This is the cover of GHASTLY BEYOND BELIEF. It was my first book, in 1984. I was 23. I drew the cover on a napkin in a pub, chatting to Faith Brooker, the editor, and gave it to her to keep, and she passed it to the head of the art department, who gave it to the artist, Alan Craddock, who painted it. And the head of the art department did everything I asked for, even making the word Ghastly green and dripping.
This spoiled me, and because I did not believe after that that writers get no say in their covers, I’ve always had a say in the cover designs since then.
A spare moment
The general lack of updates from me has been thanks to a super crazy existence all of a sudden. Seems like the sun comes out and so do the opportunities…
Among other things (I won’t discuss them here, as they aren’t relevant, but they mostly involve Jake’s Big Projects) I’ve been conversing with a local talent agency, who have a literary agent under their umbrella, and potentially I have representation for A God Grown Old. It’s certainly not for sure, and it may turn out that I’d rather represent myself especially if I go the e-publishing route only – but it’s really, really exciting. And it’s a step towards fulfillment of my ultimate childhood dream (besides visiting Australia).
I managed to write just over 5k words on Sunday before deciding I should probably relax a bit, and though I haven’t written anything since, I’ve read over what I wrote (while under the influence of a beer and things) and it’s not terrible. It is, at least, a start I’m proud enough of to press on.
I’m planning to write 1500 words per day, which at my current estimate will give me about 90 days to write this damn thing, and that’s if I don’t go over any days (or skip them, shhhhhh). A first draft in my hands by mid-August? I can get excited for that.
Started!
I’ve taken my first steps down this crazy road they call the first draft today. I’m not facing the blank page anymore – in fact, I’m on page 5 (technically page 3.5, but I’m counting the section pages, dammit).
I’ve written almost 2000 words and I can’t wait to keep going. THIS IS A GOOD SIGN.
hold your breath and hope real hard it stays this way.
I’m willing to slog for this one, but I’m expecting some fun moments too. =)
Engaging my senses
I took this weekend off – well, to be honest, it wasn’t voluntary; I’ve been feeling out of control of my life a bit, what with things changing and my temporary housing situation, so I really wanted to cling onto my project as the one thing I felt like I could actually exert my control over. But Jake, in his infinite wisdom, told me I should take a couple of days off and take in some material instead of trying to output it again right away. He was right, of course.
Ignoring my project, except when I was inevitably reminded of it, was rather difficult. At first, everything I was watching, seeing, doing, smelling, etc. had everything to do with AGGO and I felt like I couldn’t turn my brain off. Finally I got to the point where I was actually ignoring it, and I did take in quite a few useful pieces of media and experience, including:
- A bit of Viewing #3 of HIMYM
- Hand-sewing a shirt design that I created
- Paddling around on a crystal-clear prehistoric lake at night (it was as cool as it sounds)
- Reading a book called “The Accidental Creative”
- Reading a Star Wars book
- Watching Jake play SW:TOR
- Playing some Oblivion
And now I’m thinking what I need to focus on is taking in new sensory experiences, no matter how unrelated to my project.
Weird? Not really. Sensory details are one of my strengths, and though I’ve spent several months’ worth of solid time in a desert environment, I want as many sensory details and experiences as possible to bring my book to life. It’s a story for which my readers are going to need to suspend their disbelief, and I would like to inject as much realism as possible into it so they don’t feel cheated.
So I’m going to start with the sense of smell. To this end, I will:
- Walk by restaurants that make unusual or aromatic dishes
- Sniff all the shampoos, lotions, and other yummy-smelling products I can find
- Really stop to smell my food before I eat it
- Try to identify city smells when I’m wandering around downtown
If you spot a girl in a sweatshirt and cap (I’ve taken to always wearing a hat, my hair is at that super awkward length) wandering around downtown Seattle sniffing the air like a dog, it’s probably me.
Outline 1.0: DONE
Not-quite-five pages later, version 1.0 of my outline is complete. I had a couple of creative breakthroughs last night – those “oh duh of course that had to be the real motivation behind [insert plot point here]” moments that outliners talk about – and I think I have a solid outline to start with. It’s by no means done, because I can feel that there are places it’s sagging a bit, and I’ve sent it off to friends to take a look at where, why, and how I can bolster it.
But it’s a satisfying goal to reach, that’s for sure. I’ve never done such an extensive amount of research and outlining before (as little as it actually was compared to, say, an actual historical novel), and having a road map is much more helpful than I’d thought it would be. I’ve even started writing down scraps of scenes and dialogue, because the story is so clear in my head. Am I intrigued by my own damn novel? YUP! I would have eaten this up as a younger reader and today, too, would be overjoyed to find it on the shelves.
That’s a good sign. =)
Win a character appearance in my novel!
today is the LAST DAY! reblog, like, and follow today!
—-
as I launch into the final phase of preparation for my novel – I’m about to write the final draft of the outline, eek!! – I want to start ramping up my promotion of my baby! A God Grown Old is going to be AWESOME… and this is your chance to be a part of it. a real part of it.
so yes, this is a giveaway for a guest appearance in my novel!
I’m still in planning mode, so I’m not giving away too much about the book itself, but here are a few tidbits that should give you a feel for what I’m going to be writing:
- it’s set in the Middle East and North Africa, around 200 AD.
- it’s a re-telling of a famous myth, but from an unusual point of view.
- the main character is a dragon, and the four primary secondary characters (shhhh, it makes sense) are two humans, an Egyptian wolf, and a karkadann.
your character could be just about any animal, creature, or human that would exist in this kind of story-world (remember, this is a myth, so traditional African mythical creatures are welcome as well). you can choose to include an OC you haven’t written into something, or you can have yourself wandering through the wilds of Libya. I am happy to take any name and set of characteristics so long as I can find a creative way to work him, her, or it in to the story.
want to enter? rules rules rules!
- you must be following me. I know, I know, but I don’t post more than two or three times a day max, so I won’t be flooding your dash. plus, if the book sounds like something you’d like to read, you may want to stay informed anyway!
- you may reblog twice and like once. each will be considered an entry, for up to three entries.
- you may follow me on Twitter (AGodGrownOld) for one entry.
- I will be choosing the winner randomly on Monday, April 23rd, and contacting them by the next day. so basically you have ten days from the start of the contest to get your entries in!
I think that’s everything! if you want some more details about A God Grown Old, I am happy to answer some specific questions via my ask, but I’m kind of keeping it under wraps to some extent until I’m a little further along.
thanks for reading, following, reblogging, or snorting with derision! 😉
– August
Monikers and things
on a normal project, I take incredible care and time in choosing my names. I like to research meanings and historical uses of names before I bestow them on a character.
and I’m doing that, to some extent, with A God Grown Old, but I’m also wrestling with a bit of a legacy these characters already have. both Tikva and Jaren are the original names of characters my sister and I pretended to be when I was 10 and she was 4. they’re so intimately associated with the characters that I’m afraid to change them. but are they the best names for the characters? Tikva means “hope,” and that’s ironic in light of his (vastly changed from his origins) character. Jaren means “cry of rejoicing” – again, not particularly relevant. and Karru, whose name is about six years younger than theirs, means “ploughshare.” no idea why I chose these at first, but…they’re starting to seem a little weird.
can I change them, though? it’s not a legitimate question, it’s a rhetorical one for myself. it’s an interesting thought exercise. would I get more out of the characters if I broke them out of that box? it’s a little bit tempting.
names for characters I’m creating just for A God Grown Old are certainly being chosen with care and pickiness. the ostrich, Luta, is named after my boyfriend’s parents’ two obnoxious animals, Lucy and Pita. it’s very intentional – the ostrich is a pain in the ass, and it’s a fun way to pay tribute to the time of my life during which I’m writing the novel. I’ve also had to use a few names from the myth, which actually works out well because they really do fit.
I’m thinking about changing up the names on the outline and seeing how it reads, and maybe having a few brainstorming sessions where I use placeholders just to see if there are possibilities I’m missing because I’m trying to revert to their original characteristics.
Want to star in my novel?
just four days to go. get your entries in!
—-
as I launch into the final phase of preparation for my novel – I’m about to write the final draft of the outline, eek!! – I want to start ramping up my promotion of my baby! A God Grown Old is going to be AWESOME… and this is your chance to be a part of it. a real part of it.
so yes, this is a giveaway for a guest appearance in my novel!
I’m still in planning mode, so I’m not giving away too much about the book itself, but here are a few tidbits that should give you a feel for what I’m going to be writing:
- it’s set in the Middle East and North Africa, around 200 AD.
- it’s a re-telling of a famous myth, but from an unusual point of view.
- the main character is a dragon, and the four primary secondary characters (shhhh, it makes sense) are two humans, an Egyptian wolf, and a karkadann.
your character could be just about any animal, creature, or human that would exist in this kind of story-world (remember, this is a myth, so traditional African mythical creatures are welcome as well). you can choose to include an OC you haven’t written into something, or you can have yourself wandering through the wilds of Libya. I am happy to take any name and set of characteristics so long as I can find a creative way to work him, her, or it in to the story.
want to enter? rules rules rules!
- you must be following me. I know, I know, but I don’t post more than two or three times a day max, so I won’t be flooding your dash. plus, if the book sounds like something you’d like to read, you may want to stay informed anyway!
- you may reblog twice and like once. each will be considered an entry, for up to three entries.
- you may follow me on Twitter (AGodGrownOld) for one entry.
- I will be choosing the winner randomly on Monday, April 23rd, and contacting them by the next day. so basically you have ten days from the start of the contest to get your entries in!
I think that’s everything! if you want some more details about A God Grown Old, I am happy to answer some specific questions via my ask, but I’m kind of keeping it under wraps to some extent until I’m a little further along.
thanks for reading, following, reblogging, or snorting with derision! 😉
– August
Today, I outline!
this is a very strange place to be with a project – confident enough to draw up a road map, but hesitant because there’s no way I could be done with research on this subject.
which, in fact, I am not. superhandyawesomeboyfriend was able to find a buttload of helpful stuff last night, which I’m going to peruse today before/while/after I start typing up this outline. yes, it’s finally time – moving away from the notebook and pen and into the digital world.
I’m a little nervous, to be honest. when a project is on paper, it feels alive, real, and changeable. once I have typed it up, it feels like it settles into something resembling really thick clay: I can mold it, but it takes a lot of work and grunting and general whinging. but this has been a new experience, enjoying a novel idea this much, so maybe it will be different.
future-fear is a silly thing. it’s useless, except for informing my plans, but it can be crippling. I experience it a lot, especially regarding people I care about, but it settles like a bad cold over my projects as well.
so here’s to facing future-fear and overcoming it with a few good keystrokes!