In today’s Journal
* The Journey Home: Part 1
* I have great first readers, and about genres
* Another thing about The Journey Home: Part 1
* Update on the Journal
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
The Journey Home: Part 1
Well, I sat down yesterday morning and started my next novel, The Journey Home: Part 1. It will be the second book in The Ark series. It will feature the main characters from the first book, but I have a feeling a different POV character will take charge not too far in.
With around 800 crewpeople aboard The Ark and 200,000 repops (repopulation passengers), I shouldn’t have a shortage of characters. (grin) Should be a really fun ride.
I’ve already gotten very good input from a second first-reader. At this point, though, having started Book 2, I’ll save her input in a folder until I’ve received the rest, then consider all of them one after the other.
I was again heartened that like the first first-reader who responded, she read The Ark in one sitting. The finished product came in at just under 53,000 words, after all.
She asked me one question that I thought I should discuss here: Is this really a romance?
In truth, I don’t have a clue. It certainly has a romantic element, but whether it touches enough romance-reader rails, I don’t know. And I’m not overly worried about it.
As authors (a writer being a writer and an author being a person who has written) we put on our publisher hat and take our best stab at genre. The Ark is definitely SF. I think the subgenre is romance, but what do I know? (Again, I don’t.)
So in the absence of further guidance, I’ll label this one SF/General and SF/Romance when I publish it. Of course, that’s subject to change.
Another thing about The Journey Home: Part 1
In the fledgling Chapter 2, in an attempt to allow readers to read the books in any order, I rehashed the layout (dimensions, etc.) of The Ark. Not sure whether I’ll keep that, and I probably won’t know until I’ve finished the book and cycled back through the whole thing.
If I decide later to make this a true series, I might cut that stuff and effectively “force” readers to read the books in order. Something to think about (but not while you’re writing).
Update on the Journal
I’ve decided to go back to sending out the Journal (via MailChimp email) earlier in the day.
The earlier “deadline” is better for me because it helps me compartmentalize my non fiction-writing tasks. When the Journal is out, I can focus on fiction the rest of the day. The earlier deadline is also easier for me to ignore on days when I have little or nothing to say.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Your Character’s Central Question” at https://mystorydoctor.com/writing-tip-your-characters-central-question/. To read and absorb into your subconscious. Not to consider consciously as you write.
See “50 Handy Expressions About Hands” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/50-handy-expressions-about-hands/.
See “Does the ACLU Want to Ban My Book?” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/does-the-aclu-want-to-ban-my-book/. See PG’s informed and informative take.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 510 words
Writing of The Journey Home: Part 1 (novel)
Day 1…… 3373 words. Total words to date…… 3373
Day 2…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for November……… 34995
Total fiction words for the year………… 398273
Total nonfiction words for November… 9290
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 175130
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 573130
Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 6
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 13
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 51
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 214
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31