Chapter seven is underway and it has gone into a whole lot more detail than I had originally thought, a fact that scares and impresses me at the same time. While the extra details and hopefully looks into more emotion of the situation helps the reader stay engrossed, I also hope it doesn't cause the reader to lose interest. I did my best to make sure its all relevant stuff to the book and more so, for the characters themselves. It kept me writing during the extended scenes of the aftermath of chapter six and it all seems to flow really well, so I'm hoping that the extra details will help keep the reader entertained and eager to keep going.
Most of the events happened rather quickly from the end of chapter six and into seven, but that was my intention. Though the events push the boundaries of regular fiction and perhaps into a bit of fantasy/science fiction - I think some leeway could be granted in the means as it is fiction and if I drug this particular circumstance out too much, it would have been obsolete in a hurry and from there, it would have either ended the story on an unhappy note, or a new character would have taken over, which may or may not have been hinted at when the new team leader in Gabriel Rosenthal was introduced. I suppose, depending on personal beliefs of the reader, miracles can and do occur and the events can be justified by the intervention of superior medical technology, perhaps even a bit of divine intervention. I leave it up to the reader to decide and hope that it all allows them to feel the emotion of the story and show just how much the characters, especially the main protagonist, has grown to this point.
Chapter seven, thus far, has encapsulated the week or seven days following the events of chapter six and focusing on the agency, and more personally, the main character coming to grips with what happened. While slow by some standards, and lacking a lot of the supporting characters for the time being, I wanted this chapter to primarily revolve around Travi, Allison and to a lesser extent, Mark and it can be justified by the rest of Travi's team being in the process of recovering from the chapter six events and perhaps even taking there own measures on dealing with the situations, such as contacting family, or even taking the leave granted to spend with their family. This will all be hinted at in some form in the near future before the team comes back together for the stretch toward the finale, all of them having a chance to gather their thoughts and make sure that pressing forward is actually what they wish to do.
Chapter eight will probably be when things get back on track plot wise, though seven is no less important to the story. I intended this chapter to finally get the feelings and emotions between Travi and Allison conveyed and let those come forward for the both of them and giving the characters a rest from the trauma they had experienced in chapter six, which even if the reader couldn't see it happen, its events and aftermath hopefully showed just how close this story may have ended before things could be made right. An appreciation toward life can be given as a result, and I would imagine they will come back stronger for it, and more of a vigor to end the situation before it gets any worse.
Rather short-ish post, but that's all for now. Adieu.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Halftime
Authors note: A correction for the last post, Chapter six was being worked on, instead of seven.
That's out of the way, so moving on. Chapter -six- has been completed, and one of the tricks in this one was conveying a bit more emotion this time around from more characters given the situation. In all, past a quick review to fix a couple nagging mistakes, I think I was able to convey a bit more on how the situation hits multiple characters and their individual responses (albeit some expected given their natures), and the way it contradicts their normal personality. The human emotional spectrum is a grand thing, and it's amazing what they can do to us in times of great distress.
Chapter seven, after the intermission - is when the story begins to take off and head toward its conclusion. The way it's looking now, the following chapters up to the finale will be the agency getting its ducks in a row and actually making progress on the goal, as opposed to the first half when it was more about establishing the character relationships and letting the readers get a glimpse of what the story may hold. Several new plot twists that were hinted at in the first half come to fruition and power switches hands, placing the world at a greater peril. Meanwhile, the first couple pages of chapter seven will encompass the main character in some dreams and thoughts, giving a better clarity into his background. The riddle he was posed with is finally answered during this time and he begins to refocus his attention on the dual threat that has now arisen. We get another look into his past, in "happier years", instead of the painful ones that have come over the last five years - and more into his relationship with the love interest, his history, his family's history, and how he got to where he was. All it told via dream sequences.
Once he awakens, things get interesting between him and the love interest, the bad guys have some internal problems, and the agency primes itself for a major campaign that will lead to what I hope will be a climatic ending, with an ending that belays not so much the importance of how the project is stopped, but why it is stopped. And even if the researchers data that was saved from destruction cannot do it, perhaps the sheer will of operatives who are moving to save the lives of millions that are threatened by the bad guys, can. Two different drafts have two different endings in terms of how the project is finally defeated, but the second one is mainly the actions of the agency in stopping the threat while the attack is underway, whereas the first one, the antidote was completed and had to be administered. The second draft's ending is a bit more ambiguous and leaves the door open that perhaps they moved just quick enough that the antidote wasn't needed.
Either way, the researchers (love interest included) still have significant roles to play in that, one of them is the catalyst for the main character and the other is the resolve of the pair to never give up, even if they cannot finish the antidote in time. The fact they survived, and it comes to a realization for one of them later in the book that without a certain element, the project is useless.
All very exciting (to me anyhow) stuff to work on. Loving this whole writing thing again.
That's out of the way, so moving on. Chapter -six- has been completed, and one of the tricks in this one was conveying a bit more emotion this time around from more characters given the situation. In all, past a quick review to fix a couple nagging mistakes, I think I was able to convey a bit more on how the situation hits multiple characters and their individual responses (albeit some expected given their natures), and the way it contradicts their normal personality. The human emotional spectrum is a grand thing, and it's amazing what they can do to us in times of great distress.
Chapter seven, after the intermission - is when the story begins to take off and head toward its conclusion. The way it's looking now, the following chapters up to the finale will be the agency getting its ducks in a row and actually making progress on the goal, as opposed to the first half when it was more about establishing the character relationships and letting the readers get a glimpse of what the story may hold. Several new plot twists that were hinted at in the first half come to fruition and power switches hands, placing the world at a greater peril. Meanwhile, the first couple pages of chapter seven will encompass the main character in some dreams and thoughts, giving a better clarity into his background. The riddle he was posed with is finally answered during this time and he begins to refocus his attention on the dual threat that has now arisen. We get another look into his past, in "happier years", instead of the painful ones that have come over the last five years - and more into his relationship with the love interest, his history, his family's history, and how he got to where he was. All it told via dream sequences.
Once he awakens, things get interesting between him and the love interest, the bad guys have some internal problems, and the agency primes itself for a major campaign that will lead to what I hope will be a climatic ending, with an ending that belays not so much the importance of how the project is stopped, but why it is stopped. And even if the researchers data that was saved from destruction cannot do it, perhaps the sheer will of operatives who are moving to save the lives of millions that are threatened by the bad guys, can. Two different drafts have two different endings in terms of how the project is finally defeated, but the second one is mainly the actions of the agency in stopping the threat while the attack is underway, whereas the first one, the antidote was completed and had to be administered. The second draft's ending is a bit more ambiguous and leaves the door open that perhaps they moved just quick enough that the antidote wasn't needed.
Either way, the researchers (love interest included) still have significant roles to play in that, one of them is the catalyst for the main character and the other is the resolve of the pair to never give up, even if they cannot finish the antidote in time. The fact they survived, and it comes to a realization for one of them later in the book that without a certain element, the project is useless.
All very exciting (to me anyhow) stuff to work on. Loving this whole writing thing again.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Looking ahead
Several things have switched around in the aftermath of chapter seven, which is now underway. Page count stands at 122, which is 11 more than previous count on the second draft, hopefully those extra pages are counting toward helping people understand the story and are not just filler material.
I have made attempts to go into a bit more detail this time around, explaining a few things to clarify the plot and clean up any confusion that may arise. I have done (or made an attempt at such anyhow), by incorporating a couple more "point of view" sections, including some not tied with the main characters and antagonists such as at the beginning when we see through President Adam Hunter's eyes while speaking with his State Secretary, then later from a police captain in Italy speaking with his subordinates. By adding in this small extras, it helps tell the story a bit better and allow the reader to (hopefully) see it from all angles.
Looking ahead, the story will start to pick up some as we approach the proverbial "halftime" of the book. Relationships have been established, new ones will be in the making and the main characters begin to knuckle down and kick ass now that problems plaguing them are a thing of the past. Its starting to get exciting, if not a bit emotional, as things make a turn for the better for the characters while a nightmare incarnate may come true. Time shall tell.
Short post from the phone while on break. May have some to add later on today. Adieu.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Pride and Dreams
Despite my previous thoughts, the supposed sledgehammer never came to fruition thankfully and it looks like I managed to figure out how to approach the next part of the story, the apex I have been talking about for a few entries now. One thing that is still bothering me is whether or not to introduce one of the new characters at that time, or hold off on that for now. His presence could be justified, but it may throw a bit of a curveball for me in how the rest of that section is supposed to play out.
This could branch into several different routes depending on how it plays out. As it stands at the moment, a major turning point occurs with the team, specifically, the main character. One recurring thought is that if I decide to introduce this new character, he would become a main character probably immediately as the plans for him include assistance of the Mavericks for the rest of the story. If they are called in for this next "mission", then I think I may know of a way to keep the main storyline alive that I enjoy and also make it so they can make an appearance and announce their roles off the bat. This would work out rather well and wow, it's amazing what happens when I'm half asleep and the brain is going full throttle.
Now that is fixed, so it's time to look at my upcoming chapters. As stated in the previous entries, this is when questions begin to be answered, relationship culminate, ulterior motives are revealed, and the entire dynamic of the book changes. The new characters will begin playing important roles and I'm hoping they will have have some measure of relevance to push the story forward. So far, Allison's relevance to the story has been centered primarily on her pursuits of Travi and also trying to develop a rapport with her new colleagues. Her research on the project cure could wind up being slowed, or completely destroyed with some modifications to what I have so far, and her life, along with Heather, is constantly in the balance and threat of assassination. What I have so far is a set back due to circumstances, and it may lead to my second draft's version where it was worked on fervently, but never completed due to the data being destroyed, and since the agency will begin moving in overdrive, the bad guys never get a chance to stockpile much of it (outside what was used for the intimidation strikes, while their researchers and virologists continue to produce it at the best rate possible) and what they do, is loaded and becomes part of the finale.
All of this will probably come under a strong review by myself and wind up as fourth draft before it's all said and done, but I am glad to finally be smoothing out the rough edges that have plagued me for so long. Eventually, I'll see this book on a store shelf I hope.
Until next time.
This could branch into several different routes depending on how it plays out. As it stands at the moment, a major turning point occurs with the team, specifically, the main character. One recurring thought is that if I decide to introduce this new character, he would become a main character probably immediately as the plans for him include assistance of the Mavericks for the rest of the story. If they are called in for this next "mission", then I think I may know of a way to keep the main storyline alive that I enjoy and also make it so they can make an appearance and announce their roles off the bat. This would work out rather well and wow, it's amazing what happens when I'm half asleep and the brain is going full throttle.
Now that is fixed, so it's time to look at my upcoming chapters. As stated in the previous entries, this is when questions begin to be answered, relationship culminate, ulterior motives are revealed, and the entire dynamic of the book changes. The new characters will begin playing important roles and I'm hoping they will have have some measure of relevance to push the story forward. So far, Allison's relevance to the story has been centered primarily on her pursuits of Travi and also trying to develop a rapport with her new colleagues. Her research on the project cure could wind up being slowed, or completely destroyed with some modifications to what I have so far, and her life, along with Heather, is constantly in the balance and threat of assassination. What I have so far is a set back due to circumstances, and it may lead to my second draft's version where it was worked on fervently, but never completed due to the data being destroyed, and since the agency will begin moving in overdrive, the bad guys never get a chance to stockpile much of it (outside what was used for the intimidation strikes, while their researchers and virologists continue to produce it at the best rate possible) and what they do, is loaded and becomes part of the finale.
All of this will probably come under a strong review by myself and wind up as fourth draft before it's all said and done, but I am glad to finally be smoothing out the rough edges that have plagued me for so long. Eventually, I'll see this book on a store shelf I hope.
Until next time.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Slowed progress
Hit a couple snags this morning in how I plan to approach the next "mission". As of right now, I am unsure on how exactly it'll play out. A couple ideas came and went this morning, but nothing as of yet, has solidified.
The issue at hand is this mission is what kicks off the second half of the book and when the entire story takes a 180 as power switches hands and the direction of the bad guys turns from intimidating to downright deadly. It is also the point that another plot twist comes into play and the agency is shown to be very vulnerable, and that the main characters are not ten foot tall and bulletproof.
Looking at the cross-examination of the original concept in the second draft has yielded some fixes, and also may help account to add some realism and deal with the unrealistic approach of the events in the "mission". As of right now! It would appear that they investigate an old Soviet estate that was built in Cuba back during the Cold War.
That is the current idea and may be expanded upon with some new ideas.
Short post, but a quick update to let people know a brick wall may be inbound.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Voices screaming "Let's go!"
A newer examination is leading me to a couple new hurdles to clear, but I think I have figured out a way to make it sound like a reasonable in that, instead of one of the betraying factions is a separate entity in itself, it is rather made up of disenfranchised members of the current faction, resulting in an internal coup d'tat.
This seems to be my most reasonable and believable (for fiction anyhow) route to take.The idea of a third or fourth faction via for control complicates things a bit too much for now, but may leave the door open if they are somehow introduced in some form, perhaps a secret organization with ulterior motives not related to the storyline. It's on paper, but nothing will be made of it for now. A few have said I shouldn't stop at one, but we'll see how the first one goes and then if I leave enough loopholes and doors open, perhaps a sequel will follow - but I'm focused on the first one for now. That being all's well that ends well, eventually it would be nice to get a series going, but I have a very bad habit of killing too many bad guys, at one time. It has been shown on NUMEROUS occasions.
The new characters are developing well, and I believe a total of three or four, will make a debut in some form over the next few chapters, none more than an old team getting a makeover with a new team leader and teammates. While I haven't quite decided on the names just yet, that is the easiest part. Figuring out their personalities and how to approach them was the difficult phase, and that is now behind me. But given that I'm hoping to get the "second half" of the book started this morning it is looking like things will get interesting in a hurry now and hopefully the reader is still awake enough or hasn't quit on me as the first half of it was rather slow (total of two "missions" with both occurring back-to-back), but the first half was supposed to be more focused on developing the characters and their relationships with one another, spring some questions into the readers mind, and hopefully get them intrigued to stay with me. If that is the case, then I have succeeded well enough that I can feel comfortable that this won't die a quick death.
On the table are mainly the agency and related teams gathering answers on their opponents, a brewing trouble for the bad guys, and perhaps a three way war between three different factions. Not sure if I will go to that extreme or not, but it's an interesting thought. Another female character has potential as well, but she is on the sidelines at the moment and will probably stay there unless I feel she can serve some measure of purpose for the story (or she decides she can be of use somewhere), but her presence would mainly serve to advance a sequel if she makes an appearance at all. Finale is still in limbo, as is the closing chapters - but its one thing at a time. Eventually, I'm hoping this will all come to a good book that people will want to read, be willing to share, and give fairly decent reviews too. Probably not, but hey - a man can dream.
This seems to be my most reasonable and believable (for fiction anyhow) route to take.The idea of a third or fourth faction via for control complicates things a bit too much for now, but may leave the door open if they are somehow introduced in some form, perhaps a secret organization with ulterior motives not related to the storyline. It's on paper, but nothing will be made of it for now. A few have said I shouldn't stop at one, but we'll see how the first one goes and then if I leave enough loopholes and doors open, perhaps a sequel will follow - but I'm focused on the first one for now. That being all's well that ends well, eventually it would be nice to get a series going, but I have a very bad habit of killing too many bad guys, at one time. It has been shown on NUMEROUS occasions.
The new characters are developing well, and I believe a total of three or four, will make a debut in some form over the next few chapters, none more than an old team getting a makeover with a new team leader and teammates. While I haven't quite decided on the names just yet, that is the easiest part. Figuring out their personalities and how to approach them was the difficult phase, and that is now behind me. But given that I'm hoping to get the "second half" of the book started this morning it is looking like things will get interesting in a hurry now and hopefully the reader is still awake enough or hasn't quit on me as the first half of it was rather slow (total of two "missions" with both occurring back-to-back), but the first half was supposed to be more focused on developing the characters and their relationships with one another, spring some questions into the readers mind, and hopefully get them intrigued to stay with me. If that is the case, then I have succeeded well enough that I can feel comfortable that this won't die a quick death.
On the table are mainly the agency and related teams gathering answers on their opponents, a brewing trouble for the bad guys, and perhaps a three way war between three different factions. Not sure if I will go to that extreme or not, but it's an interesting thought. Another female character has potential as well, but she is on the sidelines at the moment and will probably stay there unless I feel she can serve some measure of purpose for the story (or she decides she can be of use somewhere), but her presence would mainly serve to advance a sequel if she makes an appearance at all. Finale is still in limbo, as is the closing chapters - but its one thing at a time. Eventually, I'm hoping this will all come to a good book that people will want to read, be willing to share, and give fairly decent reviews too. Probably not, but hey - a man can dream.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Onward to great victory!
This weekend started less than stellar as a combination of factors came forward to make me a rather foul mood individual for the majority of Friday, and for that I apologize to those I spoke and interacted with and may have been on the receiving end of it. But things turned out well enough, and it's been a rather productive weekend (as can be expected for someone on 3rd shift).
But my good old remedy that has always worked for me, worked again - finally being able to get to sleep once my mind settled down from its endless racing in the aftermath, and getting a restful nights (afternoons?) slumber. So again, to the ones that I may have upset or otherwise put ill feelings toward me, I do apologize - but looking at the conversation through a more alert and sharp mind, I still feel my defensive stance was justified in ways that some can understand, others - not so much. But never let it be said that I don't cherish my friends, because each and every one of you that read this, or I speak with on a daily or near daily basis, are important to me. I appreciate you all being there for me, and the concern you show for my well being, and I aspire to be as good a friend to you all as you all are for me.
Now, with that out of the way, how about some more shooting the breeze on the novel?
Chapter Five has me at an impasse as I am torn on just how quick I want to get to the veritable "half-way" point of the book and get into the meat and potatoes of it all where questions begin to be answered, the real plotline kicks off and it becomes increasingly clearer who the real enemies are in the debacle. As it stands right now, there would be one more "filler" mission (which is the best way to describe it, unless it has some sort of connotation tie in with the storyline, which at the moment is only the fact that the Alpha project is involved). That mission was a relatively quick and easy write and ended on a different note that defeated the purpose of it the second draft. It was a good one to take up some space, but I am trying to avoid those now and focus on just the necessary exploits needed to advance the story and keep up with the Joneses per se. Which has me at a bit of an impasse due to its good usage in giving the characters (the bad guys especially) more time to hatch their plans, but I think the direction I'm going has them ready to deploy those at any given time.
If I decide to make this that de facto half way point, then the second half of the book really is when things kick off. If anything, I look at the first few chapters up to this point as being "Disc 1" of a three disc game. Meanwhile, "Disc 2" is the primary "meat" holder of the story, while "Disc 3" is the "potatoes", the sub menu item that catches and ties up the loose ends and culminates with the finale when I am also taking a long look at to see if I want to subvert or change anything about it. As it stands, it finishes out on a rather emotional note as the main character finally realizes that he wants to be nothing like the ones he has chased the entire book, and finds it in his heart to forgive his past and look toward his future. In the first draft, he did this via a circling exchange between himself and the main bad guy, with all answers coming at once and the realization that the bad guy had been behind the entire scheme, then finishing in a one-on-one gunfight with the pair of them exchanging words to discover more of the truth, and the main character finally finishing off his opponent. Second draft was a bit less action orientated, involved a chase scene via motorized vehicles and then a stand-off between the main character, his second in command and the main bad guy, with the second in command being the one to pull the trigger and end the main bad guy.
Main character, main bad guy, main this, main that. Blah blah blah. I suppose it all comes down to how I want the story to end: On a more emotional, dramatic finish - or the typical mano a mano duel between two wills and their firearms while the story plays itself out with the answers to all the pressing questions. Both are viable options, but the second one always played out a bit better in that it was that final step that the main character takes on his path to figuring himself out and realizing that he is who he is, and no one else - allowing him to finally embrace what he has in store for his future and it makes him a better person on top of the already rock solid foundation of a Zack Fair type of character, who has his aspirations, but his only concern is getting back to the people he loves and protecting them from further danger.
The final chapter or two involves the realities of returning home after five years of not knowing how too, and allowing the relationships to focus on themselves without distractions. In the end, the main character had lost a great deal, only to gain so much more that he takes with him on his path to righting what he can, and to save those people who shouldn't have to fear anything, from their past or otherwise.
Otherwise, with that being said - if I move forward with my original plan to ignore the filler "mission", then the next chapter or two are emotional heavy in the things that go on and it also will set everything in motion toward the conclusions of what I hope will be a dark, but uplifting, story of how when a group of people stand together (the Mavericks), they can accomplish anything, and prove that humanity is at their best, when helping secure a safe world, instead of create a hostile one.
Until next time.
But my good old remedy that has always worked for me, worked again - finally being able to get to sleep once my mind settled down from its endless racing in the aftermath, and getting a restful nights (afternoons?) slumber. So again, to the ones that I may have upset or otherwise put ill feelings toward me, I do apologize - but looking at the conversation through a more alert and sharp mind, I still feel my defensive stance was justified in ways that some can understand, others - not so much. But never let it be said that I don't cherish my friends, because each and every one of you that read this, or I speak with on a daily or near daily basis, are important to me. I appreciate you all being there for me, and the concern you show for my well being, and I aspire to be as good a friend to you all as you all are for me.
Now, with that out of the way, how about some more shooting the breeze on the novel?
Chapter Five has me at an impasse as I am torn on just how quick I want to get to the veritable "half-way" point of the book and get into the meat and potatoes of it all where questions begin to be answered, the real plotline kicks off and it becomes increasingly clearer who the real enemies are in the debacle. As it stands right now, there would be one more "filler" mission (which is the best way to describe it, unless it has some sort of connotation tie in with the storyline, which at the moment is only the fact that the Alpha project is involved). That mission was a relatively quick and easy write and ended on a different note that defeated the purpose of it the second draft. It was a good one to take up some space, but I am trying to avoid those now and focus on just the necessary exploits needed to advance the story and keep up with the Joneses per se. Which has me at a bit of an impasse due to its good usage in giving the characters (the bad guys especially) more time to hatch their plans, but I think the direction I'm going has them ready to deploy those at any given time.
If I decide to make this that de facto half way point, then the second half of the book really is when things kick off. If anything, I look at the first few chapters up to this point as being "Disc 1" of a three disc game. Meanwhile, "Disc 2" is the primary "meat" holder of the story, while "Disc 3" is the "potatoes", the sub menu item that catches and ties up the loose ends and culminates with the finale when I am also taking a long look at to see if I want to subvert or change anything about it. As it stands, it finishes out on a rather emotional note as the main character finally realizes that he wants to be nothing like the ones he has chased the entire book, and finds it in his heart to forgive his past and look toward his future. In the first draft, he did this via a circling exchange between himself and the main bad guy, with all answers coming at once and the realization that the bad guy had been behind the entire scheme, then finishing in a one-on-one gunfight with the pair of them exchanging words to discover more of the truth, and the main character finally finishing off his opponent. Second draft was a bit less action orientated, involved a chase scene via motorized vehicles and then a stand-off between the main character, his second in command and the main bad guy, with the second in command being the one to pull the trigger and end the main bad guy.
Main character, main bad guy, main this, main that. Blah blah blah. I suppose it all comes down to how I want the story to end: On a more emotional, dramatic finish - or the typical mano a mano duel between two wills and their firearms while the story plays itself out with the answers to all the pressing questions. Both are viable options, but the second one always played out a bit better in that it was that final step that the main character takes on his path to figuring himself out and realizing that he is who he is, and no one else - allowing him to finally embrace what he has in store for his future and it makes him a better person on top of the already rock solid foundation of a Zack Fair type of character, who has his aspirations, but his only concern is getting back to the people he loves and protecting them from further danger.
The final chapter or two involves the realities of returning home after five years of not knowing how too, and allowing the relationships to focus on themselves without distractions. In the end, the main character had lost a great deal, only to gain so much more that he takes with him on his path to righting what he can, and to save those people who shouldn't have to fear anything, from their past or otherwise.
Otherwise, with that being said - if I move forward with my original plan to ignore the filler "mission", then the next chapter or two are emotional heavy in the things that go on and it also will set everything in motion toward the conclusions of what I hope will be a dark, but uplifting, story of how when a group of people stand together (the Mavericks), they can accomplish anything, and prove that humanity is at their best, when helping secure a safe world, instead of create a hostile one.
Until next time.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Chapter five and onward
Started work on chapter five this morning and I'm a bit iffy on it at the moment due to the way it felt rather clumsy in the wording and flow. Keeping with my penchant to adjust or totally change things, I made a bold move to pin chapter four's events on everyone that has a high security clearance in the book, including the main character, with no actually knowing who the real suspect is. The reason for this is my attempts to convey a hidden agenda behind the scenes by one of the characters that is working surprisingly well enough, but it is causing some to grow suspicious and investigate, which leads to chapter five and onwards events.
The next few chapters are the ones that, in the previous drafts, were the turning points of the book, the climax persay, the half way point in other terms. If I keep this mantle of thought, then the rest of the story should flow rather smoothly as the evidence comes together and everyone is on board on what must be done. A few more twists and turns come at opportune times, and a few of the new characters I'm wanting to introduce may come to fruition very soon, including revamped members of the United Kingdom's SOCA branch. So far, I have not yet pinned down details, but things are progressing well - and it's turning into more of an open narrative at this point, trying to balance the action and suspense, with some lighthearted time between the main character and his team, and love interest.
With the advent of this new measure of thinking, I am hoping that the story does not get bogged down too much. In the later chapters, more emphasis is placed on tactical intelligence and planning, along with finalizing the growing relationships between some characters while also not forgetting they exist. In the past, the entirely of the story comes to a head in the final "mission" and I believe this will hold true now. I'm looking at adjusting some details with the final encounter, and some other misc. events, but for the most part - I am happy with the direction the story is going since I have managed to put some measure of darkness in the story telling, with more emphasis on the horrors that war brings, including mental scaring on the part of the main character as he is forced to deal with an increasingly more depressing past that at one point, threatens to tear him apart on the inside.
The ending chapters is what has me a bit confounded at the moment while I was thinking ahead this morning, but I believe I will either expand on those as to finish out the loose ends that I may leave, and also to bring a closure to the ten year struggle that the main character faced dealing with his past, good and bad. The love interest will have a huge role in this, and her presence cannot be understated. Part of the research that her and her companion are working on comes into limbo at some point, and I'm debating on whether they will actually get a chance to deploy the countermeasure of the alpha project, or if it just comes down to a race against the clock with the main team rushing to save millions of people that are risk from a full out genocide via the virus's capabilities. In the first draft, the countermeasure was completed just prior to the final "mission", and after the main team had finished that leg of the journey, it was deployed from the air to destroy the stock of the virus that was at the base just after it was leveled in a carpet bombing. In the second draft, it was finished just prior to another mission and that one felt much more clumsy in its wording and flow than the original. So, I'm debating on whether or not I'll work with the original drafts outline and flesh out some more details on that. In the end, it has the same result and while I don't want to reduce the role of the love interest and her companion, at this point - how long are the bad guys willing to wait? Given the way I have adjusted some of them in this draft, not very long.
Time will tell.
The next few chapters are the ones that, in the previous drafts, were the turning points of the book, the climax persay, the half way point in other terms. If I keep this mantle of thought, then the rest of the story should flow rather smoothly as the evidence comes together and everyone is on board on what must be done. A few more twists and turns come at opportune times, and a few of the new characters I'm wanting to introduce may come to fruition very soon, including revamped members of the United Kingdom's SOCA branch. So far, I have not yet pinned down details, but things are progressing well - and it's turning into more of an open narrative at this point, trying to balance the action and suspense, with some lighthearted time between the main character and his team, and love interest.
With the advent of this new measure of thinking, I am hoping that the story does not get bogged down too much. In the later chapters, more emphasis is placed on tactical intelligence and planning, along with finalizing the growing relationships between some characters while also not forgetting they exist. In the past, the entirely of the story comes to a head in the final "mission" and I believe this will hold true now. I'm looking at adjusting some details with the final encounter, and some other misc. events, but for the most part - I am happy with the direction the story is going since I have managed to put some measure of darkness in the story telling, with more emphasis on the horrors that war brings, including mental scaring on the part of the main character as he is forced to deal with an increasingly more depressing past that at one point, threatens to tear him apart on the inside.
The ending chapters is what has me a bit confounded at the moment while I was thinking ahead this morning, but I believe I will either expand on those as to finish out the loose ends that I may leave, and also to bring a closure to the ten year struggle that the main character faced dealing with his past, good and bad. The love interest will have a huge role in this, and her presence cannot be understated. Part of the research that her and her companion are working on comes into limbo at some point, and I'm debating on whether they will actually get a chance to deploy the countermeasure of the alpha project, or if it just comes down to a race against the clock with the main team rushing to save millions of people that are risk from a full out genocide via the virus's capabilities. In the first draft, the countermeasure was completed just prior to the final "mission", and after the main team had finished that leg of the journey, it was deployed from the air to destroy the stock of the virus that was at the base just after it was leveled in a carpet bombing. In the second draft, it was finished just prior to another mission and that one felt much more clumsy in its wording and flow than the original. So, I'm debating on whether or not I'll work with the original drafts outline and flesh out some more details on that. In the end, it has the same result and while I don't want to reduce the role of the love interest and her companion, at this point - how long are the bad guys willing to wait? Given the way I have adjusted some of them in this draft, not very long.
Time will tell.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
A story that tells itself
That is precisely what my novel has turned into, and it was no more prevalent than this morning when I sat down to finish out chapter four. It turned out NOTHING like the first and second drafts, and took a completely different, albeit more directional, turn than I had originally seen. While trying to figure out how to present certain characters and give them an entirely new look, they seem to have figured it out themselves and it has made this task so much easier.
One thing I was wanting to accomplish with this telling was make the book a bit darker in feel and give a sense of uncertain to the characters who are leading the way, while also keeping it light enough that it wouldn't completely suspense out the rest of the story. Keeping with that mixture of dark and light, it makes it a bit easier to put actions in words because now I'm at the point that I am allowing the characters to mold themselves. The main bad guy, while always cunning, conniving and arrogant - has now taken a new turn in showing his lust for murder. I've always wanted him to be a polar opposite of the main character, and it is starting to take shape right before my own eyes. It's strange how this works, and breath is given to figments of the imagination.
Involving old characters in new ways is a bit of a challenge as well, but seems to working out thus far (in that the entire team sees a fair amount of actions as well as the main character), while including minor characters given some "screen" time out of the essence of developing bonds between them and others. One example of this would be showing how a pet dog is willing to place himself in harm's way to protect the two gals that saved him. Dogs are the epitome of loyalty and know that their efforts saved him and he is willing to repay that debt with his life if necessary. Add in that I have ideas for a couple new characters to make introductions at some point, it's turning itself wide open now and my entire will is now focused on writing instead of working through problems. Letting the characters handle them is much more preferable at this point, because they understand the situations better than I do it would seem.
Changes:
-New outline on Chapter Four, and possibly Chapter Five.
-New characters to be introduced within the next few chapters.
-Spreading the wealth persay on team interactions and combat (trying to get all of them involved so its not just the main character doing all the work).
-Scratching out details on making combat scenes flow a bit better.
-Trying to avoid the moniker of imperial stormtrooper tropes, which is difficult in itself.
To top it all off, found a couple soundtracks that I had been searching for and my book now has opening title and "credits" for each chapter that is starting to play out like episodes of a television series. Ah, how things change.
One thing I was wanting to accomplish with this telling was make the book a bit darker in feel and give a sense of uncertain to the characters who are leading the way, while also keeping it light enough that it wouldn't completely suspense out the rest of the story. Keeping with that mixture of dark and light, it makes it a bit easier to put actions in words because now I'm at the point that I am allowing the characters to mold themselves. The main bad guy, while always cunning, conniving and arrogant - has now taken a new turn in showing his lust for murder. I've always wanted him to be a polar opposite of the main character, and it is starting to take shape right before my own eyes. It's strange how this works, and breath is given to figments of the imagination.
Involving old characters in new ways is a bit of a challenge as well, but seems to working out thus far (in that the entire team sees a fair amount of actions as well as the main character), while including minor characters given some "screen" time out of the essence of developing bonds between them and others. One example of this would be showing how a pet dog is willing to place himself in harm's way to protect the two gals that saved him. Dogs are the epitome of loyalty and know that their efforts saved him and he is willing to repay that debt with his life if necessary. Add in that I have ideas for a couple new characters to make introductions at some point, it's turning itself wide open now and my entire will is now focused on writing instead of working through problems. Letting the characters handle them is much more preferable at this point, because they understand the situations better than I do it would seem.
Changes:
-New outline on Chapter Four, and possibly Chapter Five.
-New characters to be introduced within the next few chapters.
-Spreading the wealth persay on team interactions and combat (trying to get all of them involved so its not just the main character doing all the work).
-Scratching out details on making combat scenes flow a bit better.
-Trying to avoid the moniker of imperial stormtrooper tropes, which is difficult in itself.
To top it all off, found a couple soundtracks that I had been searching for and my book now has opening title and "credits" for each chapter that is starting to play out like episodes of a television series. Ah, how things change.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
On everyday ending in "y".
A couple new situations presented themselves while I was in the process of writing this morning before taking my daily downtime known as sleep. Differences can originate in so many ways and it can always be something very minor, such as a small detail that can suddenly throw the entire line of thinking into limbo and drastically change the course of the story.
I'm well in chapter four now, and upon review of the 2nd draft, I was only 65 pages into the book. I'm sitting at 89 now, with additional details that I have placed into the writing in my attempts to better explain and show all situations that have been going on and hopefully help build the characters into real people that readers can relate to. One major change I have made is integrating (poorly at times), multiple POVs in any given situation that helps regale the entire circumstance. An example would be, while x character is doing this, y character is doing this in the meantime, usually separated by ** marks to indicate that it is a concurrent situation. Not sure why I chose those, but the books and stories I have read in the past have always used those as a way to show what is going on with other characters while the main characters are otherwise preoccupied in their current tasks.
This presents a small problem when two of the "POV" characters actually have "screen time" together, but this seems to be solved by merely showing it from the main character's view as the story is probably concerning him just as much as the secondary character (any interaction between Travi and Allison, Travi and his team, and later on, any faceoffs between Travi and Mark). Seeing as how the story is centered around the kid Gladius, it makes sense that his POV would take priority. Other times, it may be better to allow a secondary character (such as Allison) to take the spotlight. It's one of the many difficulties of writing, and one of those things that still present a challenge to an unseasoned author such as myself.
Of all days ending in "y", I focus much of my free time on trying to keep the story fresh in my mind and keep the characters talking to me. The more they tell me, the more I write. At this point, I can't even tell if I'm the one writing the book....or if they are.
Short post, but just a few ideas that have crept up on me. Also now have an emergency backup plan to fall on if my writing hits another block. Hopefully this project will be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency thing, just an attempt to refire my thoughts and get back to writing. I haven't been this zeroed in for a long time, so maybe I'm finally getting the rest of the crap out of my life that was bogging me down. Time will tell.
I'm well in chapter four now, and upon review of the 2nd draft, I was only 65 pages into the book. I'm sitting at 89 now, with additional details that I have placed into the writing in my attempts to better explain and show all situations that have been going on and hopefully help build the characters into real people that readers can relate to. One major change I have made is integrating (poorly at times), multiple POVs in any given situation that helps regale the entire circumstance. An example would be, while x character is doing this, y character is doing this in the meantime, usually separated by ** marks to indicate that it is a concurrent situation. Not sure why I chose those, but the books and stories I have read in the past have always used those as a way to show what is going on with other characters while the main characters are otherwise preoccupied in their current tasks.
This presents a small problem when two of the "POV" characters actually have "screen time" together, but this seems to be solved by merely showing it from the main character's view as the story is probably concerning him just as much as the secondary character (any interaction between Travi and Allison, Travi and his team, and later on, any faceoffs between Travi and Mark). Seeing as how the story is centered around the kid Gladius, it makes sense that his POV would take priority. Other times, it may be better to allow a secondary character (such as Allison) to take the spotlight. It's one of the many difficulties of writing, and one of those things that still present a challenge to an unseasoned author such as myself.
Of all days ending in "y", I focus much of my free time on trying to keep the story fresh in my mind and keep the characters talking to me. The more they tell me, the more I write. At this point, I can't even tell if I'm the one writing the book....or if they are.
Short post, but just a few ideas that have crept up on me. Also now have an emergency backup plan to fall on if my writing hits another block. Hopefully this project will be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency thing, just an attempt to refire my thoughts and get back to writing. I haven't been this zeroed in for a long time, so maybe I'm finally getting the rest of the crap out of my life that was bogging me down. Time will tell.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
New thoughts
I have been glancing over my notes lately on the conversation flows between characters and trying to make them sound realistic and convincing. So far, I have found that the differences in the characters speech patterns are starting to make a bit more sense and also lessen the cluttered nature, still something I'm working on though.
Originally, most all of the characters have had a similar, if not identical way of talking, but as anyone will tell you, no two people talk exactly alike. I've tried to give each one of the characters a different "tone" persay, as in: Chase Jules, his usual speeches have some measure of smart-ass about them as that is his personality. Jon Gray on the other hand, is a bit more soft spoken and and careful with his words. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, but both coexist very well due to the established unwritten boundaries that come with being teammates in the world in which they live. In a sense, the blending of personalities is a good way to bring the characters to life and make sure that they can live peacefully and not have any measure of conflict of interests. Any, if at all, comes via circumstantial and situational triggers that can be quick resolved.
Same thing goes with the way in between male and female characters in their speech patterns. This part I'm still working on, as it common knowledge that unless there are major influences in life on the behalf of the speaker (such as a female being raised as more of a tomboy than "girly-girl"), most of the time - she is not using stereotypical "male" words that are exchanged. Rather, I find the female speech pattern a bit softer than a male's in terms of tone and context. Again, this is more the rule than the exception and there are plenty of the latter.
The conversations between Travi Gladius and Allison Kadmus have really befuddled me over the years as it takes some doing to get inside the mind of a woman (if it is even possible to begin with), and find out exactly how they would respond in certain situations. One of the main things I am faced with is trying to reintroduce the pair of them in the story as an item while not exactly rushing it along as that would destroy and eliminate a very important plot point in the later chapters when it comes time for Allison to finally confess that her feelings had not changed in the years that the duo had been apart. Developing her character over these many years, she has become the most complex character out of all of the supporting protagonists and I have had to consult my gal friends on several subjects pertaining to her and to a lesser extent, Adele Lancaster - the team's pilot - who would fit more into the exceptions above as I designed her character to be in line with more of a "tomboy with female traits", in that - she is "one of the guys" normally, but also knows that special occasions call for special circumstances and exceptions in that she is not afraid to get fancied up if the occasion dictates so, such as at the end of the book.
Moving into chapter four now and one thing I have really concentrated on is the slowing of the pace of the story and delving more into the day-to-day activities of the team, hopefully without killing the story in the process. As it continues, things pick up as the missions toward finding out the true meaning behind the Project Alpha attacks continues to build. I have also added in some subtle hints that Mark is working for his own ends, which adds another element to it all in how devious and truly evil his character is and can be. I plan to try and showcase this more as I go, hopefully making it all into an interesting story that has a good mix of action, espionage, dark tones, and romance to make it intriguing. Building the characters up, especially Travi, over the course of the book is proving to be quite the chore, but I think its starting to flow a bit better now and I'm actually starting to like the way that things are moving with it. Perhaps I may finally get somewhere with this writing project and not have it be collecting dust on the shelves for months/years at a time.
More later, adieu.
Originally, most all of the characters have had a similar, if not identical way of talking, but as anyone will tell you, no two people talk exactly alike. I've tried to give each one of the characters a different "tone" persay, as in: Chase Jules, his usual speeches have some measure of smart-ass about them as that is his personality. Jon Gray on the other hand, is a bit more soft spoken and and careful with his words. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, but both coexist very well due to the established unwritten boundaries that come with being teammates in the world in which they live. In a sense, the blending of personalities is a good way to bring the characters to life and make sure that they can live peacefully and not have any measure of conflict of interests. Any, if at all, comes via circumstantial and situational triggers that can be quick resolved.
Same thing goes with the way in between male and female characters in their speech patterns. This part I'm still working on, as it common knowledge that unless there are major influences in life on the behalf of the speaker (such as a female being raised as more of a tomboy than "girly-girl"), most of the time - she is not using stereotypical "male" words that are exchanged. Rather, I find the female speech pattern a bit softer than a male's in terms of tone and context. Again, this is more the rule than the exception and there are plenty of the latter.
The conversations between Travi Gladius and Allison Kadmus have really befuddled me over the years as it takes some doing to get inside the mind of a woman (if it is even possible to begin with), and find out exactly how they would respond in certain situations. One of the main things I am faced with is trying to reintroduce the pair of them in the story as an item while not exactly rushing it along as that would destroy and eliminate a very important plot point in the later chapters when it comes time for Allison to finally confess that her feelings had not changed in the years that the duo had been apart. Developing her character over these many years, she has become the most complex character out of all of the supporting protagonists and I have had to consult my gal friends on several subjects pertaining to her and to a lesser extent, Adele Lancaster - the team's pilot - who would fit more into the exceptions above as I designed her character to be in line with more of a "tomboy with female traits", in that - she is "one of the guys" normally, but also knows that special occasions call for special circumstances and exceptions in that she is not afraid to get fancied up if the occasion dictates so, such as at the end of the book.
Moving into chapter four now and one thing I have really concentrated on is the slowing of the pace of the story and delving more into the day-to-day activities of the team, hopefully without killing the story in the process. As it continues, things pick up as the missions toward finding out the true meaning behind the Project Alpha attacks continues to build. I have also added in some subtle hints that Mark is working for his own ends, which adds another element to it all in how devious and truly evil his character is and can be. I plan to try and showcase this more as I go, hopefully making it all into an interesting story that has a good mix of action, espionage, dark tones, and romance to make it intriguing. Building the characters up, especially Travi, over the course of the book is proving to be quite the chore, but I think its starting to flow a bit better now and I'm actually starting to like the way that things are moving with it. Perhaps I may finally get somewhere with this writing project and not have it be collecting dust on the shelves for months/years at a time.
More later, adieu.
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