where I need to take a several-month-long break, I don't see them being written anytime soon.
Novels
Last month, I had all but completed the development, and was looking into any potential weaknesses of the story, and what I could add to compensate for said weaknesses. One of those weaknesses was that the main villain lacked realistic motives. I thought tweaking the motives would be a fairly simple process.
As it turned out, 'tweaking' the motives turned into a complete overhaul of the villain's position and loyalties, which as a result effected everyone else's position. The end result was that I had to go back to literally square zero and reform the Hero's main arc - the one which defines the entire plot - to make sure it made sense with how things now played out.
The bad news is that I'm not done. While I've reformed the arc, I still need to basically redo all of the development I spent the last four months doing.
The good news is that I've of course done that previously, and a lot of it I should be able to reuse. So while I need to redevelop the entire series, it should take a fraction of the time to do so.
Still, I would estimate that development will take another 1-2 months to finish. This obviously sets me back, but it does give me a chance to correct some shortcomings I think were cropping up with the story. So that's a plus.
Following the re-development, we should be able to move on to the Outlining, and then the writing. I can't at this time give an idea of when all that might happen, but I would still put things around the end of the year - maybe the end, maybe after. I'll know more next month.
The Future
I am STILL searching for a job. Every place I've applied to has failed to call me back, which means I will likely need to return to the inglorious job of grocery store cashier. I have my eye on one job which I think I might actually like, and while the company is not currently hiring, I should be able to volunteer with them, so that I'll be in a position to get hired when an opening comes along. When that opening might be, is anyone's guess. Until then... cashier it is.
At any event, writing progress is continuing. I'll see you all next month, or sooner in the competition. Until then, keep reading!
~TGRF.
