Friday, January 9, 2015

First Post of 2015

I have just seen Tom Percival's rough version of what the paperback cover for The Dying of the Light ... and all I can say is WOW.

This cover needs to be a poster. You'll be seeing it yourself in a matters of weeks, and then you can join me in demanding more posters. MORE!

Before the paperback of TDOTL comes out, of course, there'll be the paperback edition of Armageddon Outta Here. We'll be using a slightly altered version of the hardback cover for this because I didn't want anyone out there picking it up thinking it's one of the main books — I want it to be as obvious as possible that it's a collection of stories. There ARE going to be three new stories in it, though, about which I'll go into more detail closer to publication.

The Skulduggery series is, of course, now over, and I'm working on this mysterious new trilogy of mine. I had a third of it written by the time TDOTL was released, and then I went on a tour that took me to the other side of the world, and writing stopped.

When I got back, I had to write those three new short stories for AOH — so writing of the new series was postponed.

Then I needed a break. I just needed one or two weeks to just stop working and relax. So no writing got done.

Then it was December, and I sat down to write the remaining two thirds of the book. And I sat. And I sat. And nothing was happening. My absolute deadline for getting the first book finished was the end of January, and I had a LOT to do. But nothing was happening.

The writing had stalled.

This, as you can imagine, was not good. This was ever-so-slightly worrying. It had happened before, of course. It had happened with The Faceless Ones and again with Kingdom of the Wicked. Writer's block? Maybe. If such a thing exists, then I probably had it.

December carried on. I spoke to my agent and my editor just before the Christmas break, because the title I had been planning on using (or something similar) had been used by someone else a year earlier. We'd been having discussions about what it was going to be called now. None of my ideas were hitting in the way I needed.

But then, right before the Christmas break, the title came to me. No, I'm not going to tell you what it is — not yet. But it came to me and my eyes widened, and I sent off an email. A short email. Two words long. My title. My agent and my editor got back to me immediately — perfect.

We got on the phone, discussed it, said merry Christmas, and hung up.

Happy once again, I sat down at my desk and began to WRITE.


Except I didn't.

The book was still stalled.

The day before Christmas Eve I was sitting at my computer, staring at the screen. I remembered how I had been blocked when writing The Faceless Ones and Kingdom of the Wicked. When I was writing TFO, I was in the process of buying a house and I was about to move in. Something like this is incredibly distracting, and probably accounted for my inability to write. I broke through that block one day (on New Year's Eve, 2008) simply because enough time had passed. I didn't question it, I just wrote. When I was writing KOTW, I got halfway through and things slowed down.  I wasn't blocked, exactly, but I wasn't inspired. There was something missing. I looked at the title — Kingdom of the Wicked — and I asked myself what does this title say to me?

For some reason, it said 'alternate dimension'.

That's what was missing. Immediately I was writing about shunting and Mevolent and a world ruled by sorcerers, and slotting all that into what I'd already written about Argeddion and Kitana.

So, two days before Christmas, I looked at this title I'd just come up with, and I asked myself what does this title say to me?

And it told me. And suddenly everything changed.

The core idea is still the same — it's still about a 16 year old girl who is being chased across America by demons — but it has grown. It has expanded. It has evolved.

So I scrapped what I'd written. I managed to salvage maybe half of it, but that meant I was now even worse off than I had been. The thing is, though, I was now inspired. This was FUN again.

My deadline is still the end of this month. In the last week, I have written enough to that I have once again got a third of it written. I calculate that I will need to write twice as much as I usually do per day to get it done in time. Yesterday was my first attempt to do this. I wrote EXACTLY twice as much as I usually do. Yesterday was a good day. Today is going to be a good day too.

It has to be.



4,833 comments:

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Zanida Laufeydottir Queen of Asgard (Zafira Kerias) said...

((Yes, Alastair, I'm in to continuing as well, with Ari.-Zaf

Tanya Halcyon (Kas) said...

*sneaks up on Sil*

*realises she hasn't taken her pills today*

What's the worst that could happen?

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

Of course.

*he smiles*

So, how're you feeling on staying?

Jai (Silente Tempest - St Of Sinners) said...

(Cooooollllldddddd
I'm cold, to the core-ore-ore!)

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

(Oh god...)

Ariadne Silver - Goddess of Passion said...

(xD rhy)

Lewis Ravenscroft / Rhydian Blake said...

Traria forever

Noelle said...

(Not really..)

Star Inkbright said...

I don't know how you can CHOOSE to ship. Shipping is involunatary for me. :S

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

(Well then I suppose we'll see.)

Lewis Ravenscroft / Rhydian Blake said...

Hey starry! Oh believe me - I choose to ship...a lot. :/ xD

Garret Falcone said...

(*was Ghosting* (I can't help it..... )
Rhy if you want to ship something,
Ship Garky! Please *nods* )

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

(Aye Star.)

Ariadne Silver - Goddess of Passion said...

only if you'll have me.
*smiles then yawns*

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

(I think maybe I should make an account called Aye Star and just comment with it whenever applicable. Because I do it so much, and it might really save time.)

Lewis Ravenscroft / Rhydian Blake said...

I must bid you all farewell! Places to go and people to see!




Well actually, I'm not going anywhere, and i refuse to see people because that'd mean moving from where I am atm.....so no.

My point is - i gotta go. BYEEE!!!!

Alastair Cruciatus said...

((I don't know how many plots I can feasibly participate in at this moment. Mbd/msdd.))

Ariadne Silver - Goddess of Passion said...

(bye rhy)

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

(Bye!)

Of course I will!
Which probably means I should set you up a bed!

Zanida Laufeydottir Queen of Asgard (Zafira Kerias) said...

((That's fine, Alice.-Zaf

Ariadne Silver - Goddess of Passion said...

you really don't have to...the booths are comfy enough...

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

Why settle for comfortable enough when you can have comfortable? *he grins as he rushes upstairs*

Star Inkbright said...

@Trip: :) :) XD Thank you. :) :)

@Rhydian: Yes, but HOW?
I am asking for a detailed explanation of your thoughts and feelings when you 'decide' to ship, in order to determine exactly what your mind goes through and therefore how voluntary shipping works. However, as I understand this is a lot to ask for, I am actually asking for anything in between or including that and nothing. So you don't have to answer if you don't want to. :P

Tanya Halcyon (Kas) said...

(*sighs*

Does anyone here even like me?

Does anyone's character(s) like Tanya?)

Commander Sophia Keating (N7 Operative and Council Spectre) said...

(I am back.)

Phaestra: You are attempting to extinguish all light in a realm which is populated and is, as such, under my protection. If you were to simply do the same to the realms under the control of my sister, you would not have to face me. But here, and in any other realm which contains life - no matter where you go, I will fight you.

Bethany: Yes. *she nods* We do.

Noelle said...

(I'll assume they're both gone, then).

Jai (Silente Tempest - St Of Sinners) said...

(I like you Kas..)


*smiles*
What do you want to do then?

Ariadne Silver - Goddess of Passion said...

*tries to protest but he's already gone*

Trip Castalan, Lord of The Hobbits, The Fourth Most Popular Folk/Parody Banana Thief In The Land said...

(I like you. And Trip likes Tanya, although maybe less than she'd like. :p)

(Aye. Would you like to join in with us?)

John said...

Strange, I was under the impression I did not have to do anything that did not please me.

*With that he disappears to parts unknown*

Ariadne Silver - Goddess of Passion said...

(Aria does, kas
brb)

Tanya Halcyon (Kas) said...

(@Trip She doesn't like Trip that way...

Just hugs and cuddles... or maybe that's more Tia's thing.)

Commander Sophia Keating (N7 Operative and Council Spectre) said...

(I do not believe any of my characters like Tanya. Bethany doesn't because she poses a threat to Silente - and Claire thinks rather the same. Liliana meanwhile had her dress burned slightly by Tanya and, as such, considers her vile.)

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