Greetings everyone,
I’m back, finally, and this time I have the synopsis of To Dream of Chaos for all of you. That will be at the end of the post, however. Before I get to that I want to talk a bit about what’s come up since my last post.
Normally, I would respond to individuals, but since several of you have chimed in on differing subjects, I don’t want to have to retread the same ground. So, I’ll be responding by topic with one exception:
Bill Cameron,
Dragonlance dreck? Hmmm…that begs the question, what game-related fiction have you liked? I’m just trying to establish a datum point…
Okay, so now for the topics. If anyone feels that I’ve passed over one of their points, bring up again, and I’ll see what I can do about it.
Story Length
For the most part, when an author is considering the length of a manuscript, they measure it in terms of words, not pages. Depending on the point size, the font, and a bunch of other pagination and typesetting stuff, you can change up the page length considerably. Throughout all that, the word count is about the only thing that really remains the same.
For those of you that had physical copies of TDOW & TDOC, you can see that in effect. TDOW was in a much larger type and was a much shorter story than TDOC. While the two stories had comparable page-counts, there was more to read in TDOC.
I asked Marc Miller about their length, and he put them somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000 words. I checked what I had already for the TBWM and it was about 75,000 words, and I’m not nearly finished telling the story. I would estimate that when the smoke clears, that the finished manuscript will probably clock in at about 130,000 to 150,000 words, depending on how long-winded I am.
Of course, that’s just an initial estimate. It could be edited down, it may not. And, since it’s going to be a PDF, then overall length isn’t as big a deal. For my own part, I’m hoping that it’s a nice long read that keeps you turning pages until the end.
Probably more than you wanted to know, right?
Okay, moving on…
Seamlessly
I can see both sides to this one. As I’ve said, I want to keep things consistent with what has gone before. If Drop Kick is left-handed, then I don’t want to have him writing a note with his right hand. So, in that case, I
do want a seamless transition with no weird character inaccuracies.
At the same time, I want this to be better than what has gone before, which equates to that “bump” in the road that transitions the old to the new. So, I guess it really depends on you how you look at it.
Characterization
Again, I think that there have been some very good points brought up about this. Dialogue, exposition, character quirks – all are excellent ways to build a character up in the minds of the reader.
There’s a common thread that runs through all of those things. Emotion. If you don’t have an emotional investment or attachment in a character you read about, then it doesn’t matter what happens to them in the story because you don’t
care .
I think emotion is what connects us to characters that have nothing in common with our normal, mundane lives. When you that put that in a science-fiction context, it becomes very important. After all, how do we get inside the head of a character that flies around in a starship, visiting dozens of alien planets, when most of us haven’t managed to get off Terra yet? Ah, but if we see that same character getting yelled at by their boss, or embarrassed by their parents, or mourning the death of a friend, then we’re right there with them. Why? Because that’s the part of their lives we
can understand.
Now that’s all very well and good, but throwing emotion into the mix is a pretty nebulous way to talk about creating rich characters. Talking philosophically about emotion as a tool doesn’t necessarily tell you “how it’s done.”
Well, the truth is there’s no tried and true way to create colorful characters. Every author I know personally, or that I’ve read approaches the subject differently. There may be similar techniques that they use, but to quote an old saying, “there are many roads to Rome.” Besides, in the final analysis, the individual reader is the final judge of whether or not the characters had substance.
Higher Standard
Quick side bar here – as a writer you’re only as good as the last the thing you’ve done. You can’t rest on your laurels. I say that beforehand because, aside from these posts, you guys haven’t been exposed to my writing style yet. About the last thing I want to do is over-hype myself when I’m still an unknown.
I’m confident in my abilities, sure, and the fact that Marc and MJD are guiding me through this is
very reassuring. It’s like having James Bond and Batman backing you up when you’re about to walk down a dark alley.
But, the fact of the matter is, that the “proof is in the pudding.” I will only say that my
goal is to write an engaging, thought-provoking story that works well in the rich tapestry of Traveller.
You know what I mean?
At some point, though, we will post Chapter 1 of TBWM for public consumption, and open up the floor for feedback. That will be coming in the not-too-distant future.
Okay, so I think that just about covers the flyby…
Speaking of looking for feedback, here is the run down on TDOC.
To Dream of Chaos
Plot Summary:
Two months after their return from Sauler, Hornet’s crew has parted ways. When it is discovered that a dangerous Oriflammen free-booter has stumbled across a massive cache of Pre-Collapse weapons, including a black globe generator, the RC reunites the crew of the Hornet to undertake the mission to recover this ancient artifact, or to destroy it if it is to fall into hostile hands. So, the new and improved ship sets sail for the planet Mexit.
The journey is an arduous one, and new people are added the Hornet’s “extended family” as two junior Technarchs from Oriflamme join the team, as well as the space pirate-turned-ally, Vega Zorn.
Once the united group of space travellers reaches Mexit, they find a planet being torn apart by civil strife. On one side is the Church of Grace and Light, a fairly benevolent religious order that waits for the return of the prophet St. Kilalt. On the other side is Emperor Brak, a petty tyrant whose control stems from his arsenal of technologically advanced weapons. The heroes fall in with the Church rebels to try to find the weapons depot. When a few of Zorn’s people as well as the junior technarchs are captured, Red Sun helps depose the evil Brak from power and helps set up the Church as the interim government.
Through some codebreaking, the heroes find that the location of the depot lies within the holy texts of the Church, which means that the tomb of St. Kilalt and the depot are one and the same. Once a group from Hornet finds their way in to the depot, they find it controlled by relic, Virally self-aware androids, called nightjacks, devoted to bringing back the sleeping saint from his cryo sleep. The “ground hog” they awaken, however, is little more than a power hungry arms dealer with delusions of grandeur. But even Kilalt has an unseen master, as the depot’s Virus-infected computer core starts the wholesale destruction of the populace. Thanks to some decisive action on the part of the heroes, the robotic army of nightjacks is defeated, and the underground depot containing the black globe generator, weapons and ships is summarily nuked from the inside.
With the Church once again minding their affairs and the opposition defeated, the crew of the Hornet leaves behind some of their new troopers to form the backbone a new supply base for future RC boostrap operations. They leave also with the intent of bringing Zorn back to RC space to face punishment for her previous crimes, which will presumably land in her front of a firing squad.
Story/Character changes since The Death of Wisdom:
• The Hornet’s systems have been upgraded, including an improved electronics suite, a gatling gun and plasma cannon. Many of her other internal systems have been improved as well.
• Additional crew members have been added including a small group of drop troops, supported by a G-Carrier, heavy battle dress, and a heavily armored Intrepid grav tank.
• Drop Kick (now promoted to Sergeant Major) and Snapshot are now very much involved, with hints being dropped here and there about a possible marriage.
• Red Sun expresses her almost unknown artistic side, when she paints the logo for the Hornet, as well as when she renders a striking painting of the planet Aubaine for Drop Kick.
New Characters:
Newton – The replacement for Scissor from the Hiver Technical Nest, it is much younger for a Hiver than its predecessor. While it is perhaps a more capable technician, its manipulations are not as smooth or refined. Despite some suspicions, its intentions seem ultimately benevolent…you know, for a Hiver.
“Gaffer” – The immediate commander of the Aubaini Drop Troops, he answers directly to Drop Kick. He's an excellent soldier, and capable of rigorous discipline. He is, however, a racist when it comes to both Hivers and Oriflamme. He’s fiercely protective of his people even if he’s harsh on them at the same time. This brash attitude ultimately costs him his life at the hands of a nightjack.
Liu An-Wing – One of the Junior Technarchs picked up on Oriflamme, she is a striking young woman, who believes that her one most powerful diplomatic weapons is her wardrobe, a fact that Bela, the other technarch, constantly chides her about. While capable, she is not always as adept at handling people as she thinks, and she carries an ulterior motive from Oriflamme – to procure the depot for her planet exclusively.
Now...do you have any comments/questions/brash political statements?
If so, now’s your time.
Si vales, valeo.
-Matt Carson
