The Bond of Jhordil

The novel is still a work in progress.  It’s morphed into an entirely different plot, one that is both stronger and more amusing.  I began the 4th draft on 2/25 and am working furiously to build it into a completel novel.

In the last several months I’ve written nearly 300,000 words on the novel.  Most of it was bad, but it gave me a lot of ideas on where to take the book.  The third draft was the first one to include a lot of really usuable chapters, many of which I’m hoping to incorporate into the 4th.

This time around I’m using one of the novel development techniquess recommended in James Scott Bell’s book Plot & Structure.  It recommends breaking a book into a three act structure, which I’ve doen.  It also teaches something called the LOCK system, which I’ve employed to help strengthen the plot.

The fourth draft is far more organized than the other three.  I’ve got chapter breakdowns, am measuring tension levels and have a much clearer idea of the plot from start to finish.  I’m by no means finished, but I can say that this version is the best yet and that I’ve made tremendous progress on the novel since starting back in mid-September.

So another month has passed and progress continues on the novel.  I’ve written nearly 200 pages, and completed the first major story arc.  It takes Temis and Larken to the point at which both leave Mountain Shadow on their respective journies.

Now its time go back to the skeletal framework and add the meat to it.  In writing the first two hundred pages many characters invented themselves, and many more changed during the writing. 

The next step for me is examining each and every one of them.  I need to find their motivations, which will help me craft a story that makes sense.  I’ve also started to understand the life of your average villager in Olivantia, and this understanding is helping me to write the story accordingly.

In short, the first 200 pages have sparked my imagination.  Very few of those scenes will make it into the final novel, but they’ve helped me find the story itself.  It’s like a sculpter staring at a massive block of stone.

I’m chiselling away by writing about the characters and world, but much of what I write ends up on the ground as chunks of stone.  What’s left is the beautiful statue, or if will when I’m done anyway.

Alright, enough rambling.  It’s time to get back to work.

It’s been nearly three months since I started this site.  During that time I’ve added chapter outlines, story arcs and a commentary section.  Each of these tools has been enormously useful in the creation of the novel. 

I began the actual writing about two weeks ago, and have already belted out over 80 pages.  To my mind that’s nothing short of amazing, and I’m both proud and elated that I’m able to keep up this pace.

Writing this novel is different than any thing else I’ve worked on.  I feel like I know the characters and the town, because they’ve lived in my head for so long.  Their dialogue and story leap onto the page, and every day I show up eager to get to work.

Now more than ever I’m convinced that this is what I was mean to do for a living.  I can’t attest to the novel’s quality, or its likelihood of being picked up and published, but I  can say that its my finest work.  I can also say that I enjoy few things in life as much as writing it.

I’d better get back to it!  Talk to you again soon.

Twenty years ago I turned thirteen.  That birthday sticks in my memory because I was grounded for the entire summer.  I made the mistake of getting a C on my 7th grade report card, which left nothing but time for three solid months.  I couldn’t go anywhere, call anyone or leave the house except to do my paper route (yes I’m old enough to remember having a paper route).  There was no internet.  The television endlessly repeated the Little Mermaid, which my eight year old sister couldn’t watch enough times.

I used my free time to read every fantasy novel I could get my hands on.  When I ran out I started writing instead.  Those hastily scrawled pages were the birthplace of the story you will soon read.  The idea was conceived during that lonely summer and gained definition with each passing year.  It’s moved in fits and starts like a stone gathering momentum as it tumbles downhill.  The pieces are all finally in place.  The roadblocks and excuses are gone.  It’s time for this story to be told.

I’m going to shut up and get back to work.  Feel free to puruse the site.  I hope you enjoy reading The Bond of Jhordil as much as I enjoy telling it.

-Chris