As a child, I never had any trouble dreaming. The ideas I dreamed up, often during the excellent opportunities afforded by afternoon maths classes, had a way of growing to alarming proportions and becoming projects that allowed me little sleep. Since then, I’ve almost always been working on one large project or another. But something I noticed about the trajectories from dreams to projects is that there was never any real division between the two stages. The idea generator could never be turned off and actually seemed to increase its output as the results of building led to new inspiration. I think most idea-driven people are like this because the objective is not only to finish the job, but to make something special.
I wouldn’t be altogether surprised if the inventor of the wheel began by drawing and then building a square block as a kind of support, but then realized he could move it around more easily if he knocked off the four corners and gave it an axle, and then realized he could knock off the next eight corners … until he had the first wheel and the beginnings of the first racing cart.
Writing is like this for me. As the book takes shape, I begin to understand what it wants to be. Corners get knocked off, spokes are added, and I realize the original idea described the starting point more than the final product. There were other projects I worked on where I didn’t have this luxury and had to race for immovable deadlines. While the results weren’t necessarily bad, there was seldom anything special or magical about them either. I find that creativity only really breathes when given space. If, however, the breathing starts to sound like snoring, we have a different kind of problem.
I have a number of music albums I can listen to over and over, and then I have a few by the same artists that I can’t. Usually, when I go back and dissect the production, it becomes apparent that the ones that keep growing on me are the ones that were made with far greater labour. Occasionally one finds exceptions to this, but those exceptions are normally mysteries to artist and audience alike.
The writing of book 2 has been a very different experience to the one I imagined. At more than 50% longer than the first book, which was already on the long side, it’s been my biggest creative challenge to date. I know that, as a reader, the length of the process can be trying in a different way, because the progress isn’t visible. So I’d like to take you behind the scenes for a glimpse of what is happening and what to expect. I’ll do my best to keep this free of spoilers.
An overview of the writing log
I wrote the rough draft at speed in about four months, but it was very rough. I didn’t stop to research or embellish anything, so if there was a passage that had to do with nautical terminology, my text would read something along the lines of, “The captain bellowed for the men to [adjust the thingummy and get the ship to do whatever ships are meant to do in these conditions]”. I have a smattering of sailing knowledge, but that’s from single-masted hobie cats, not these tall ships that are all flapping canvas and knotted spiderwebs. The same omissions occurred in the specifics of cooking, language, culture, architecture, and many other fields which would leak parts of the story if named. It wasn’t just technical detail I put aside. I also skipped over sections that I didn’t feel ready to write, that weren’t dripping from fingers to keys. The first draft held the kernel of the story, but it wasn’t readable, not even to me.
So when it came to the first rewrite, most of my attention went into plugging the holes and completing tricky parts of the narrative. Following this, I took a deep breath and approached the research mountain that glared down with a cruel smile. This stage took easily twice as long as either of the preceding two. Some of the research, I handed over to members of the team, without whom I could never have borne the load. To be frank, this was a tough and not entirely exhilarating process. I don’t mind research, but digging for obscure details under pressure is not great fun.
Many will know that infusing research into a novel is nothing like presenting it for a report. It requires far more digging. You could, of course, try something report-like by bending the story around the first mounds of information you discover, but that generally comes across as data dumping. You could also avoid details by using summary-style dodges – “The storm was furious, but using remarkable skill, the captain held his crew together and they eventually managed to negotiate all the dangers of the waves and rocks.” It doesn’t burden the reader, but neither does it allow the reader to stand on the deck and share in the world of sailors.
I find it pays to dig and dig until you unearth the information that feels right, that feels like it belongs. Detail is always more convincing than the absence of detail, but a few of the right details are more engaging than heaps of digressive ones. It’s ironic that it can take more research to present less information, but in the end, it takes the laboriousness from the reader’s shoulders and puts it on the author’s – where it belongs.
Another aspect to the research is that, when writing fantasy, you don’t want details to hearken too strongly back to any particular culture in our world if you can help it. I’ll use an example from the first book. When researching sword-making, there was a wealth of information on Japanese techniques. It was easy to find, and there was more than enough for my purposes. But I realized that if I drew from only this, it would ring too many bells and people would be reading “Samurai” instead of “grey marshal”, ejecting them from the fantasy world being created in their minds.
I felt the only way to get past this was to collect information from a range of cultures across the world. I churned it all together so that it was, in effect, cultureless, and then drew out what seemed to fit with the Castath people and their level of technology. I’ve tried to adhere to the same principle with the second book. I think this makes for a more convincing sense of new cultures, which very strongly impacts a reader’s sense of place, of being somewhere otherworldly that still seems real.
Once the narrative was tied together and the details worked in, it was time for the first edit.
With the second rewrite (version 3) done, I was feeling quite spent. Usually, I don’t let anyone read the manuscript at this stage, but I needed help. It came in the form of a developmental or big-picture edit. I’ve always shied away from this kind of thing because outside comments on an incomplete process can bring more confusion than clarity. When a project is in a rough state, people tend to misunderstand, and their feedback conflicts with the objective which can be difficult to express. For an outsider to be able to see not just what it is but what it wants to be and how to get it there is like looking at a wriggling white larva and being able to say “Honey bee!” or “Harvester ant!”, and hopefully not “Dung beetle!”
A good friend, who has been the team’s PR manager for some time, took on the task, and I don’t think I’ve ever had such helpful feedback on any project. It was the rope thrown down to haul me out from a creative mineshaft. That edit gave me the perspective I’d lost over the past few months. What followed was no small revision. It wasn’t about sandpapering rough edges but rather bashing corners from a wheel that wasn’t turning properly. Many parts of the manuscript went through a radical transformation, while others were simply removed and replace with better ones. The resulting book is something that finally rolls along without jarring. For the first time, I’m looking at it and thinking, “Yes, that’s what it was meant to be!”
The process from here
Two members of the team are currently working through the manuscript, compiling tables of names, places and times for the purpose of checking internal consistencies, as well as highlighting and commenting on anything in the text that needs attention. These comments will be added to a list I’m currently working through – corrections and ideas built up during the past few months.
Many of the items on the list are sparks of inspiration. They arrive at odd and often inconvenient times for note-making, like when I’m trying to sleep, hanging from a climbing wall, or in a cinema. Artists often comment on the randomness of inspiration. When it alights like a drifting leaf, you can brush it off, but you won’t likely find it again. I make sure I snatch and record all those little ideas when they flit by. Digital notes work well, but there’s something about the immediacy of scratching thoughts on paper. There is one tiny note book that works well for me on hikes. It’s slightly bigger than a credit card, very thin, and holds about 60 pages. It was actually the inspiration behind Kalry’s walkabout diary – something small and light enough to hang around my neck.
Once I’ve finished with the current list of notes, I’ll use the compare document feature to check all the additions, and changes to the manuscript that appeared in the last stage, improving the flow and fixing the typos. The team will also check the whole manuscript. Then I’ll do at least one more deep rewrite. Much of what I look for is explained here. Around a hundred chapters later, the alpha readers will hear the call to action. I’ll go through the manuscript again while they are busy. Once their feedback is incorporated, it’s time for the second edit – more of a fine comb type of edit. Then the beta readers will step forward and I’ll do another revision as they read. Graphics, sketches, print setup and so on will be happening in the background. Once the beta’s feedback has been worked in, it’s print setup, audiobook recording, and the stores.
Expectations and timeline
Readers and authors basically want the same thing – a good book as soon as possible. A few people have suggested that I split this sequel in two, or even three, so as to reduce the waiting time. It would be less stressful and I would actually earn more that way because nobody minds paying 3 x $4.99 but we all deliberate when presented with an ebook of $10 or more. However, when I consider breaking this book into parts, it just doesn’t feel right for the series. Something of The Wakening’s identity would be lost.
I’d originally hoped to complete the book in about the same time as it took to write the first (around two and a half years when factoring in the revisions and chapter additions that took place in the first months after the initial release). But that was when book 2 was around 650 pages. When it grew to well over 1000 pages, any thought of completing it within that time faded. I’ve learned my lesson and I’m not going to suggest another date until all variables are dealt with – nobody appreciates it when expectations aren’t met. When I look back and look forward, there is still a healthy distance remaining. It is, however, the stage of the process when everything starts fitting together.
I’m working as fast as I can – attested by the typing cramps in both hands – but also as conscientiously as I can. I’m just reaching that energising stage where the overall form has begun to emerge and it inspires me afresh to make sure this this book is allowed to develop into all it wants to be. (And don’t anyone dare say dung beetle).
Love the first book and looking forward to the second one! Babe recommended it to multiple people, and my entire immediate family has now read it! You present genuine life truths and real human struggles so well! It pains me to wait for the next part of the story (since I blazed through the first part – lesson learned lol), but I am confident it will be well worth the wait! Thank you for your dedication and your witness 🙂
Sincerely,
Malcolm
So besides writing, editing, researching, rewriting, and re-editing your next epic novel (and other works) you take time out of your busy schedule, which includes life (and school?) to give your adoring readers a lengthy update? I’m impressed. I don’t have an accurate re-read count for Dawn of Wonder. It is a wonder that you gave us over such a long full novel and yet have us yearning for more.
I appreciate the time that you put into your craft, but more importantly the real life issues you put into your books and bring awareness to with your website and Facebook.
Maybe other writers can say that they put in as much effort or accomplished more in a shorter time, but as much a I enjoy reading, I have found few novels that were as imaginative, funny, and inspiring as this one, while being readable (for those of us who do not want vulgarity or profanity) and yet real. Delving into the human condition and poking a bit of fun at it.
Well if you have to read a lot of long replies it will take even longer for you to finish. Thanks again for Dawn of Wonder, I’ve decided to give a couple as gifts.
Thanks for the detailed and insightful explanation. I will wait patiently for book 2. I hope that Tim Gerard Reynolds will be narrating it to life this time as well. He is fabulous.
Thanks for the update, I am a big fan of Dawn of Wonnder, and always appreciate updates. I have read the book thrice already, and suspect that I will read it a couple more times, within the next half year (something I tend to do with my favorite books).
I can wait fo the next book I have heard the first one like 3 or 4 time and I can’t wait for the next one. Take your time and make it better then best please
I never thought I’d “fangirl” over an author of one of my favorite books, but every time I see that you’ve written an article, I rush to read it as slowly as possible, and I’m never disappointed. Never.
You’re so conscientious of your fans, it shows plainly in your updates, and I just want you to know how much we (the fans) appreciate the reassurances that you haven’t forgotten us, that your hands cramp from all the writing, and that even though it kills you that we may be waiting so long for your second book to hit the shelves, you refuse to rush or do anything less than your absolute best. It’s…refreshing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I need you to know, I write as a hobby, it’s a passion of mine, but with the daily grind of life, I don’t get enough uninterrupted peace and quiet to actually get anything FINISHED. Not even an unreadable rough copy. But, all of your articles, the discussion of how much WORK, how much rewriting and effort you put into each book, is a breath of fresh air. It makes me think, “So I’m NOT a huge failure! I just need to be more dedicated, time to research and get some decent beta readers.” Haha.
I’m so relieved you’re keeping your epically lengthy novel one novel, not three. I have a soft spot for long, intricate novels. I love to read for hours and hours and only be a quarter of the way finished. You’re doing the “write” thing (heh heh), we will all patiently await this second masterpiece, and shall appreciate every single rewritten sentence perhaps more than any other book before. At least, I will.
Hey Tanya. Don’t feel bad about the problem of not getting anything finished. I struggled with that for over a decade. It might be better to consider the situation as “not having finished anything yet“. Keep at it!
I also prefer long novels (when they are good), but writing them makes me think of Huck Finn’s avowal on his last page. Not that I won’t write another, but a long book really is more work than two of half the length.
All the best with your research and beta-team gathering, and thanks for the support 🙂
I read Dawn of Wonder(Amazon Prime reading or Lending Library)and thought the story was so well told. You did an excellent job of building the characters and their relationships to one another; I was drawn into the story! I have your book on my wish list because it’s worthy to join all of my other classics on my bookshelves. Should you find yourself needing any extra beta readers…
Thank you for a wonderful reading experience.
Thank you so very much for this update. I regularely check on Goodreads if there are any news and then come here. I was blown away by book 1 and look forward to reading book 2.
Sincerly, Marion from Germany
As a reader I just appreciate the update.
As long as it’s HALF as good as the first book, it i well worth the wait; although, I have a feeling, that it will surpass it, and become a Fantasy classic…so do what you’re doing, take all the time you need (just not too much) and know the fans are ready.
Wow, I never realized how much work goes into writing these books. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one. I think I’ll read slower for the next one and savor it more fully.
I entered into Dawn of Wonder without high expectations. Honestly, initially the plot appealed to that side we all pretend we don’t have, the need for a formulaic good triumphs over the bad guy. However, I was drawn into the story and lost sleep and much productivity because I could not put it down. Since then I have re-read the book several times and have enjoyed it more each time. Your sense of world building and character development are delightful and something to treasure. Thank you very much for introducing me to this wonderful world. To summarize, I cannot wait for book two however, I would much rather you craft a story just as vivid and engaging. Do what you gotta do homie.
Thank you
Thank you for all that you do Jonathan. Take as much time as you need! Dawn of Wonder is my favorite book and I’ve recommended it to friends, family and co-workers. We’re all a huge fan of your work and are excited for book 2 and cannot wait to read it!
Cheerfully in Christ,
Ray Oto.
I am pretty sure Michelangelo had people breathing done his neck when he worked too. We are all patiently waiting and as long as you aren’t pulling a George R.R. Martin you should be fine. Although, I will wait as long as it takes for your next beautifully crafted tale in this series,
I just want to say, your first book was beautifully crafted. I eagerly look forward to the second book, but – as others are saying – take as much time as you need. Masterpieces aren’t rushed. Until you finish the second, I will reread and be thankful for the first; it’s so hard to find these wonderfully written works!
Thank you so much for this update, Mr. Renshaw! I appreciate the honesty and transparency. I work a seasonal job that requires me to give up many modern luxuries such as television, internet, and the ability to transport physical books with me. But one luxury I do have is my electronic book collection, and because of that, I was able to read and thoroughly enjoy “Dawn of Wonder” while working in remote locations. I must admit, I speed read the book because I was so enthralled. Thank you again for the update, and the amazing story.
Sincerely,
Marisa G.
Thank you so much for the update. We have all been waiting as patiently as we know how, but I admit I had that “end of 2017” date practically written in my calendar. It’s extremely refreshing to have an author who not only takes the appropriate amount of time and research needed to write an excellent book, but is also transparent with his fans about both the process and the delays.
I’m currently reading another book from a decently prolific author (she releases a book about once every 18 months). I turned to my husband at one point and asked why I even continue reading the series when it is abundantly clear that the author doesn’t bother taking the time to proofread her own work. Things like accidentally swapping a character’s name in a conversation with a different character that isn’t even in the same city. Obvious mistakes. While it almost physically pains me to have to wait so long, I’m very thankful I can count on your work being as close to flawless as you can possibly make it!
No worries !!
Looking forward to your ‘ good book #2 ‘
Thanks
Take your time! Compared to a couple of other fantasy authors who shall remain unnamed, you’re still well ahead of the curve.
Jonathan, have you tried voice-to-text apps which allow you to dictate your thoughts into the phone for later editing? It might help with the cramped hands. I’ve BTDT with handwritten texts before. Maybe, when you’re on a rip, try that. Even if you don’t like it much, it might get more of your work done without the pain. I realize that dictating something and writing it down can feel entirely different, but I wanted to give you another tool if you hadn’t thought of it. If you have tried it and didn’t like the phone app or laptop/desktop software, maybe try another? https://www.google.com/search?q=voice+to+text+software and/or
https://www.google.com/search?q=voice+to+text+app
Hey Larry. Thanks for the idea. I’ve tried a few of those and I’m afraid I really struggle with them. A few days ago, however, I finally bought an ergonomic keyboard and that has actually helped quite a lot. In truth, I should probably just take a break and give the tendons a rest, but it’s so difficult to force myself to step away.
I’m currently listening to book 1 on audible now. Hoping book 2 is going to be as li g as book 1.
Keep it up. 100% support what you do.
Thanks for being one of those authors who works continually towards the best book, rather than the fastest book. I had anxiety about halfway through “Dawn of Wonder” because even though I had hundreds of pages left I didn’t want it to end. I’m looking forward to the same kind of suspense with book 2!
I’m patiently waiting and I love the description of your writing process and how the book is blossoming into something big. I appreciate the suttle spiritual aspect to your book focusing on discovering joyful awe after forgiveness. The Relational theme of Saving people from slavery is awesome. He doesn’t give up on Kalry. Also the spiritual struggle is very emotional to me especially the Father Son conflict aspect. At least that’s what it seems like to me.
Thanks for the update! I’m about to re-read Dawn of Wonder so that the story is fresh for the arrival of Book 2!