Tag: writing

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The issue at the moment is time and honing my skills. I know at last how *I* develop and write a novel. So, for the time being, things are smooth sailing. Everything could change in a heart beat — that goes without saying — but I’m please with what I’ve managed to come up with right now.

My life could literally change at any moment the context of my working on these two trilogies would change in a very, very dramatic fashion. But I really enjoy working on this project.

Every once in a while, I lean back and think, “Uh, I’m pretty good.”

But only time will tell. I have a huge amount of work to do — most of it development related reading. I really need to understand the nuts and bults of motivation, character building, so forth better.

Sometimes I fear I’m being too half-assed about shit like that.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So. Now what. I’m now on the process of working on the second draft of my first novel. I call it “second draft” because things are stable enough that I can, for the most part, follow the outline I have already established.

One problem is, of course, I have a huge hole in my outline.

But, other than that, I can just follow the outline I have all the way through and wrap up this “second draft” pretty quick. I also need to work on the other novels in this project. The dream would be, of course, that I can sell three novels like Stieg Larsson did without the whole dying of a hearttack problem.

We’ll see, I guess.

Yet I’m feeling pretty good. I still have a huge amount of reading to do.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So, now that I’ve split the first novel in this series into two AGAIN, I now have six novels that made up to thematically connected trilogies. I constantly struggle with the idea of working on a “second track” novel or screenplay and just can’t — to date — manage to get myself to do it.

I have the whole universe thought out rather extensively, why go through the trouble of thinking up a whole new universe with characters when I can just bounce around six novels in development as need be?

If I had a wife or a girlfriend, then, of course, this would be a lot simpler. She would help me organize what I’m doing to the point that I could, indeed, separate my attention on something else.

Sadly, I’m alone.

So, I’m going to throw myself into these six novels (really just the first three and really, even more so, just the first novel). I’ve got to get a second draft of something done SOON. I’m nervous that I’m going to slip into the fall 2023 querying season with no assurance I’ll ever get published traditionally even if I do get an agent.

I’m just nervous that we’re going to have a civil war — or I’m going to drop dead of windowmaker heart attack like Stieg Larsson — before I get any of these novels published.

Pray.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I don’t get people who are interested in my efforts to write a novel, only to turn around and do everything in their power to discourage me or make me feel bad. What’s the point? If you care all that much, then offer to be a Beta Reader or to help me achieve my goal, rather than tell me “it should be done by now.”

Who says, you fucking cocksucker dickhead?

There is no reveled truth about how to develop a novel and there’s no reveled truth about how long it should take to finish one.

So, there, fuck you. And I being very heartfelt about this — if you just want to hate on my efforts to write a novel instead of in any way being supportive: fuck off. I don’t want you in my life. And, come to think of it, why are you in my life to begin with?

Anyway,

I’ve decided that I’m splitting the first book into two and, as such, I have six novels not five to work on. This is going to require a LOT more work on my part, but I’m going to try to focus on just the first novel for the time being. Try to make it a calling card of sorts that I can use for the other books.

Though, I find myself thinking about a pandemic-themed scifi novel that I might work on should the mood strike me.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The only thing saving this novel series at the moment is I’ve both invested so much in it and know the general universe so well that it makes no sense to start from scratch.

I guess, if anything, I have to overcome my embarrassment about how big this thing has grown. I mean, six novels, come on. But I think if I just focus on the first three novels and much more specifically just the first novel, then I think — I know — I’ll be ok.

Some of all of this comes from me simply not knowing what I’m doing. No matter what story I was writing, I would face the same type of problems. As such, I just have to keep going. I might have to delay my timeline a little bit, but as long as I’m moving forward, I’m ok.

And, I’m moving forward.

I have a huge portion of this first novel’s outline finished. All I have to do is plug the new holes in it and move forward. I also have to come up with a second book out of whole cloth, but I’m creative, I can do that. But the key issue is — not only are each of these books devoted to one thing and far more simple than they were, they are all thematically connected.

The first three books share a themed, the last three books share a theme.

I continue to be idly interested in working on some scifi, but it’s difficult for me to go down that path because of how much time I would have to spend thinking up a universe and characters to populate it. AND, there would be the aforementioned problems with basic storytelling that I continue to have.

Anyway, wish me luck.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Just in the last few days, everything has collapsed with this first novel in the process of transitioning between first draft and second draft. As such, I’m going to focus all my attention on the first novel (which has been again split into two) and see the first three novels as a trilogy and the second three novels as a trilogy.

That way, everything is thematically connected.

But I’m going to look at it this way — there are three novels that I’m going to really focus on then three more novels that I will only think about all that much if somehow the first trilogy is a success.

That way, I won’t feel overwhelmed by all this writing I feel obligated to write.

We’ll see.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m waiting to start writing the second draft of the first novel in this five novel project. I really want to just start writing NOW, but I am beginning to understand why they tell you to wait a month before working on your second draft.

It really does help a lot to clear your mind some before you turn around and start working on the second draft. You need to decompress. You need to also do a lot of reading and development before you throw yourself back into things. It’s too easy to get too excited and grow overwhelmed. Then you experience burnout.

So, I’m going to try to do some reading and development for a little bit longer. I really love, love, love the writing element of novel production when the conditions are right. They aren’t always right, but sometimes they are. Anyway, I’m going to force myself to read and develop for a little bit longer.

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So, I’ve finished the first draft of the first novel in a projected five novel series. I have a massive amount of work to do, still. But just by sitting on my hands, I’ve managed to find a number of different ways to make these novels a lot better.

Two elements of these novels are really coming together — one is the importance of music and the other is how the reader who is willing to read all five novels will get to see the ebb and flow of history and different families over the course of about 25 years.

That, for me, as the writer, is one of the main draws.

Throw in how I also get to critique both MAGA, Leftists AND religion and, wow, I have a lot of fun (and hard work) ahead of me.

I have to admit that it’s really a struggle to not start writing on the second draft of the first book immediately. But I can use these few weeks to ponder things, develop the other four novels and to do a shit ton of reading. I have so much reading to do. So, so very much reading.

And I’m old. I feel so fucking old.

But, if Stieg Larsson can write three novels and sell them, maybe I can write five novels and sell them.

Hopefully, of course, I won’t die of consumption, or what have you.