The Hermit

So, yeah.

I wrote here previously about planning to draft my next novel in seven weeks, writing 2,000 words a day, six days a week. And, well, that’s pretty much exactly what I did. Here it is. That’s all you get to see for now. Sorry. It looks hella nasty under that title page, and the more fastidious among you will agree that the title page looks none too prepossessing either. Nice stack, though, right?

I’m not going to lie; that was not easy. I had many MANY advantages going in, all of which I readily acknowledge. I had time. I had the support of my partner. I had my health. I had a solid idea and a super-sketch outline. And there wasn’t anyone out there, at any time in my life, telling me that I couldn’t do it or that no one wanted to read it (well, except maybe for that one First Sergeant, but fuck that guy). On one level, this novel draft comes to you courtesy of all of the privilege.

Even so, this step was a major one in terms of personal confidence and discipline. Aside from a couple of Weebles(TM), I had a smooth run through this story, which allowed me to learn a few things about my current process.

First, the most productive way for me to write is to have just enough of an idea to give me a general direction and then GO. I learn a tremendous amount about what should be on the page by putting a lot of stuff on it that will not stay there. I would write entire chapters, and sometimes in the middle of it I would already be aware of how a character or even a whole theme should change. I made those notes quickly (sometimes right in the manuscript) and then kept going. Momentum is all-important in the first-draft stage.

I can write A LOT fairly quickly, but I cannot write all day long. My sessions usually clocked in around two hours in the morning. Sometimes, especially if I was essentially writing a double, I would go longer, and sometimes I could write my day’s goal in less. Two hours was a safe average. I can also move the timing of the writing block, but I need to be clear-headed for it if I want to be that productive.

Finally, I reinforced what I already knew that my daily writing practice (30 minutes, by hand, every day, first thing) is essential to maintaining the momentum on the WIP. I need that space outside the manuscript to think and write ABOUT the manuscript.

From here, I will set the draft aside for a few days while I get ready to finish my home office. It’s still filled with boxes from our move. I will be putting in the new floor myself, and though home improvement projects always come with their share of frustrations, I’m looking forward to this one. This will be the first office that I will have done so much to craft myself. I mean, I didn’t build it, but we will have transformed it by the time all is said and done. Once that is done, I will read what I have several times, making all sorts of wild notes and generally deciding on a plan for what needs to be researched in greater detail before I come up with a plan for layering. More on that when we get there.

Astute readers will also note that the novel title no longer sensibly abbreviates as TPS, as I indicated in my initial post about it. The new title, The Hermit, is one that I am happier with. It is the first of a planned trilogy along with The Elephant and The Messenger.

Apologies, but no story details just yet. This draft is a Federation crew member in the middle of a dicey beam up, and this engineer has to focus all his attention on making sure they don’t arrive on the platform a steamy and gooey mess. Horrifying is fine, but I want to get it here in one piece before I go introducing you to it.

I’ll also use this opportunity to remind you that tomorrow night, Wednesday, November 6, at 9:00pm EDT, I will be Leeman Kessler’s guest on Ask Lovecraft After Dark. If you are or become a member of the Ask Lovecraft Appreciation Society Facebook group, you can watch it stream live and message us with questions. Otherwise, I will post the conversation here and elsewhere after the fact.