Writing an Interwoven Tale

There are many different approaches to story telling, and not every story necessarily lends itself equally to all approaches. How a story is told is often integral to the experience of that story by the audience - and is part of what the author must decide upon when they go to write that tale.

Many works of fiction, including fantasy fiction, will be focused on the story as experienced by a single, individual character, or sometimes by two leading characters. This approach allows the readers to experience a closer, more intimate portrait of these one or two characters. The audience will naturally tend to grow that much more attached to them in the process. My own short stories (which can be accessed on my blogsite) similarly exercise this writing approach.

For the Stormfall Chronicles, however, the story which I was attempting to convey required a much broader cast of characters - wider than that found in many of its counterparts today. True, there are the main characters, Baxter and Lynette who reappear throughout the story. But there's also a broad selection of supporting characters, from the gnome Eirlon, to the mage-turned-swordsman Garth, to the fae princess Elise, and many others.

This was not a haphazard decision, but an outgrowth of the story which I was trying to convey. Like our real life world, I wanted this story to reflect the complex, interwoven tapestry of people and events. A world where many different threads will combine and interweave to form a broader picture, and where no single thread could claim to represent the overall pattern of the tapestry. True, there will be some which will stand out more prominently than others. But they were all required to make the picture complete. Like a grand orchestra, from the violin to the bass, and from the flute to the trumpet, every participant contributes to the larger melody.

This is not to say that I do not appreciate stories that are more narrowly focused onto one or two leading characters. Quite the contrary - I very much appreciate many stories that happen to follow that paradigm. For the retelling of a great many tales, this approach is aptly suited.

For the Stormfall Chronicles, however, I needed to convey the epic sweep of the tale. It was therefore essential that I relay some sense for the many individuals who both experience and participate in the broader chain of events. This was not an accident, but a choice.

Updated Character List

I have completed updating and reviewing the combined Character List for the Stormfall Chronicles - which includes both Book 1 and the upcoming Book 2. The newly updated list also includes pronunciation guides for each of the names. I expect to include a truncated copy of the list as part of the end material for Book 2.

Thanks again to all of my readers. The release of Book 2 is fast approaching.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_N3VCDJ-dFocD7ObKbnbg3Ork2cp_YvK

Status Update - Book 2 - Beta Reader Edits Through Chapter 4

I have completed the updates recommended by my second beta-reader for Chapters 3 and 4 - and she is now immersed in Chapter 5 (out of a total of eight chapters). I'm grateful again for her insights, particularly at a time when she is also studying for her SAT exam this Saturday (tomorrow).

Progress has continued to plod onward in other areas as well, including updates to the cover image and for the character name and pronunciation list.

Status Update - Book 2 - Second Round of Beta-Reader Edits Underway

My second round of beta-reader edits is now well under way.

I have incorporated my second beta-reader's proposed edits through Chapter 2 (out of a total of eight chapters), and my second beta-reader is currently deep into Chapter 3.

Of necessity, my second beta-reader has been reviewing the manuscript for Book 2 a little bit slower than the first. As some will already be aware, my second beta-reader is also my oldest daughter, who has her hands full over the summer with other time commitments - such as preparing for her SATs, riding horses, training a new puppy, and volunteering at a horse rescue center.

Despite the slower pace of my second round of beta-reader edits, I should still be on-track towards completing preparations for publication by month's end. Work has been progressing in parallel towards preparing the cover and blurb for the book. I can't wait to see it released.

Map Released for Book 2

The additional map that is being added for Book 2 of the series is finally complete. This is a regional map that includes the Feyfell and the City States of Trevio, and will be split into two maps (north and south) for publication.

One more step closer to publication of the second book.

The Journey Towards Release of Book 2

Having completed the first round of beta-reader updates to Book 2 of the Stormfall Chronicles, some readers might be wondering what's next?

As it turns out, there's a lot more that goes into writing and releasing a novel than just writing it. The following are some of the things which I still have yet to complete on this journey:

• Second beta-reader review
• Blurb edit, review and release
• Cover design edits and release
• Maps (two new maps for Book 2)
• Character name list and pronunciation guide
• Formatting for eBook and paperback editions
• Promotion strategy and planning

As should be evident, a lot goes into releasing a novel. Nonetheless, I am delighted to be finished with the first beta-reader review and update - which puts me on-track for releasing the second book by the end of August.

There are also, I might add, updates to my blog and YouTube channel which I had been hoping to make - but which had to be put on hold so I could focus my free time (which there's never enough of) on writing. Things like:

• Posting a couple more book reviews
• Anime reviews
• Short stories
• Observations from the indie author scene

I'll be getting back to the latter items eventually - hopefully once the book is closer to release in late August.