Romance and Gear Grease

Writing has been at a bit of a standstill. Not because there has not been ample time, I honestly have simply been "unmooded" for this particular creative outlet. Stress causes that, I'm sure. Also, I have not been working out, and according to people that know, that contributes to stress. However, writing is not only a creative outlet for me, it is part of who I am. I am a writer. Good or bad, that facet is part of my ever growing identity. So, not writing is a type of starvation rather than a type of fasting or healthy abstention.

Anyway, I am moving into uncharted territory for myself: Romance. Please take into consideration that I have no real desire to write a tale that investigates base chemistry between individuals, one's desire for another, or even a tale that rests on co-dependent intrigue. I am far more interested in depicting the deeper, ancient limerance of our plight in all relationship. The intentional, on-purpose push past pain and shame, hurt and death, and into the enveloping immersion of true love. The hover of mouth over mouth may never culminate into a kiss. Desire is not realized in the reciprocity of being loved back, but in the fervor of one that brings the strength of their ability to be a source and resource for another. This is the age-old story of a parent who loves her children without expectation for renumeration. An artist's purity of creation for it's own sake. A God's empowerment of a people who could one day be just alike. Romance for romance. Not for the hackneyed illusion of giving for the sake of getting. Altruism in it's perfect form. Anchronistically misunderstood and powerful in any context. We have explored the banal, oversexed, and transient forms. And ashes remain. I just hope I am a good enough writer to convey this. Bear with me as I attempt this amid smokestacks and gear grease. Appositional to black powder and undiscovered peril. Because love is only love if it remains in any milieu and landscape.

Maps.

So, the mileiu for The SkyRift is an alternate American West during the Civil War. California is split amongst the Union State of Jefferson, the Manchu-Chinese Territory of the Imperialist nation of China and the "neutral" New Mexico Territory. This world has been a blast to build and explore and I am thinking about utterly decimating parts of the civilizations on the continent, both elder and nascent. Just not in The SkyRift. Also, there will be a few surprises from little-known historical figures and some fun mechanical "baddies", as well as an unleashed "pain-in-the-rump" that will dog our heroes world for books to come. Check out the above map and tell me what you think!

Rewriting.

It is really important to set goals for myself when writing, and realize those goals realistically. Unfortunately, I know as well as anyone that writing voluminously and speedily do not a story make. I was getting close to the end of The SkyRift when it occurred to me that I was writing the wrong story. So, I restarted. Completely different story. Now I feel that when I sit down, I can write with a lot more clarity. Having a clearer picture in my mind allows me to elucidate the milieu and idea of the story via characterization. The best stories, in my opinion, are not due to great settings, events and systems of thought. They are the arcs of great characters. It would be irresponsible as an author to leave visceral worlds without a heavy carbon footprint, so to speak. Though rewriting the book sounds terrible, it is actually really fun and amazing. It should not push back my timeline very much either. At least, I hope not. If my 1st draft is not finished by November 1, I will have to wait to work on it for a whole month, due to Nanowrimo and the Dr. Lee project that I'll be working on (2000 words a day, folks).

I was speaking with a friend recently who was a little frustrated by the amount of rewrites she was having to do for an indy film that she is producing. She then told me that it is not uncommon to rewrite a hundred times! That places my project in a less daunting light. 

I am about to put my short story, Brimstone Deep, on Smashwords, making it available at the iBook store, Barnes and Noble, etc. It will be nice to not be so exclusive in the way Amazon publishing demands. So, all you out there who are not too excited about Amazon will have other options. 

Do you have a book bouncing around in your head? Join me during National Novel Writing Month. Click here to sign up! It's free and will greatly improve your writing! 

"Gear"-ing Up For The SkyRift

Well, I am ogetting nearer to the finish line with my new book, and have decided to go forward with beta readers, as they agree, of course. Also, I will be calling the ebook The SkyRift (TSR). Due to the people's choice regarding my writing focus for NaNoWriMo, I will be pulling Dr. Lee from TSR as a main character. She will be in TSR, but her story will be told in her own book, in the month of November as I write it. I am really happy about this, as I had originally set out to write about Jim Harper. But, I really wanted to set the story in an alternate American West where the Chinese had discovered the Pacific coast of the Americas decades before Columbus. And that is where the conscientious part of me kicked in. I did not stop to think of the implications of the world I was building. Having a territory that is established by China would change everything! So, I've had to hit the research and create something that not only feels 'real' to me, but rings true to readers. I turned to a writer/blogger who writes steakpunk in a post-colonialist focus. She'll remain anonymous for now as I have not asked permission to mention her (and who knows, she may not want to be connected to my book). But, she gave me a lot to think on. Some of these pointers are embarrassingly basic.

Anyway, I am contacting beta readers now to ask them for help, so that TSR can make "all you dreams come true" (embellishment alert).

By the way, The SkyRift is going to need reviews from the outset, so please let me know if any of you want an advanced copy and I will provide one at the cost of a review. :)

And the Winner IS...

The votes have all been tallied and I will be writing my NaNoWriMo novel about Doctor Sue Lee! Now, I must retreat to my author's lair to concoct the story line for the book. I have really been putting a lot of time in this character, so I cannot wait to write her. Thank you to all the voters!