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.
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