Monday 22nd December
Whenever I write a novel I usually go through a phase of being concerned that it’s not as good as those that have gone before it. This phase often begins in the conception of the novel and carries on through the plotting and research to the actual writing itself. I think that this stems from the fact that I’m not comparing like with like. Previous novels, by their very nature, are complete, whereas the current one is always a work in progress. As I write it, flaws become apparent, and by the time I finish I usually end up with a list of enhancements/additions to make.
Last week was spent working through these enhancements for the third novel in the Zac Hunter series, The Beholder, and as I carried out this task, I was very pleased to find that it was easier to complete than expected. Things that I thought were going to be onerous fell seamlessly into place, and minor additions to the text helped round the plot out nicely. As a result, my confidence in the novel increased, and I reached the happy stage where I consider The Beholder to be at least as good as the books that have come before it.
A printed version of The Beholder is now sat on my wife’s bedside table. Once I’ve finished writing a novel, she’s always the first to read it, as due to her straight talking nature I know that I’ll get an honest opinion! Next up for me is to read through the folder of background research that I undertook during the plotting stage, to highlight any additional information that might give the novel added depth.
This will (almost certainly) be my last blog of 2008, so all that remains is to wish each and every one of you
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thanks to everyone that reads this blog, everyone that’s read Justice For All, and everyone that’s supported me in 2008 – it’s very much appreciated!
Cheers,
SteveWhat’s Steve been listening to this week?
Stay Positive – by The Hold Steady
Significant Other – by Limp Bizkit
American X – by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Monday 15th DecemberIn the course of the last week I finished my first read through of The Beholder. This initial edit was all about cutting out any extraneous verbiage, and it resulted in the total word count falling from 106,000 to 96,000. For the most part, the stuff that got the chop was either odd words or sentences that simply weren’t needed, as they over described either the setting or the action.
I then moved on to stage two, which was to work through the assorted notes and comments I made whilst writing the book. These vary from simple points such as checking that I haven’t used the same phrase too many times to more complicated matters such as working in plot ideas/character beats throughout the course of the novel that occurred to me during the writing. The simple points I work through on the PC (the ‘find’ function in word comes in handy for this!), but I like to consider the more complicated matters with a printed copy of the manuscript, which brings me nicely to my final point on writing this week – when I print out a copy of a novel for the first time it always feels like a landmark event. Having the book in my hands as opposed to on the screen makes it seem more real to me somehow, and it gives me a real sense of achievement.
And finally, a quick word about one of the CD’s I was listening to last week – Sugar’s ‘Copper Blue’. This album was released back in 1992, and it soon became my all time personal favourite within a few weeks of getting it. Eighteen years later it’s still number one for me, which given the amount of music I’ve listened to over the years is some achievement (number two on my list by a hair’s breadth is ‘Beaster’, the six-track EP that Sugar released in 1993). For anyone out there that’s unaware of the band and has a love of loud guitars, I urge you to buy this record!
Cheers,
SteveWhat’s Steve been listening to this week?
Copper Blue – by Sugar
Baby 81 – by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Silent Cry - by Feeder
Monday 8th December'Death of a thousand cuts'
Last week saw the start of the editing process for The Beholder. Having completed the first draft of a novel, the first thing I do is to give it a read through to tidy up the prose, which generally involves making lots of small cuts. My first drafts tend to be a little on the flabby side, as it’s fair to say that I have a natural tendency towards verbosity, but I also think that there’s a sub-conscious factor at work, namely that when I set out to write a book, the last thing I want is to get to the end and find that it’s not long enough! This encourages me to waffle a bit as I write, so the first read through is all about taking out anything that doesn’t really need to be there.
For the most part, this means removing the odd word or sentence, although occasionally whole paragraphs (or even chapters!) have been known to get the chop. By the end of last week I’d worked through two thirds of the manuscript, and cut about 7,000 words from the original total of 105,000 words, making it a much meaner, moody beast!
Cheers,
SteveWhat’s Steve been listening to this week?
Memory and Humanity – by Funeral For A Friend
Chinese Democracy – by Guns ‘n’ Roses
When Your Heart Stops Beating - by +44
Monday 1st DecemberOn the publicity front, an abridged version of the interview that I had with the Bookfiends Kingdom (www.bfkbooks.com) is now up on the publicity section of my site. Please click here to read it.
But on to more important matters – namely the promise I made to have finished the first draft of The Beholder by the time I write this blog. Good news folks – I’m a man of my word! It finally came in at a meaty 105,000 words, which is the longest first draft of the three books I’ve written thus far. Having spent a couple of days away from it to clear my head, my focus for the next few weeks will be on editing the manuscript – looking at factors such as pacing, dialogue, additional research, etc, and working in a number of minor plot adjustments that occurred to me as I worked on the book.
This process requires that I read and re-read the novel a number of times, analysing each and every line to make sure that all is as it should be. If that sounds a little daunting, remember that when it comes to editing, this is just the start – once I’m happy with it, it will then go to my agent and my publisher for further constructive criticism!
Cheers,
SteveWhat’s Steve been listening to this week?
Bandwagonesque – by Teenage Fanclub
Vs – by Pearl Jam
Dedication - by Thin Lizzy