I’ve written the final part of my manuscript while listening to Bon Jovi. Guess I’m…Livin’ On A Prayer?
At this point, the days have rolled into one and there just aren’t enough hours. My manuscript is finally finished and the word count stands at a respectable 81,000(!) Yet I have a shed load of editing to do, and a difficult decision to make. The choice before me is whether I rush this last part of the project to (almost) meet my self-imposed deadline, or go over that deadline to create a more engaging and polished story.
As this challenge has gone on, my biggest worry has come from not being able to do the story justice. What started as a whimsical project to raise some cash for a great cause has become a labour of, if not love, then something close to it. Coupled with respecting the book’s historical setting, I’ve come to realise I don’t want to screw this up after coming so far. I first began writing to produce something that people want to read, and I hope that by pushing back the deadline a little, I get closer to that goal, and ultimately raise more money for charity in the long run.
Therefore, I’ve decided to dedicate three additional days to do the editing and cover design before publishing this thing. In hindsight, to go from nothing, not even a story outline, to having the rough manuscript completed in two weeks has been an undertaking in itself. Now that I have it in my hands, it feels much more real, and the end is very much in sight.
I’m hoping to post the finished book cover tomorrow, and the book’s blurb the day after. Since the exhausting task of writing page after page is at least done, I’ll be able to post more updates over the coming days, culminating in the final (definitely final) novel very shortly.
Until then, please check out my chosen charity’s website here at: www.alzheimers.org.uk and as always, happy writing!
Before I go any further in this post, I have massively fallen behind on my updates, so I’m wrapping this one into days 6 & 7 – It’s that kind of a project.
At the end of the first week, I have (some would say inevitably) fallen behind by about 10,000 words. So to try and catch up, I’m intending to pull an all-nighter tonight (Tuesday) and then work through the next day until I eventually collapse on Wednesday evening. My current word count stands at 40,000. A mix of personal stuff and re-drafting had slowed things down over the weekend.
On the positive side, I’ve really begun to like some of the characters I’m writing, which is something I was not expecting in a romance novel. Before this, I would have scoffed at such an idea, having wrongly believed the genre was nothing more than two-dimensional mush wrapped up in three-day old bubblegum. More fool me.
There is one character getting under my skin more than the others though, and that is the main antagonist. Somehow I’ve allowed him to morph into a real villainous piece of sh*t. There’s nothing wrong with having an evil villain (in fact it’s the aim, after all) but I do try and set a limit in keeping with the theme of the story, and this guy is pushing it. I’ve known of a few writers whose characters morph in ways they hadn’t originally expected them to, and it’s always been fascinating to me; as their creators, you’d think we could keep to a rigid set of characteristics and stick to them, never deviating from the path. Yet they always seem to creep out the page with a life of their own.
The other thing I have to keep my eye on is the charity element of this book – I’m donating all my royalties to charity, and therefore any organisation associated with this project is probably not going to want it to be too graphic/controversial. On the other end of the scale, I’m a thriller writer who has never censored himself for anything, so there is a large push-pull going on inside my head right now.
Anyone who might have been following my clues in earlier posts may already have got this, but the majority of the book is set against the backdrop of World War One, which is quite fitting considering the awful events currently taking place in Ukraine and threatening to spill across Europe. The nice thing about writing, especially fiction writing, is how it allows you to shut the door on the outside world for a short time and seek solace in one that you can create anew from your own desk.
In portraying events of the Great War, I’ve been careful not to take too many liberties with history, or with the achievements of those who fought on the front lines, struggling against impossible odds on both sides of the conflict. To that end, I put extra research into some of the key events the story follows in order to maintain some authenticity and realism, and I hope the final product will stand as a testament to the sacrifices made by the generation of my grandparents and great-grandparents.
The speck of light at the end of the tunnel is visible in this project. Yet I still have the book’s front cover to start (hopefully by the weekend) and the front & back matter to do as well. There’s just not enough hours in the day…
Another busy day today, this one with more editing to get things slightly closer to the finished product. I can now say with confidence that romance novels are definitely not my thing.
However, some exciting news – today I’m sharing my second draft of chapter one! Be aware that this is not the final article, and events / characters are subject to change.
Spelling and grammar errors are also likely, and the story contains adult themes. Reader discretion is advised.
I don’t think any romance writers out there have got anything to worry about from me, but I’m always grateful for feedback from both readers and fellow writers, especially on a lightning fast project like this where time really isn’t on my side (at least its all for a good cause).
From the chapter’s setting, you’ll probably have a few clues on where this story is going to go. Suffice to say, it’ll have a few twists and turns along the way before everything gets resolved. There’s more to come tomorrow, but for now I hope you enjoy reading the draft.
If you’re brand new to this, the title pretty much describes my situation, but if you want the details, it all began here. I’ve been completely snowed under with the actual writing part of this challenge during the last twenty four hours. For about sixty minutes I just stared at my laptop screen, agonising over four sentences, then blitzed about 3,000 words in an hour and a half. Writing is weird, isn’t it?
So I made the decision to mash these two days together into one update. I’m planning to have the second draft of chapter one posted tomorrow to give a flavour of the story. In the meantime – here’s a progress table;
PLOT
Stuff is generally happening. Right now, the two main characters are about as far apart relationship-wise as they’ll ever be (or close to it). Nefarious deeds are going on in the background and oodles of heartache is on the horizon. I’m hoping to reach a major action scene tomorrow, but if not then it’ll be a day five job.
CHARACTERS
This is one area that is completely done. Both heroes and villains are fully realised with most characters falling somewhere between the two.
THEMES
I’m going to leave this one mostly unsaid from here on out. There is a strong theme that runs through the manuscript on both the male and female side of the relationship (this is a heterosexual love-interest novel). The theme is different for both characters and I’ll let the reader discover what it is for themselves.
BOOK COVER/DESIGN
Pfft. Get out of here. Come back in about nine days for this one.
FRONT & BACK MATTER
See book cover/design
WORD COUNT
This is the big daddy. I can have all the themes and story lines I like, but if it’s not on the page, it’s not a novel. I will be ending the third day with about 15,000 pretty good words. Still not as far as I would have wanted, and it’s (mostly) as close to a first draft as you can get, but it’s a start. Isn’t it?
EDITING
Currently reviewing the second draft of the first chapter. Hope to get as far as the third by end of today. It badly needs it.
On the plus side, I think I’ve got a title, although I’m hovering between two strong potentials and it could go either way.
On the negative side, my coffee machine has broken. For once I am lost for words at this tragedy.
Same as my last update, I’ll end this one with a clue as to the novel’s setting. Gold star to anyone who can guess when/where/what this is;
Visual representation of my current state of mind.
For those reading who might be new to this particular party, I have set myself the goal of writing an entire, full length novel that is of publishing standard in just two weeks. Full details can be found here.
As for my progress on this oh-so-important first day, I’ve created a bit of a table to help visualise the uphill battle I have to get through;
PLOT
From start to finish, the plot is nailed down. Like a boxer going twelve rounds, the details are a little fuzzy. But the outline is solid. This is the bit I’m most excited about because I think the story will be the strongest part of the book.
CHARACTERS
Still ironing them out. Main protagonists are formed and are on the page. Antagonists…not so much. What I am happy about are my male and female leads. I’m doing everything I can to avoid the cookie-cutter tropes and have already got my female protagonist in a God-awful, heartbreaking situation. Will she get out of it? I’m not saying…
THEMES
See plot above. The overall theme is solid. It doesn’t need polishing so much as angle grinding though
BOOK COVER/DESIGN
Pfft. Get out of here. Come back in about ten days for this one.
FRONT & BACK MATTER
See book cover/design
WORD COUNT
This is the big daddy. I can have all the themes and story lines I like, but if it’s not on the page, it’s not a novel. I will be ending the first day with about 5,000 pretty good words. Not as far as I would have wanted, and it’s as close to a first draft as you can get, but it’s a start. Isn’t it?
EDITING
Editing? What’s that?
At the time of writing, it is 9:40 at night and I really want to make another pass of my work before the early hours. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have more details to share and perhaps by day three, have a first draft of a chapter to post up.
On a serious note, the finished book will be available to purchase and I’ll post some links when the day rolls around in just under two weeks. All royalties will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society. I am making no money whatsoever from this endeavour. Link to their website is here if you want to see some of the important work they do.
Thanks very much for reading this. I’ll leave you with a visual clue as to what the setting of my romance novel is;
Can it be done? Will it be any good? We’re about to find out…
Let the romance begin!
Romantic fiction – it’s the single most popular genre of the written word. Yet until recently, I had never knowingly read a single page of it, let alone wrote an entire book. But all that is about to change as I boldly go where many (far greater) authors have gone before. Only, my journey will be the equivalent of sticking your head out of a bullet train’s window at 150mph. And that’s because I’m setting myself a deadline of two weeks to come up with a novel concept, get it written down, and put it to market while avoiding it becoming a gigantic hot mess in the process.
Full disclosure – I’m a crime thriller writer. I write gritty crime fiction. Romance doesn’t come naturally to me (just ask my wife).
So clearly this will go in one of two ways; by the end of these upcoming two weeks, I will either have some of the greatest writing I’ve ever done in my life, or it’ll crash and burn like so many hopes and dreams.
Background
How did this all start? I got the idea when I came across the news that romance fiction is the only genre of literature that actually INCREASES ITS REVENUE in every recession. It did it in 2008 and it did it more recently during the worldwide covid lockdowns. In terms of market share, it is massive.
Having come off the back of completing my debut novel, it’s time for Averon Publishing to get a piece of this pie and make sure the profits all go to something that will do some good. Charities have been hit hard these past couple of years, as have many, many people. The most vulnerable have especially suffered greatly in isolation, and my chosen charity will understand that only too well (full details below).
The Rules
Every challenge needs defined rules, and this one is no different. It’s pretty obvious stuff, but just so there’s no ambiguity, here goes;
The challenge begins 9am (GMT) on Monday 21st February, and will end at 9am (GMT) Monday 7th March. Not a single word can be contributed to the book outside these dates.
The book must be started and completed within the allotted fourteen days. This includes writing, editing, finishing, cover design and publishing in eBook format (paperback may follow depending on popularity). And all of this must be done by one person. Me. Michael Averon.
The novel must be full length (i.e. circa 80,000 words). It must be a standalone and not part of a series. It must have a plot – it can’t simply be word mash-potato (damn, that’s my speciality).
No Plagiarism (duh). Tropes and cliches are allowed (I will certainly be relying on them), but it must be original work with exciting characters and fictional events.
The genre is romance, whether it be modern, historical or literally out of this world. Therefore a significant (read: majority) amount of the plot must be dedicated to the pursuit of lurve. It needs to have an emotional impact and carry a strong, concise message.
The Charity
I will be amazed if this makes any serious money (anything over £10 is serious to me),but regardless, I’ll be donating 100% of all royalties from every sale to Alzheimer’s Society (Link to their website here) for life. They fund vital research into improving care, understanding causes and working towards a cure. I’ll generate monthly sales reports and post each one to this website so that it’s open and transparent into how much is being donated.
This one hits close to home since my grandfather passed away after suffering from dementia for years. It was heartbreaking to see someone who had gotten through the second world war, had created a successful business and raised a family, slowly lose his identity and essentially stop being the granddad I always looked up to.
I know this kind of story is shared by many people all over the world. Right now, families are sacrificing a huge amount to care for a loved one with dementia, and being able to help by even one iota is something that will doubtless give me all the motivation I need to see this project through.
GET INVOLVED!
Without its readers, the greatest novel in the world would be nothing but a bundle of paper (or in this case, bytes on a hard drive). Any and all words of encouragement/ridicule will be very welcome. You can get in touch through the contact page on this site where you can also find my Twitter link (@MichaelAveron).
I’ll be posting daily updates both here and there, so check back to find out how it’s going, and if you have a bit of change to spare, please please please, buy the book when it comes out! (I’ll post some links when the time comes).
Michael Averon 