FINISHED!!!!

Of course it's not really finished.

I've completed the first draft. 31 chapters, 110,000 words (slightly longer than Echo)

So now:
Correct all the continuity errors - I've spelt one of the characters' names in two different ways
Change all the points where I put XXX because I couldn't be bothered to go and look up the name of a place I'd mentioned previously, or to make up the name of something

Making up names is really difficult. All the starships have to have names, all the planets and systems and races. And they all look really naff on the page.

To continue:
Proof read for glaring errors - didn't make a particularly good job of that last time. It was only when I got hold of the actual book and went through it with a pencil did I realise how may errors and typos were left in. At some point I'll go through Echo, make the changes and then upload the new version to Amazon for free, for anybody who cares enough about it.
Hand over the book to the alpha readers. This is the really frightening part. This is where I'll find out if it's any good, or if it's just me that likes it.
Rewrite chapter 16 - I must have accidentally deleted it when transferring the individual chapters to a single document. I still had a version on the iPod and I turned off the wireless and renamed it but, when I turned everything back on again, it disappeared too. Slightly miffed. A least chapter 16 is quite short. It's Echo's dreams when she's in a coma with three bullets in her.
Rewrite the bits the alpha readers didn't like
Proof read and last edit
Get the cover art done
Decide on the title (the working title is Clarke, although that's not particularly interesting). This bit should come before the cover art,minutes I can't be bothered to cut and paste the two sentences
Format for Amazon and feed areas
Upload

So, I haven't really finished. The beginning of the end? The end of the beginning?

The shape of things to come

One of the good things about writing science fiction is that I can just make stuff up. The down side is that I'm not really that good at it.

Echo is set something like seven or eight thousand years in the future but, leaving aside the spaceships, it's not that different from now. A couple of chapters ago, Echo shot somebody with what is effectively a Glock Model 18, she wears clothes that wouldn't look out of place now (OK, the jumpsuits would probably need to hide in 1982), and, until recently, reusable spaceships went up and down to orbital platforms. The world / galaxy of Echo is reasonably recognisable.

I've got round this in a couple of ways. I mentioned the war with the artificial intelligence race, which effectively bombed humanity back into the dark ages and a lot of their technology was presumably lost and they had to start again. Also, different planets have different technology levels. At first I presumed that all planets in the Empire would have the same level, but then I realised how dumb that it. I live in a house with electricity, central heating, and reliable utility supplies (although crap Internet speeds) and, in some parts of the world, people live in dwellings made of corrugated metal and plastic sheeting. Economics is likely to be no different across the Sleeper Empire. The world of Sangekar, which was resource poor, wet and mountainous, invested fabulous amounts of its meagre coffers in bringing in the best software technology and has prospered, although the taxis are still motorised rickshaws. Asimov, the capital, has unsupported bridges that span kilometres although, to avoid having to design a futuristic city, I set my two scenes on buildings that were old.

How quickly does stuff change? I don't watch Heartbeat, but the world of the 60's isn't that different. Their cars were small and poxy, their telephones were few and far between, and computing involved either your fingers or a pencil and paper. But they had cars, they had phones and they had a couple of computers in a building in Manchester. It's not really that different. Everything is smaller and faster and more reliable (apart from the Internet here), but has it really moved on so far?

It's not just me that struggles to see the future.The Head of IBM famously (supposedly) thought the world would need only a handful of computers. From where I sit I can see four and that's not counting the myriad ipods and smartphones.

It's my ambition to write steampunk, but the level of imagination and detail needed is probably far beyond me. For now I'll stick with Echo.

The wisdom of Gary Player

I've been struggling a bit with E2. I spent a lot of time thinking about it, but getting something worthwhile down wasn't going too well. Because of the arm (and a house full of in-laws), i was only writing in short spells and it wasn't very satisfying. Partly there's the pressure to make sure that Clarke satisfies my legion of fans (that would be you, Paul) and partly i hadn't figured out the underlying theme - is Clarke still about the relationship between Echo and York and, if so, where can i take it? Is it about the clash between a secular culture and one with a strong belief system. Is it about discovering your past.

And then i discovered the wise words of Gary Player (or at least the wise words of a golfer and the majority of the net thinks it was Gary Player).

He said - The more i practice, the luckier i get.

Translating this to writing - the more i write, the easier it is to write.

I was in fracture clinic yesterday and had a couple of hours to kill and a laptop. By the end of it i had 1500 new words for chapter 3. But, better than that, i'd figured out how i was going to end the current scenario and move on, the cause of the relationship twist between Echo and York, where i'm going to insert the prequel stuff that i posted on here a few weeks ago. I now have so much stuff in my head that i'm struggling to get it down before i forget them. It doesn't help that some of you kind people keep adding more exciting ideas. So many i'm drowning in them. It's great.

We have lift off.

A man with a plan

I'm 10,000 words in and i'm feeling much more positive about Clarke (Echo 2). Feedback from E1 was that the relationship between York and Echo was an important part of the content. I've figured out where this is going to go and why (it's going to get a bit rocky). i've also got a sub plot - part of one of the ongoing/ unresolved threads and a few scenes that add a bit of colour and are going to be fun to write, even if they don't move the story on.

I'm not sure how Clarke is going to finish although i've got a few scenes from the climax in my head. i have decided that not all the crew of the citadel will make it. I lost Bruekner in E1 but he was really just a cardboard cut out. This time it's going to be somebody that we've got to know.

Here's a question. I'm going to continue the alternate York  /Echo view point, but i'm wondering if some of the others should get a chapter every now and again. I'd be interested in whether you think that  would work. All comment welcome.

Right, back to chapter three

This is not a drill 2/4

    I nodded. “Very well. You're right.”

    Cavendish activated the Marines comm net. “We're on the move. Get the Engineers out of there” She turned and led the way, Acre fell into step behind me and Ross brought up the rear. Hall was already waiting in the circulation space outside the open hatch.

    They all knew where to go. Every member of the crew was required to take part in evacuation drills although I, personally, had never done it on the Nemesis as I never expected to abandon her.

    We didn't run. I'd been taught that, if you run, it triggers hormones that interfere with your thought processes. There was no emergency that wasn't better dealt with a few seconds later but with a clear head. That advice had served me well through the years. I could walk pretty quickly though.

    The deck was still vibrating under my feet. I glanced at Cavendish.

    “We're still being fired upon.” She said

    I nodded. “The Vrgarr are probably pissed off that we trashed two of their battleships. If they're firing at us then they're not in pursuit of the decoy ships.” The two cruisers of the Church Militant would be a different matter. They were much more disciplined and would be manouvering to pursue our ships although, by now, it would be too late for them to catch them. “I hope they're not firing on the escape ships.”

We dropped down a deck, sliding down the ladders like midshipmen. This level was only lit by emergency lighting although the artificial gravity was still working. As I hit the floor I could see the stragglers from the bridge crew at the far end of the passageway. Passing through narrow hatches slowed down progress massively.

    “This way.” called Cavendish. We took a cross corridor and used the parallel route to a second hatch. At the bulkhead, Cavendish opened the hatch and I followed Acre into the next section where we joined the rest of the bridge crew. I did a quick head count. Six marines and twenty crew. Hiraku Nonaka was quietly marshalling the survivors into groups around the bulkheads, but nobody was actually going anywhere.

    Before I could ask what was causing the delay, Cavendish held up her hand for quiet. “Hall, check on the engineers. We can't continue till they get here.” Hall ducked back through the hatch, the bulky Ultima armour only just fitting through the opening. “There's vacuum and no power on the other side of this bulkhead. If we open the hatch the engineers won't be able to get through.” Vacuum in this section would trigger the hatches to shut and lock. Overriding the security systems would take too long. I wanted to know how we were going to get through the hatch on the other side of the compartment, but, although I commanded the ship, the Marines were in control of this situation and my getting involved wouldn't be helpful. Cavendish would keep me informed, where possible, as a matter of courtesy, but I was effectively a spectator.

    Hall came back through the hatch, carrying an injured crewman over her shoulder. She was followed by another dozen engineers and three more marines. Several of the engineers were injured and I was concerned how they were going to fare through the next section. Hall slammed the hatch shut and secured it.

    Livingston was by the next hatch. “Vacuum hoods on, stand clear!” she shouted. Everybody obeyed. I checked the collar section was secure then pulled my hood out and sealed it over my head. It inflated automatically as the oxygen supply activated. I breathed normally and tried to ignore the itch at the back of my head that always started as soon as I was wearing a helmet and couldn't get to it. I could see that a couple of hoods didn't seem to be properly inflated, possibly damaged by shrapnel or debris. I banged my fist against Acre's shoulder and pointed. She looked, then turned back to me. With her helmet sealed I couldn't see her expression though the dark visor. Before I had a chance to activate the hood's comms system Cavendish grabbed me round the waist. There was a sudden crack and a tremendous force pulling at me as the air was sucked from the compartment. Cavendish held on to me so I wouldn't fly across the room.        
   In a few moments it stopped and we were in vacuum. The crew that had damaged vacuum hoods were struggling desperately. A pair of marines headed towards them, picking them up and carrying them to the back of the compartment. I looked towards the next hatch. Nonaka was on his feet and shepherding people through. I waited where I was until Cavendish signalled and we took our turn. As I put my hand on the hatch surround I looked back. There were four bodies against the back wall and I could see blood on the floor. Vacuum asphyxiation was slow and painful. I knew that the marines had intervened and made it quick and I was grateful. Acre pushed me through the hatch.

    I never heard the explosion.

Live in the moment

A couple of days ago i posted the first half of a chapter written specially for this blog. i was very conscious that it was probably going to be read (presuming there are people out there and my stats page isn't recording me every time i visit my own blog) fairly shortly after it was written and before i had a chance to hone and polish it.

So it was written with the immediate future in mind and i'm not sure it benefited from that.

I also posted a prequel piece that i wrote as part of the creative writing course. At the time i thought it was pretty good and, as it was only 500 words, i'd tried to choose each one carefully. When i read it again (after i'd posted it) i didn't like it so much. i think i'd tried to be too detailed rather than leaving it to the readers' imagination.

So, never look forward, never look back. just write!

The book itself (Have i mentioned i've written a book and i'm going to publish on amazon kindle next month?) was never really meant to be read and that gave it a lot of freedom. When i read i tend to gloss over the descriptive parts and i've tried to do that in my own writing (although i know there are sections where i've failed miserably) as i can see the places that everything's happening in my head. i'd like to think that it moves apace, and that it's populated with characters that aren't two dimensional (apart from the very minor people, mentioned in passing who, obviously, are).

What can i conclude? i'm starting to worry that its all rubbish. Apart from the piece i posted under the title I don't just do science fiction. Only 100 words, each one lovingly selected and put in place. SPOILER ALERT. The original draft was over 200 words and i had to ditch more than half of it. i particularly miss the oak trees where the old man is buried but they added words without actually adding to the story.

100 word stories are a lot of fun, but not as satisfying as a whole novel and won't sell particularly well on Kindle - that's not hugely important, but it would be nice to break even although i'm fairly hopeful as the cover wasn't expensive. Cathy Helms from Avalon Graphics did a great job - don't know if she'll still drop by the blog now that i've paid the bill :-)

i've just had a quick read of another piece i did and i'm feeling more positive again.This was a re-imagining of the Snow White story and i still like it. I'll post that in the next day or so. i'd be interested in your comments.

Is there anybody out there?

Is this the right ballroom for Strictly Come Dancing?

The top rings on the sleeves of York’s greatcoat bore a lustre lost by the others. Although newly promoted, he carried himself with the assurance of a man who had borne the responsibility of command for some time.

He stood at the edge of a group of officers. They were absorbed with spending the night in revelry. York desperately wanted to be on the bridge of his ship. He was a warrior, not a courtier; the scars on his face were acquired in battle, not on the duelling fields.

The myriad coloured gowns swirled across the dance floor below the gallery, but he was focussed on two figures. Admiral Morton was working his way though the cream of society’s female aristocracy. The other subject of York’s attention had been more difficult to identify. York had been trained to look for patterns, gaps and weaknesses that could be exploited.  Despite that, it had taken a full fifteen minutes of study, before he was able to spot somebody whose behaviour was different. The young woman in the green ball gown had not danced, skilfully avoiding engagement with any officer who had tried to approach her.

Two officers stopped in front of him. He wasn’t a tall man and they blocked his view of the waltzing crowd. York could command a deck without raising his voice and, quietly, attracted their attention. Although they acknowledged his rank, it was his aura of authority that moved them on.

Beneath the gaiety, there was an undercurrent of fear. York was not afraid. His whole purpose was war.  The morning would see his ship setting out, part of a fleet that would engage the enemy within a week and he hungered for the visceral excitement of battle.

The temperature of the upper gallery was rising; York could feel beads of sweat beneath his close-cropped hair. He stepped towards the doors emphasising his limp and leaning on his cane to avoid being drawn into the dancing by any of the matrons that hunted for heroes. Morton was feted as a hero but, to York, his reputation was blackened by the fact he was an uninspired commander, employing strategies that resulted in huge numbers of casualties and an uncertain outcome. York championed different tactics, using sudden and overwhelming violence and was determined that it would be he who directed the strategy of the fleet. Morton would be dead by midnight, but not by York’s hand. This had been planned from the point when war became inevitable and, as much as he wanted to be on his ship, York had to be here to see the culmination of the plot unfold.

He walked along the terrace outside, undisturbed snow crunching beneath his polished boots. As he surveyed the formal gardens, the doors opened behind him and the woman in the green dress stepped out. For a moment he felt dismay. If his plan was uncovered, then there was every chance that she was here for him, not the Admiral.


Previously i posted the scene where York and Echo meet, on the castle terrace. After writing that scene i asked myself the question, why are they there? and got the answer - to kill somebody. That's what they do. So, although this scene is set before that one, it moves the story on.

This scene didn't actually make it into the book (but the murder gets referred to several times). Looking back at it (i've not read it for a while), it feels like i was trying too hard. This was a 500 word assignment and we spent a lot of time using as many different descriptive words as we could shoehorn into the limit. Writing 100,000 words is very different. I'm trying to get somewhere, at a reasonable pace, so there's a lot less description (you can make it up yourself) and the language is less flowery.

The green ball gown is a theme that runs through the book. I really have no idea why. I'm sure there was a reason originally but, like so many things, it's been lost (like car keys and several sets of glasses).

Were you expecting somebody taller?

Strangely i hadn't a clear picture of what my characters looked like. I've described a couple of features, but that's it. So, when the draft covers started coming through it was very exciting to meet them. 

Then i started to interfere and there was a slight hiccup as photoshop (other manipulation products are available) did something slightly wierd to her face.

So, it's down to a choice from two. I've a vote going on via Facebook, but would like to know what the rest of the world thinks. However, they're busy, so i'll settle for you. Please comment on whether you prefer the first or second picture.

Everybody who votes for the winner will be put into a draw for a prize.

Number one? Slightly prettier than i intended and having a bad hair day

Or number two? More exotic and slightly alien

Vote now. Thanks

I'm a writer, not an artist

Which is why i engaged Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics to do the cover art rather than making a complete mess of it myself.

There are hundreds of graphic artists out there offering to do ebooks. Some were seriously up their own behind (my children may read this), some could Do Some Stuff, one had a site that gave my computer a nasty virus. And then there was Avalon Graphics.

I picked Avalon because i got a clear feeling that here is somebody who gives a toss about giving me what i want.  It wasn't just a job.

I've never met her, don't know what she sounds like, haven't a clue what she looks like, and she hasn't paid me, but i'm more than happy to put all her contact details at the bottom of this post because she totally gets what i was trying to do.

Having said that, i was probably clueless at the start about what i wanted. The book has two main characters. He's an ex military officer, has shaved his head and grown a goatee beard which makes him look dangerous. She has green eyes and hair in a jaw length bob. They have a spaceship. And some soldiers hang about with them. There will be action and violence. This is what i got.

There are five elements to this picture. I asked for changes to four of them. That's the danger of giving me what i asked for. Now i want more!

So, back goes an email
She's too pretty, he's not old enough and doesn't have a beard, the title isn't chunky enough
And i hate the font used for my name. It looks like somebody in the 1970s trying to do futuristic and reminded me of the set of the Goodies - apologies to anybody outside of the UK or who is younger than 35 who won't have a clue.
And where are the soldiers?

24 hours later

Soldiers - tick
Him - big tick. Scares the life out of me.
Fonts - tick
Her - striking but not pretty. That's good. There's nothing in the book that says she's pretty and the First Readers were divided on the subject.

But those lips! You could lick them and then stick her to the windscreen of your car and she'd still be there next day (you'd need to move the sat nav first, of course), dangling about like one of those Elvis figures

Other than that, i'm well pleased with the result. I think it tells the story of the book and stands out and hopefully shouts BUY ME! (on Amazon, from the 20 somethingth of February).

Theoretically that's all that matters. BUY ME! Well, no. Actually Cathy has brought my characters to life and that's tremendously exciting.

So, I'm their parent, but i think of Cathy as their Godmother. (She also fancies Clive Owen, but don't tell anybody)

Main Website: http://www.avalongraphics.org
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Direct Email: cathelms@charter.net