I just typed the final words of draft 2 of the first book of The Drovers. It now goes to my beta readers (I’m the alpha reader, the one who sees draft 1). And while they’re reading, I will begin draft 2 of the second book.
This is the shortest novel I’ve ever written, clocking in at 61,000 words. My target was 50,000 words, the average size of a Louis L’Amour western. But this will do. Depending on the beta reader feedback, I may add or cut a few thousand words. But not much.
Just got word from the programming organizer that my killer workshop is a go for MountainCon this year. The bonus is that Brandon Sanderson will be teaching it with me. You do NOT want to miss this one.
WHAT: Writing Killer Stories: This is a hands-on workshop conducted by two professional
authors (Brandon Sanderson, John Brown).
When you finish, you will know:
The 3 keys to writing killer fiction
4 parts of story & how they relate to the key
The creation process
7 principles of creativity
Critical guidelines on suspense, plotting, setting, and character building
WHEN: Saturday, September 20th, 7:30-10:00 PM, Panel Room 1
Yeah, Baby! We’ve got Dark God Tees! And all thanks to Fiction Addictions. You get to choose from two designs which you can see below. Please note: The Dark God got his fans some SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICING!Through December 2010: $13.99 for standard style, $15.99 for the ladies fit.
P.S. If you desire, you can post pictures of yourself displaying your great sense of fashion (or the burnt crisp of your thunderstruck remains) on http://www.facebook.com/authorjohnbrown
Servant of a Dark God – In Yo Face
Boldly proclaim your allegiance with a simple front that states who you serve. NOTE: May attract lightning.
In Yo Face - Standard T Style
In Yo Face - Ladies T Style
Servant of a Dark God – Book Fan
For those who aren’t quite ready to commit to the dark side, we provide a more conservative front that will still raise eyebrows, but all in the good cause of literacy.
Book Fan – Standard T Style
Book Fan - Ladies T Style
Colors & Styles
Standard tee shirt style: for men or women, comes in dark brown, black, or navy with crème lettering.
The ladies tee shirt style (fitted cut and thinner fabric): comes in purple, black, or dark brown with crème lettering.
Other colors: If you simply must have the shirt in a different color, be happy, because you can, although it may take longer to process your order. Be sure to choose a color that goes well with the crème lettering.
Extra Large Sizes: If you want to get a shirt in a size not shown, you can. Just contact Fiction Addictions and let them know. It just may take a bit longer to ship your order.
BookBub is running an ebook promotion for Servant: The Dark God Book 1 today and tomorrow. The ebook is 99 cents. An excellent price for those wanting to sample the series. If you have a friend who likes epic fantasy, let them know. Here are links to the various retailers.
This review of Servant of a Dark God comes from Kirk Shaw, a fiction editor who works for Covenant Communications which is a part of Deseret Book. I think he points out something interesting about how I structured the story.
This is no simple epic. Brown has essentially written in three major plots: (1) the Dark Mother’s resurgence in the world and her cunning plots, (2) Talen’s family’s struggle against the Divines and the oppression he and his face from those who aren’t Koramite, and (3) the epic struggle of all those who are oppressed by the tyranny of the Glory and the Divines. The complexities of these three struggles overlap and complement one another in the story, with each group and entity relating to each other in different ways. For example, the Dark Mother is seeking out those who are fighting against the Divines to cull them, but she also plans to attack the Divines. In other words, groups that have mutual enemies are also fighting against themselves. These interacting conflicts I’m certain will generate quite an epic series (just as Robert Jordan’s tri-fold conflicts have held readers of The Wheel of Time series spellbound–Dark One vs. Artur Hawkwing’s returned armies vs. Rand and the gang)…
…I highly recommend this debut novel for those who enjoy a good coming-of-age epic fantasy, and I hope to see many more great things from debut author John Brown. Full review here.
Here’s the second episode I recorded with the Writing Excuses guys.
In the first podcast we talked about putting and not putting ourselves in our writing and making characters who don’t all sound like the author. In this one, we talked about how to not repeat ourselves in ways that make the reader feel like they’re getting the same old same old.
I finished the 10% edit, going from 205,000 words to 185,000, this morning and emailed the finished manuscript to Super Agent Caitlin who will perform various incantations before sending it off to ye Editors for review.
While that’s happening, I will be switching gears and starting the thriller. I’m looking forward to this. Not only am I having fun developing the ideas, but unlike these epic fantasies I’m writing with a gajillion story lines, this is going to have one story line (okay, with maybe, maybe two subplots), one point of view (instead of three or four), and a limited cast of characters like six (as opposed to close to twenty). I’m preparing to reach escape velocity. I’ll tell you what jupiter looks like when I get back.
2 Comments
Good new! All red (100%) looks very cool.
This just popped into my head: “Mystic Drovers”.
Have no idea if it is relevant to the story. But it’s less ‘Western’….
Good new! All red (100%) looks very cool.
This just popped into my head: “Mystic Drovers”.
Have no idea if it is relevant to the story. But it’s less ‘Western’….