Writing the First Ten Thousand Words — Chronicle of Creation VII
Writing updates
Big, big progress! Not only have I finished Chapter 4 of The Many, but I’ve also surpassed ten thousand words in one fell swoop. So today I’m talking about writing Chapter 4 and writing the first ten thousand words.
Chapter 4 came pretty easily. And I’ve found that each of my chapters is around exactly 2,500 words. In a later draft, I may lengthen the chapters a bit (probably by combining chapters), but actually 2,500 words isn’t too bad as a chapter length.
I’m also pinning down the genre a little more. I’ve been calling it dark fantasy, which I think it is, although the “dark” elements aren’t super played up at this stage. I have decided that the novel seems to fit into the New Adult category! Which is pretty much dead right now, but we’ll see!
Writing the fourth chapter of The Many
We left off with the characters making plans for an expedition across the desert to visit the oracle of Mabris (one of the three “good” gods). By now, the characters have departed, and they’re heading towards the city of Elma on the coast. (Think the North African coastline, moving west from Egypt.)
I’m already thinking about hiccups they can run into on their journey. Highway robbers, “customs” officials (or maybe fake customs officials), a sandstorm… You name it. Whatever the obstacle, I intend to throw it in their path. It’s not supposed to be an easy journey, and my main character has to use her powers of sight to guide the party.
Yes, it’s an adventure!
Below: An image of an oasis similar to the one my characters are traveling to in Chapter 4, and a picture of a camel — they’ll be using camels to get there. The journey across the desert is about 400 miles!
Here’s an excerpt from The Many, Chapter Four.
Writing the first ten thousand words…
… flew by. Honestly! I know that it’s taken me much longer to complete ten thousand words than it would “normally” — heck, normally it would take me four days — but as I’ve gone along, my urge to work on this story has grown and grown. Read my post about how I balance blogging and fiction writing to hear some more of my struggles to do just that! We’ll see, but I’m betting that the next ten thousand words are going to come faster than the first.
This is the first time I’ve “chronicled” my writing process, and I’m finding it very satisfying. It means that at any time, I can go back to my entry to see what I was thinking at the time, what the struggles were… how far I’ve come. I’m not sure it would work on a project that was a completely rough draft (versus this one, which is a reworking of a novel I’ve already written several times), but I would recommend it to authors in the later drafting stages! It’s great to get some feedback and support as you’re going along. I find it very heartening that people read my excerpts and progress reports.
Well, that’s all for today! I hope you enjoyed reading about writing the first ten thousand words and reading my excerpt! Next time, I’ll bring you the scoop on Chapter 5, at the end of which I hope my characters will have reached the oracle. No promises, though — I might throw one sandstorm too many in their path. We shall see! Until then, happy reading and writing.
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