first draft: done

I remember back when Brett Favre was still in good favor and he was asked about retiring (about 2 years before he first did). He was on the fence a bit and spoke about how the choice wasn't just based on playing the game every Sunday. He reminded people that playing meant being at the practices, the training camps, the tape break downs, more practices, dealing with injuries, the interviews, the victories, the defeats, and then somewhere in there a game. Basically his decision would be on whether he wanted to continue doing all of the other things associated with the game. In writing, this would translate to the first draft versus the 2nd and 3rd drafts (and however many after that).

The first draft is always the easiest in many ways because of the freedom to write whatever you wish. Each successive draft after has to take what's been written and refine it, augment it, and change it drastically to correct errors, fill in gaping plot holes, or whatever else needs doing.

To that end, the first draft of Cherry Blossoms is now done.

Onto the 2nd Draft now. And unlike other stories written, the first draft of Cherry Blossoms actually was somewhat harder because I was already trying to do its second draft mid-way. While writing can be done non-linearly (writing chapter 5 before chapter 2 or such) I do try to keep it in a straight line as best I can. But I kept realizing new aspects that I wanted to add, other details that needed to be fleshed out, and scenes that would be perfect but should have happened 4 chapters prior. Now that I have the first draft done though, I can get to those immediate pieces that need reworking.

I admit, I think I like the rewriting better than the writing. I enjoy adding or editing my work a little more than the actual first pass. I think it's because the first pass there isn't a net or a guideline beyond what I can do in an outline. With each successive draft, the story remains and is bettered by the overhauling. And, I just like the process more. I already know some major changes too, which should make this second draft feel more complete than the regular 2nd drafts I do.

We shall see.

David Barentine
www.wotps.com

moments in the head now on paper

One key part of the genesis for Cherry Blossoms came about 9 years ago back in 2002. It came at the end of watching Blade 2. Say what you will about the movie, in the end what I felt was there was a place that needed exploring with vampires. A scene played out in my head of a man holding his beloved in his arms and having the opportunity to sink his fangs into her to make her a vampire and save her life. But, having been involuntarily changed himself, he knew what life he had lost and was wracked with the decision of losing her or condemning her to a similar fate so that he could be with her forever. In the end, as she's pleading for him to bite her, he gets closer and closer, then finally snaps her neck to end her suffering, sinks his teeth in to fill up on her blood, then goes after her killer with renewed energy and blind rage.

This scene has played out in my head a myriad of different ways for 9 years and keeps changing ever so slightly. Now, 9 years or so after it's initial inception, I've written that scene out in the first draft. Like so many concepts, it comes out as like the concept in spirit, but not in exactness. The nature of the battle around them, the nature of how I want my vampires to be and act, all of these factors shifted elements around. Instead of a dark room, it's now a street with fires everywhere. She doesn't speak this time, merely succumbs to the pain. A lot of the conceived dialogue was replaced with far fewer lines and more name shouting because it felt cliche to do more than that. This book has been, so far, more of a book on character and small subtle characteristics, and it felt far more logical and hopefully more moving to leave 95% of the intended dialogue unsaid.

Now comes the tricky part of the final phase of the battle. The slog is almost complete.

David Barentine
www.wotps.com

back on track

a graduation, a funeral, father's day and now finally some assemblence of "normalcy." I've finally gotten through the slow part of the final climax, and now begin to "ramp it up" so to speak towards the final confrontation. I already know that this will be reworked a bit, I just don't know how much yet. In trying to get the most satisfying ending, I realized I needed to change some of the focal points a bit and emphasize a relationship not even hinted at so far in the draft. This has made writing the ending feeling quite different, like a transition to a different story entirely. Still, I like the newer ending (at least in the concept phase).

I have also begun plans (in the stages at least) on how I want to get people's attention with the books when I publish them. I have repeatedly used a "Chapter 0" as a pre-amble or prelude to the story to follow. For the most part, it's a one-chapter short story that exists in the same world as the story, has many of the same characters, but isn't really a part of the story. It's more like a jumping off point to get people familiar with what they will be getting into, and setting up chapter 1 as more of a familiar ground than say starting from scratch. I think it would be best to release these Chapter 0's like a separate short story for free, advertising that they are the prelude to whichever book they will be in. Then have them included in their respective books. I figure "free" because it's a teaser, it's in the full book, and buying it and buying it in the book again would be a real pisser to potential fans. It also sets a precidence that I could write short stories rather than lengthy ones for some of the characters for their back stories. I plan to wait until I do the second rewrite of Cherry Blossoms before I really get into it as I need to design a cover for these stories too. It also solves the looming problem with Chapter 0 of Sphere of Time since it truly doesn't belong in the overall book.

David Barentine
www.wotps.com

two steps forward, two steps back

The slog continues and while I try hard to avoid jumping into too many aspects of a rewrite, I couldn't help but inject a new addition to a scene. In the night prior I was almost asleep when a creature and whole ecology sprang into my head. It was enough that I had to jot down the idea and it has maintained throughout the day. Now with a sketch in place (re-purposing a prior sketch) I felt the need to inject it into the story post-haste before the inspiration grew cold. More pointedly, I had a conversation in my head that I felt I needed to write down immediately. So while the bitter fighting is still a slog, there is progress earlier in the book. (and if that doesn't show how non-linear writing is, I don't know what would)

David Barentine
www.wotps.com

it comes like a dream

I sometimes wonder what I used to think before I started writing years ago, and it marries to other questions about how different I would be as a writer had I gone through all the regimens of writing and english courses to structure me into some sort of story writer. It's amidst these thoughts that I wonder what I'd have thought about the most recent writing epiphany.

Admittedly it's not so much an epiphany of my life, more the expected epiphany for every book/story. Even though I worked on the outline, researched, and planned for (in this case several years of pondering), when I went into writing Cherry Blossoms, I didn't know what it would end up like. I often wonder if pre-writer me (or for that matter non-writers or hopeful writers) would understand that a book needs time to find its voice.

I am now knee-deep in the next to last chapter for Cherry Blossoms. Though it is only the first draft (and the laundry list of changes and additions is growing daily), it's only now with the ending redesigned that I know the nature of the story I want to tell. It's times like this I like to sit back and luxuriate in because it sort of releases a tension that had been building up since page one.

In Purple Sun, it took until I'd finished writing the first part of the intended story to realize I was writing two books at one time. Separating them created a far better flavor in the reading experience and created effectively two worlds/stories separate and conjoined. Blood Talon it took until nearly the end as well to feel like I knew how to actually write the story I intended.

It's kinda odd in a way. If you were to read just the first draft, the tone keeps suddenly changing until it reaches the feeling that you're reading a completely different story. I just have to keep in mind finishing the first draft. I have the urge already to go and start the second draft already.

David Barentine
www.wotps.com

into the slog

as I've been trying to get deeper into the final battle, I'm realizing I need to re-design the ending a bit. Mostly I'm going from the large army/army fight, to a siege and a few smaller fights. still, marching into the slog.

David Barentine
www.wotps.com

admittedly not as often as I'd like

Amidst the Memorial Day Weekend, and a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium (http://drgonfire1.deviantart.com/gallery/30495426) with a gallery that took 3 days to upload everything, updates have been difficult. That ssaid, chapter 14 is now done, well at least the first draft is done. This leaves me with the final battle and the final chapter. I'm reading a lot of history books now, looking for cultural references to add in. Chapter 15 will be the longest chapter, and the slog will be far worse. but I'm hoping to punch through it.

David Barentine
www.wotps.com