I haven’t updated in over a month, I know, but I’ve been so focused on composing my novel that I haven’t really focused on posting anything to this blog.
So far, the book is coming along. I’m halfway through Chapter 5, but I had hoped to be much farther along in the book by the end of the summer. I’m behind schedule (at least in my mind), and school begins in one month. It’s been really nice having Rachel around to help me edit my chapters, and I’ve been so excited and honored to give her a hand with her book as well. I don’t have many close friends, but it’s nice having one who is a writer and can help me brainstorm through some tough spots. I have most of the exposition planned, and if I’m not writing, I’m researching and taking notes. When I go back to school, I plan to attack our library for some books about the Age of Sail if they have any, and Rachel and I have decided that we may have to meet on Saturdays to brainstorm/write. Below is a snippet from Chapter 2:
By the first light of dawn, the storm calmed enough so that James wasn’t tumbling so violently and aimlessly in the sea. Instead, his looking-glass prison rode the underwater current and the tide until he could see land. Reefs were a common hazard for ships, and instinctively, James surveyed his underwater surroundings to be sure that he would not crash into one. He was unsure what would happen to him were the precious glass of his confinement were to crack, or worse, shatter entirely.
He was fortunate. There was only sand to buffer him as the high tide carried him toward the shore of a white sand beach. But now he faced a new problem; how would he get off this beach? There was the eminent possibility that he could be buried completely in the sand and then what would he do?
I have pretty much my entire exposition planned out. The tough thing is going back and re-reading the chapters from the original fan fiction and deciding which parts to save and which to cut. Some chapters are even rewrites entirely, and I have a couple of added chapters I will have to write from scratch. I also have a pirate crew to create, name, and characterize, although I have decided on the pirate ship’s name and type.
Aside from my novel, I have a couple of side projects that I’ve been jotting notes for, including a Canterbury Tales style story involving an old cemetery that has fallen into forgotten disrepair and residents with stories to tell. My other project is — you guessed it — a fan fiction. Of course, those are in the brainstorming stages, and I probably won’t do any work on either of these things until I’m done with my novel. With the school year looming like a thunderstorm on the horizon, I will likely have little time between grading and my novel to pay attention to those hopeful projects.
Stay tuned for more updates, and if you want, leave some ideas for pirate names in the comments below.