LA/Book 2, in which the novel kicks my butt

ByJohn Brown

I’ll make this short. I have a deadline for my next revision of CURSE OF A DARK GOD. It’s November 20th. But the book is kicking me around like a tin can. I sat down Saturday to work on my current revisions and as I unpicked the chapter I was working on the whole story unraveled in my hands. I worked for 8 hours trying to put it back together, but it resisted all efforts.

I’m not one to take this lying down. I’m going to San Diego this week, but will fly back early to work on the book, which means I will not be visiting Los Angeles. Alas. This wild beast will come under control. And that should please all those who have read SERVANT and are waiting for the next installment.

Share

Similar Posts

  • “Bright Waters” forthcoming for free in audio on PodCastle

    ByJohn Brown

    PodCastle.org is the world’s first fantasy audio magazine. Each week they deliver audio stories by published authors. But they make the deal even sweeter because not only do you get to listen to great stories, you get to listen to and share them for FREE!

    I’m happy to announce that they will be publishing “Bright Waters” in the near future. If you recall, this is my story about a fearsome Dutch trapper, a spunky Irish woman stolen as a girl in an Abenaki raid, and a small Iroquois tattoo…

    Keep an eye out.

    Share

  • My presentations at LDStorymakers May 10-11, 2013

    ByJohn Brown

    I’ll be giving two presentations at LDStorymakers this year.

    “Vivid and Clear” — Despite the often repeated 11th commandment for writers—show, don’t tell—writers NEVER show. They can’t. It’s all tell, tell, tell. The trick is to tell in a way that helps your readers imagine the situation (action, thought, dialogue, description, etc.) with such vividness and clarity it triggers an emotional response.  In this hour we’ll explore a number of simple but powerful prose techniques that help you do just that.

    “Story Turns” — Story turns–cliffhangers, rugpulls, plot twists, reversals, surprises, revelations (and more)–are a core part of an exciting plot, pacing control, and making a reader want to turn the page. In this workshop we’ll explore the main types of story turns and how they work so you can use them in your writing. (They’ve got me scheduled to give this one twice.)

    More importantly, I get to attend some very interesting looking presentations from other writers when I’m not on stage. I had a blast last year.

    Share

  • New book description for SERVANT

    ByJohn Brown

    Here’s the latest version of the book description that will accompany the book on the various sites and on the back cover of the trade paperback. It’s purpose is to advertise: to let folks know the feel of the book and pique their interest.

    A young man.

    The girl he is hunting for using the dark and terrifying magic of Slethery.

    And the monster who only wants to be free.

    So begins the towering fantasy series that introduces an elaborate new world, a multifaceted system of magic, and a cast of compelling characters and creatures.

    Trapped in a web of lies and ancient secrets, of right becoming wrong, the three must struggle not only against each other, but also a being of irresistible powers. A creature who is gathering her servants to oversee the impending human harvest.

    If the three win, they will save those they love the most. If they fail, the clans of the land fall with them.

    What people are saying:

    ~ Best Novel of the Year Whitney Awards, speculative fiction
    ~ Engrossing Publishers Weekly
    ~ Provocative Booklist
    ~ Starred Review! Library Journal
    ~ A great setting, a smart story Brandon Sanderson

    Do you think you can do better? See anything to cut? Have some book descriptions you think work really well? If so, comment. I’d love to see what you come up with.

    Share
  • |

    Free stories from Year’s Best Fantasy 9 anthology!

    ByJohn Brown

    Tor is posting ALL the stories in the Year’s Best Fantasy 9 anthology (published summer 2009) for FREE. Mine was in the second installment, but you can already get it here. What you want are all the others! For example, installment 3 has one of my favorite short stories I read last year: Kij Johnson’s “26 Monkeys and the Abyss.”

    Here’s how to get them.

    1. Go to the Tor.com site.
    2. Scroll to the bottom of that post and click the “Year’s Best Fantasy 9” tag to see all of the installments.
    3. Click on each installment and download!
    Share

  • Apologies to commenters

    ByJohn Brown

    Back at the beginning of February my site was targeted for a spam attack. So I turned on Askimet which helps deal with that. Being new to Askimet and some of the wordpress setting changes I made, I didn’t know that a number of comments were being put into a pending queue. So a number of you posted comments and never saw them appear or received a reply. For example, a couple of people took issue with my review of Basic Economics because I said Obama has made a statement in good Marxist fashion. I didn’t refuse to post your comments because you disagreed. I just didn’t see them. Another person asked about LTUE, etc. I’ve approved the comments and replied. Hopefully, you’ll get a more timely response in the future. 🙂

    Share

5 Comments

  1. John, I am finally reading Servant of a Dark god. This is the best book I have read in years. It excels on so many levels it’s unbelievable.

  2. I am glad you got things turned around for the sake of all of us waiting for Book 2. 🙂 And for Nellie’s nerves! lol

  3. Ugh, nothing worse than when your book rises up against you. I’ve been struggling to get motivated to even WORK on mine right now. Any suggestions?

  4. BIC

    Butt in chair. Then just write anything at all. Then ask yourself what’s bugging you about your story story so much. Or go through the symptoms in the lesson I wrote on writers block.

  5. I managed to get some BIC time, and things went pretty well. I’m putting in about 6 hours a week right now, which is really all I can do and still have one fun activity in my life (currently a videogame). I’m happy to report that things are moving along much more smoothly now, though. I just had to get in there and do it, and you were right, I did find things that were bothering me and started to make a few corrections that I think will go a long way.

Comments are closed.