Next chapter in Mandorla: Gods and Elves available

So far I am keeping to my schedule - even a little ahead as this chapter wasn't due until February.

Click on the link to the right to access.

Not a single comment about the story in this blog or scribd - so setting the world on fire... or not.

And here's an image of a Mandorla. A reasonable definition of a Mandorla, which is almond in Italian, is that it represents the intersection between two opposites. More on this topic next chapter upload.

Now, I owe Ark a short story by March!

New chapter upload.

Chapter 2 of Mandorla: Gods and Elves, is now uploaded to scribd (see link to the right). One chapter per month and on track - huzzah.
But so far I have only had to proofread chapters that are already written - I've still got to start writing new original material.

2012, don't let me down... not like 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 - you get the 20 year idea.

Mandorla: Gods and Elves - Chapter One - uploaded to Scribd

Last month I took a mighty plunge into a deep sea of uncertainty, by starting to publish, Chapter by Chapter, my heartbreaker - a fantasy novel I started writing twenty years ago.

 As promised, here is Chapter 1 to follow on from the obligatory prologue.

Getting noticed for your heartbreaker novel: ePub or publisher

Bard raised a good point on my last post that publishers may not be willing to take on my novel if it has been released for free on the web.

It's a good point, and one I have considered very seriously.

For me the decision worked like this.

1. The chances of publishing an unwritten novel is 0%

2. If I don't find new ways to motivate myself (20 years remember) the chance of the novel being written is 0%.

3. Therefore I need to find new ways to motivate myself.

4. I found the feedback from writing my blog, motivating.

5. I will try to harness this motivation and use it to write my novel.


However

6. Putting my work online risks someone stealing my work.

7. Anonymity is a higher risk for new writers then theft.

8. There are legal avenues to address theft, if it were to occur.


Additionally

9. I am a fantasy lover, I want to write a trilogy or more.

10. Publishing Book 1 online may just get me enough to be noticed and read by an 'important' person who will pay me a lot of money to write book 2 and 3.

11. Since I don't yet have a written novel I will publish what I do have as a serial in the hope I can use 5 to achieve 10.


Ummmmm...... yeah right.

Dreams, dreams, dreams

With fear and trepidation I release my opus... sort of...

About twenty years ago, I started writing a fantasy novel with a friend. It was based on a D&D campaign I was dungeon mastering. My friend used the ideas, characters and my plot outline, to write and I then rewrote his initial words, until eventually we had a 1st draft of Book 1, at near 1000 pages.

My co-author grew less interested but I've never given up. I've also never finished the project. Over the last decade I started re-imagining it, and rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting; starting at the beginning over and over again. I'm further from the end of Book 1, then I was a decade ago.

The novel is now far removed from anything recognisable as D&D, and is very much my vision; and my torture.

By age 40 I vowed to have Draft 1 ready for publication. That vow passed uncompleted in January 2011.

I want this story out of me. I want this dream realised.

But my motivation is fickle, and family and work life all encompassing.

As has been said, 'writing is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration'.

I noticed while blogging how comments you all gave me, and seeing a few followers appear, inspired me to write more.

I started to wonder if this might be what I need for my novel. Writing to my own strength of will, has brought me nowhere. Perhaps I need to try a different tack.

So I've joined scribd. And uploaded the prologue of my novel.

I have nine chapters written, around 200 pages. My intention is to release one chapter / month, like a serial, and hopefully, here's really hoping, I will find the perspiration to just keep writing.

So click and read Mandorla: Gods and Elves - Prologue - The Death of Stem Faar

And feel free to comment, correct and criticise - either via this blog or a new email address I have started
mandorlastory@gmail.com

It is thus with great fear and trepidation, I attempt once again to see this dream realised.