I really should make it a point to write on here more often. I've been busy lately, with the last few weeks of the fall semester in December, then my day job, babysitting for a friend of mine's daughter to try and make things easier for her after their house was damaged in the hurricane, and all in all, I just felt completely uninspired to write.
But then, several weeks ago, I started drawing stuff, including some pictures for co-workers of mine (which came out really cool, if I do say so myself,) and I knew it was only a matter of time before creative writing juices started flowing again.
They haven't, completely. I haven't really written anything new to further complete Jack of All Trades, but I started typing it up. Once I have that done, I'll have familiarized myself with the novel enough again that I'll be able to continue the handwritten version and finish it. Then comes the editing process, which I hope won't take more than a month to complete. Then, it'll finally be published. I'm not sure what kind of timeline it'll take me to finish typing and then finish the handwritten version, so I hesitate to give a month when the book'll actually be out, but it is coming.
Showing posts with label Novel Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Novel Issues. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Friday, May 18, 2012
Future Holmes Projects
For those who don't know, Rendezvous at the Populaire and I Will Find the Answer are the first two novels in my five book Holmes series. Jack of All Trades is the third one. The fourth, I'm rethinking the title for, but it's Holmes and Van Helsing pairing up to face off against Dracula and Moriarty. (Don't worry, Watson fans, yes, he is in this one!) And the fifth is called Finding Camelot and features Erik bringing three Americans to Holmes's attention, one of whom believes that Camelot, Excalibur, and the King Arthur legend were all real.
In addition to those, I've come up with three Holmes short stories I'm gonna see about publishing through MX in one volume. It'll depend on how long they wind up being. I may have to wait till a couple more ideas come to me.
After that, I have an interesting novel idea. This one's going to be a stand alone. It starts out with a girl in the present time, up at Niagara Falls. She's about to commit suicide because, while only in her late twenties, her life has gone to complete Hell. She's thinking about her pathetic suicide note, written on a post it, stuck to her apartment's fridge, and how that seems to epitomize her life. Even when she's going to kill herself, her life has amounted to nothing more important than a square piece of paper on the fridge that no one would ever actually notice.
But then she thinks except for one person. He'd notice. He'd realize what kind of living Hell she was in. And he'd be there for her.
The girl's last thought as she goes to step off the waterfall and be splintered to bony bits on the rocks below is, 'This is it. This is the end.'
Next, it goes to Holmes, fighting Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. As they go over the edge, Holmes thinks to himself, 'This is it. This is the end.'
And with those same thoughts penetrating both their minds, Sherlock Holmes finds himself disappearing from Moriarty's grasp, experiencing the feeling of nothingness for a brief second, and then smashing into a girl at the edge of a waterfall and both of them falling backwards to safety.
Yes, Sherlock Holmes is transported to modern times. And he hates it. He has no idea what happened, how it happened, or how he gets back. The girl brings the disoriented Holmes back to her apartment and when he fully wakes up and isn't dazed, she asks him who he is. Of course, he replies Sherlock Holmes. She doesn't believe him. Figures he's just some actor, or some weird role playing guy who gets really into his costume or something. She starts getting annoyed, though, when he just doesn't give up. I mean, who does this guy think he is? Insisting he's the greatest FICTIONAL detective, the one who NEVER LIVED?
Soon enough, she takes him to meet her therapist/psychiatrist who diagnoses him as being bi-polar and delusional and gives them prescriptions for him to take. These really screw with his head, and he throws the medicine out, saying if she wants to drug him, he'd rather a seven percent solution.
As the novel progresses, Holmes finds himself succumbing -- much to his horror -- to the language and actions/reactions of people in this age, and our female lead begins -- much to her confusion -- to act all the more Victorian.
Don't worry, I haven't given away anything of the actual plot. There will be a mystery to solve, and once Holmes realizes he's succumbing to the influences of the modern world, in language, dress, etc., he makes a point of carrying around the Canon, because he begins to feel that's his only tie to his own world, and his best way to remain true to himself.
I can't wait to write that one. :)
I'd love feedback on the idea. Let me know what you think, please?
In addition to those, I've come up with three Holmes short stories I'm gonna see about publishing through MX in one volume. It'll depend on how long they wind up being. I may have to wait till a couple more ideas come to me.
After that, I have an interesting novel idea. This one's going to be a stand alone. It starts out with a girl in the present time, up at Niagara Falls. She's about to commit suicide because, while only in her late twenties, her life has gone to complete Hell. She's thinking about her pathetic suicide note, written on a post it, stuck to her apartment's fridge, and how that seems to epitomize her life. Even when she's going to kill herself, her life has amounted to nothing more important than a square piece of paper on the fridge that no one would ever actually notice.
But then she thinks except for one person. He'd notice. He'd realize what kind of living Hell she was in. And he'd be there for her.
The girl's last thought as she goes to step off the waterfall and be splintered to bony bits on the rocks below is, 'This is it. This is the end.'
Next, it goes to Holmes, fighting Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. As they go over the edge, Holmes thinks to himself, 'This is it. This is the end.'
And with those same thoughts penetrating both their minds, Sherlock Holmes finds himself disappearing from Moriarty's grasp, experiencing the feeling of nothingness for a brief second, and then smashing into a girl at the edge of a waterfall and both of them falling backwards to safety.
Yes, Sherlock Holmes is transported to modern times. And he hates it. He has no idea what happened, how it happened, or how he gets back. The girl brings the disoriented Holmes back to her apartment and when he fully wakes up and isn't dazed, she asks him who he is. Of course, he replies Sherlock Holmes. She doesn't believe him. Figures he's just some actor, or some weird role playing guy who gets really into his costume or something. She starts getting annoyed, though, when he just doesn't give up. I mean, who does this guy think he is? Insisting he's the greatest FICTIONAL detective, the one who NEVER LIVED?
Soon enough, she takes him to meet her therapist/psychiatrist who diagnoses him as being bi-polar and delusional and gives them prescriptions for him to take. These really screw with his head, and he throws the medicine out, saying if she wants to drug him, he'd rather a seven percent solution.
As the novel progresses, Holmes finds himself succumbing -- much to his horror -- to the language and actions/reactions of people in this age, and our female lead begins -- much to her confusion -- to act all the more Victorian.
Don't worry, I haven't given away anything of the actual plot. There will be a mystery to solve, and once Holmes realizes he's succumbing to the influences of the modern world, in language, dress, etc., he makes a point of carrying around the Canon, because he begins to feel that's his only tie to his own world, and his best way to remain true to himself.
I can't wait to write that one. :)
I'd love feedback on the idea. Let me know what you think, please?
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Jack of All Trades - Writing Freak Out 2
The way that I'm doing this novel is different from the previous ones. I've already mentioned the more historical element as opposed to the fictional one. Then there's the fact that whereas before, I was more interested in what Holmes's thoughts would be, and how he was handling the things coming at him, now I'm more interested in sitting back and observing his actions through Erik's or Watson's eyes.
This novel is made up of three narrators and then third person POV's of the murders. Watson and Erik have the majority, but Holmes will narrate about three, maybe four, short segments. One of which is the reveal for who Jack the Ripper is. I imagined this in his perspective the first time I wrote a draft of it, and honestly, I can't picture it being in anyone else's perspective but his.
My issue now, though, is that I worry about it being too short. I'm hand writing it first before I sit down and type it, and I'm already up to the double murder night, and I'm only on page 56 or thereabouts. Fifty-six?! I admit, when I transfer it to typed page and then it gets reformatted to what the page size is for MX, I may be pleasantly surprised, but it still seems very short right now to me. And considering I felt this was gonna be one of the longer ones, that's not good!
I know, I know. It doesn't matter how long or short something is. If a book is five hundred pages, but it's five hundred pages of crap, the book sucks and people will hate it. If it's a hundred pages, but it's a hundred pages of good, quality material, people will love it and appreciate it even in its shortness.
And I will admit, I still have to get through the double murder, Watson's issues, Erik's issues (which is what I'll handle after the third person perspective of the double murders,) different parts with Holmes, Watson determining that he's angry enough at his situations that he wants to pour over Holmes's notes and file on these killings and discover who the Ripper is himself, the half a kidney in the mail and the letters coming in, all supposedly from 'Jack,' which means I'll have to do another third person perspective part where 'Jack' is actually writing the 'From Hell' letter that mentions the kidney, Mary Kelly's murder, then there's the reveal itself and the repercussions that has on all the characters, the resolution of Erik's situation and his feelings about that clouding his mind so that he didn't see clues to help Holmes solve this sooner, then Mycroft--
Well, can't give that part away. You'll have to read to find out what I'm doing there.
I guess I shouldn't worry so much about it being too short right now. I have a lot more to cover in the month and a week between the night of the double murder and Mary Kelly's murder. Then there's wrapping everything up after Mary Kelly's murder, and including Holmes's file on the killings, which is going to be at the end of the book.
I admit, I could have done a better job on Rendezvous. And should have. I just felt the lines from the musical were so perfect, it was hard not to write those exact lines down. And I suppose I had too much of an influence from Angel of the Opera by Sam Siciliano, because I more or less modeled my Raoul after his. I stepped it up with I Will Find the Answer, though. Luckily, to my knowledge, anyway, there are no Jekyll and Hyde/Holmes stories where Holmes is dealing with the play version of Jekyll, therefore including Emma Carew and Lucy. I had to truly mold my own version if I wanted to fit Jekyll's fiancee and the Unfortunate who draws him, and therefore Hyde, into her life. I did model it somewhat after the book, because in Stevenson's novel, Sir Danvers Carew is the only man killed, and the deed is done with Jekyll's cane.
I raised the bar for myself when I wrote I Will Find the Answer. I only hope that Jack of All Trades raises the bar even further. I want it to be the best one yet. I want people coming away from this novel, hungry for more. Saying, "Damn . . . God, I can't wait for the next one!"
Because, let's face it. For the next one, I'll have to raise the bar even more. And despite these little freak-outs on my blog, I will rise to that challenge.
This novel is made up of three narrators and then third person POV's of the murders. Watson and Erik have the majority, but Holmes will narrate about three, maybe four, short segments. One of which is the reveal for who Jack the Ripper is. I imagined this in his perspective the first time I wrote a draft of it, and honestly, I can't picture it being in anyone else's perspective but his.
My issue now, though, is that I worry about it being too short. I'm hand writing it first before I sit down and type it, and I'm already up to the double murder night, and I'm only on page 56 or thereabouts. Fifty-six?! I admit, when I transfer it to typed page and then it gets reformatted to what the page size is for MX, I may be pleasantly surprised, but it still seems very short right now to me. And considering I felt this was gonna be one of the longer ones, that's not good!
I know, I know. It doesn't matter how long or short something is. If a book is five hundred pages, but it's five hundred pages of crap, the book sucks and people will hate it. If it's a hundred pages, but it's a hundred pages of good, quality material, people will love it and appreciate it even in its shortness.
And I will admit, I still have to get through the double murder, Watson's issues, Erik's issues (which is what I'll handle after the third person perspective of the double murders,) different parts with Holmes, Watson determining that he's angry enough at his situations that he wants to pour over Holmes's notes and file on these killings and discover who the Ripper is himself, the half a kidney in the mail and the letters coming in, all supposedly from 'Jack,' which means I'll have to do another third person perspective part where 'Jack' is actually writing the 'From Hell' letter that mentions the kidney, Mary Kelly's murder, then there's the reveal itself and the repercussions that has on all the characters, the resolution of Erik's situation and his feelings about that clouding his mind so that he didn't see clues to help Holmes solve this sooner, then Mycroft--
Well, can't give that part away. You'll have to read to find out what I'm doing there.
I guess I shouldn't worry so much about it being too short right now. I have a lot more to cover in the month and a week between the night of the double murder and Mary Kelly's murder. Then there's wrapping everything up after Mary Kelly's murder, and including Holmes's file on the killings, which is going to be at the end of the book.
I admit, I could have done a better job on Rendezvous. And should have. I just felt the lines from the musical were so perfect, it was hard not to write those exact lines down. And I suppose I had too much of an influence from Angel of the Opera by Sam Siciliano, because I more or less modeled my Raoul after his. I stepped it up with I Will Find the Answer, though. Luckily, to my knowledge, anyway, there are no Jekyll and Hyde/Holmes stories where Holmes is dealing with the play version of Jekyll, therefore including Emma Carew and Lucy. I had to truly mold my own version if I wanted to fit Jekyll's fiancee and the Unfortunate who draws him, and therefore Hyde, into her life. I did model it somewhat after the book, because in Stevenson's novel, Sir Danvers Carew is the only man killed, and the deed is done with Jekyll's cane.
I raised the bar for myself when I wrote I Will Find the Answer. I only hope that Jack of All Trades raises the bar even further. I want it to be the best one yet. I want people coming away from this novel, hungry for more. Saying, "Damn . . . God, I can't wait for the next one!"
Because, let's face it. For the next one, I'll have to raise the bar even more. And despite these little freak-outs on my blog, I will rise to that challenge.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Sherlock Holmes Idea and Novel Stuff
Mycroft: "Just once, can you two behave like grown ups?"
Watson: "We solves crimes, I blog about it, and he forgets his pants. I wouldn't hold out too much hope."
I just love that line.
Sherlock Holmes week is from July 30th to August 5th this year and the MX authors have been encouraged to come up with Sherlock Holmes awareness for that week. I'm still working out the kinks and planning how to pull this off best, but I'm planning a Sherlock Holmes themed Jeopardy to take place that week. It will take place Monday through Friday, with Friday being a competition between the four winners of Monday through Thursday. I'm still deciding exactly what the prizes will be, but I'm even going to make up 'Sherlock Dollars' with the faces of different actors portraying Holmes on the front, and probably 221B Baker Street on the back.
I'm going to need 12 volunteers who would like to participate. Possibly fifteen, if I have the final competition on the sixth day. Anyone who would like to be considered, please note this entry with your name and let me know if we are friended on Facebook. We'll need to be for this competition.
Jack of All Trades is going well. I'm past the second murder, about to write about the inquest and John Pizer, and then I'm going back to Watson's point of view until the night of the double murder. I'd thought I was only going to have Holmes narrate three segments in this novel, but I came up with a terrific idea that I'm going to use, which means that there may be four segments. Though since this one is not primarily Holmes's project, I may take his narration out of the beginning, which means Holmes would narrate the part I came up with a few days ago, the discovery of who the Ripper is, and the very end. The rest is narrated by Watson and Erik, as I've probably mentioned. One thing I'm doing that I haven't before is showing notes from Watson's journal. All his segments are always headed "From the Journal of John H. Watson, M.D." and that signifies that it's a printed version of his notes from said journal. In this one, however, I include the notes that he's handwritten for some segments.
Well, so I don't give away too much about the book and its plot and exactly how much I'm screwing with everyone's favorite characters, I'll leave off here with a quote from the one and only Irene Adler.
Irene Adler: "Brainy's the new sexy."
Yes, it is...
Watson: "We solves crimes, I blog about it, and he forgets his pants. I wouldn't hold out too much hope."
I just love that line.
Sherlock Holmes week is from July 30th to August 5th this year and the MX authors have been encouraged to come up with Sherlock Holmes awareness for that week. I'm still working out the kinks and planning how to pull this off best, but I'm planning a Sherlock Holmes themed Jeopardy to take place that week. It will take place Monday through Friday, with Friday being a competition between the four winners of Monday through Thursday. I'm still deciding exactly what the prizes will be, but I'm even going to make up 'Sherlock Dollars' with the faces of different actors portraying Holmes on the front, and probably 221B Baker Street on the back.
I'm going to need 12 volunteers who would like to participate. Possibly fifteen, if I have the final competition on the sixth day. Anyone who would like to be considered, please note this entry with your name and let me know if we are friended on Facebook. We'll need to be for this competition.
Jack of All Trades is going well. I'm past the second murder, about to write about the inquest and John Pizer, and then I'm going back to Watson's point of view until the night of the double murder. I'd thought I was only going to have Holmes narrate three segments in this novel, but I came up with a terrific idea that I'm going to use, which means that there may be four segments. Though since this one is not primarily Holmes's project, I may take his narration out of the beginning, which means Holmes would narrate the part I came up with a few days ago, the discovery of who the Ripper is, and the very end. The rest is narrated by Watson and Erik, as I've probably mentioned. One thing I'm doing that I haven't before is showing notes from Watson's journal. All his segments are always headed "From the Journal of John H. Watson, M.D." and that signifies that it's a printed version of his notes from said journal. In this one, however, I include the notes that he's handwritten for some segments.
Well, so I don't give away too much about the book and its plot and exactly how much I'm screwing with everyone's favorite characters, I'll leave off here with a quote from the one and only Irene Adler.
Irene Adler: "Brainy's the new sexy."
Yes, it is...
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Being a Published Author
I know I said my next entry was going to be about Darlene Cypser's book, The Crack in the Lens, but I'm not done reading it yet. However, I am immensely enjoying the experience.
I've been writing fairly steadily since I was fourteen. The writing bug first bit me during my freshman year of high school. You see, from the time I was four, I wanted to be an actress. One day, during freshman year, though, I was cleaning my room, and I found a notebook in my closet. When I opened it, I saw about two pages' worth of a story I'd begun, probably around the time I was ten. It was about a young girl, trapped in a warehouse, with a deformed (we're talking deformed, like Phantom of the Opera has nothing on this guy's ugliness,) monster closing in on her. A policeman showed up and shot the monster.
I was intrigued by what I honestly didn't remember writing until I found it in that closet and I decided I would continue it and actually make a novel out of it. I wrote on this thing all through freshman year, and it wasn't until the summer that I reread what I'd written and discovered one very important thing . . . It had absolutely no plot whatsoever! But I was bitten by the writing bug.
My sophomore year was when I wrote my first young adult novel, and though it has yet to be published, I'll get there one day. I have about forty ideas for different young adult novels, in addition to my five book Holmes series, the short story Holmes book I want to write, and the stand alone Holmes novel I came up with that is my own explanation for where he was during the Great Hiatus.
Anyway, one thing that I've noticed now that I'm actually a published author is that I'm taking a lot more notice of the books I read, especially when they concern our favorite detective. I'm a lot more observant with how things are written and I find that's incorporating itself into my writing. I'm more conscious of the vocabulary used, when something sounds "Holmes-ish," how well the story is told, and when things are informative yet largely unnecessary, or have a larger purpose in the grand sweep of the story.
And once again, I'm being interrupted by my temperamental little parrot who refuses to just quietly sit on my shoulder . . . I'll come back to this as soon as I can, because I do have other thoughts on it.
I've been writing fairly steadily since I was fourteen. The writing bug first bit me during my freshman year of high school. You see, from the time I was four, I wanted to be an actress. One day, during freshman year, though, I was cleaning my room, and I found a notebook in my closet. When I opened it, I saw about two pages' worth of a story I'd begun, probably around the time I was ten. It was about a young girl, trapped in a warehouse, with a deformed (we're talking deformed, like Phantom of the Opera has nothing on this guy's ugliness,) monster closing in on her. A policeman showed up and shot the monster.
I was intrigued by what I honestly didn't remember writing until I found it in that closet and I decided I would continue it and actually make a novel out of it. I wrote on this thing all through freshman year, and it wasn't until the summer that I reread what I'd written and discovered one very important thing . . . It had absolutely no plot whatsoever! But I was bitten by the writing bug.
My sophomore year was when I wrote my first young adult novel, and though it has yet to be published, I'll get there one day. I have about forty ideas for different young adult novels, in addition to my five book Holmes series, the short story Holmes book I want to write, and the stand alone Holmes novel I came up with that is my own explanation for where he was during the Great Hiatus.
Anyway, one thing that I've noticed now that I'm actually a published author is that I'm taking a lot more notice of the books I read, especially when they concern our favorite detective. I'm a lot more observant with how things are written and I find that's incorporating itself into my writing. I'm more conscious of the vocabulary used, when something sounds "Holmes-ish," how well the story is told, and when things are informative yet largely unnecessary, or have a larger purpose in the grand sweep of the story.
And once again, I'm being interrupted by my temperamental little parrot who refuses to just quietly sit on my shoulder . . . I'll come back to this as soon as I can, because I do have other thoughts on it.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Jack of All Trades - The Problems
My first two novels, featuring Holmes's interactions with the Phantom and Jekyll/Hyde, were pretty easy compared with this one. Phantom and Jekyll/Hyde are fictional stories, and assuming an author is good enough at storytelling, can bend the contents of that fictional story to meet what their novel wants to accomplish. But you can't bend historical fact. I admit, in Jack of All Trades, I'm taking liberties with the things that are implied, or the things I simply don't know, so the story flows. My issue right now is the historical aspect of it. All the different inspectors, commissioners, policemen in general who had their hands in this case, all the facts presented, the false leads, the ones accused . . . How do I truly know what to put in?
I feel like this endeavor could completely consume me, and not in a good way, if I'm not careful. I want to write. I want to get this story told. I want this one out to the public and I want to see the reaction people have, even if they end up hating it. But I can't help feeling like the beginning, before the second murder (which is where I really start screwing with Holmes,Watson, and Erik,) might just wind up being its own river, with Holmes and Watson running along side, as it were, waiting for a time to jump in and truly mesh with the story. I haven't yet actually completed a Jack the Ripper/Holmes story, except for Michael Dibdin's. However, I have begun them. And one thing I notice is that Holmes is immediately there. He's part of things right off the bat. It doesn't feel like he was just grafted on later in a shoddy job that's goig to fall apart at the slightest tweaking.
I suppose this is my writing freak out. I'm writing from Watson's point of view right now, and I don't think any of his segments previous have been this long. Yet I can't switch because Holmes is only narrating about three segments in this novel, and Erik isn't present yet. He comes in after the paper releases news of Annie Chapman's murder.
I know once I get going with screwing with the characters and having the full interactions take place, I'll fare better than I am now, simply because that will be more fiction driven with the historical stuff still present, but more in the background. Now, the fictional stuff is more in the background and the historical stuff is up at the forefront. I just have to find a good balance, I guess. The last thing I want is for the start of the novel to read like some kind of boring history paper with Holmes and Watson present to make it seem better than it is, and the latter parts to read like some kind of overly-dramatised fiction with hints of historical accuracy.
Does anyone else have these freak-out moments when writing? I'd love to know I'm not alone.
I feel like this endeavor could completely consume me, and not in a good way, if I'm not careful. I want to write. I want to get this story told. I want this one out to the public and I want to see the reaction people have, even if they end up hating it. But I can't help feeling like the beginning, before the second murder (which is where I really start screwing with Holmes,Watson, and Erik,) might just wind up being its own river, with Holmes and Watson running along side, as it were, waiting for a time to jump in and truly mesh with the story. I haven't yet actually completed a Jack the Ripper/Holmes story, except for Michael Dibdin's. However, I have begun them. And one thing I notice is that Holmes is immediately there. He's part of things right off the bat. It doesn't feel like he was just grafted on later in a shoddy job that's goig to fall apart at the slightest tweaking.
I suppose this is my writing freak out. I'm writing from Watson's point of view right now, and I don't think any of his segments previous have been this long. Yet I can't switch because Holmes is only narrating about three segments in this novel, and Erik isn't present yet. He comes in after the paper releases news of Annie Chapman's murder.
I know once I get going with screwing with the characters and having the full interactions take place, I'll fare better than I am now, simply because that will be more fiction driven with the historical stuff still present, but more in the background. Now, the fictional stuff is more in the background and the historical stuff is up at the forefront. I just have to find a good balance, I guess. The last thing I want is for the start of the novel to read like some kind of boring history paper with Holmes and Watson present to make it seem better than it is, and the latter parts to read like some kind of overly-dramatised fiction with hints of historical accuracy.
Does anyone else have these freak-out moments when writing? I'd love to know I'm not alone.
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