TGRF's Writing Updates - July
It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was sitting down to write my last Writing Update. At the same time, this month somehow seems to have lasted forever. It's just been one of those months.
... I don't know what transition I was planning on from that intro, so I'll just get into the writing I guess.
Fan Fiction
Last month saw the creation of a bare-bones plot for a sequel to Dawn of Darkness, once again featuring Taelord as a main character.
While no progress has been made on that story (and I'll get to why below), it remains a very real possibility as far as writing goes. This is because the story would stretch the lines between the do's and don't's of writing, and I am curious to see if I can successfully navigate such a plot. I unfortunately cannot tell you what exactly those areas are, because they would completely ruin the story.
Suffice it to say, a DoD sequel is still certainly possible.
As I said, it would feature Taelord as a main character. Runa would have a substantial part, and while Utgar may be actually present in only a few chapters, he would almost certainly have a large impact on events. Minor characters, such as Aiiva from DoD, would likely make a reappearance in some capacity.
There are two, almost completely separate arcs which make up the sequel. They both concern Taelord, and happen back to back, meaning the sequel could actually become two stories rather than one. That remains to be seen. In their bare-bones state, the story wouldn't span more than a few chapters, so whether there are two stories or one completely depends on what else the development adds.
So just how likely is this sequel(s)? That is unknown. As I said, no attention has been put on it this month, and that is because of my new dental job. But to really explain that, I need to first get to:
Novels
Novels have continued to progress, though I have to admit that work on them is rather slower than it was. It remains steady, but interest comes and goes.
That being said, there has been progress. The world and magic system are in a state which I like. The arc and plot are shaping up nicely. There seem to be plenty of opportunities for side characters and subplots. A lot still has to be done, but the potential is there. It's just a matter of time and interest.
And that of course comes down to:
The Future
Last month, I said I was set to start my new job as a dental assistant, and that I would know this month how that would effect my writing time.
The job is 10-5, four days a week, with a three day weekend. Initially that sounds like I would have tons of time to write. And I can indeed usually get a solid hour in the mornings. But one of those weekend days is needed to catch up on household things, and another is only half there, with the result that I only really have one full day to truly focus on my writing. And unfortunately, sometimes the urge to do so is simply not there.
So there's some good and some bad. The job does prevent burnout, and does give me a structured time to work on writing. However, it also limits my opportunities to write, meaning that if my head isn't with it, that opportunity is gone. All in all, writing I feel could potentially continue at the pace it was in June, but so far is going slower. We'll have to see if I can develop some sort of system to focus on writing in the mornings at least.
So how does this affect fan fiction? Unfortunately, with limited time to do writing of any kind, I have to devote attention completely to novels. While it's possible that I could get a wave of inspiration for fan fiction and pursue it, I am actually trying to avoid that happening, because I really want to make progress on my novels. Every day where I don't do that feels like a missed opportunity. Work on fan fiction might well continue if I go on a trip (which periodically happens), but those instances will be far between.
So where does this leave us? Fan fiction is ready whenever I can pick it up. Novels are progressing slowly. Writing time is limited, but present.
What about due dates? At this point, I couldn't really venture a guess as to how long it will take me to actually get the novels in a publishable form. The actual writing may well go quickly, as I could likely pump out a chapter every morning.
But the development will take (and is taking) far longer. I'm at the point with the plot right now where possibility meets structure, meaning there is a plethora of questions to answer as I nail down exactly how things unfold. That is taking a long time. After that, I still need to develop characters and stakes, and then look back at the outline and consider the inclusion of subplots and side characters. All in all, I'm very far from the writing phase. It could take a few months to get there. It could take another year. I honestly can't say at this point.
As always, I expect to know more next month. Until then, keep reading.
~TGRF.
It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was sitting down to write my last Writing Update. At the same time, this month somehow seems to have lasted forever. It's just been one of those months.
... I don't know what transition I was planning on from that intro, so I'll just get into the writing I guess.
Fan Fiction
Last month saw the creation of a bare-bones plot for a sequel to Dawn of Darkness, once again featuring Taelord as a main character.
While no progress has been made on that story (and I'll get to why below), it remains a very real possibility as far as writing goes. This is because the story would stretch the lines between the do's and don't's of writing, and I am curious to see if I can successfully navigate such a plot. I unfortunately cannot tell you what exactly those areas are, because they would completely ruin the story.
Suffice it to say, a DoD sequel is still certainly possible.
As I said, it would feature Taelord as a main character. Runa would have a substantial part, and while Utgar may be actually present in only a few chapters, he would almost certainly have a large impact on events. Minor characters, such as Aiiva from DoD, would likely make a reappearance in some capacity.
There are two, almost completely separate arcs which make up the sequel. They both concern Taelord, and happen back to back, meaning the sequel could actually become two stories rather than one. That remains to be seen. In their bare-bones state, the story wouldn't span more than a few chapters, so whether there are two stories or one completely depends on what else the development adds.
So just how likely is this sequel(s)? That is unknown. As I said, no attention has been put on it this month, and that is because of my new dental job. But to really explain that, I need to first get to:
Novels
Novels have continued to progress, though I have to admit that work on them is rather slower than it was. It remains steady, but interest comes and goes.
That being said, there has been progress. The world and magic system are in a state which I like. The arc and plot are shaping up nicely. There seem to be plenty of opportunities for side characters and subplots. A lot still has to be done, but the potential is there. It's just a matter of time and interest.
And that of course comes down to:
The Future
Last month, I said I was set to start my new job as a dental assistant, and that I would know this month how that would effect my writing time.
The job is 10-5, four days a week, with a three day weekend. Initially that sounds like I would have tons of time to write. And I can indeed usually get a solid hour in the mornings. But one of those weekend days is needed to catch up on household things, and another is only half there, with the result that I only really have one full day to truly focus on my writing. And unfortunately, sometimes the urge to do so is simply not there.
So there's some good and some bad. The job does prevent burnout, and does give me a structured time to work on writing. However, it also limits my opportunities to write, meaning that if my head isn't with it, that opportunity is gone. All in all, writing I feel could potentially continue at the pace it was in June, but so far is going slower. We'll have to see if I can develop some sort of system to focus on writing in the mornings at least.
So how does this affect fan fiction? Unfortunately, with limited time to do writing of any kind, I have to devote attention completely to novels. While it's possible that I could get a wave of inspiration for fan fiction and pursue it, I am actually trying to avoid that happening, because I really want to make progress on my novels. Every day where I don't do that feels like a missed opportunity. Work on fan fiction might well continue if I go on a trip (which periodically happens), but those instances will be far between.
So where does this leave us? Fan fiction is ready whenever I can pick it up. Novels are progressing slowly. Writing time is limited, but present.
What about due dates? At this point, I couldn't really venture a guess as to how long it will take me to actually get the novels in a publishable form. The actual writing may well go quickly, as I could likely pump out a chapter every morning.
But the development will take (and is taking) far longer. I'm at the point with the plot right now where possibility meets structure, meaning there is a plethora of questions to answer as I nail down exactly how things unfold. That is taking a long time. After that, I still need to develop characters and stakes, and then look back at the outline and consider the inclusion of subplots and side characters. All in all, I'm very far from the writing phase. It could take a few months to get there. It could take another year. I honestly can't say at this point.
As always, I expect to know more next month. Until then, keep reading.
~TGRF.
