Using Another James...

You know how I'm always referencing back to Barrie to be able to properly complete Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between? Well, I just had to delve into the work of another James... None of other than James Fenimore Cooper. Yes, that's right, I needed information from his pages as well.

Why? Because Barrie said to do so, of course. As if I'm taking orders from the great Scotsman. In a way, yes. You see, in one of his writings on Pan he himself makes a reference how the Redskin/Indian characters perform a particularly nasty task in the Cooper manner. I'm using that idea which Barrie had presented in my novel. Therefore, it became my duty to hunt through Cooper's work. Fortunately, there's a new kind of "Hawkeye" in the form of the 'find' command in a text document. I put in a few keywords from Barrie's desire and voila - I had the very references he intended. I'll do a little more searching (especially the other adventures of Natty Bumpo [aka Hawkeye in Last of the Mohicans]) just to be thorough.

To think, Barrie saw the Turn of the Century (i.e. into the 20th) and crafted his tales of Peter Pan not so far into it. And here I am, just after the next Turn of the Century crafting a Peter Pan tale, tracing his steps in literature and using the latest conveniences to do so.

NOT Taking a Number

Yes, I'm still thinking about and/or writing
Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between

I'm happy to say that I've just figured out how to handle a "sensitive" issue about Peter Pan's history. Not that it took any great amount of tinkering, not in the least. But it's also the simple answers that make this story (i.e. Peter Pan in general) great.

So you're not all wondering what I'm talking about... it's this:
How old is Peter Pan?

Aye, that's the rub, isn't it? There isn't a definitive answer per se, although there are a few schools of thought on it.

So the challenge had not only been how to make Peter Pan "grow up" (to the boy in the Neverland from an infant in Kensington Gardens) but at what age he ceased to continue aging. And not contradict Barrie in doing so...

I'll be recycling a line of Pan's from Barrie's Peter and Wendy and applying it elsewhere in a "new scene" of the past. It will be in conjunction, of course, with some other bits from Barrie as well as a peppering of some real world logistics/research.

So don't worry, Pan fans. I am not going to impose a specific number on him. It will retain the charmingly ambiguous answer style indigenous to Barrie's storytelling. So you'll all still be able to decide for yourselves about Peter's "age." (In terms of growth, of course... for Pan is actually EVER so "old" in terms of timeline of story!)


And no, the pipes are not any sort of hint. I just didn't know what picture to use.
However, they do factor in to Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between in a few instances.

FINISHED!

Well, I've completed another book.
Yes, the novel MC which I've been giving random updates about is now finished.
Yes, that's the title.
Yes, I tend to create my own title logos.

I already spoke about how I have "photos" of my characters in this post. That's Zihn, one of the primary characters. Without him, there is no story. But I'd have to really call it Andy's book. In much the same way that Peter and Wendy could be considered a story about Wendy (but Peter is needed for her adventure to occur.)

In all fairness, I have a little bit of tweaking to do. I need to add a description of a location. I'm waiting on Banky to give me a statistic. And I, of course, as always, need to read through it all again as a whole and make any and all necessary revisions.

Then it's on to the "delightful" process of crafting a Query Letter to send off to agents.

Always nice to finish another project. If you've been keeping up with my posts, you've heard me state how much freaking research this book required. Never a complaint, but... ok, maybe just a little. But then, it's self inflicted. :) And I learned a great deal about the planet we call home. The ending actually took me much longer to write than I imagined. I stopped nearly every five minutes to look up something else. I've also mentioned it as my shortest book, not including Peter Pan's NeverWorld. This novel clocks in at about 75,000 words.

I'm quite sure of my next writing project. It will be book 3 in a 4 book series. I'm quite excited to revisit with Thom. But I'm not even thinking about when I begin to compose it. I'm just damn glad it won't have to be written chronologically! (Which had been the case for my last three writing projects!)

All right, until next post...

I've Been Busy...

I'm well on the way to completion of my latest work, MC. Those are the title's intials only. I thought I'd be a tease. :) For anyone wondering, no, it does not have anything to do with Peter Pan. At least not in a direct sense. Oh sure, there's magic and a boy adventurer in the book, but then, I write Urban Fantasy. Archetypal elements such as those are bound to show up.

As I've mentioned before, this particular novel is extra heavy on the research required. It's been a blast. And a pain in the ass. All in all, though, I enjoy that aspect of the writing process. This time around I've learned a great deal about this wonderful world of ours. But there's still quite a stack of 'looking up' to do to finish.

I'd say I'm just over three-quarters done. And something surprises me. I've also mentioned a penchant for verbosity before. Well, Peter Pan's NeverWorld not included, MC will be my shortest novel to date. I'm surprised, for it seems it should be larger because it's taking so much time to write it. Yet I am pleased. It's good to know I'm not always excessive. Not that I had such a fear. But knowing that I am indeed able to relate a story in no more than it requires to be told is quite satisfying.

And I must say this book is quite satisfying. The rest left to be written will be a joy, especially since I just got you know what out of the way... oh, you don't know. But there are also some bits I don't know... and I can't wait to find out.

There are just as many notes, Majesty, neither more nor less, as are required.

- Mozart, Amadeus Peter Shaffer

Don't Be Afraid of the Trash

Perhaps when people think of writers, they imagine cloistered individuals amid stacks of paper clacking away constantly on a keyboard. Maybe even an “old school” typewriter. Not entirely accurate, but then, maybe not so far from the truth.

But there are times when there’s very little click of keys at all. Instead, it’s a pondering of what’s to come. Such as the past few days. I’ve been re-reading and revising the last chapter over and over again. [Not the final chapter, the last one I have written.] Each time it’s that much better, but I’ve also been reading it in conjunction with the rest of my notes, skimming through my Malleable Outline, seeing what I need to fit in and how it plays out.

Well, sometimes, that includes not including. What I mean is, weeding out what will no longer be necessary. Yes, it happens. Not everything one conceives makes it into the book. It’s possible that ideas just don’t factor in anymore, for any number of reasons, such as other events rendering them useless or the realization that it’s becomes akin to stuffing 2 pounds of baloney in a 1 pound package. The trick is knowing what to eliminate and when. I consider this editing a bit different from overall revisions, as in most cases, it alters the storyline before completion of the novel. And that’s precisely the case here.

In my revisionist musings I discovered that a whole sequence of events is totally not needed. And you know what? It’s quite a relief! I can’t say I looked forward to concocting that part of the tale. Not because it didn’t interest me, but because it’s a load of research I don’t need to do. I don’t shy away from research. It’s part of the fun. But this book has been quite demanding in that department, so any rest from it is welcomed. And no, it’s not laziness that eliminated the line of story, that’s just a fringe benefit. I’ve retooled the outline and can achieve a less convoluted but just as engaging rest of the novel without it. Plus, it means I can finish the book sooner, too. I’m guessing I’m three-quarters done.

So don’t be afraid to trash ideas. Just because they showed up among the building materials of the work doesn’t mean they’re not spare parts. I do save them, though. Sometimes they’ll fit into another narrative, maybe a sequel. But this novel, MC (initials of title), is a stand alone book to the best of my knowledge. And I prefer it that way…meaning I hope the characters don’t inform me I’m wrong. It’s happened before. Twice.

Where I Did My Business...

While back at college for Homecoming, I wandered around campus. I visited some of my favorite places, naturally. A lot has changed (even in the time since I'd last been there about three years ago). But for every new element is a “just the same.”

I took some pictures in the library. They are not the best quality, as I took them with my cell phone. It can produce great pictures on occasion. But I snapped them quickly, as I did not want to be “that guy” while current students studied around me.

Why did I chose these locations? Simple. They are the places I could usually be found doing my research on Sir J. M. Barrie. Although I may have made some notes for it in these places, I did not actually compose Peter Pan’s NeverWorld at them. But I’d immerse myself in the wonder, splendor, triumphs and tribulations of the man who brought us the Eternal Boy.

Lastly, I took a picture of my mentor’s (writing professor and Chairman of my Honors Committee) door. He’s away from the college right now, so I did not visit with him. But it matters little, for I see him rather frequently as it is -- he’s one of the founders of the Vitalist Theatre company. You might recall that I help them out with their productions here in Chicago. And I am always in attendance of the shows, more than once.

In fact, I’ll be going to assist my buddy Laughter with their latest later tonight. But more on the new Vitalist Show at another time.

Lil' Hiatus

I've been busy researching, writing and "fighting with characters."
Nothing in particular has presented itself to prattle on about.

Last night Bart and I attended the Lyric Opera and saw The Pearl Fishers, by Georges Bizet. He's the one who composed Carmen, which I'm sure you're familiar with even if you don't know that you are. Exquisite music and singing, but the story is a little much. But it's ok, as melodrama and Dickensian coincidence abound in opera.
And today is my anniversary.

So please forgive my slight absence.

Is there anything anyone wants to hear about?
Sunshine, I know your suggestion already. :)
And as I said, I just feel that the information you seek is best left for those who have already read Peter Pan's NeverWorld. I don't want the secrets of its secrets spoiled for those who have yet to delve into the adventure.

I shall return...

Re-Searching, a Novel Thing

It’s time again to do a little research for the novel. All novels require some amount of research. I didn’t mention it in my previous post about How I Work. All part of the process. This novel, especially, demands tons of it.

Now I’m curious about REsearch. How can it be RE if I didn’t do the searching for this bit yet? Its cousin of course, is Rehearsal. Is the first “rehearsal” a hearse? Um…wait…
[I think Sunshine already stated the "rehearse" oddity in a comment somewhere... or she told it to me before.]

Still Excited...

Well, as I said I would, I reconnected with the novel I'm currently writing. I love it when I forget what I had last done on the page. Because of my planned break from it, the last tidbits seemed new to me. It's nice when something you're supposed to know well can seem fresh. Once again it struck me how how great the story is shaping up to be. Since I consider writing to be a collaborative process, I'm just pleased that I still think so. All too often revisiting a work after being away from it for a time results in wondering what mental process could have allowed such words to appear. But this time I found myself delighted. Let's hope a momemtum starts again. I bet it will, once I begin the research of the characters' next location. I'd guess that I'm about halfway finished with the book. As of right now it's a stand alone novel. I don't have any indications or inclinations to create subsequent stories. That's refreshing in and of itself.