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).
I am a General Manager at a new book store in Klamath Falls OR and I have read/ listened to my fair share of books. I have to say that I absolutely love how borderline educational your books can be. That scene in the first book where they watch (and bet) on the bowman making a bow in one day, from survival tools, that could shoot… that blew my mind away with how captivating, emotional, and down right brilliant the whole story was. I think you have something very special as far as a writing style goes and I can’t wait to read more!
I will say though that I find it hard to order your book. Who is the publisher and where can I order copies for my store? I have only been able to obtain the Audio book, and I would love to hand sell this book to any customer that browses my fantasy section (though it is so much more than that). As someone who has experienced childhood trauma and abuse, I am blown away by how you have captured the complications of it all… most people think it is easy to hate the abuser, but it is so much deeper than that. Thank you for putting into words some of the things I have never been able to fully articulate! Can’t wait to read more man, Bravo!
I suppose the borderline-educational flavour comes from an eagerness to understand how things work. The latent engineer in me.
I don’t have a paper publisher, unfortunately. The paperback is only available on Amazon – from their printing service. I don’t put a markup onto the paperbacks. They are sold at cost as a courtesy to readers (like me) who just prefer the physical copy. The price you see online is as cheap as I can make them.
I have listened to your first book twice now on Audible. It is one of my favorites. I am eagerly awaiting your second book. I hope you use the same narrator, Tim Gerard Reynolds, as your first book. Your novel and Mr. Reynolds’ masterful way of storytelling meld as one.
Loved the book, have read it twice but with a year space thinking the second might be really and I could move to it before I was drawn away by something else but I see that the second isn’t ready so I will wait and maybe read the first one again down the road. I hate long delays between stories that belong together so I guess I will wait till the second is done then read the first again and then move on to the second. Will you let me know when that happens, I don’t care the cost. I read on kindle so don’t need a hard or soft cover. Good story, always anxious to get back to it!
I couldn’t help but notice that the last comment is dated July 3rd. I hope the new year finds you in better health and good spirits. I’ll bring in the new year with a 3rd read/listen of book 1. Without any doubt, it will be just as enjoyable as the first reads, maybe more so, because I’m hoping to encounter a few details that may have escaped my notice the first-go-round. Cheers!
I read the entire book in three days. Sometimes I wish that you could just rush and finish early but I cant say I would enjoy the book nearly as much.
I want you to know how much I appreciate that you are taking the time to complete the book properly! It means the world to me as a reader.
Yours is a fantasy book matched by few others, and I read 95% to 98% fantasy, at a rate of 200+ books a year.
I’d say the quality of your writing almost matches Patrick Rothfuss!
Your characters are spectacular, your world building sublime, your plot perfect (you handle sensitive topics with care and finesse), and you merge reality with fantasy perfectly. (Particularly in the sense that you not only merge them, but bring to life the magic of reality that is lost and missing from so many fantasy books.)
I can not remember the last time that I read a book that truly made fantasy, well, fantasy. Most books just have your typical fantasy world that’s cookie cutter and everything that is supposed to be magical about it is just taken for granted. They don’t take any time to create the details that make the fantasy sections of the world pop! Your use of Caltoon (I apologize if the spelling is incorrect, I listened rather than read “The Dawn of Wonder”) was absolutely spectacular. In that manner, your book was even better than Rothfuss’ (because his is already a magical world, not one gaining magic as yours is).
Hey, at least you’re not pulling a Patrick Rothfuss and taking nearly a decade to get first draft done. Then again, it’s said that quality takes time, so I’m definitely looking forward to book two.
I just finished listening to the Audio book of Dawn of Wonder. Great book, and I cannot wait until book two is released. I am a pretty avid reader/listener and I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
Since I am sure as a writer and artist you likely don’t hear enough times, Great job, keep up the excellent work.
I for one really appreciated all the lack of sleep and life interruptions that ended up in Dawn of Wonder, and cannot wait to read/listen to the next book.
I’m not very religious so it wasn’t until I started stalking your page that I learned of your insights within. I appreciate that. For me it is a wise, dear voice offering jewels that I took with me. It was the ‘spirit’ of the book that flowed over me and made the story resonate. Similar to how I want Sheldon from Big Bang Theory to be my real life friend – I wanted to know your characters and experience some of the relationships. Combine that with the genre and you are a favorite forever more. While I do check regularly and close my eyes when waiting for your book results to load and feel the pang of denied gluttony when the results are singular, I truly want a continuation of the experience you’ve provided thus far. This is to say, “Good things come…”. I am so pleased I found your work.
I for one have no qualms shelling out whatever price is put on this incredible work. I am a very big fan of books series of the epic fantasy variety. The Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Brent Weeks, Patrick Rothfuss, and Steven Erikson variety to name a few. Even though I have only read one work of yours, I can already tell you sir are on the list of people I plan to eagerly anticipate any book with your name on it. Your story writing is all your own, and something I have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing. Most of my audio books are more or less in the 30-40 hour range and of a similar price tag so don’t sell yours short at 10-15 as you stated, what you have is magic all it’s own and worth whatever tag you put on it. I’m envious of the alpha and beta readers hah.
Me and my family love this story so much, we’ve listened to this story together 4 times, and I’ve listened to it by myself another 3. We’re so excited for the next book to come out! Thanks for all your great work.
I’m 10 hours into the first Dawn of Wonder book and I’m already checking to see if there’s a second book available. Not sure if you’ll ever read this, but as a audio book junkie, I’m am loving this book so far. Hoping the second comes to Audible soon!
Cheers,
Chad
Well wishes and all that.
I’ve been on this web site for about 30 minutes now, and the progress bar hasn’t moved a bit.
And I refreshed it twice.
Tell them to read faster.
do you need someone to lean on them a bit.
I know a guy.
Ahh, its all good.
I feel another listen of book one coming on.
That made me laugh. Proof reader progress bars are difficult to scale at this stage because I don’t know what the feedback will be. All that’s indicated for now is that they have started. Funny you want them to read faster. I expressly told them to slow down and digest what they were reading. Fast readers tend to come back to me with comments like “I did spot one or two things … somewhere. Can’t remember where exactly. I’ll check and let you know.” Of course, they never find those few things. Ever.
You do what you have to as long as you need to. I would much rather have it be as awesome as it can be, than something you had to settle on to meet a publish date.
Just don’t pull a Robert Jordan and expire before you complete the series!
Take AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED!!!!!
Dawn of Wander if one of the most fantastic and beautiful stories I’ve had the privilege of listening to,,,,, like 7 times Lol… I’m as eager as everyone but take your time.. I’m 1000% positive the story will come out exactly as it should!!! LOVE IT, CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it’s a choice between you being healthy and me reading the next book… Stay healthy 🙂
Thank you, but let’s aim for both 🙂
Hope it’s all coming along nicely mate. Greetings and an impatient but gentle kick-in-the-butt from New Zealand.
Hey Riki. Gentle kick recognised, but I can assure you there isn’t a patch on said butt that hasn’t been kicked blue by my own boot. I almost kicked myself into hospital last year with the pressure I applied. The medical opinion that I needed an actual holiday wasn’t delivered as a suggestion. It’s been good to put everything aside and just breathe for a while, but I’m back at the keyboard and moving, so your boot skims and doesn’t hurt 🙂
Man you are an amazing author. I have been reading for along time and i have read some amazing things but your book has to be in my top 3.Ive read it so many times and was trying to hold off reading it again till you finished book two but couldn’t wait and just finished it again today. Its so hard having to put a pause on the magical world you dive into when reading the first book while waiting for the second but no rush! Im sure it will as awesome as your last one.
What bad luck of recalling that i’m still eagerly awaiting the publishing of the second book after having for so long managed to successfully forget it’s existence. Now i’m doomed to eye that progress bar like the rest. That’s the problem with good writers, they always leave you wanting more….
Do what you need to do, the first book was great and at least you’re honest
I have honestly read the first book nine times now. I love it and for the past 3-4 years now it has been my all time favorite book. Thank you for creating this amazing world.
P.S. I’ve made my coworkers read it as well and they all love it.
Dawn of Wonder was truly phenomenal, a joy to read and it is sure to be a classic for generations to come.
I will impatiently await book 2! However please do not skimp or let anyone say that 1000+ pages is too Long.
The World is so incredibly fresh and new I wouldn`t want it any other way. brilliant mind! You have become my favorite author and I will gladly wait for the next book.
when there is a progress bar and more recent updates and people are asking for a progress bar with more recent updates…..