I always wondered when I started writing "Prey for Vengeance" if I would be the kind of writer that just had the one series and that was it. Some of my favorite writers were this way and I didn't think there would be any shame in it if the books took off. Even when I resolve the main objectives of Nina Suoh it would be very easy for me to call forth a range of tasks for her to indulge in.
I have found however that I am increasingly abrraged with new ideas and more genre specific work that I would love to tackle once I iron out how to do a first prospective style that doesn't make me scream every time I read back over it. I spent so much time with my quick shots of multiple prospectives that when I am writing a first person narative I use far to many "I's" and it reads like I am telling the story instead of letting the reader experience it. It feels really weird being transported back to when I started my first novel and having to relearn and redefine my style all over again. I thought writing a first person would have been easier since I have been a ravenous reader most of my life and by and large, most of the books I read are first person.
The idea and creative aspects of storytelling have always come rather easy to me and even when I am doing my best to follow an outline I am able to work within the framework with a little spontaneous scenes that enhance the scene. The true struggle is keeping the technical bits down and making things read smoothly or deciphering when I have the descriptive writing down properly. I have a hard time meeting in the middle on that point and either go to far or not far enough and it sometimes creates confusion when there is a lack and when there is too much I get bored and hate editing it down.
When working to write the second novel for "Prey for Vengeance" I had very few issues with this. I banged out the entire first draft in November during National Novel Writing Month. Going through the second draft has actually been a pleasure and quite easy to edit with only a couple glaring continuity errors that are easy to fix and a few issues with details surrounding a few scenes. The overall structure is fine and requires little editing.
Since I have started on a couple different High fantasy projects, I have spent my time trying to frame the scope of the story. So many fantasy novels put the main character at odds with an unspeakable evil that palgues the land I wanted to do a snall snapshot of a particular character given an unusual task or a more personal ambition that effects just those he encounters. Doing this helps me thumb my nose at cliche and tell a more personal story. The problem I am having is that high fantasy needs lots of detail when it comes to dress, customs, architecture, plants and animal, and well, just about bloody everything. I want to tell a concise story in a genre that punishes you for it. I stand determined though and who knows what the word count will be when all is said and done.
I am still working on Prey book 2 and should have the revisions done soon and I only have to wait on my editor to see how his class schedule effects his free time. Steve Griffing, my illustrator, is working deggedly on the cover and I hope to have a title for him soon. I have a few short stories in the wings that I need to work on and my big side project "Digital Divine Intervention" will probably be my main project once Prey book 2 is out for purchase.
DDI is going to take far more research and more changes than I previously though mainly due to the first person native and because I just want to clean up the dialogue a bit in places and I am not quite happy with the antagonist and some of the religious philosophy yet. When its done I hope to have a personal tale with some thoughtful touches and its one of those projectss that might be a life's work. I'm not sure I will ever be truly satisfied with it since I do my best to transplant myself into the character and tell a story as if I was living it. It's a far cry from the character I write now that were slapped together pieces of people I knew thrown together into a series of Frankenstein monsters.
This project also keeps warping on me. I've never gone off outline more than this and the story keeps twisting and turning and when I closed in on the finish the ending didn't sound as clever as I thought. I can work on the begining and middle bits just fine but the ending is going to take some serious soul searching. It's hard to think about what would break me and push me over the edge or even put myself in a great deal of power which the character in this story does despite his wishes.
And now for something completely different,
The promotion is over and I am rather pleased with how many people picked up my book "Prey for Vengeance" for free. I'd love to receive some more feedback from random strangers. I got a text from an old friend that I used to online game with quite a bit. He told me he purchased the book when I called him and said that he couldn't put it down and even when he was working on the line he kept pulling out his phone to sneak a few sentences.
The crazy bastard works in a steel mill and catches glowing hot rods of molten steel for a living and he was doing something quite dangerous to read a sentence or to and I would be hard pressed to find a better compliment.
I'm hoping to figure out a way to get some ads going on Google Adsense soon and should be receiving my Press release around the end of the month. In a week or so my short "My Turn ons Include Naplam" should be going up on the Amazon Kindle. I'll start digging through the internet for blogs and podcasts to send the press release with a prmo copy of the book and hopefully get a little alternative press. If you are a shot caller on such a site and would like to interview me please send the request to thischrisdodson.blogspot.com and I shall answer directly.
Thank you to all of you that has read my book and made the effort of giving feedback. It's a big world out there on the internet with millions clambering for your attention and I appreciate hearing an answer when I am shouting into the void.
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