January 2014
Welcome back to Titan3030 and a Happy New year to all. 2013 was in my eyes a slow developmental year for the novel and series. More was created peripherally than linearly, which is not helpful to a mentality of finishing a novel’s first draft. However, what this expansion along the fringe of my forethoughts affords me is the deepening and widening of my 3030 universe. So many great ideas struck me out of nowhere.
As it stands for 2014, I entered the year with 25k words in the draft. Chapters One through Five are considered draft-complete. The next goal is to outline the next 5 chapters and begin filling in the story around my ‘mile-markers’. Chapters 1 through 5 were interesting because to myself, they were the biggest challenge to write. From the first word I worried whether or not I’m engaging my reader, or if I’m alienating them with the strong technical language from the very beginning. Regardless of my very initial attempt to spark wonder and interest in the reader, I feel as if though chapter one as a whole provides that ‘Grabbing-moment’ to the reader that compels them to continue reading and have to know what’s next.
The following 4 chapters really set the stage for the novel’s setting. We learn more about our protagonist and his history and place in the universe just continues its slow expansion. All of this build up catalysts with The Distress Signal received from deep space concerning his father. The news pushes our hero to visit his friend for comfort, and reflection. His friend obliges in a way Davrick could not have anticipated. And then Davrick flashes back to a moment in his childhood that would become a defining moment in his and his family’s history.
The next 5 chapters perform a similar role to the first 5, but instead of setting the stage, they expand it. A new pivotal player is introduced in the middle of the novel, a member of an alien species, that has been co-habitating with humans unbeknownst for millennia. We also explore the underworld of the city of Jalex, and learn more about the corrupt corporate history that manufactured this city on the brink of a frozen hell.
Not only do we learn more about why people are on Titan, and how it is they subsist, but Davrick learns an incredible amount more about himself, as well as gaining some interesting insight as to the fate of his father; and not a moment too soon, because as soon as he begins to feel optimistic about his father’s welfare, tragedy strikes the city from the skies. Another seemingly-alien presence arrives with force and begins attacking the residence of the colony.
The last 5 chapters, of course, finalize the conflict and provide some partial wrap-up and closure to some of the micro-events that happened in the novel. What remains open and unsolved is even larger, paving the way for the continuation of the series.
I’m setting a goal for myself right now. I’ve read some good advice on goal setting and systems/processes. My goal is to not have a goal of when to finish this novel, but the goal is to instead create a process by which to follow on a regular basis to produce progress. Not a goal, but I hope to have chapters 6-10 completed by my birthday toward the latter half of February. Also, I hope to, as a part of this system, implement more updates here, for you, the loyal (curious) reader / fan.