Tuesday 29 January 2013

Steaming Ahead!

Like a snail on strychnine, I had an amazing spurt of writing this weekend!
I finished chapter four on Saturday morning and closed Part Two at chapter twelve at 3:30am Monday morning!
The first part of the novel took MONTHS to write! I think it was because we had a pause after every chapter, letting other people edit it before we moved on. But this time, I have managed twelve chapters in two weeks! - or is it three? - But still! That is bloody crazy!
We have also got much better at writing! Okay, so I've done most of the actual writing and Ben has helped a load with ideas and inspiration etc. So I guess I should say my writing has got better.
So now I'm going to print it off and go through the long editing process all over again!
I kind of hoped I would have a nice long break from that!
Ahh well...
Part three shouldn't take too long, either. We've planned out most of it already.
I'll then have to go over the whole thing and do a major edit so that the writing style stays the same throughout the book. I won't go over the first part just yet, because I know my writing will get even better once I've finished part three, so I might as well change it then!
This project really might be do-able!
I mean, I now have until late September to get it all finished and perfected!
However, I fear that I'll use that badly and will squandor my time. I'll tell myself I have ages and won't do the boring editing bits until I'm pressed for time and then I won't have the chance to get it as good as possible.
I know myself.
So I'm really going to need some support to keep me working!
M. x

Sunday 27 January 2013

Chapter 8-10

That's right!
I have written chapters 4-10 in two days!
Today, I started on chapter 8 and just finished chapter 10!
Okay, so I know there is a lot to add in and edit etc but there was loads more to do when I neared the end of the last part!
This part of the novel is 12 chapters long! I can't believe I'm almost there! I've got to be over half way through the whole book now!
It took many months to write the first part of the novel - okay, so it was the hardest bit to write and we knew it would be before we even started it...but still...many months! It has taken me about 2 weeks to write this part! And this part is longer! The first part is 9 chaps and this is 12!
This is definitely a very proud moment for me :)
I'll be able to finish the next to chapters easily! I could finish them tonight but I am a bit emotionally exhausted  after writing three very hard-hitting and emotional chapters. It's always felt like I've gone through the ordeals I describe, myself.
Can I carry on tonight? I'm not sure. I guess I could give it a try...

And now, I have decided you need some music to keep you all happy :) I am very happy at the moment (especially because of the gorgeous weather we had today! Clear blue skies and fresh windy air!) and want to spread the happiness :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gTmSG7id9c

I was there!!! :)

Now go and listen to the rest of their music on spotify/youtube/however you can!
NOW!
:)
M. x

Chapters 4-7

Today, we sat ourselves down from 10:30am to 8:30pm and wrote four chapters.

Okay, scratch that sentence.

Today, we sat ourselves down from 10:30am to 8:30pm and I...yes, just me...I wrote four chapters.
Ben got bored very quickly and started playing on endless computer games on his laptop while I slaved away, trying to make these chapters remotely interesting.
There's not much action in them so we didn't really know what was going to happen and how we'd write it. So I just made it up as I went along, with the thinnest of structures to guide me.
I occasionally asked for Ben's consent, but all I got in reply was a grunt. He was too busy shooting zombies.
You see, Ben prefers to write the action filled parts. And, yes, I prefer them too, but I do also like writing character development scenes. And in these four chapters, our main character, Malina, really comes into herself. Instead of being pushed into situations, she takes action and changes things for herself.
For example, instead of sitting back and letting things wash over her, she allows herself to make friends. Instead of being given information, she goes to look for it, sparking interest in the man who gives her the answers.
I don't want to tell anymore than that. All I'm saying is that Part Two is a new beginning for her and she really matures and develops. She takes her own initiative a lot more than she did in Part One. I like having a developing character and I like writing about her development and giving little hints here and there, while Ben finds it deadly boring and would rather shoot zombies.
So most of the day today, I have been writing, writing, writing. I am in the middle of chapter seven now, and I am about to go and finish it (or try to, anyway!)
I thought I would give a picture which inspired our image of how Malina looks:


Here, she is wearing the dress she wears to an Outlaw party I have just written about. Yes, she is living with Outlaws at the moment. The real question is, are Outlaws an amalgamation of many different types of people (dwarves, elves, humans and others etc) or are they a race of their own?
I will be using this debate in the book...not quite sure how, yet though!

I hope this has raised your interests!
M. x

Sunday 13 January 2013

Part Two!

We have now started writing Part Two!
It's really exciting!
Things really start to change now and the reader learns more about the world we have created, even some of it's history.
I have just finished Chapter Three, after which, the real changes start happening.
We're about to meet those people who will be with us for the rest of the whole adventure - the rest of this book and the next two books!
This part introduces us to very important people and set her up for a lot of her future.
Sorry this was so short and sweet!
M. x

Sunday 6 January 2013

Homeland (?), Part One

I have finished editing and writing the first part of Homeland!
There will be three parts which we already have planned.
It's amazing to read the first time we ever wrote the first chapter and to see how far our writing has progressed! We really have learned a lot throughout this process!

It's really nice to be able to print out the 9 chapters of Part One and hand it over to all those people I promised it to! Okay, I promised it to far more people than I should have. I now don't want so many people to have a look at it before it is fully finished.
It is very likely that this part will have very few changes in the future because it is really the beginning of everything and plays a very minor part in the rest of the story. I don't think the ideas that will come later will hugely affect this Part. So it's amazing to be able to say how finished it is!
And I can now focus all my attention on Part Two and get even closer to finishing the whole novel!
And overall finish is, of course, still miles and miles away but it now actually seems possible!
We started creating this in January and started writing in June
We have spent 8 months writing the hardest part of the whole novel.
We now have half of January, 7 months and half of september (so, basically, 8 months) to complete the rest. It may seem difficult from where I am now - it's like being a third of the way up a mountain and knowing that I have only 8 hours to reach the top - but I really do think it is possible because the next two parts aren't so difficult (I don't think!) because we know a little bit about our main character now and about the world.

Cross my fingers!

Well, it is a good day :) We are officially a third of the way through!
:D

The major question now is what shall our book title be? Homeland is a very famous TV program (I probably didn't need to tell you that!)...so calling our book 'Homeland' isn't the best idea...I don't know. Maybe we can keep it like that. It is the perfect title! Maybe by the time we start to advertise it, the TV program Homeland won't be so famous anymore. Who knows?
We also want a trilogy or Chronicles name:
- The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (Wolf Brother, etc.)
- His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass etc.)

You get what I mean.
Any ideas, anyone?
M. x

Tuesday 1 January 2013

The Last Four Days

Isn't it funny how it can takes weeks to do one chapter and then, suddenly, only four days to accomplish a HUGE amount? I guess it's just to do with motivation...

Four days ago, I went to my Dad's house and worked on the novel with my little brother. Aside from cutting four totally pointless chapters from the book (which I mentioned in my last post), we planned the whole trilogy! We thought it was necessary to do this, so that we could add in links from each of the books, for example, something you see in the first book that is only ever answered in the third book...you get what I mean, right?

We also re-created the whole map, doubled it in size and created names for every major river, lake, wood, mountain and hill and added cities, village and plains! We have a really cool map now with really believable names. I hate books with place names that you can't pronounce or that sound really stupid:

Mount Woogalooga (Sounds like a kids programe on CBeebies!)
The River of Bagatron (Sounds like a futuristic robot!)
Xuphalionibus City (Ummm...wut?)

And then today, we wrote two chapters for the second part (of three parts)! Two chapters! That is a lot of work for four days! I feel completely sapped on writing genius now so, instead, I'm about to do the last bits of editing on Part One...and then.......IT WILL BE FINISHED!....ish.....

Okay, so we'll have to do a major edit right at the very end, but it will be good enough to let people read it! And it will be good enough to leave alone until the very end! That feels amazing to say! And it will feel even more amazing when it's done!

So now I have to go and actually do it...!

Oh, and Happy New Year!

What a good way to start the new year :)
M. x