I like challenging myself when I write a book but the few chapters near the end of the Expendable Few that I've been working on for two months were an unexpected difficulty. Put simply, I needed something original in place of an event that was originally handled in a very standard way. After the original writing of those chapters I realized that you could take scenes from many science fiction television shows or chapters out of many books and substitute the writing I'd done without any real notice.
So, I tasked myself with executing a scene about boarding a ship and discovering something in a way that I'd never seen before. I had no idea how, but after trying a few things and finally writing the chapters out, I can say that I have something exciting and experimental.
The downsides to that are numerous. The story has been twisted around and irrevocably changed. That's working out to be a good thing now, but it looked pretty dark for a while. The other big downside is that it took a lot longer to do - two months by my estimation.
The good news is that my editors are going to be seeing new chapters this week. I'll be handing in the last chapters as they come out. We're back on track.
Expendable Few many not have grown from it's expected size, but it's a much more worthwhile book than it would have been if I had followed my initial plan.
In other news...
The formatting house we hired to work on Spinward Fringe Origins has finished their first pass, and we're reviewing their work, checking for errors. An updated version of the book should be out soon, and the long awaited printed version won't be far behind. That means there will be signed copies in the store in time for Christmas orders.
The editing work on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments is going well, and we're looking at having that back up on Amazon by the end of November.
Someone from the TV industry has started poking around making inquiries about turning Spinward Fringe into a proper series. Don't get excited, it doesn't look like this person has the juice to get the series into serious talks, but it's something. Just so everyone is clear, Spinward Fringe hasn't been optioned for TV, film, or any other media.
I'll be working on finishing Broadcast 7 as soon as Expendable Few is complete.
I'm sure there will be more news soon, so check back often.
RL
14 comments:
wow, it is great to hear the news.
I'm eagerly awaiting the release of broadcast 6, 7, and expendables, but I am also excited that you are taking your time to make them even better for us!!
Thank you!
to A.M. broadcast 6 is available on smash words.
that's excellent news!!! I'm impatiently waiting !!
I would love to see (and learn from) the process of your experimentation, but I recognize that for you to do so would take time and energy from your true work. I look forward to seeing the finished project.
Let's hope the TV folks sniffing around know someone with the money and the power to move the concept forward. That would be very interesting...
@Ryuuhei.d.chiba
I thought the reviewed version had not come out yet anywhere... I'll check it out, thanks!
Randolph I thought u were moving to word press what happened
The move to Word Press has just been delayed. We're just making sure nothing gets lost in transition and things happen smoothly at a practical time.
It's not the biggest priority, to be honest, so it'll happen at the best time.
Just finished reading your Origins book and can safely say you have a new fan!
Excellent work and I am glad you made Origins free so that readers like me can discover an excellent series to read.
Looking forward to reading the rest.
whilst reading the Spinward series I often envisioned in my minds' eye a Spinworld on screen. Would be awesome to see someone with clout realise that vision someday....hmmm but who would play Valance?
A tv show would be very cool, but I think an animated show could also work. Ever think about who you'd like to cast for each character?
Hey Andrew,
Animated series are often far more expensive and time consuming than live action series, so it's more likely that - if a series does happen - it'll be shot on sets and against green screen.
There is a popular thread on the forums discussing casting, which has been great fun, and I've weighed in on a few characters myself. You can find it here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/486894-casting-call-who-would-play-spinward-fringe-characters
Thanks for commenting, everyone!
RL
I started "Fringe" with the free Kindle Origins, immediately purchased the remaining Broadcasts 2 through 6. I've been waiting for Broadcast 7 for about four months now...Please?
Hmm, I find that surprising that it costs more. If a show ever does get the green light, I hope it runs during the summer instead of trying to compete with the big shows in fall through spring. Stargate was pretty successful doing so until Universe.
I was wondering if you had ever played the game series Escape Velocity, in particular Escape Velocity Nova? If not, I highly recommend it. Graphics are pretty dated but the gameplay and combat is pretty fun. Sins of a Solar Empire is also great. Both have very cool ship designs.
Have a good weekend.
I remember seeing something about Escape Velocity a long time ago, never played though. I'm afraid I play one game at a time these days, I don't have much time these days. The next game I'm playing in my off time is Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The guild page is: www.freegroundnation.com
RL
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