Tag: Millennial Series

Should I Be Worried?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

One of my big fears as an aspiring novelist is that somehow, someway, the conceit of my novel will somehow be rendered moot by someone’s independent idea. Well, apparently there is a new Amazon series will be set in the Stieg Larsson Millennium series universe.

My homage to that universe is so totally different from what he wrote all those years ago that I don’t THINK there will be a problem. My main fear is what somehow, because form follows function, that even if my novel series is totally and completely different that somehow, someway, something I have come up with will be just close enough in creative proximity that, lulz, I have to scrap what I’ve worked so hard on.

I suppose it’s possible, but at the moment, it’s not probable. It is something to keep an eye on, I suppose. And, if nothing else, it encourages me to throw myself into a second creative track so I can have a back up plan ready incase my absolute worst fears become a reality.

Stieg Larsson & My Decision To Write Four Novels At Once


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Just in the last few days, the novel project I’ve been working on for years now took a hard left turn. For some time now, I’ve been struggling with how to give myself the occasional opportunity to switch gears whenever I feel the novels I’m currently developing and writing have begun to wear me down some.

I’ve figured out how to do it, and it’s greatly expanded the task before me, but in a great way. I’ve decided to develop and write four novels all at once. This allows me to switch gears like I want, but to also stay in-universe. As such, I don’t have to re invent the wheel when it comes to basic universe building things like names and locations.

One key thing is all this new work is flowing really easily, so I don’t have to struggle with that kind of stuff.

All this gets me thinking about Stieg Larsson and how he wrote a trilogy, sold it and then dropped dead days after doing so. This is almost taking on the air of a Twilight Zone episode — I’m well on my way to writing FOUR novels, potentially selling them…then dropping dead soon after I do so. But, “they shoot writers, don’t they” as they old saying goes, so I guess I need stop complaining and accept that the life of a writer is often tragic and unexpectedly cut short.

And, yet, no fate but what we make. So, it’s at least possible that if I should miraculously sell four novels that I will live to fight another day. An issue writing four novels at once brings up is now I have to defuse my creative energies over four novels and think about how important the first book is. The first book is supposed to set the tone of any series and I’ve come up with a great concept.

It’s pretty much totally different than what I expected to write when I started all of this about three years ago, but that’s good because if I ever get restless working on one of the four books, I can always switch gears and start development and writing on another one — all while staying in-universe.

I figure that while this new approach may slow me down some simply because I have two more books to work on, it will actually make it more likely that I finish the entire project because even when I “take a break” from one book, I will still be within the universe I’ve come up with.

That, at least, is the plan.

I Nominate Alicia Vikander To Play ‘Lisbeth Salander’



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Though she’s a bit old as the character was originally imagined, there’s one person who would be perfect for a yet another reboot of the Lisbeth Salander franchise — Alicia Vikander.

She’s Swedish and would have the right accent. She is a bit tall for Salander as well, but, then, Hollywood cast Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, so, lulz.

I guess the point of all of this is the Lisbeth Salander character has yet to be completely strip mined of any entertainment value. If you had the right script and producer to go along with Ms. Vikander as Salander, then I think you would have a recipe for success.

Mission:Impossible — Fallout, My #Novel & Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As a way of training my mind not to be so silly while writing this novel, I’ve started to listen to soundtracks to “serious” movies. I listen to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST and Gone Girl’s OST. But the soundtrack I listen to that makes me nod my head and say, “That’s what I want” is the one to Mission: Impossible — Fallout.

That’s what I want from this novel. While I love, love, love the Millennium series, they’re also slow as hell at times (the first book) or confusing as hell (the third book.) I really like how accessible and fast paced the Mission:Impossible movie obviously is from its soundtrack.

I have a number of scenes — especially in the second book — that are sit up in your seat exciting. Just thinking about being able to write them is enough to get me through the first book. The planned second book as two scenes that will knock your socks off if they ever were filmed.

Now, of course, that’s a ways down the road. But it’s what keeps me going. It’s what keeps my mind focused. I really need to stay focused. I need to keep my head down and read, read, read then write, write, write.

No one believes in me. This is all on me. This novel’s strengths will be mine, as will its weaknesses.

Let’s rock.