Salamander update: 90,000 words and counting...
I know some blog readers think this is a bit of a tease, me telling you 10,000 words by 10,000 how far along I am with Salamander, well... yeah, it is a bit.
It's actually really good for me too, as it helps give me the extra impetus I need to get over that finish line and complete the novel. Nearing the end of this, somewhat marathon-like novel, I can safely say it's probably the toughest book I've ever had to write. I've loved it, don't get me wrong, and am already looking forward to getting stuck into a sequel once I've had a bit of a break and tackled a couple of other projects, but it's been a real test of my writerly skills.
I think, I hope, that I've pulled it off.
Looking over the chapter breakdown/synopsis, I reckon there's about another 10-15,000 words in this yet as I'm well into the final act but still have a few reveals and a fairly hefty epilogue to get in. Not to mention the explosive denouement...
Finishing a novel, totally unlike starting one, is probably the hardest bit of the entire process. Yes, inevitably, in my experience at least, there's a moment half way through (ish) where a crisis point hits you and you're left questioning where the heck to go next and 'does all that stuff I wrote earlier actually work' and even 'it all needs a bit of a rewrite' - it's healthy; it just means you care.
And I care. I really do. People sometimes ask me how I came to write a book about the Salamanders Chapter (I've even had some folks saying that I'm brave to even tackle it). Honestly, I can't remember now. It had something to do with wanting to write a short story with Space Marines in it for Heroes of the Space Marines (the anthology with said story, Fires of War, is released in May by the way) and sort of spiralled from there.
I have to say, I've really taken the Salamanders to my heart. The more I read about them (and re-read), the more their noble spirit, humanity and earthiness shine through. Not all of the characters in my book are noble, though. There is one in particular who's pretty ignoble. Most are damaged in one way or another, but then part of the story deals with what happens to a Company that loses its inspirational captain. There's grief, anger, even retribution. Ultimately, brotherhood comes through in the end, but not all wounds are totally healed.
I wanted to give the story some emotional heart and not just play the Space Marines as fairly dull, uber-warriors that 'Hulk-smash' their way through every obstacle. Oh, don't get me wrong , there's some serious butt-kicking action in this tale but, I hope, there's some deeper content too.
The way I saw it, the Salamanders are in touch with their humanity, or at least they empathise with ordinary humans and recognise their role in protecting them from the evils of the galaxy. Expect plenty of trauma within and without the Company focused on in the novel and some heartbreak too.
I reckon that's probably enough for now. I do like a good blog in the morning; mixed in with a cup of coffee, it's what I need to get the creative juices flowing.
Okay, off to write the next few thousand words. Hoping to get finished in a couple of weeks, so fingers crossed and power on through! :-)
It's actually really good for me too, as it helps give me the extra impetus I need to get over that finish line and complete the novel. Nearing the end of this, somewhat marathon-like novel, I can safely say it's probably the toughest book I've ever had to write. I've loved it, don't get me wrong, and am already looking forward to getting stuck into a sequel once I've had a bit of a break and tackled a couple of other projects, but it's been a real test of my writerly skills.
I think, I hope, that I've pulled it off.
Looking over the chapter breakdown/synopsis, I reckon there's about another 10-15,000 words in this yet as I'm well into the final act but still have a few reveals and a fairly hefty epilogue to get in. Not to mention the explosive denouement...
Finishing a novel, totally unlike starting one, is probably the hardest bit of the entire process. Yes, inevitably, in my experience at least, there's a moment half way through (ish) where a crisis point hits you and you're left questioning where the heck to go next and 'does all that stuff I wrote earlier actually work' and even 'it all needs a bit of a rewrite' - it's healthy; it just means you care.
And I care. I really do. People sometimes ask me how I came to write a book about the Salamanders Chapter (I've even had some folks saying that I'm brave to even tackle it). Honestly, I can't remember now. It had something to do with wanting to write a short story with Space Marines in it for Heroes of the Space Marines (the anthology with said story, Fires of War, is released in May by the way) and sort of spiralled from there.
I have to say, I've really taken the Salamanders to my heart. The more I read about them (and re-read), the more their noble spirit, humanity and earthiness shine through. Not all of the characters in my book are noble, though. There is one in particular who's pretty ignoble. Most are damaged in one way or another, but then part of the story deals with what happens to a Company that loses its inspirational captain. There's grief, anger, even retribution. Ultimately, brotherhood comes through in the end, but not all wounds are totally healed.
I wanted to give the story some emotional heart and not just play the Space Marines as fairly dull, uber-warriors that 'Hulk-smash' their way through every obstacle. Oh, don't get me wrong , there's some serious butt-kicking action in this tale but, I hope, there's some deeper content too.
The way I saw it, the Salamanders are in touch with their humanity, or at least they empathise with ordinary humans and recognise their role in protecting them from the evils of the galaxy. Expect plenty of trauma within and without the Company focused on in the novel and some heartbreak too.
I reckon that's probably enough for now. I do like a good blog in the morning; mixed in with a cup of coffee, it's what I need to get the creative juices flowing.
Okay, off to write the next few thousand words. Hoping to get finished in a couple of weeks, so fingers crossed and power on through! :-)
Labels: Fires of War, Heroes of the Space Marines, Salamander, Tome of Fire
posted by Nick Kyme at
10:35
4 Comments:
Finding motivation as a writer is a difficult thing. Myself and another writer have started up a private Facebook group where we post chapters as we write them and review each other's work as we go along. That way you have to stick to a regular word count and you're getting constant feedback, which is a great motivating factor. You might want to give it a whirl, I'm sure you know plenty of writers :)
BTW, read Fires of War the other day, and loved it. Can't wait to read Salamander!
Hey Fordy,
Believe or not, I'm a member of a Facebook writing group. The only snag is the writing has to be non-franchise material. Basically, I'm so busy right now that I don't have time for any non-GW material, so I've yet to submit a thing! Still, I think it's a good idea and would advocate anyone joining such a group. Feedback is so important for a writer. I know a few folks who make use of test readers, too.
I do have a few fellow writers that I semi-regularly send chapters to. The only slight snag is that they're usually busy with writing too, so I don't like to distract them! (That's the editor in me talking.)
Glad you liked Fires of War, by the way. Anywho, back to Salamander... :-)
I don't think I've ever spent so long agonising over the words of a short story before...
Head down and dig in - sometimes, Narry, it's the only way. You've probably finished it by now. Looking forward to reading it...
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