For the past few weeks, I have been working on major edits for the third book. This book suffers from the same sort of issues that plagued the original first two. It is getting better, and will have a lot more content within it, but this has taken longer than I thought and is still not close to being done. I am thinking of completely altering the book's opening chapter, and there are a few scenes I have yet to write. Basically, I have been reorganizing the chapters like I did with the first two books, and it has caused some sections to lack content or good transitions, so there is simply more that needs to be written. I am also doing away with the dialogue segments formatted as scripts, requiring me to adjust dialogue wherever this shows up. The only exceptions to this concern the Voices that appear in the prologues and epilogues of the books. Since there are no names connected with them, the script format makes it a lot easier to understand these short sections. All in all, it is a tedious task, but I believe it will drastically improve readability for most people.
The second piece of news is that I am now working on the anthology book. It is simply a collection of all poetry from the books, including pieces that did not make it in the story. This gives an option for people who want to own and browse through a collection of the poetry, though it will not work as a full representation of the story. For the most part, it is just a long session of copying, pasting, and formatting. I think I will complete the book tonight, but it also requires its own cover.
Lastly, I am planning on releasing The Dream Dweller Archive for free on my website (https://talesofold.wixsite.com/epic-of-old). Originally, it was the fourth part of the story, but all it seemed to do was drive a wedge in the plot. The book also spoiled the fate of one of the characters, so I feel it is better to just alter the ending of the third book so that this doesn't happen. The Dream Dweller Archive is not a must-read, though it can greatly help people understand the context of the story. Even though it took quite a lot of effort to write, I feel I would need to give it out for free for people to gain interest in it. After all, it is an epistolary novel that almost reads like a textbook.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
The Website is Live
The initial version of the website for the Epic of Old is now online. You can find it here: https://talesofold.wixsite.com/epic-of-old
It is still a work in progress overall. Some of the pictures will need to be updated when I complete them (like the world map), and some of the text will likely need to be edited, especially if I change a synopsis for one of the books. There are also no links to any ebook distributors since the books are not published yet. I suspect all of these updates will be complete by next month.
Editing for the last three books is practically done. I've also gotten some feedback from beta readers for the first book and made some good changes. The chapters have been reorganized a bit so that the poetry is not so jarring by making sure it is at the beginning or end of a chapter. Naturally, this cannot always be the case, especially for the other stories, but it is better. There were also two sections where dialogue was turned into poetry and I turned it into normal dialog. This was when Helskor encounters Solomon in the beginning and when Helskor and Rhinesvelt meet at the end of the book. Doing that alone appears to improve the look of the book considerably.
For book 2, I still want to add a scene near the end with Frederik. In book 3, I need to increase the length of Philos's encounter with Helskor and I also want to write a new scene with Nezbaerth and Cyfel meeting up in the world of dreams. This would be a good way to further reduce the narration in one section while also showing natural progression of the characters. The setting should also prove interesting.
It is still a work in progress overall. Some of the pictures will need to be updated when I complete them (like the world map), and some of the text will likely need to be edited, especially if I change a synopsis for one of the books. There are also no links to any ebook distributors since the books are not published yet. I suspect all of these updates will be complete by next month.
Editing for the last three books is practically done. I've also gotten some feedback from beta readers for the first book and made some good changes. The chapters have been reorganized a bit so that the poetry is not so jarring by making sure it is at the beginning or end of a chapter. Naturally, this cannot always be the case, especially for the other stories, but it is better. There were also two sections where dialogue was turned into poetry and I turned it into normal dialog. This was when Helskor encounters Solomon in the beginning and when Helskor and Rhinesvelt meet at the end of the book. Doing that alone appears to improve the look of the book considerably.
For book 2, I still want to add a scene near the end with Frederik. In book 3, I need to increase the length of Philos's encounter with Helskor and I also want to write a new scene with Nezbaerth and Cyfel meeting up in the world of dreams. This would be a good way to further reduce the narration in one section while also showing natural progression of the characters. The setting should also prove interesting.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Personal edits are done
I spent most of the day on further editing, writing a new scene and checking off items I had wanted to address in books 3 and 6. I am waiting to get some feedback for the last book as well as the first two, but all of the items I had wanted to change have been adjusted. The main task now is formatting. I'm still having trouble adjusting how the pictures are represented in the MOBI file. Heck, adding them correctly was a big enough problem. Point is, they shrink in size when being uploaded, so there is some kind of parameter or option I need to fiddle with.
There is also a spacing issue in some areas where it will look like I indented a paragraph twice instead of once even though it looks fine in the Word document. Either I need to comb through the demo version of each draft on Amazon, or I have to figure out a way to show where these spacing issues are turning up. I've dealt with this before years ago and I'll deal with it again.
Finally, I had a change in titles. The Planet of Whispering strife will become The World of Whispering Strife. Likewise, The Architect of Celestial Sight will now become The Surveyor of Celestial Sight. Both of these changes appear to make the titles easier to say, which is likely more important than my individual preference. I also thought about changing book 2 to The Astral Architect, but I thought it better to have the name style similar to the first story, especially since the first two books function as the same story told through differing perspectives.
I might even change the title of the sixth book as well, even though it relates to the ending of the story. The Promise of Tomorrow just doesn't seem to communicate a strong message on its own, nor does it seem to match the theme of the cover I made. Something like The Final Judgement, or New Exodus, or The Days of Tomorrow seem to paint a better picture. Seems I still have some thinking to do.
There is also a spacing issue in some areas where it will look like I indented a paragraph twice instead of once even though it looks fine in the Word document. Either I need to comb through the demo version of each draft on Amazon, or I have to figure out a way to show where these spacing issues are turning up. I've dealt with this before years ago and I'll deal with it again.
Finally, I had a change in titles. The Planet of Whispering strife will become The World of Whispering Strife. Likewise, The Architect of Celestial Sight will now become The Surveyor of Celestial Sight. Both of these changes appear to make the titles easier to say, which is likely more important than my individual preference. I also thought about changing book 2 to The Astral Architect, but I thought it better to have the name style similar to the first story, especially since the first two books function as the same story told through differing perspectives.
I might even change the title of the sixth book as well, even though it relates to the ending of the story. The Promise of Tomorrow just doesn't seem to communicate a strong message on its own, nor does it seem to match the theme of the cover I made. Something like The Final Judgement, or New Exodus, or The Days of Tomorrow seem to paint a better picture. Seems I still have some thinking to do.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Maps are Complete
I planned to add maps to three books in the Epic of Old series, and now that is finally done. There is still considerable work to be done on the complete world map if I want that to be displayed in any of the books or a possible website I am thinking of putting together. Two continents are only half complete, and Morthanis in particular has not been adjusted at all since I decided to quadruple the number of cells/blocks used to build the map. However, all I needed to do to start work on the map pictures was to finish the coastline since the interior details would be reinterpreted with inked versions of forests, mountains, and even state lines.
Skiven and Aglodon were completed in all their detail, and Hendvlask (with its now simplified spelling) was completed enough to draw a political map of the area. With this, locations should more or less be understood. Instead of remaining a vague idea, the continent will more closely resemble a real place. The maps are also all different in style, with the map of Skiven appearing in book three and the map of Aglodon appearing in book five. It is also good to remember that there is a simple world map on the cover of book four.
As of this moment, I should be done making pictures for the series. Most of the books have three to five pictures now, providing more context for certain scenes and places. It is possible that some of these will be edited or I might make a few more at the spur of the moment. These additions evolved in an organic fashion, so there is no telling if there is more to come. However, there is a good chance that I will eventually design a website, which means I will likely add a few pictures specifically for it. As of now, I am tweaking a few of the stories by making slight alterations to dialogue, which will hint at a few things I want to communicate to the reader. The last book might require one new scene, but only if I can produce the content needed to fill the setting. The same goes for the second book, though I'm looking to get a few more beta readers to figure out if such is even necessary. Lastly, I'm looking into other forms of book marketing, such as creating a mailing list. I will add the details to the blog once I have it all figured out.
Now, getting back onto the topic at hand, this is the current (incomplete) world map I am working with:
And this is the map of Hendvlask that I just finished:
Skiven and Aglodon were completed in all their detail, and Hendvlask (with its now simplified spelling) was completed enough to draw a political map of the area. With this, locations should more or less be understood. Instead of remaining a vague idea, the continent will more closely resemble a real place. The maps are also all different in style, with the map of Skiven appearing in book three and the map of Aglodon appearing in book five. It is also good to remember that there is a simple world map on the cover of book four.
As of this moment, I should be done making pictures for the series. Most of the books have three to five pictures now, providing more context for certain scenes and places. It is possible that some of these will be edited or I might make a few more at the spur of the moment. These additions evolved in an organic fashion, so there is no telling if there is more to come. However, there is a good chance that I will eventually design a website, which means I will likely add a few pictures specifically for it. As of now, I am tweaking a few of the stories by making slight alterations to dialogue, which will hint at a few things I want to communicate to the reader. The last book might require one new scene, but only if I can produce the content needed to fill the setting. The same goes for the second book, though I'm looking to get a few more beta readers to figure out if such is even necessary. Lastly, I'm looking into other forms of book marketing, such as creating a mailing list. I will add the details to the blog once I have it all figured out.
Now, getting back onto the topic at hand, this is the current (incomplete) world map I am working with:
And this is the map of Hendvlask that I just finished:
Monday, August 7, 2017
New Chapter
A few days ago I finished one of the two new chapters of book three. The other chapter I am working on is half complete. I know the gist of the last scene I need to write, but I do not have all of the details worked out yet. I will probably complete it in the next day or two. Meanwhile, I am still working on the world map. Though I have a glimpse of the world map on the cover of book four, I still wish to provide larger pictures of the continents where they are useful. A map of Hlendvlask should be in book one, Skiven in book three, and Aglodon in book five. I am not sure if these will only include the physical features or the states and countries as well. I also have to figure out how to best share the colored world map when it is complete, though I could just provide this in the Appendix of book one.
I am also looking at my different publishing options outside of Amazon, including Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and possibly eSentral. One or two of these outlets will be reached through smashwords, but I intend to oversee most of the file conversion and distribution myself. There is also the question of whether to get ISBN's for each of the books and also whether I should get a copyright filed. All of that is rather expensive, but can be beneficial. ISBN's make the books more official and easier to find, but I also have to use new ones whenever a new edition of the book is created, which means I have to avoid editing these later on. Even if there was nothing to fix, there could easily be new information in the appendix for me to add or some kind of new picture. I have to make sure everything is truly done if I am to go that route.
I am also looking at my different publishing options outside of Amazon, including Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and possibly eSentral. One or two of these outlets will be reached through smashwords, but I intend to oversee most of the file conversion and distribution myself. There is also the question of whether to get ISBN's for each of the books and also whether I should get a copyright filed. All of that is rather expensive, but can be beneficial. ISBN's make the books more official and easier to find, but I also have to use new ones whenever a new edition of the book is created, which means I have to avoid editing these later on. Even if there was nothing to fix, there could easily be new information in the appendix for me to add or some kind of new picture. I have to make sure everything is truly done if I am to go that route.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
New Scenes and Pics
The primary goal now is to add more content to book three, as this is currently the shortest story. I plan to add an extra chapter that will hold at least two scenes in it (wrote the first half already), but there are a few more things to add elsewhere in the book. Overall, I need certain characters to play a greater role in the story so they are not forgettable, even if they may play a part in the fifth book. I face the same problem in book one with two characters, but have yet to think of a way to add more sections for them. All it would serve to do is eliminate exposition in a later segment.
As for book five, Cyfel's journey across Skiven appeared almost pointless to me. It is almost to the point where it could be eliminated completely because it doesn't really serve to add tension to the story. So I am rewriting a chapter that highlights this character, but have yet to figure out everything that happens. Right now, the additions to book 3 come easier.
The main thing I have been focusing on instead of writing is creating pictures for the books. I plan to have 3-5 pictures in the stories except for book 4 (which is a journal of sorts). Included in those are pictures of places and events important to the story, which include Rhinesvelt and Helskor as well. I have a pretty detailed image of Helskor that sets the stage for his devilish nature, though I am a bit worried that it does not communicate the fact that his form can easily change shape. A minor inconvenience, though. Rhinesvelt is in more images, but they are less revealing. I may yet produce a clear image of him, but that would find its home in the final book.
As for book five, Cyfel's journey across Skiven appeared almost pointless to me. It is almost to the point where it could be eliminated completely because it doesn't really serve to add tension to the story. So I am rewriting a chapter that highlights this character, but have yet to figure out everything that happens. Right now, the additions to book 3 come easier.
The main thing I have been focusing on instead of writing is creating pictures for the books. I plan to have 3-5 pictures in the stories except for book 4 (which is a journal of sorts). Included in those are pictures of places and events important to the story, which include Rhinesvelt and Helskor as well. I have a pretty detailed image of Helskor that sets the stage for his devilish nature, though I am a bit worried that it does not communicate the fact that his form can easily change shape. A minor inconvenience, though. Rhinesvelt is in more images, but they are less revealing. I may yet produce a clear image of him, but that would find its home in the final book.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Reworking the Chapters
I had noticed that the chapter lengths in the books were all too long. Some would be double or triple the length of popular books and novels, which all depended on word count. Increasing the number of chapters has helped me group up more related information, often focusing on only one or two scenes when there were previously three or four. I had based everything on page length, but this means little when dealing with the Word file since it will just get translated into other formats that likely inflate the page count of the book.
Overall, readability should improve, but now there is a problem with some of these chapters being too short. However, given the length of most of the books, I believe that to ultimately be fine. Some of these individual segments simply don't read as well when tacked onto other events. One specific example is chapter 6 in book 2. It only covers the conflict of an individual character as well as an outside observation of it. The ordeal does relate to other events in the story, but it is so personal in scope, that expanding the chapter past this point only serves to dilute its essence. This chapter, titled "Damnation", is more meaningful because it has such a tight focus.
Book 5 is the last book to receive this treatment, and I should complete the editing today. Afterwards, there are some scenes I want to add to the third book in order to improve the pacing. Markus is not featured enough in the beginning to establish the fact that he is an important character, so I would like to show him doing work in the castle. Meanwhile, Philos's rule does not appear to last very long since the book skips over several months. I need one or two scenes depicting how life has changed as a result.
Since editing for the rewrite of book 2 has concluded, it seems these additions to book 3 will be the last bit of writing needed before everything can be published, though I've been wrong before. I am also working on some pictures for a few of the stories. I want to get a picture of Hlendvlask and Rhinesvelt's throne in book 1. In book 2, I already have visuals for Evermore, Nevermore, and the Altar of the Gods. I believe only the first two stories need these pictures, acting as the bare minimum for the entire series. A world map is already contained in the cover of book 4, and while I would love to have accurate images of Rhinesvelt, Helskor, or other characters, I'm terrible at drawing and would need to hire someone to make something from scratch. Then there is the question of whether this is going to be a sketch created by someone in the story or an actual photo. In the end, it might not be necessary at all.
Overall, readability should improve, but now there is a problem with some of these chapters being too short. However, given the length of most of the books, I believe that to ultimately be fine. Some of these individual segments simply don't read as well when tacked onto other events. One specific example is chapter 6 in book 2. It only covers the conflict of an individual character as well as an outside observation of it. The ordeal does relate to other events in the story, but it is so personal in scope, that expanding the chapter past this point only serves to dilute its essence. This chapter, titled "Damnation", is more meaningful because it has such a tight focus.
Book 5 is the last book to receive this treatment, and I should complete the editing today. Afterwards, there are some scenes I want to add to the third book in order to improve the pacing. Markus is not featured enough in the beginning to establish the fact that he is an important character, so I would like to show him doing work in the castle. Meanwhile, Philos's rule does not appear to last very long since the book skips over several months. I need one or two scenes depicting how life has changed as a result.
Since editing for the rewrite of book 2 has concluded, it seems these additions to book 3 will be the last bit of writing needed before everything can be published, though I've been wrong before. I am also working on some pictures for a few of the stories. I want to get a picture of Hlendvlask and Rhinesvelt's throne in book 1. In book 2, I already have visuals for Evermore, Nevermore, and the Altar of the Gods. I believe only the first two stories need these pictures, acting as the bare minimum for the entire series. A world map is already contained in the cover of book 4, and while I would love to have accurate images of Rhinesvelt, Helskor, or other characters, I'm terrible at drawing and would need to hire someone to make something from scratch. Then there is the question of whether this is going to be a sketch created by someone in the story or an actual photo. In the end, it might not be necessary at all.
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