Have I fallen off the face of the Earth? Nope!
In fact, I haven’t been silent quite as long as it seems, either. I wrote a number of posts for other blogs; I’ll compile them all and give you the links soon. Meanwhile, there’s something of an update I wanted to share:
Sometimes, the story you want to tell is not the story that IS.
My current work-in-progress was born as a conceptual novel. I wanted to explore the paradigms of good and evil, heroes and villains. Do you know how long that concept lasted?
One chapter. I wrote one chapter and my lead character’s dark motivations became philanthropic. One chapter, and the man who was to betray him was willing to risk everything to help him instead. One chapter and the villain was much too human, with human pettiness and hunger for power at his core rather than megalomania.
Another chapter, and my second lead character’s innocence became jaded determination. Another chapter, and the idiotic sidekick developed a real heart. Another chapter, and the savior of the world only cared to save himself.
By chapter three, I knew I was trying to tell the wrong story. By chapter five, I gave up and let the characters tell their tale.
Well. Different approach, different story… I thought it would be okay.
It wasn’t okay. It was incredible. Layers appeared where there were none. Passion burst forth. Motivation focused the whole thing, like carbon being pressed into a diamond. The words kept flowing, when I had been hitting my head against the wall for weeks.
And the funny thing is… It’s still a story about good and evil, about heroes and villains.
Moral of the last couple of months?
Keep tuned. Fall from Grace will still hit the shelves during Fall 2014, and it’s going to be explosive!