The trouble is, ‘Milaan’ just refuses to come together. I like to have everything planned out before I start writing. Its like going on a holiday, I need to know where I’m going and how I’m going to get there before I begin to pack. But I just can’t get the ending worked out! I know everything that will happen in Milaan, up to the ending, and that’s where I stall. It’s like there’s some mental wall in my head stopping me from thinking anything related to a great ending to this book.

So to give myself a break, I’m putting ‘Milaan’ aside and writing something completely different. If and when ‘Dilemma’ is published, I will pick up Milaan again and write the second book. But the way I see it, it could be a while before anyone publishes it, so I can take my time and write some other things.

So the new ‘What I’m Writing’ is Noah Vale. Noah Vale is a story about a troubled man who hears voices. While out on a picnic with his sister’s family, his niece goes missing. It is set in Sydney, Australia, with supernatural elements (everything I write has supernatural elements ). The way I see it, I could write a whole series of books about Noah Vale, but unlike fantasy novels, there doesn’t need to be any over-aching storyline. I can just take one story at a time. I’m not sure how long this first story will be, but I’m trying not to worry about it. Quality not quantity, as they say.

Anyway the reasons for not blogging are long and boring, so I won’t bore anyone with that. Let’s just say that things are getting back to normal, so I’m getting back into the swing of things.

I just printed out my book, getting ready to send it in to a literary agent. Well, I have a cover letter, 2 page synopsis, and chapters 1, 2 and 5. The synopsis was hard to write, as it is a very plot-heavy book and so many things are integral to the main storyline. Hopefully I have captured the heart of the book in these two pages.

Finally sending my book out is a little scary. On one hand, I’m preparing myself for the inevitable rejection. It always happens, writers have to send their book out to lots of places before finally getting accepted. But the trouble is, there aren’t that many places in Australia that will accept:

1. A manuscript from an unpublished author
2. A manuscript from an unrepresented author
3. A science fiction/ fantasy manuscript

At the moment I only found two places that I could possibly send to. What next? Can I send to international publishers/ agents? I’m not sure how that works. I guess I’ll have to investigate.

Due to my previously mentioned boring personal stuff, I haven’t really been writing later, so I’ve got to get back into that. I have most of the second book mapped out, but there are still a few small details to work out before I set off to write the first draft. I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be a good book.

Meanwhile the thing I have been doing is Papercrafting. It’s addictive, and become a hobby I do every day. I have always seen random posts on different places about cool paper models people have made, but never got around to exploring it until now. It’s great to have something to do while watching shows, or grinding skills in Haven and Hearth. Plus, they look great when finished. It’s like making your own action figures. Currently I’m working on Zora Armour Link, and Mario’s Head. I’ll post more about them when I’m closer to finishing. I was also planning to do Young Link from Ocarina of Time, but I stuffed up when I was attaching the hat to his face, so I’ll have to redo that one.

Anyway, my blog should be much more active from now on. I hope it’s interesting to you all

So now I’m at the point where I need to start looking for publishers/ agents. The trouble is, in Australia there are very few of them that will accept fantasy from a new author. Not only that, but I’ve been reading about everything that else that happens even after you get a publisher, and its really depressing me.

The reason why I write is that it’s fun. But part of the writing process is having people read it. Now I realise that technically I don’t need to be published to have people read my book, but sure would help.

The other thing I’ve been worried about relates to the fact that currently I’ve been taking care of my Dad. Now at the moment that’s fine, it gives me a lot of free time to write and I get Carer’s Allowance. But one day the time will come when Dad is no longer around (hopefully a LONG time from now), and at when that time comes I will need a way to make money. If I have some books published by them, I may not need to find a regular job. That’s the plan anyway.

I really don’t think I’m cut out to work in an office. It was fine at first but gradually it was sending me quite insane. If I have to go back to work in an office again, I don’t know if I’d cope. Plus working full time cuts into my writing time dramatically.

So I should get published! The trouble with that is I’ve been writing about all the hoops you have to jump through, and that even after you get published, most authors won’t be very successful anyway  and will never make enough money to live off. It almost doesn’t seem worth it.

I just want a lot of people to read my book and enjoy it! That’s not too much to ask is it?

I realise I could just put it up here on my website for free, but then that dramatically cuts down on the number of people that will actually see it, plus I’d make no money so I’d have to eventually get a job at some point.

I know I sound like I really don’t want to work – but it’s not working in itself that I’m dreading, it’s the type of work. The only real skills I have are for boring office work that I absolutely hate, and even then I’m not convinced that I was any good at it to begin with. Writing is what I’m passionate about, but can I make money from it?

I suppose time will tell.

The problem I am having is that at the moments, all my thoughts about this new book are like the jumble of cables in this picture. I have lots of ideas about different characters and different plots all tangled together in a confusing mess.

My goal now is to extract each idea one at a time and arrange them in a nice neat pile. Then once I have that, I can begin to piece them together, so that I’ll end up with one long, smooth line.

The trouble is, it’s harder than it sounds. I’ve been writing the last book for so long (4-5 years), so it’s been a long time since I actually worked out the plot for a new book. I’m confident that I’ll get it in the end, but when that end will come, I have no idea.

I know everything that needs to happen in this book, I just need to work out when and where, and make sure it paces nice and smoothly. Also there is one character whom currently isn’t doing much of anything at all. I really need to think of something for him to do, or think of a reason to get rid of him all together. It’s no good having him tag along just watching and not participating in events.

Stephen Donaldson once said “writers don’t get ideas; ideas get writers”

Well Ideas, come and get me!

Since then I’ve been catching up with my writing, and I finished the second draft of my novel! This is the fourth book I’ve finished, and I’m aiming for this one to be the one I get published. I’m very proud of it, and its the best thing I’ve written so far. I love it.

So what now? I need to spell-check it a bit, then I’d like to get some constructive criticism. Then I guess I can start sending it around to places. Exciting stuff!

I’m going to start planning the second book pretty soon. I know what needs to happen, but I don’t know how or when exactly. I need to plan out the plot so I know where I’m going before I begin writing the first draft.

I also would still like to write more of Diary of a Survivor, but because I’ve been sick I haven’t done anything about it yet. It’s good to have something I can write that isn’t Dilemma related. Although I like the book, it’s okay to have a break every now and again.

It’s the story of a young woman’s adventures as her life is turned upside-down. Dilemma is a Sorceress in Training when her home is attacked by Daemons. These Daemons lead her on an adventure in which she discovers secrets she will wish stayed buried.

I hope that makes it sound interesting. One thing I’m still made at is writing short summaries of my books.

Originally, I wrote this book several years ago, at that time it was called ‘Dilemma of the Hour’. This new version has a different ending, and I removed one character who really didn’t need to be there. It’s better than ever, and I can’t wait to finish it.

Click here to download: The Spiral Dilemma (Preview) (62)

Please leave a comment after you’ve read it. I’d love to know what you think.

That’s bad. I like writing, and I intended to do it every day. It’s just that for some reason, I relapsed, and couldn’t be bothered doing anything. Anyway, I’m back to normal now. I’ve started to revise my first draft, and shape it into an even better second draft. It’s going well.

I experimented with different methods of revising. One said that you should read your book and make notes, but don’t change anything until you finish. Then, go through with your notes, and write the second draft. I tried this for a while, but reading my book without making any changes just felt like a waste of time.

So I’m using my own method. I open up two windows in Word, have the first draft in one, and the second draft in another. Then I read the first draft, and copy it into the second draft, making changes as I need to.

I’m happy now that I’ve started revising. I really did need the break. I know it was only a week, but now I can look at my novel with a fresh eye.

I think it turned out pretty well. This first book mainly takes place in and around Tavia, in the lands south-west, but I plan for later books to travel around further.

I plan on updating the map as I write, and filling in more detail as the characters visit those places. In the middle of the map, the Tangled Sea will become very important to my future novels. Technically it isn’t excatly a sea, but you will find that out when I get to it.

Well the theme of the book is Sorcery vs Necromancy, and this is a metaphor for a lot of the great debates of the real world, such as Religion vs Atheism, or Creation vs Evolution.

Both Sorcery and Necromancy are forms of magic. Sorcery is the art of manipulating magic through speaking the language of the Gods, called Arcana. Necromancy is the art of manipulating magic through the power of your own blood, which usually involves self-mutilation.

The two are diametrically opposed, as the Sorcerers believe that magic was a gift from the Gods, and that by using Sorcery they can be closer to the Gods.

Conversly, the Necromancers reject the Gods. They still believe in them, but they do not worship them and want nothing to do with them. They believe Magic comes from inside you, and to use Magic is to harness the power of your own blood.

As well as all of this, its also a good old-fashioned fantasy adventure. Dilemma, a Sorcerer in training, is attacked by Daemons, and hunts down teh Necromancer who was controlling them. It is a self contained novel, however I do have a series planned. But if I change my mind and decide never to write any follow-up books, this story could sit on its own quite well.

You can read an except from ‘Time and other Dilemmas’ here:

http://craigsplace.info/writing/time-and-other-dilemmas-chapter-two/