The hardest part is starting, and I did that. It's still weird to imagine that I've managed to turn nothing into something..never gets old.
But it's official—the series now exists.
I decided to take it easy on myself and do small sessions today. I don’t want to fall off my bike and die. LOL
I did two sessions today at 30 minutes each. I pedaled at a slow, leisurely pace that I’ll increase over time. I dictated 800 words in the first session and 350 words in the second session.
It was very, very slow. Much slower than I anticipated. However, the text was mostly clean. I only stopped here and there to fix some things. Also, because I was writing the opening of the novel, I was more nerves than anything else, wanting to make sure I hit all the things I needed to hit.
An issue that I will have battle is dropped articles. Dragon misses when I say “he” or “it” sometimes. I’ll have to watch for that.
Once I got off the bike, I started my outline and “looped” back and reviewed what I had dictated, in 500 word increments. Writing into the dark at its finest, folks.
I’ll admit that I spent a lot of time on the first chapter, particularly the first page. More than usual. I also added a few hundred extra words.
THE BONES OF THE STORY
In case folks are interested, I focused on hitting a few major points and getting them right so that I can establish a good foundation for the story:
#1: An opening paragraph that establishes the character, his supernatural type, and the city where the story takes place. This way, when readers download the sample and/or start reading, it will deliver on what I promised in the book description. (Ironically, I haven’t written the book description yet).
#2: Introduce the reader to the hero and ground the reader in the five senses with the most effective descriptions I can manage. I looped over the first 500 words a couple times to get this right, actually.
#3: Establish the problem the hero is in and why they are there. Dean Wesley Smith often says that the first chapter is “a hero, in a setting, with a problem.” So true.
#4: End the first 500 words with a smart turn of thought.
All this, in the first 500 words. You can see why I spent a little extra time on this. If I did my job, readers will, at a minimum, turn the page. That’s all I need them to do. 🙂
And for those who are VERY interested in what I just wrote, here’s a diagram of how the first couple chapters look, in the style of my Writing Craft Playbook:
And if you like this nitty gritty kind of stuff, check out my Writing Craft Playbook: https://authorlevelup.comfanclub.
Every novel (and chapter actually) I write is always a testing ground for a new technique. I practice as I write, and I’m always trying new techniques that I pick up from other authors, but with my own spin.
I’m testing out a few new techniques here…The first is a dual prologue system that jumps forward AND backward in time prior to Chapter 1, which is kind of gutsy, I’ll admit. (Clive Cussler did a dual prologue in one of this books with a time jump, too). Most people tell you not to have a prologue, let alone two…but you guys know that I’ll try anything just for fun. Plus, there are no “rules” in the writing world. Do what works.
The second technique I’m practicing is starting the story with a cold open, which is not something that the mega bestsellers usually do. (A cold open is when the story just starts, as opposed to a standard opening, where you get introduced to the character, and THEN the story starts). But I have a very specific reason for doing it and my main focus is on executing it. Starting with a cold open is a risk because you risk character development in hopes that the action will keep readers turning the page. When done incorrectly, it does not and readers will bail. Everybody starts their stories in media res, but again…that’s not how the big authors do it.
I believe that learning to become a better writer is learning how to become more intentional. Instead of just writing something because it feels good or because someone told you to do it, understand why your creative voice is guiding you that way. See it, admire it, then get out of the way. For a long time, I just let my stories flow out of my fingers and I still do. But lately, I’ve been starting to notice HOW they flow out, and it’s really interesting to “see” the face of your creative voice (if that makes sense. The image I shared is what I mean).
Also…I’m just recording this as I go. I literally have no idea what is next in the story. No idea at all, but I’m cool with that. I had no idea what I was going to write this morning, and I have 1500 words to show for it today, so not bad.
I’m just following my creative voice. I’m merely sketching out what it’s telling me for your y’all’s benefit. Maybe it will trigger something or connect some dots.
CALIBRATING THE GPS
Like I said, I’ve done this about 30 times, so I know the lay of the land. Some areas that are going to be a little bumpy:
#1: Somewhere around the 25%-30% once the honeymoon phase is over. I’m expecting it to be rough.
#2: Somewhere around the 50-60% mark.
#3: Somewhere around the 75% mark.
I have no idea how these sections will go when I’m on the bike and struggling to “write the next sentence.” It’s going to be very, very interesting. Shouldn’t be anything I can’t handle, but it will probably be rough for a couple days.
MORE FUN COMING
Starting tomorrow I'll start including my daily exercise data at the bottom. The calories and miles are estimated since I can't actually see what I'm doing. The desk covers the bike’s info screen so I have to estimate my analytics.
Today’s stats:
Words: 1,496
Calories (100 calories/half hour): 100
Miles (3 mph): 3
Time on bike: 60 minutes
TOTAL
Words: 1,496
Calories: 100
Miles: 3
Time on bike: 60 minutes
Have a good night.
