*Possible Spoilers ( Unless you've already read The Dragon Gem)
*Chapter Two: Counts and Contracts was the first chapter of the rewrite to have a name change, but this is the first to not only have a name change, but exist where a chapter did not before. This is actually what used to be the second half of Chapter Two. It's been a goal of mine to cut down these chapter lengths. Without altering the overall length of the book, the 2nd ed. is nearly ten chapters longer so far, and that's with me only about 48% through!
*This is actually my least favorite chapter of the book, just as it was in the original release. The main reason is it comes off as a major info dump. Sometimes a little info dumping is necessary, particularly in sci-fi and fantasy books where entire worlds are being created, but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about writing one!
*The main reason behind the thorough explanation of Contracts is that they were originally going to be a driving plot device when Korin's Journal was still planned to be a series of novellas. *spoiler* If you've read The Forgotten King, you know that after playing a small role in the first third of the book, Korin's Contract has absolutely no role in the story(though its history does . . . ). Book 3 won't even have the word Contract in it. It's amazing how different Korin's Journal has become compared to my original vision!
*For a VERY brief time, I considered making Caralys a bigger character. She was going to be one of those cliche sheltered-her-entire-life-and-now-wants-to-join-an-adventure characters. I'm not against cliches(I know I use them as much as the next writer), but for a main character, I thought it would make her a little boring.
*I'm a cat lover, which is the sole reason Max was written as a cat. He is my favorite character to write dialogue for. It's fun to write the words of a smart-ass. I tried to find a good balance between his sarcasm and his serious, caring nature. Hopefully I pulled that off.
*Max was originally short for Maxus. First of all, it seemed a little unnecessary, and also, it would've needed an apostrophe as Til's and Sal's names. At some point in these commentaries(probably when Til' is first mentioned) I'll explain the (probably overcomplicated) use of an apostrophe after certain names. For now, the point is that had I left Max as Maxus, he would've been Max' throughout the story.
Now, onto my novelette announcement. You may have noticed a new progress bar on here for Alinor's Shard. Originally, I planned to have a collection of short stories that I'd release this year. I already had two stories written, both of which fell into more of the novelette category than short story. However, with the decision to do a massive edit/rewrite/cover art change for The Dragon Gem, I knew I wouldn't get to work on short stories for a good while.
However, I really liked Alinor's Shard(at one point called Aftermath) and wanted to have it available for readers. As a small work, though, I wanted to do something a little more with it. So, right now, Janette Ramos(the artist who did The Forgotten King's and The Dragon Gem's(for the 2nd edition)'s covers is working on not only cover art for Alinor's Shard, but a couple of illustrations that will be placed within the story.
I'll put up some more info about the story in the very near future, but it will be my focus after The Dragon Gem 2nd ed. and a short story for an anthology being put together for an awesome cause (Bikers Against Child Abuse). It will definitely be out well before the end of the year, though.
Have a wonderful week, everyone!
Brian Beam
No comments:
Post a Comment