Mightier than the Sword - A Part of the Aidan Moher Network

Gah! No time to write!

 Chapter 16 is done. I’ll write about it when I get a chance….

Well that was quick.

After so bloody long without updates, it seems like I’m on a roll again. Chapter 15 titled Here Be Dragons is done and dusted. Hell, Chapter 16 is almost done, too.

 Shawn Speakman (blog HERE) often speaks about hitting the homestretch of a novel, the point after the halfway mark and how it starts to feel like you’re going downhill from there and gaining momentum with every word. I beginning to understand what he means by that. After finishing off Chapter 14 and the interlude, that marked roughly the halfway point of the novel (about 46k words out of 90k) and also served as the climax for ‘Part One’ of the novel (despite what I said in the last post, this was actually the end of ‘Part One’ not ‘Part Two’…). It seems that since hitting that point, or even a few chapters earlier, when I finished off Chapter 12, the words have just been flowing out of me.

 I may not exactly be able to see the finish line at the moment, it’s still a ways off, but I know that there is less in front of me than behind and that’s an encouraging thought. I find that the second-half of a good book is almost always a faster read than the first half, and I think it’s a good sign when the writing’s the same way.

 Chapter 15 is a bit of a change of pace from 14 (which was balls to the wall), but it was challenging to write in its own part. Without giving too much away, the structure of the chapter jumps around a lot in time and answers some question posed at the end of 14 in (I think/hope) interesting ways. There’s also a lot of room for some neat imagery and it was a great way to explore some aspects of my version of the Fey lands.

One character in particular has really stepped out of the shadows and surprised me. He doesn’t appear in this chapter - in fact he doesn’t appear again for a few chapters - but I’m constantly surprised by how much he and his actions have rippled  through the story. He was originally going to be a bit of a bit character, no more than a plot device, but as the writing has moved on he’s affecting more and more of the story and it’s even getting to the point where he (and his parallels to Rowan) will have a defined effect on the end of the novel.

Now, who said writing isn’t bloody exciting?

I outline in a pretty organic manner, but at the end of the day I have a solid outline for the novel and the first 18 or so chapters. It’s nice to know that even with all that outlining, I can still be surprised by the twists and turns of the story.

Well, onward to writing. Chapter 16 should be done pretty soon!

Well… no updates for almost a month and now two in two days? What the hell happened?

 Chapter 14, The Calm Within the Storm,  is done. No I didn’t write it in a day (productivity like that is in my repetoire) , but rather half of it has been written for about 6 months now.

 ”6 months?!!?” I hear you exclaim. “But why?”

There’s a good reason. Back a few months ago I was in a creative writing class (I didn’t have a job and figured I should keep myself busy somehow, so I enrolled in school) and used it as a great launching pad to get started on Through Bended Grass. I wasn’t able to bend each and every assignment towards my novel, but when we had to write a descriptive piece, I knew this was the scene to do.

 Chapter 14 is one of the most frenetic and important chapters in my novel and one of the first ones to form fully in my head. I won’t go spoiling much, but the end of the chapter ends with Rowan conciously throwing herself off the top of the Cliffs of Moher during a wicked storm  and tumbling 600 feet into the frothing ocean below.

 This ends the second part of the novel with a hell of abang and sets up the rest of the story. This also acts as roughly the halfway point in the novel, meaning it’s all downhill from here. Like walking south.

The next portion of the chapter, a short interlude, was also written almost a year ago and was originally included as the prologue of the novel. The interlude showcases the first moments when Rowan and Lewis’ father meet and then spend a rather twisted, tangled and sweaty night in the sack. I decided it wasn’t the best way to start the novel, but it acts as a perfect foil coming off of the frantic Chapter 14. It also allows me to drag out Rowan’s fate for a few more pages.

Chapter 14 is home to a few revelations and a couple of minor twists, which have been fun to play around with. Hopefully I’ve managed to drop enough hints and red herrings throughout the text to make it satisfying to the reader.

 All in all, I couldn’t be happier with how the first half of the novel has gone. I spent a lot of time beforehand plotting out the novel and outlining things. I’m amazed by how closely what’s been written matches what was in my head when first dreaming it all up. It’s the little things that have reared their heads along the way, however, that really make the whole process so exciting.

 Well, onwards to Chapter 15!

Well, after Chapter 12, which took a bloody era to write, Chapter 13 and most of Chapter 14 are done.

 Chapter 14 marks the halfway point of the novel, roughly, and features one of the most dramatic and tone setting scenes. I’m really happy with how things are coming together and after this chapter it’s all downhill to the conclusion of the novel. I can’t believe I’m nearing the hump, the end line is in sight and I just gotta find a way to get there.

But that’s half the fun, right?

I’m still thinking of putting up a new excerpt. Either Chapter 10 or the extended excerpt that some of my friends have read which contains chapters 1-3. Let me know which one you might be more interested in.