Blog Update: November 13, 2020, by Jerry W Martin
Triangulum: Earth on Fire is now a complete first draft. Earth on Fire continues where Battle for Earth ends. Emma and Jerry face catastrophic events that affect them personally as old hatreds and the desire for global conquest spring up as World War III ignites. Earth on Fire is much more than a global war. Jerry’s brother gets into a legal issue that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Politics in WSOC, the World Security Organization Commission, goes against Emma.
Part of my process, when writing a book, is to make a couple of passes through after the story is written. As a first draft, the story is complete with several stories within the book to give the novel more depth. Overall, the storyline for Earth on Fire takes global tenses from around the world and expounds upon them.
In the second draft, I make sure that all of the storylines have continuity. You may ask yourself what does that really mean? An example is to be sure a character’s name is spelled the same throughout the novel. A more difficult facet of continuity is the timeline. If events don’t flow in a consistent sequence along the timeline it becomes confusing for a reader. If Joe dies in chapter 5 but is seen again in chapter 8, the timeline is off. There are times a character will flashback in a dream or recall a memory of a person. That is much different than having scenes out of sequence.
Imagery of the scene is important. Too much can bore the reader where too little isn’t enough for the reader to use their imagination. Conveying feelings characters experiences during a scene is just as important as the setting of the scene. Before my editor is engaged in the process, I try to alleviate as many issues as possible.
When I worked as a journalist for a college newspaper, our managing editor told us almost weekly that writers write and editors edit. He followed that statement with, “So get your work in early.” He added several descriptive words that I don’t feel the need to share. His message sticks with me echoing through my head every time I rewrite a draft. If you are a writer or want to become one, his message may help you.
Visit www.authorjwmartin.com for more blog posts, books, music and more. Watch for my next blog “Soaring High.”
Triangulum: Earth on Fire is now a complete first draft. Earth on Fire continues where Battle for Earth ends. Emma and Jerry face catastrophic events that affect them personally as old hatreds and the desire for global conquest spring up as World War III ignites. Earth on Fire is much more than a global war. Jerry’s brother gets into a legal issue that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Politics in WSOC, the World Security Organization Commission, goes against Emma.
Part of my process, when writing a book, is to make a couple of passes through after the story is written. As a first draft, the story is complete with several stories within the book to give the novel more depth. Overall, the storyline for Earth on Fire takes global tenses from around the world and expounds upon them.
In the second draft, I make sure that all of the storylines have continuity. You may ask yourself what does that really mean? An example is to be sure a character’s name is spelled the same throughout the novel. A more difficult facet of continuity is the timeline. If events don’t flow in a consistent sequence along the timeline it becomes confusing for a reader. If Joe dies in chapter 5 but is seen again in chapter 8, the timeline is off. There are times a character will flashback in a dream or recall a memory of a person. That is much different than having scenes out of sequence.
Imagery of the scene is important. Too much can bore the reader where too little isn’t enough for the reader to use their imagination. Conveying feelings characters experiences during a scene is just as important as the setting of the scene. Before my editor is engaged in the process, I try to alleviate as many issues as possible.
When I worked as a journalist for a college newspaper, our managing editor told us almost weekly that writers write and editors edit. He followed that statement with, “So get your work in early.” He added several descriptive words that I don’t feel the need to share. His message sticks with me echoing through my head every time I rewrite a draft. If you are a writer or want to become one, his message may help you.
Visit www.authorjwmartin.com for more blog posts, books, music and more. Watch for my next blog “Soaring High.”
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