31-27

42 - 15 = 27

Twenty-seven years of storytelling.
Twenty-seven years of getting the timelines right.
Twenty-seven years of ordering the chaos in my head.
Twenty-seven years of manuscripts.
Twenty-seven years of finding a new keyboard, a new notebook, a new way of recording the madness in my head. 
Twenty-seven books all set in the same scape.

31-27 = 4

Four years left to go.
Four more books before it is all done.
Four more times.

How Far Is Too Far?

Well, it has been a very long and challenging week but I am here now, back in front of the keyboard and that is what counts.

So, what am I up to today? Hammering out the next chapter, chapter 29 & 30. So a few things to talk about tonight. Firstly by my calculations, I am around 30k away from finishing. This is good but leaves me with another exciting issue.

• What issue, I hear you ask.
• Well, what do I do next?
• Rinse and repeat or move onto something new and improved?

So what do I mean by rinse and repeat?

Well, that is an excellent question. Firstly, do I keep repeating the draft process or just rinse off the required number of words ready for submission then worry about the rest later?

How many times do you go through the draft process before you submit? Again, this is another excellent question, and honestly, one that I cannot answer for you. I guess you know when you know. Sometimes it's good to get it out there, and other times it's good to take more time and slow it down. Polish every word before you submit, because you only get one chance to make the right first impression.

What do I do next?

In this instance, I have left the judgement up to the editing team. They have grand plans and want to try different approaches to the submission process. Whatever that means! From the novel, to screen and graphic art. They have big plans, but as I have said in previous blogs both here and on the website. I am full of ideas, the latter stages of the process bog me down when in all honesty, I just want to keep on writing.

So what to next? I have plans. 31 of them in total. Yes, you read that correctly, not 1 but 31 new works in the pipeline. So please check back from time to time, once the first one is picked up I will be able to provide you more detail as the 'cat will be out of the bag' by then.

Rinse and repeat or move onto something new and improved?

I refer to this a few times. Rinse and repeat, by this I mean more science fiction and fantasy or something new and entirely different to my writing style. My head is hankering for the latter, but something tells me I need to do some more of the first to get through the backlog. Either way, there will be words on a page, and that is all that matters.

So, after nearly a year my latest work is almost complete, there's just the little matter of a few characters to sort out (no spoilers), and the inevitable 'The End' to be written.

So what have a learnt from this writing journey then?

Quite a lot, a year is a little bit of a stretch in writing time. Most of the bulk of the chapters have been written in the past two months. Out of a thirty chapter novel, the last twelve were written in fast succession. What this tells me is that I can be, when correctly motivated, focused to achieve a lot in a short period of time. Writing in bulk also helps with my continuity and integration into character depth. Writing with long breaks or in short bursts, I have noticed that there is a tendency to waver or drift.

Working with an editor on a daily basis has been a lot of fun too. Challenging at times, but I have looked upon the opportunity as a welcomed experience and not one to be passed over in the future. It also served to drive me forwards, knowing that there was a person there, waiting for your pages, on a daily basis gave you added time pressure. It was not only a matter of time though, it felt like I was writing for them or to them, so there was the aspect of direct feedback. This stopped me from rabbit holing too much too long and we could rectify plot issues as they unfolded instead of at the end when rewriting could be more detrimental.

Have I finished yet?

No, and this is the problem. Those plots and planning steps that we all know and love. Those notes for what will come next that we have all written in margins of notebooks and new file documents. Well, let's just say that this time there has been a problem.

It's comical when I come to think about it, but here goes. I intended to end the book in a certain way, and with certain people. The problem that has come to light is this, the book had other ideas, and now I have taken the final act in an entirely different direction. The strange thing to contemplate is that they are my words, written or typed by my hand, and yet here we are in a entirely different endgame than what I first expected.

The more I read it, the more it makes logical sense, given character progression and the natural order of how things would pan out for both the reader and the storyteller. That does not quash the niggle though, that little itch that keeps telling me to go back three chapters are reworked it all to make the ending what I originally intended. Tough choices need to be made, so here we go.

I have decided to end the book as is, to let the logical choice flow and stop.

I will then do what my brain is telling me to do and go back twenty thousand words and rewrite the end game to make it what it was supposed to be. I will then let the editor or you the reader decide how you want it to end in good old fashion adventure style. The book will either be published with both endings or one, and the alternative will be on the website for you to contemplate. Let's call it my nod to the red/green books (hidden meaning).

The end is in sight, but wait, what's that red light.

Writers Software Choices

One pet hate is when you pay good money for software you need to help save time and it does the complete opposite. This is frustrating to say the least. Our times as writers is precious especially when writing is not our full time role. Therefore to be facing issues with software, the one thing that allows us to put things onto paper quicker can lead to anger. 

Over the years and during writing the books in my catalogue of work, I have used many different hardware and software devices to put my thoughts down. Some have been good, whilst some have been extremely detrimental to that creative process. 

The important thing to remember before reading on is that what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. The approach that I take will not be the same as yours or should it be. The intent here is to show the development process and some of the struggles I have faced over the course of the years I have been behind a keyboard.

With that in mind what I am about to tell you probably gives you and indication of how long I have been writing. So my first device was an Amstrad 464 which shipped with a tape drive and a free word processor called Easi-AmsWord. This to date is still the best word processor I have every used, which may come as a surprise to many of you considering how basic it was but here are my reasons why.

• No spell checker. Yes that's right. It shipped as is so a dictionary was vital to ensuring you made no mistakes. At the time I had and used a thesaurus which was a trusted tool.
• Max file size. The 464 would only allow you to write so many lines before it would be unable to store any more into temp memory. This meant that you would only ever be able to write ~ 2-5 pages before backing up and moving on. This allowed for a very focused way of writing. There was no ability to go back to a previous chapter or side two different chapters side by side.
• Time to load. It took around 2-3 minutes to load up the word processor then further time to find the file you were working on and load that via the tape drive. All of this meant that once you were ready to start working you were in the zone. Today's ability to flick on and off is good but often allows for personal procrastination.
• The keyboard, oh my word the keyboard was insanely good. The right height the right depth of key for speed writing. It was a dream. Whilst we are on keyboard.

Keyboards:

So keyboards, yes this is my personal addiction. As stated above my 464 had to date my favourite keyboard. It's important to note the to date part of the previous statement. As I am always on the hunt for new ones. My second favourite keyboard is an old IMB model M. Folding spring model but this is too loud at night and keeps most of the neighbourhood awake whilst I am working.

I am currently writing this on a surface keyboard which is very good but still lacks the physical connection to a key press that earlier, sturdy keyboards provide. The recent revival of mechanical keyboards have gone a long way in reviving that experience but with a modern take. Keyboards loaded with Cherry MX or ML keys are good and allow for a very tactile experience when I am writing. The surface keyboard and its folding equivalent allow for lots of high speed word bashing without suffering the wrath of the family shouting at me for interrupting their sleep.

Back to software:

So through the years and with faster devices being made available for cheaper prices the king of the word processor dominated my writing path. Yes I am talking about Word. Love it or hate it you cannot deny that it does exactly what its supposed to do and it does it well. There are too many pros and cons for this one and over the years even MS have listened to their users to reduce some of the later whilst maintaining the for.

I have to be honest here and say that Word has been and will be my fall back tool for years to come. With the bulk of my back catalogue still sitting in .doc format.

Passing word by I moved onto Scrivener for a few years. Again this is a good tool and helped me to start writing again at speed but it also hindered it quite substantially too. Lot's of people love it but after two books I felt we had to depart ways. The process of writing seemed too complicated and if anything a word processor just like a pen is a tool to help and not hinder.

My departure with the above led to a bit of a word processing crisis for me. Do I return to the old ways and use word. Look even further back to the word perfects or push onwards to the Google equivalents.

After dabbling with a bit of nostalgia I decided to move forwards and I am now heavily seated in gdocs. Not perfect but it does allow me to collaborate at speed with my editor and other writers. Simple in nature, a hark back to the very fundamentals of what a word processor should be and for that I am happy.

The biggest single advantage however is cloud computing. An always up approach to writing, any device and connection anywhere. This is where the power in my current choice resides.

I hope this blog was of interest to you. Please remember though. What works for you is the most important choice to make. Be in Mac or PC. MS or Google. Bespoke or generic. Seek out what makes your writing sessions a success. The end of the journey is always the same, a book. The process or getting there can be infinitely different. From paper and pen to computer. Go make your choice but never be afraid to explore and seek out other peoples advice. You never know it might make you sessions more enjoyable.

Free stuff on Amazon

Well, I almost forgot I had this one published but here it is on a free promotion for all of those people who want something fun to read.

It's short but sweet full of action and magical nonsense but I am still proud of it all the same. A total departure from my usual content.

Go check it out. Hal's Tale: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hals-Tale-Lee-Thomas-Richards-ebook/dp/B007TNWND8

The reason this little book came into life was quite simple. My eldest asked me to write her a book for her birthday. Time was short and with less than three weeks to pull it together, Hal's Tale was born.

It's a good example of how time pressure can work for you and against you. Lot's of words and OK plot, some great scenes and not a lot of editing. The last point is the reason why I have not pulled it down and reworked it, even now after all this time. It serves as a reminder of measure twice and cut once rule but when faced with the time I had and the request of a daughter something had to give. So, this book shows what can be achieved in twenty one days if you sacrificing the second and third rewrites.

One day I will go back and rework the whole thing as this version is the 'Short' version. There is a 'Longer' version kicking about in the cloud somewhere but other projects keep getting in the way.

Anyway, go read if you have the time and let me know what you think. Like or dislike all feedback, when constructive, is useful.

Thanks again for reading the blog. LT.

Timelines, the way I track them.

Well it happened again. Totally lost fifteen minutes of blogging due to some sort of sync issue.

Anyhooooo's. So where was I again, again.

That's right. I was going to launch into a big spiel on how I manage timelines. How the writing process can differ between authors and how as of late I have being working with a new fellow writer.

When asked how I write, I always find this a very interesting question. Mainly because my process for writing has evolved dramatically over the 30+ years I have been undertaking it. Some of my methods for getting the idea from mind to paper have been good, some I can tell you right now have been a complete disaster. That is not to say that those failures will not work for you.

So I suppose what I am trying to say is that the question even though straight forward has many different answers but from a personal point of view which one is right for you. Now that is the real question. 

So timelines and how to manage them:

Big piece of A3 paper, this one is still my favourite. Visual and lots of scribbles to sort out the mistakes if or should I say as and when you discover them.

Kanban boards, this is a good way of keeping track of items between joint writes and multiple stake holders. There a number of free tools out there you can use for this task.

One note, this is another handy tool with great connectivity and sharing capabilities for multi device, multi user engagement. Think virtual whiteboard meets big A4 folder.

Timeline management on large projects can be complex and scary. A good example of this in my recent works would be (the tower - not confirmed title).  Lots going on here but each chapter needed to track, floors, items, characters, moods, who was alive, who was dead but in flash back. This was quite confusing and needed to be visualised in someway so that both myself and my editor could keep track of where we were. Especially when we started to move things around.

I must admit, I have read it a few times now but I have a niggle in the back of my mind that we have missed something obvious. I will let you guys spot it for me.

Back to it, I suppose what the original version of this thread said was this. There are many different ways to write and to keep track of it all. Find one that suits you, work with other writers and see what suits them. Find something that works in the middle.

It's late, I am tired but sleep will not find me. #insomnia. 

Hot On My Heels

So my editor chatted me today, which is great but serves as a reminder to the fact that I am locked in the eternal race to push content out faster than they can edit it. Yet, hey. It's OK I have a safe buffer zone.

Anyways, their chat message was as follows.

Editor: Finished chapter 16, interesting twist. Just wanted to make sure I'm not missing something but I cannot seem to find 17 in the usual folder.

Me: (Insert moment of panic right here).............

Editor: Lee

Me:........

Wait a minute, where did my buffer go. I've been writing....oh wait...that's right...different project...

Me: Yep, not ready yet...was struggling with the continuity leave it with me.

Panic over, focus regained, lots of smashing at the keyboard got to rebuild that safe zone.

Inject the caffeine STAT....let's do this.