Where did summer go?
Enough of that. It's time to focus on what is next.
But first, I promised elsewhere I'd write something of where I've been since 2017 and where Essence has been since 2015. I'll try to be brief.
The easiest summation is this -
I had the least amount of time I have had to write in years, after my wife started her foundation years as a doctor. During the second year, 2017-18, we also decided to move house. It turned into a long, protracted, stressful time, and we spent also many months in rented accomodation, With all the best intentions, it proved impossible to get much done.
But time isn't the whole story. I have written during periods of little time and great stress before.
In 2014, when I realised the main reason I was suffering from an array of medical symptoms including regular severe migraines, and had been for over four years, was my asthma medication, I stopped taking it at once. It was remarkeable how the migraines stopped at once and more astonishing, was the slow return to something resembling normality, for my head in general. I had even experienced mild epilepsy like symptoms in those years, and it all went away.
I started writing again and found a world I had not realised existed - the world of Indie Authors. I was able to learn a lot very quickly, thanks to the generosity of authors who befriended me. I am still humbled by the time others were prepared to give up to help other aspiring authors.
By the time of NaNoWriMo in Nov 2014, I felt as if I knew everything I needed to know about writing. LOL.
It's fair to say that even a year later, and after finally finishing pieces of work and being published, I knew so little.
And this is the next point about the Essence stories.
They grew more and more complex and took place over so many millions of years, that I had not the skill to write them.
The good news for me is that, I have covered many of those millions of years with stories, characters, ideas and they do stack up. Which of course gives me hope that some day they will make it onto paper and may even be published.
So what is the realistic hope for this?
The first story of around 10,000 words is a little more than half written. I know roughly what the ending is and roughly how. There is science involved: some current, some extrapolated, and I have to research it. Between that research and the characters, at least two of which have not been established, the story could alter.
An additional complication is an inner debate on how best to tell the story. Since writing TEOJF in third person, I've stuck to this for all Essence stories. Yet, in notes, I've talked with characters voices in first. It helps me get them clear in my head. But there is also a power from first that drives the story home in a way third never can. And I'm struggling with it. One big problem with first is, you necessarily hear the inner thoughts of the main character, and while I'm drawn to this because I want to explain to people, the show don't tell rule makes me believe that mch of this should remain a mystery.
The only way to find out is to write and rewrite I expect - so this may take longer than I would like.
My aim will be a finished story that I could send for editing by Christmas latest. I'd prefer to finish before this and try to get it published before Christmas, but I have my doubts.
I am expecting I will be taking advantage of the Christmas holidays to finish it even. :)
Enough of that. It's time to focus on what is next.
But first, I promised elsewhere I'd write something of where I've been since 2017 and where Essence has been since 2015. I'll try to be brief.
The easiest summation is this -
I had the least amount of time I have had to write in years, after my wife started her foundation years as a doctor. During the second year, 2017-18, we also decided to move house. It turned into a long, protracted, stressful time, and we spent also many months in rented accomodation, With all the best intentions, it proved impossible to get much done.
But time isn't the whole story. I have written during periods of little time and great stress before.
In 2014, when I realised the main reason I was suffering from an array of medical symptoms including regular severe migraines, and had been for over four years, was my asthma medication, I stopped taking it at once. It was remarkeable how the migraines stopped at once and more astonishing, was the slow return to something resembling normality, for my head in general. I had even experienced mild epilepsy like symptoms in those years, and it all went away.
I started writing again and found a world I had not realised existed - the world of Indie Authors. I was able to learn a lot very quickly, thanks to the generosity of authors who befriended me. I am still humbled by the time others were prepared to give up to help other aspiring authors.
By the time of NaNoWriMo in Nov 2014, I felt as if I knew everything I needed to know about writing. LOL.
It's fair to say that even a year later, and after finally finishing pieces of work and being published, I knew so little.
And this is the next point about the Essence stories.
They grew more and more complex and took place over so many millions of years, that I had not the skill to write them.
The good news for me is that, I have covered many of those millions of years with stories, characters, ideas and they do stack up. Which of course gives me hope that some day they will make it onto paper and may even be published.
So what is the realistic hope for this?
The first story of around 10,000 words is a little more than half written. I know roughly what the ending is and roughly how. There is science involved: some current, some extrapolated, and I have to research it. Between that research and the characters, at least two of which have not been established, the story could alter.
An additional complication is an inner debate on how best to tell the story. Since writing TEOJF in third person, I've stuck to this for all Essence stories. Yet, in notes, I've talked with characters voices in first. It helps me get them clear in my head. But there is also a power from first that drives the story home in a way third never can. And I'm struggling with it. One big problem with first is, you necessarily hear the inner thoughts of the main character, and while I'm drawn to this because I want to explain to people, the show don't tell rule makes me believe that mch of this should remain a mystery.
The only way to find out is to write and rewrite I expect - so this may take longer than I would like.
My aim will be a finished story that I could send for editing by Christmas latest. I'd prefer to finish before this and try to get it published before Christmas, but I have my doubts.
I am expecting I will be taking advantage of the Christmas holidays to finish it even. :)