As "Book III" Progresses, I Am In the Zone Like Never Before
If you can be a machine, be a machine...
I needed to take a bit of a break from writing Book III this morning, on my fourth day of a four-day weekend. I also intended to work more after my lunch break yesterday, but I decided to take a breather, relax, and then watch some movies that might actually help with the tone for what I have left to write. Those films were Braveheart, Master & Commander, The 13th Warrior, and The Clash of the Titans remake, along with its sequel, neither of which I have ever seen until now. I also watched the original film for comparison. That ended up being a lot of hours watching film, but my brain needed both a nice break and some inspiration for when it is ready to start pumping again.
If Book III was on the same trajectory as my two previous “saga” books (the ones that are numbered), I’d be at the 80 percent mark. However, this one is going to be longer. So much so, that I am debating if I am even going to tack on a short story at the end. I really want to and I have three stories in mind. Granted, there’s only room for one and the others would have to come later. In fact, one of those ideas is kind of already being weaved into the main story, as it takes place alongside it.
So what is left and why is it going to be a longer book?
Well, without spoiling the story or important details, this book ends with two major battles that are happening at the same time in different locations that are far apart from one another. Major groups of characters are in different places, contending with very different threats, but this is where a lot of shit must go down.
I felt that Book II - Atomic Beasts and Where to Kill Them ended a little less epically than I would have liked, but I knew what was coming with Book III’s climax, which really serves as the second half of the adventure that started in Atomic Beasts. Also, I want Book III to be a hell of a payoff for those who have stuck with the Barbarians of the Storm series, thus far. Frankly, I think it’s going to be an absolute feast of epic, biblical proportions!
And here’s the thing, I think that the last few days of writing have produced the best shit I've ever written, and I don’t say that hyperbolically. I’m my harshest critic and when I go back to proofread and edit a section and I find myself thinking, “Fuck, this is really fucking good!”, I know I’ve done something. When I read back a conversation and I get a wee bit emo, I know that things with these characters and their relationships are working. Or maybe I’m overly sentimental with my own characters and world, but this isn’t really anything I’ve experienced at this level with my own work. But that’s enough about me sounding like a bitch.
Book III has been a hell of a lot of fun to write, now that I’ve gotten deep into it. I've hidden Easter eggs throughout the other three books and now many of them are going to be revealed and lots of dots will be connected, which is something I’m really excited to see the readers experience. This book is the first real big culmination of what I have been building towards, but it is also not the final chapter.
There’s a balancing act between fan service (that thing that the mainstream hates now) and subverting expectations. I think I have done a pretty stellar job of finding that balance with this book. Sure, I embrace some genre tropes, here and there, and I want people to like what they read and where it is going, but I also want to catch the reader off guard and throw something at them that isn’t typical. I don’t want my stories to be predictable but I also don’t want them to stab my readers in the back, either. When there is loss or catastrophe, which this book will have a lot of, it has to mean something. It has to honor the characters we lose, their actions up to that point, and help build up those within the story who are affected by it.
There will be loss in this book, but it is all going to mean something, as these stories continue on. I think that comes down to the fact that I see these fictional characters in this ridiculous setting as real, or at least real enough to matter to those reading their stories. The emotion, the humanity, the ability to relate to them naturally is probably the most important thing to me. More so than the tense I use when I write or the fast-paced pulpy style, all of which is intentional but might not resonate with every reader.
At the end of the day, I am proud of my own accomplishments with this series, thus far. However, I don’t think I’ve been prouder of anything I’ve written as much as I am this next book. And man, it’s so close to being done. Although, these two big battles may take their toll on me. If I am being realistic, though, I think that this should be done in time for release around the first of the year. If that changes, I’ll give an update.
Lastly, I mentioned that the book already has a name. Well, it also has a cover now, and staring at that art just motivates me to push harder and get this done because not revealing it yet is killing me. Also, I’ll still probably tweak it a bit more.
The book title and cover reveal will happen a few days before I am ready to release the book.
But now, I’ve got to get back to work. Today, I begin writing the climax… or two climaxes. See you all on the other side.
Looking forward to it!