Month: December 2010

The Final Calling/The Unwelcome Warlock: Progress Report Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine is now online.

There was a satisfying jump in donations right around Christmas, including a very generous one, so I’m pleased to report that the serial is paid for through Chapter Thirty-Two, and Chapter Thirty-Three is just a few dollars short. (I haven’t run the exact numbers yet, but I think it’s about $15.)

The writing has gotten complicated — I started skipping the even-numbered chapters, writing just an opening sentence or two of each before moving on to the next odd-numbered chapter. I’m now writing Chapter Thirty-Nine, and will go back and write Chapter Thirty-Six and Chapter Thirty-Eight later. I’m not sure where Chapter Forty will go in the production queue.

The novel, unless something very unexpected happens, will run forty chapters in all.

Happy New Year!

The Final Calling: Progress Report Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight is now online.

Chapter Twenty-Nine is nowhere near paid for, so I don’t know when I’ll be posting it. Since no previous serial has run more than twenty-eight chapters, we’re getting into unknown territory here.

I’m writing Chapter Thirty-Five, which is running a little long now, but hey, it’s a climactic chapter. I’m figuring the finished novel will be either thirty-eight or forty chapters. Yes, that’s much longer than I’d expected, and I don’t know if my readers are that generous.

The publisher at Wildside thinks The Unwelcome Warlock is a fine title, so that’s probably what will go on the finished book.

Guess that’s about everything. Happy holidays to all!

The Final Calling: Progress Report Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven is now online.

I’m $39.61 short of paying for Chapter Twenty-Eight.

The writing’s gotten a bit weird. I’m nominally writing Chapter Thirty-Three, but it’s running very long, and there’s a natural break-point a few pages back, so I’m thinking I may actually be writing either Chapter Thirty-Four or Chapter Thirty-Five — I might either just split this one, or split it and then insert one from another viewpoint between the two halves.

I’m already well over 100,000 words, which was my original target for the finished book.

I don’t know how many chapters it will be; every time I make an estimate, the confounded thing gets longer. My best guess is thirty-six to forty, but I wouldn’t put too much faith in that. I’m going to write until it’s done, then stop, however long that may be.

(Yes, I do know where I’m going. It’s just taking longer to get there than I expected.)

As mentioned in my previous post, the fine folks at Wildside Press don’t think The Final Calling is a grabber title for readers who don’t already know what the Calling is. Therefore, we’re looking for a new, catchier title, and so far the leading contender is Allen Dobkin’s suggestion, The Unwelcome Warlock.

I won’t be re-titling the serial, though — that would be too confusing. It stays The Final Calling, but I’m warning everyone here and now that the finished book may well be called something else.

Guess that’s everything for this week. Hope everyone’s surviving the harsh weather that seems to be hitting pretty much everywhere.

Addendum: Noon Thursday: It’s snowing.

Chapter Twenty-Eight is now paid for, and will be posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, but not at the usual two-minutes-after-midnight, give or take. I’m picking someone on a late flight up at the airport that night, so I won’t be able to upload the files until I get back; depending on weather, traffic, and other variables, it could easily be 4:00 a.m. before I have a chance to post it.

My apologies for the inconvenience.

The Final Calling: Suggestions wanted!

Okay, I talked to the probable publisher last night — John Betancourt from Wildside Press — and he wants a different title.

I think he’s right; The Final Calling was kind of a stopgap I stuck on the project when Tim Powers published a novel using my original title, Last Call. It’s not a very exciting name for the book.

I came up with the obvious The Last Warlock, but other suggestions would be welcome.

There’s no prize involved, and titles aren’t subject to copyright, so if I do use yours you’ll get nothing out of it but my thanks, and the odds are pretty good I’ll wind up using something I came up with myself (maybe inspired by a suggestion here), but still, if you have any clever ideas, I’d like to hear them.

Thanks!

The Final Calling: Progress Report Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six is now online.

I’m $37.11 short of paying for Chapter Twenty-Seven. Tell your friends. If you haven’t kicked in yet, this would be a good time.

I’ve just started writing Chapter Thirty-Two, which is definitely not the last chapter. I’ve been getting through plot more slowly than I had anticipated, so I’m now pretty sure we’re looking at either thirty-six chapters, or thirty-five chapters and an epilogue. (Epilogues are free.) It will definitely run longer than 100,000 words, which is kind of a surprise, actually.

I think that covers it; hope to see you next week!

Update: Chapter Twenty-Seven is paid for, and we’re making progress on Twenty-Eight.

The Final Calling: Progress Report Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five is now online.

I’m $112.13 short of having Chapter Twenty-Six paid for, but there’s a week to go.

Update, 3:00 a.m. EST: Okay, Chapter Twenty-Six is paid for.

I’m writing Chapter Twenty-Nine, but only just started it. There will be at least thirty-two chapters, but no more than thirty-six unless the story surprises me — I think I have it all plotted out, and thirty-six chapters should do it. I’m guessing it’ll run around 100,000 words in first draft, and I’m hoping to have it written by Christmas.

The whole Realms of Light project is over and done, books mailed to donors, regular edition available from all the usual outlets. The Kindle edition is now available, as well. I did send at least one copy, and possibly as many as four, to an out-of-date address, so I may need to deal with some returns, but other than that, it’s finished.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and happy Chanukah to those who celebrate it.