Category: The Final Calling

The Final Calling: Progress Report Twenty

Chapter Twenty is now online.

The serial is paid for through Chapter Twenty-Two. Chapter Twenty-Three is getting close.

I’ve started writing Chapter Twenty-Five.

Chapter Twenty-One will be posted Wednesday, November 3, but perhaps not at the usual time — it’s possible I won’t get to it until late that evening, rather than the night before, and I’m afraid any books purchased may not ship until Thursday, November 4th, because I have family plans that may not allow me to get to the post office until then.

And with the usual stuff out of the way, I’d like to say something about how this novel is developing.

I’ve been asked several times whether writing a novel as a serial affects how I work, and I’ve always answered that I don’t really know. Up until now it’s been a theoretical point of little practical importance. In the three previous serials I didn’t see that it mattered.

However, it’s now moved from the realm of theory to the real world, because The Final Calling is turning out to be one of the novels that’s changing shape as I write it. That didn’t happen with the other three serials. It’s happened lots of times with other novels, but never with a serial before.

It didn’t matter with ordinary novels because no one but me ever saw the first draft. This time, though, thousands of people have seen at least part of the first draft, so I need to explain what I’m talking about.

What’s happening is that as I write it, I’m rethinking it, mentally throwing out things I’d intended to include, and adding or altering others, and these changes are significant enough that the complete novel is not going to be the one I thought I was writing for, oh, the first dozen or so chapters. Or more.

As I say, normally this is no problem; I fix it all in the second draft and no one else ever knows anything about it. This time, though — well, some of what’s coming up later on may contradict what you’ve already read. To cite one trivial example, there weren’t three Chairmen of the Council of Warlocks in Ethshar of the Spices, there were about fifteen. More importantly, certain characters are going to do stuff in upcoming chapters that doesn’t follow very well from what’s come earlier.

When I revise the novel I’ll change the earlier chapters, but there’s no point in doing it before I finish the first draft — you’ve already read the original version, and besides, I don’t do that; it slows me down far too much. Not to mention that when I finish the first draft I may wind up undoing some of the later changes instead; I can’t really know which stuff I want to keep until I have a complete story.

This may be somewhat confusing or annoying. I apologize for that. It will all be fixed in the second draft, and the final, published version of the novel will be as cohesive as my usual.

I may be worrying about nothing here; it may be that the shifts will be too minor or subtle to bother most readers. I honestly don’t know. I only know how it looks from my side.

But now I know that no, writing it as a serial doesn’t change how I work, but you might wish it did. And it’ll change how you read it.

If something doesn’t seem to fit, or doesn’t match what you thought you’d read, it’s probably not your imagination.

I thought you’d want to know.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen is now online.

The serial is paid for through Chapter Twenty-Two.

I’m writing Chapter Twenty-Four.

Chapter Twenty will be posted Wednesday, October 27th.

In case anyone missed it, I posted slightly revised versions of Chapter Eleven, Chapter Sixteen, and Chapter Eighteen last week, correcting the Sardironese in Chapter Eleven and adding some details I’d forgotten.

Realms of Light should go to press any day now, if it hasn’t already.

The Wildside Press double edition of The Cyborg and the Sorcerers and The Wizard and the War Machine is out; I’ll be getting my copies Friday.

Alter Ego #97 should be out this week, reprinting my long feature article, “The Other Guys,” about pre-Code horror comics publishers other than EC. (Sorry I don’t have a link.)

Busy week.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen is now online.

I’ve written most of Chapter Twenty-Two.

Chapter Twenty-Two is paid for.

Chapter Nineteen will be posted on Wednesday, October 20.

I’ve been busy with other stuff lately; Realms of Light is nearing publication, and I’ve been going over proofs and attending to other last-minute details. Among other things. But I expect to get more of a buffer built up on The Final Calling soon.

Addendum, 10/14/10: I’ve just posted slightly revised versions of Chapter Eleven, Chapter Sixteen, and Chapter Eighteen. I’ve corrected the Sardironese in Chapter Eleven to match the grammar used in The Blood of a Dragon. Also, I had forgotten to account for Sterren’s luggage in the other two chapters, and have added a few lines to amend that oversight.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen is now online.

I’m gradually getting back on track, but I still haven’t quite finished writing Chapter Twenty-One; it’s got maybe two or three pages to go.

Chapter Twenty-One is paid for, and about half of Chapter Twenty-Two.

Not much else in the way of news. I’ve been dealing with other stuff. I did actually turn down paying work so as not to interfere with The Final Calling, which I hope you guys appreciate, but on the other hand, it didn’t pay very well, and it wasn’t something that looked like much fun.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen is now online; read! Enjoy! Send money!

I’ve written midway through Chapter Twenty-One.

The serial is paid for through Chapter Twenty-One.

Chapter Seventeen will be posted on Wednesday, October 6.

Not much other news on this one; I was on vacation for most of the last two weeks, and the only work I did while traveling was getting the files ready for the Wildside Press reprints (as a two-in-one flipbook) of The Cyborg and the Sorcerers and The Wizard and the War Machine. No writing. Oh, a little plotting of future projects, but no writing.

But I’m home again, and should be caught up in a day or two, then it’s back to work.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Fifteen

Chapter Fourteen and Chapter Fifteen have been posted.

I’m still writing Chapter Twenty-One, as I didn’t get anything done on it while traveling. (I did finish preparing the files to reprint The Cyborg and the Sorcerers and The Wizard and the War Machine.)

Everything’s paid for through Chapter Twenty-One; I need to get busy and finish writing it.

Chapter Sixteen should be posted on schedule on Wednesday the 29th.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Fourteen

Chapter Thirteen is now online.

I’m midway through writing Chapter Twenty-One; I should be farther, but I’ve been distracted by other projects, such as the chapbook to accompany Realms of Light, and getting the cleaned-up files of The Cyborg and the Sorcerers and The Wizard and the War Machine ready for the upcoming Wildside Press reprint volume.

The serial is paid for up through Chapter Nineteen; Chapter Twenty is almost paid for.

Chapter Fourteen will be posted next week, though perhaps not at exactly the usual time; I’ll be traveling, and am not certain of my schedule. However, I won’t have my own computer, and I’m not planning to take all my mailing lists and passwords and so on, so I won’t be making all the usual announcements; you’ll just have to check for yourselves.

Chapter Fifteen will be delayed; I don’t know how much. I won’t have net access on the 22nd. Everything should be squared away and up to date again by September 29th, when Chapter Sixteen will be posted.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Thirteen

Chapter Twelve is now online.

I’m midway through writing Chapter Twenty.

The serial’s paid for through Chapter Nineteen.

Chapter Thirteen will be posted Wednesday, September 8.

Hey, I’m finally farther along in writing than I’ve been paid for!

Generally speaking, I think it’s going reasonably well. I’m into a section where my working outline is a bit skimpy, but I think I can manage.