The fourth draft of Journey to Elara was finished before the holidays and I am now working on a readthrough for a fifth and more or less final draft. I have already turned large portions of my mind over to thinking about and planning for book two. With the editing finished, and a short story I’ve been working on soon to be done, I will start writing Dark Mage of Midgard by mid-January. I hope to have a first draft of that book by Christmas next year.
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The Root of All Fiction
Genre is a sticky subject, and suffice it to say that the way we categorize fiction is somewhat arbitrary and somewhat inevitable. If you think about it though, fantasy is the root of all fiction. Long before people began to write books, they huddled around the light of fires, under starry skies, in deep forests, or in the shelter of caves to tell their stories, and the impulse of fiction was already there in the myths and legends that were born among them.
There is an element of fantasy in all fiction. Modern stories are born from that same original impulse, to weave tales, to entertain and educate, and to find meaning in the world, and in the often extraordinary experiences of our lives. The best of the Fantasy genre can be directly traced back to the mythic structures that started it all, stories woven from the threads of an ancient dream. But fantasy is a kind of meta-genre in which fiction lives, and breathes, and is created anew.
A Darkness Forged in Fire
I don’t usually write book reviews, but a title review is another matter, and A Darkness Forged in Fire is perhaps one of the best titles ever. I haven’t read this debut book by Chris Evans yet, but I’ve spent days walking around with this title in my head. I say it over and over to myself, just marveling at the sound of these words together, and the feeling they conjure up.
If you’ve ever wondered what makes a great title, just think about A Darkness Forged in Fire. You may not come to any definite conclusions though, no rule or magic formula. There is always an element of mystery, of wonder, when it comes to great books, great stories, and yes, great titles. In this case, there is real poetry there, and the words seem to resonate with some mythic archetype deep within the primal psyche.
You can read about Chris Evans and A Darkness Forged in Fire at www.ironelves.com.
_Journey to Elara_ 3rd Draft
I just finished a 3rd draft. Feedback from readers so far has been glowing, and I’m excited to dive back in for another draft. I’m anticipating two more drafts at least for detailed line editing. I should have a polished manuscript by Christmas.
Vangaurd Readers
The 2nd draft of Journey to Elara has gone out to some brave and eager readers and I am anxiously awaiting to hear their verdict. Some early feedback has been very positive. My own editing continues as I work toward another draft of the manuscript.
With the 1st draft I was really focused on all the little things that needed to be fixed, continuity issues and such, not to mention spelling and typos. Now that a lot of those things are taken care of, I am really enjoying the 2nd draft. Hopefully my readers are enjoying it too.
Cross-training
There are a number of really great things about movies that make them particularly useful and fun to study. For one thing, you can experience an entire film in about two hours, beginning to end. In four hours, you can watch it twice. Because of this films are great for studying basic narrative structure, and offer valuable insights into how to create effective beginnings, middles and ends in any type of story.
Movies are by necessity based on action and dialogue. They present a story in scenes, and you get to know the characters through the things that they do and say. This is all great stuff to do in fiction. How many times have budding writers been told it is better to show than to tell? Understanding how film-makers do this can give you a new perspective, and help you understand how to do it in your own work.
Finally, with dvd commentaries by writers, directors and actors, there is a wealth of first hand story telling experience to draw on. When you find a great film with really good commentaries it’s like attending a fantastic lecture on the creative process. Writers talk about the evolution of various drafts. Directors talk about the difficulties they encountered, their understanding of the story, the pains and triumphs of editing, and so many other valuable things.
_Journey to Elara_ 2nd Draft
The 2nd draft is finished. Along the way, the book was retitled Journey to Elara, and many continuity issues were cleared up. I now have basically a rough, readable draft that I will be showing around for some feedback.
I’m very excited about sharing the story with some readers as the work of editing and rewriting continues. Stay tuned for future updates. I hope to have a polished draft by January. After that starts the search for a good agent.
“Legend of the Crystal Robots” published in WORLDS APART
My story “Legend of the Crystal Robots” has been published in Issue #2 of Bill Rupp’s WORLDS APART. It appears alongside stories by such noted authors as Jay Lake, Michael Stone, and Shawn Madison. The magazine is available through the Continuum Science Fiction website. Make sure to select issue #2 when you order. I’m delighted to finally be able to share this story with readers.
Now that the story is in print, I want to thank Bill Rupp for sticking with me, and this story, for so long. I also want to thank Bill Rupp and Patricia Hartman for their comments, and for prompting me to rework the ending. It’s a better a story for it.
Editing _Heir to Elara_
The editing process has begun. It’s a lot of fun at this point. I took a break after finishing the first draft so reading it now is like seeing something so familiar for the first time.
Editing is a long process and there will likely be several more drafts before the book is called done. But for now I’m just really enjoying the story and understanding how everything fits together from beginning to end. I keep having flashes of insight for Book 2 as well. There’s still so much to look forward to.
“The Gathering”
Now that the first draft of Heir to Elara is finished, I have a little time to devote to other projects before diving into the editing process.
I just finished a short story called “The Gathering.” It’s a horror story set in the increasingly disturbing locale of Auxerre, Wisconsin.
This is the story I forgot about a while back. I found it well worth finishing and am looking forward to sharing it with readers.
Auxerre, Wisconsin has a long history of being associated with witches, dating back to the famous Auxerre Township witchtrials of 1798. When local newspaper reporter Amanda Thomas investigates some strange events happening around the woods of Auxerre, she stumbles into the terrifying truth behind those storied legends.
matthewlowes.com 