So how much have I accomplished since my last post? Hmmm, not much, not much at all. I’ve come up with some great ideas but the writing has kind of stalled. Seems that house renovations have become all consuming (I bought myself a job).
Still, all is not lost. The Nameless is quickly turning out to be my best work. Let me fill you in.
Version 1: Began as an ultra violent story where the main antagonist is following the path to Hell. The protagonist…well, he’s just going through the motions of life. Canabilism, drug use, lots of nasty stuff. It was the final battle between good and evil. Also called the Kingdoms of the Nine Devastations. Project stalled at 40,000 words.
Version 2: Cut out the canabilism, drug use, torture, etc, etc. Features a character named Creed (who would later go on to start in another novel of mine called Nathaniel). Again, lots of weird imagery. Project stalled at 60,000 words.
Version 3: Change the name to Shadow Reality. The basis of the plot is there. Lots of characters. Plain Jane, Logan Constinople, James Boekmann, Creed. This version was more about past lives and our inability to stop the cycle of birth/death. Still didn’t work. Stalled around 85,000 words.
Version 4: Finally settle on a name (ironically called The Nameless). Rewrite all characters. This involves a drastic rewrite of every page. I think I’ve really worked on the characterization this time…hopefully an improvement. Still, about half way through, the story loses its focus. Still at 85,000 words.
Version 5: The version I’m on now. I’m thinking this version is it. Still at 85,000 words (though I’ve rewritten the last 40,000 words). The main characters are Nicholas Finn, Jackie O’Sullivan, Jason Flaherty, Alexander Boyle, and Omar Kvashka. I am missing one scene only…once I have that scene plotted out, I will have (finally) the entire thing mapped out.
Total time: 5 years.
Yikes. That’s a long time.