Writing Experiment #4 - Ryann Manuscript Part 1

This is the fourth in a series of posts where I document the complete process of writing a novella - Day By Day!

INTRODUCTION

I am documenting (via my blog) the complete start to finish experience of writing a novella that I will be releasing for FREE once it is written.

Ryann is the story of a thirteen year-old girl who works as a servant for a tyrant of a master, and longs for the day when she can buy her freedom. The novella will serve as the introduction to a new fantasy series that I will start writing in 2013.

I will be writing approximately 900 words per day and I will post each day's writing the following morning, unedited, on my blog. This means you get to see my draft with all its original spelling mistakes, bad grammar, and clumsy sentences

The timeline for the experiment is as follows:

• Plotting, Characters and Scene Outlines - April 1to April 20 - COMPLETE
• First Draft Manuscript - April 21 to May 18 - IN PROGRESS
• First Manuscript Edits - July 1to July 5
• Reader Proofs - July 6 to July 25
• Final Manuscript Edits - July 26to July 31

STATUS

Today's Date: April 22nd
Progress: Day 1 complete. Following is the day's writing...

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CHAPTER ONE

Ryann flattened herself against the cold stone wall and closed her eyes. “Please don’t say anything. Please,” she whispered to herself as the crack of the whip could be heard once more from the other side of the curtain.

A young girl screamed out in pain and a man’s voice could be heard laughing. “Now that’ll teach you. Just stay still will you and it’ll all be over soon enough.”

Ryann wanted to cover her ears but dare not move in case she gave her position away. Again she heard the crack of the whip and the crying, screaming, noise the girl made as it found its mark. “Please don’t say anything.”

She knew she shouldn’t have wandered into the bedroom, but she had been curious. That was all. And it had been typical of Megan to follow after her. At least she supposed it was Megan. As soon as Ryann heard the movement outside the room, she had quickly run to hide behind the curtain. And then, not twenty seconds later, Megan had been discovered. Ryann heard the pleading as the man muttered something under his breath. And then she heard the familiar sound of a whip cracking and a girl screaming out loud. It could only be the master, Lord Cala. He was the only one that had a whip. Or his son. Of course it could be his son. And that would be even worse. No, she definitely had to remain as still as possible and hope she was not discovered.

Another two screams and it was all over. The room fell quiet except for the silent sobbing of the girl. Ryann dared to lift her hand to her face and she bit into it, stopping herself from shouting out. She waited another couple of minutes and carefully peered around the edge of the long velvet curtain. Megan was lying face down on the bed with her simple dress half-torn, exposing her bare back. Ryann counted five deep cuts where the whip had found its target. She wiped away a tear from her eye and crossed over to Megan. “Come on, let’s get you back to your room. Come on.” She carefully helped the young girl to her feet and let Megan lean into her as they walked together through the corridors, back toward their quarters.

“Twenty,” Ryann repeated to herself as she counted the marks she had scratched out on the wall. She had made Megan as comfortable as possible in her bed and then returned to her own room. “Twenty.” She slumped to the floor and turned her head so that her face touched the cold stone wall. Then she closed her eyes and savored the feeling of refreshing coolness.

Twenty copper coins was not a lot of money, but it was enough to exchange for her first silver coin. She smiled. Her first silver coin. Another nineteen and she could buy her freedom and leave the castle. How long would it take? She didn’t know. She tried to do some calculations in her head but there were so many variables. She earned fifteen copper coins a week as a sclava for Lord Cala. But it cost her five copper coins for her room and the food she ate. Then there was the cost of new clothes from time to time. And also the cost of any punishments.

Ryann balled up her fists and tried to let the memory of Megan’s beating wash over her. It was probably going to cost Megan three coins for her disobedience. And it would have cost Ryann too, if she had been found. She sighed. She ought to give Megan one of her copper coins toward her punishment. That would make it nineteen left. Then she wouldn’t have enough for her first silver coin.

“Maybe a year,” she said out loud. Maybe she would have enough money saved up after another year. If she was lucky and if she was careful. She prayed she would be lucky. She didn’t want to end up like some of the other sclavas who were stuck in the castle for life, never able to pay off their debts.

Ryann got to her feet and wandered back to Megan’s room and looked inside. “You alright?” she asked.

Megan looked up from the bed, still lying on her stomach, and nodded. “I’ll be okay.”

Ryann crossed over to Megan and sat next to her on the bed. “I’m sorry I haven’t got anything I can put on your back. But maybe cook will have something a little later.” She wiped her hand across Megan’s face and brushed back some hair from her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for not giving me away.”

Megan gave a half-smile. “You would’ve done the same for me.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier. You know that. And next time don’t follow me. You’re too young to get into trouble like this.”

“I just want to be free and to get out of the castle,” Megan whispered. “I hate it here.”

“I know you do. I hate it too. We all hate it. But getting into trouble just means it will take you longer to buy your freedom.”

“We ain’t never going to buy our freedom, Ree. Not ever.”

Ryann ran a hand through Megan’s hair. “Hush. Don’t say that, Megan. It’s the only way I get through every day here. I live in the belief that one day, one day, I’ll earn enough money to buy my freedom.”

Xannu - The Prophecy (Second Edition)

Today you get a chance to buy an early copy of the totally re-edited Second Edition of my debut novel Xannu - The Prophecy.

I will be officially re-launching this book (also updating the ebook version) at the beginning of May. But as a special treat, I am offering the brand new paperback early to my readers. I am also discounting it!

So, head on over to CreateSpace HERE and use coupon code YQF733H7 at check-out to receive a $2.00 discount off the standard paperback price of $12.99.

The ebook is also available as a FREE Kindle download to Amazon Prime members for one more week.

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Xannu - The Prophecy

Book 1 of 'The Southern Lands' saga

For fans of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Narnia Chronicles, the first installment in a thrilling epic fantasy series…

Would you wake up in a hot sweat if you lived your night’s dreams as a soldier battling un-earthly creatures, witnessing powerful magic and fighting to save your own life on a daily basis?

English schoolboy Terry West does. Frequently. After digging up some rune coins near a roman road, he has been living in another world inhabited by warlocks, seductresses, priests and prophecy. There Terry is a soldier, Teern Truthbringer, who has been tasked with finding the Xannu - 'he who will lead the people into deliverance.'

If only it wasn’t real; but it is. Very real. When it all began it was even enjoyable, but now Terry’s life is getting very complicated. Somehow he involved his best friend Joe and although it had seemed a good idea at the time, the consequences had been dire. Then there is Susan, the leggy sister of klutzy school-friend Brian. Why does she keep sending him messages?

Terry is struggling to balance the two lives he leads and every day he is losing his grip on reality just a little bit more. He’s been forced to kill enemies; his companion, the magical woman Maria, is scaring him half to death with her abilities; and his parents are on his back about his school work.

How will he balance the two lives he leads, solve two sets of problems, and understand the lessons he receives from both? Only time will tell. But time is something Terry doesn't have too much of, as everything is unfolding in ways he could never have imagined!

“Listen to the teachings of a wise man. You may not understand all he says but you will surely have nourishment for the future. Be positive and plan for success. Failure to plan is to plan for failure. Worry not at what came before but only prepare yourselves for that which is ahead.” (Pika’Al 10:1-5, The Scriptures of Al’Zaneed)

Writing Experiment #3 - Ready, Set, Go!

This is the third in a series of posts where I document the complete process of writing a novella - Day By Day!

So, it's nearly time to start writing the actual novella - I start writing tomorrow. As always when I start a new book, I'm a little nervous. I sort of know what I'm going to write, but I'm not 100% there yet. It will be a wonderful journey of discovery. Wish me luck...

For those of you that are new to this blog or the series, I'll recap the basics:

INTRODUCTION

I am documenting (via my blog) the complete start to finish experience of writing a novella that I will be releasing for FREE once it is written. The timeline for the experiment is as follows:

• Plotting, Characters and Scene Outlines - April 1-20
• First Draft Manuscript - April 21 to May 18
• First Manuscript Edits - July 1-5
• Reader Proofs - July 6-25
• Final Manuscript Edits - July 26-31

STATUS

Today's Date: April 20th

Progress: So far I have sketched 65 of 84 total plot points (I needed to have sketched at least 60 before I started writing). I have a good idea of the plot and the main characters. It's time to 'make stuff up.'

DETAIL

The plot for Ryann (the name of the novella) is more-or-less complete (But I've left space for a few twists and turns that I will no doubt think of as I write). Ryann is the story of a thirteen year-old girl who works as a servant for a tyrant of a master, and longs for the day when she can buy her freedom. The novella will serve as the introduction to a new fantasy series that I will start writing in 2013.

I will be writing approximately 900 words per day and I will post each day's writing the following morning, unedited on my blog. This means you get to see my draft with all its original spelling mistakes, bad grammar, and clumsy sentences. Later in the process (July) I will also perform the edits online and publish the updated manuscript. Sounds like fun? I think so. Oh, and I will be writing the complete novella in Scrivener - a wonderful piece of software (and only $40) written especially for authors! Wish me luck...

Scrivener #6 - Writing a Novel From Scratch

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts based on my experience with Scrivener - A Swiss Army Knife of a tool for writers. The previous post can be found HERE. The complete series can be found HERE.

During the past couple of weeks I have been preparing the characters and plot for an upcoming novella that I am writing totally in Scrivener. Although I have now been using Scrivener for the past 6 weeks or so, it has been more of a retro-fit piece of software for previously finished novels. This is the first time I am using the software from the get go.

I have blogged previously about the novella I am writing. It's going to be another feature series of blog posts labeled My Writing Experiment (I will be blogging about the writing of a complete novella from start to finish, on a day-by-day basis). If you want to catch up with that then click on the link in this paragraph.

But for those of you that have arrived here via the Scrivener route, let me describe the process. It went a little like this:

• Start with the Novel template in the fiction section of create a new project
• Add a text file in the Research section called BASICS
• Add all sorts of notes to the BASICS file as I thought about them
• Once the BASICS file has quite a lot of notes, start creating scenes from the notes under the Manuscript section
• Re-order the scenes as necessary and keep adding new ones
• Add a few character descriptions to Character Templates (also in the Research section)
• Start adding Chapters in the manuscript section to break up the book
• Place the scenes into chapters as appropriate

It's probably good to take a little break here and look at a portion of my BASICS file so that you get an idea of how things get done.

As you can see I decided quite early on just how long the novella would be and how it would be structured. This is important to me because I'm a planner, and not a free-form writer. I also know up front approximately how many scenes I need to write to complete the story (and as you can see I already have enough to start the book - writing starts on Saturday 21st April).

Once I transcribe the notes in my BASICS file into scenes then new scenes are only added under the Manuscript section. My BASICS file just becomes a high level note file at this point.

So, back to the plot. To continue my new novella Scrivener process:

• Add POV (Point Of View) coloring to the scenes so that I can visually see the story flow
• Make sure that conflicts / story highlights / etc are appropriately spaced out in the novella
• Move more scenes as appropriate
• Add more scenes
• Update character and other background information

After I've come back and forth to this several times over a two week period, my novella has taken shape and I am ready to write. The next post will talk a little more about the actual writing process. Until then, check out Scrivener and give it a try. You won't be disappointed!

300,000 Thank Yous

I just want to take the opportunity to thank all of you, my readers, for your constant visits to my blog. This week I passed the 300,000 count for page hits! Wow! This is the 15th month of my blog and I am staggered at the steady stream of visitors. Coupled with my Facebook fan page and my Twitter followers, I am pleased to announce:

Over 300,000 Blog Page Hits!
Over 57,000 Twitter Followers!
Over 460 Facebook Fans!
Over 400 Blog Comment Participants!
Over 225 Blog Subscribers!

As a special thank you, please head over to Smashwords (please click on the book picture below) and download my completely FREE ebook - A Paul Dorset Sampler (also available from Amazon). I've received several emails of thanks for the book and it is a great introduction to my writing works.

So, what are the samples? The book consists of samples from three books:

1. Fergus Fedderfeeny's Food Factory (Middle Grade Comical Adventure) 
2. Xannu - The Prophecy (Young Adult Epic Fantasy) 
3. New Blood (16+ Young Adult Urban Paranormal Thriller) 

Each sample represents approximately 20% of the complete book and will enable you to get a good feel for the book before you buy the complete version. Still undecided? Look at what some of the reviewers have been saying:

"Xannu - The Prophecy is further proof that commercial publishers have no monopoly on writing talent or writing quality." (Scott - Amazon)

"New Blood is a paranormal conspiracy novel that has a wide range of appeal. There is enough romance to bring in fans of that genre, but the story is not overshadowed by sappy teenage love scenes. The relationships between the characters bring the story to life in a believable and entertaining way that everyone can enjoy." (IndieBookBlogger)

"This is paranormal at its finest...This story will have you asking for more by the time you reach the end. I, for one, cannot wait until the second book in the Melrose series comes out." (Eva's Sanctuary)

(I want to be a) Paperback Writer

Paperback writer
paperback writer
writer, writer...


Dear Sir or Madam
will you read my book?
It took me years to write
will you take a look?
Based on a novel
by a man named Lear
And I need a job
So I want to be a
paperback writer
Paperback writer

I'm sure most of us have heard the Beatles song...

Well, when I was growing up I wanted to be a paperback writer. I still do. There's something special about holding a paperback and thumbing through it and smelling it. And then turning the pages as you slowly read from start to finish. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad with electronic versions of books, be they Kindle, Nook or iPad. It's just that there's nothing quite like a paperback. I'm sure as authors we all love that feeling when we get to hold one of own books in our hands. It's a real sense of achievement.

I first wrote Xannu - The Prophecy in 2002, over a three month period. It was my first novel. It was a 125,000 word epic fantasy masterpiece. Of course it was, I wrote it! At the time, self-publishing was in its infancy and so I went the 'vanity publishing' route that was available at the time. I spent something like a thousand dollars and got my book published. I even received a stock of hardback and paperback copies to sell  myself too. Over the years as things in the industry changed, I continued to try to sell my book. I even wrote the second one in the series and spent money on that one too. Then a few years ago I stopped and my writing laid fallow.

Then ebooks made the news. Suddenly there was another way to sell published books. So last year I dusted off my old paperbacks and republished them as ebooks. They have sold fairly well, certainly hundreds of times better than my paperbacks. But there was one thing nagging me. The publishing rights to my book were with someone other than me. So I changed that. I took them back, and for the last year it has been impossible to buy a paperback version of any of my Xannu books. I kept promising myself I would revisit my books, re-edit them and publish them again anew. But time passed.

Then I wrote the third book in my Xannu series and laid it to rest a little before I edited the draft manuscript. That was a year ago! So two months ago, I pulled out my old Word versions of Xannu - The Prophecy and Xannu - The Healing, and I set about re-editing them. I finished that task a few weeks ago. I also edited the first draft of Xannu - The Portal, the third book in the series and sent it out to beta readers. Then I set about a few cover redesigns and jumped onto Createspace (where I have successfully published other paperback books) and set up my project for the second edition paperback of Xannu - The Prophecy. Finally, yesterday the book was approved and now I eagerly await a proof copy (paperback of course) to arrive so that I can make sure it's 100% ready for the market.

The second edition of Xannu - The Prophecy is all set for launch as a paperback (and ebook of course) on May 1st. I have gone through the original manuscript in its entirety and tightened up things that needed tightening, changed a few things I never was quite happy with, and finally just injected the knowledge of a further ten years of writing into the book. I am very pleased with the result.

So watch out over the coming couple of weeks as May 1st approaches. Very soon I will be a paperback writer all over again. Life has turned full circle.

...It’s a thousand pages
give or take a few
I’ll be writing more
in a week or two
I can make it longer
if you like the style
I can change it round
And I want to be a
paperback writer
Paperback writer

Writing Experiment #2 - The Plot

INTRODUCTION
In my last post I wrote that during the months of April and May I would be undertaking a unique writing experiment that I would blog about from start to finish. This is the second post in the series.

As a brief recap, I am documenting the complete end-to-end experience of writing a novella that I will be releasing for FREE once it is written. The timeline for the experiment is as follows:

• Plotting, Characters and Scene Outlines - April 1-20
• First Draft Manuscript - April 21 to May 18
• First Manuscript Edits - July 1-5
• Reader Proofs - July 6-25
• Final Manuscript Edits - July 26-31

STATUS

Today's Date: April 13th

Progress: So far I have sketched 49 of 84 total plot points (I need to have sketched at least 60 before I start writing)

DETAIL

The plot for Ryann (the name of the novella) is slowly coming together. It's going to be a story of a thirteen year-old girl who works as a servant for a tyrant of a master and dreams for the day when she can buy her freedom. The novella will serve as the introduction to a fantasy series that I will start writing in 2013.

I have decided to make the novella 25,000 words in length and to split this into fourteen chapters of approximately 1,800 words each. When I am writing the story I will be writing approximately 900 words (or half a chapter) per day. Each chapter will have approximately six plot points, which will convert to about 300 words per plot point. As a side note, when I am writing longer novels (80,000 to 125,000 words) I usually write about 550-600 words per plot point. Therefore I already know this is going to be a much tighter book (which is important in a novella).

I aim to complete the manuscript within the month. If this all sounds a little formulaic, then in some ways it is. I like to plan my books out in advance and then try and follow the plan. This just gives me my structure. Things don't always go according to plan, but at least I like to have a roadway to walk along. Knowing where my story is going in advance helps me stay away from writer's block. I also leave about 30% of the plot points open when I start so that I have room to insert new ideas that come along during my writing. I also make sure at least the first three chapters are fully fleshed out before I start writing.

All this means that to date I have 58% of the plot points written (I need another 11 before April 20th), and I still need another 5 plot points in total for my first 3 chapters. I guess a lot of my focus is going to be on those first three chapters during the next week!

To date I have three main characters for the novella:

• Ryann (pronounced 'Ree-ann') is the thirteen year-old female protagonist
• Bramwel Cala (son of Lord Cala of Walthern) is the fourteen year-old male antagonist
• Kieran is the fourteen year-old male friend of Ryann who also works as a servant in the household of Lord Cala

I now have the basics of the plot together and have all chapters partly or mostly fleshed out. Some things will no doubt change as time moves along, but I'm pleased with the progress to date. Below is a screen shot of most of the plot points (color-coded by character). For those of you that are interested, I am writing this manuscript using Scrivener, which I have written about in separate posts HERE. Of course, as this is an open project, I am not concerned that I am giving away the story here (although not all of it!). As I say, this is an experiment I am sharing in the hope that others can gain insight into the novel writing process.

Watch out for another couple of posts during the next week as I put the finishing touches to my plot points and back-story. Then I'll be documenting the writing progress on a day-by-day basis once April 21st comes along. I will be posting my daily manuscript progress and you'll get a chance to see it (mistakes and all) as my raw unedited text hits my blog. Later in the process, when I move onto editing, you'll see how mistakes are corrected and things are changed around.

So, for now that's it. See you all soon

PS. Comments are welcome below.

An April Update

A couple of days ago I wrote that I had a lot of tasks to complete for April. Well, thankfully a few of them are now underway or completed. On Sunday I sent out copies of my upcoming third Southern Lands book, Xannu - The Portal, to my beta readers. Then on Monday I awarded contracts to graphic designers to complete book covers for the remainder of my Southern Lands series.

I have also filled out several more plot points for my novella that I will be writing and blogging about very soon (more on that tomorrow). I actually feel like I'm getting back in the swing of things now.

Lastly, I have just installed a second monitor for my PC. Now I have double the screen real estate I had before. It's a wonderful setup that I'm really pleased with. The extra screen allows me to research things on the Internet while I write my manuscript. You can't beat that! I also installed a new HD Webcam. Hopefully I'll soon be creating some web videos!

All in all, as I alluded to a couple of days ago, it's going to be a very busy April. Now all I need to do is to edit my Unicorns manuscript (Melrose Part Two). So, without further ado, I'll get on and get that sorted.

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If you're like several of my other blog readers and can't wait for the new Xannu book to be released, why not head on over to Amazon and read the first book in the series, Xannu - The Prophecy. At the moment the book is FREE to borrow if you're an Amazon Prime member and you have a Kindle. If not, then don't worry it'll only set you back $0.99. You can't say fairer than that.