V-Log: Thoughts On The #Novel I’m #Writing At The Beginning Of The 2nd Act, First Draft

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

So I have reached the beginning of the second act of the novel I’m writing. It’s still just the first draft, but I’m reasonably pleased with what I’ve managed to come up with. I continue to think of Hollywood stars who might play different characters in the novel for no other reason than it is a convenient short hand in my mind as I try to develop the characters.

One character, the female romantic lead, I write with Jennifer Lawrence in my head. She is, at least, the type of person I could see playing the character. In turn, I could see Bradly Cooper as the Hero, though Jon Hamm or George Clooney might also fit the bill. I’m writing the Hero as something of a scamp, who works hard, plays hard and the audience can identify with because he’s human and flawed. But it’s going to take a lot of time to get to that point.

The story, itself, at this point is extremely breezy. It’s something of a scifi beach read. My goal is to write something along the lines of The Martian. Though with a goal of 100,000 words I think my novel will be a bit more weighty than The Martian, it aspires to be a spiritual successor to it. I want this novel to be a provocative beach read you can finish over a weekend while sunning on the beach.

Anyway, after I give myself a few minutes of reflection, I’m going to sit down and plow into the second act of the novel, which is typically about 60% of the total. I’m really influenced by the Foundation Series and the Millennium Series. Both of those are pretty accessible, easy reads that are at times though provoking.

But I have very low expectations. I’ll be content if I manage to produce a well-written, if self-published, novel.

Author: Shelton Bumgarner

I am the Editor & Publisher of The Trumplandia Report

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