The current version of Cold Witness is completed
I finished it yesterday evening. It now totals at 122,922 words, which is ahout a hundred words longer than the previous version--pretty good, seeing as I cut out several full scenes. The extra wordage is composed of a hundred little enhancements to description, characterisation and dialogue I added along the way.
The story now feels finished ... to me, at least. There are no longer any continuity errors that I can find. The dialogue is as realistic as I can make it. I have tried to create a satisfying story-arc for each and every character, and I've made sure that every character contributes to the resolution in as realistic a way as possible. Perhaps most importantly, there are no areas of the book which still feel wrong to me in any way. Writers develop a subtle sense wherein they can read a section of prose and feel that something isn't quite right. In the enthusiasm of a new project, this tiny voice is drowned out by inspiration ... but I like to think I'm treading the healthy middle ground between "detached" and "emotionally involved".
There's something else, too. When I first started writing PCW, it was mostly an experiment to see if I could write anything other than fantasy. But it was more than that. It was an excercise to see if I could create something which accurately reflects a particular set of emotions or ideas that exist in the real world. I wanted to explore the mystery and atmosphere of Orfordness, of Rendlesham Forest, of the whispered rumours which still persist to this day, and on which I founded the story of Project Cold Witness. I wanted to see if I could take that raw material and fashion it into something which satisfies--both as a work of fiction, and as a hypothetical set of answers to those questions which inspired the novel in the first place.
Although I haven't yet received any feedback on this version, I am glad to say that I think I've accomplished that goal. When I read some of the more powerful passages (ie. those strongly based on truth), I can feel the setting and the emotion of the setting. Surely, that must be a good sign.
So. After six long years of writing fantasy novels which quickly lose their fire, I've finally completed a book which has the stuff of dreams and nightmares woven into its very fabric. A wise author once said that you should always write what you love, what inspires you. I've done that, and at every turn, I've embellished my story with real-life experiences, emotions and feelings particular to the setting, and accurate local details. The result is powerful. Not only does it reflect the mind of its author, it also feels right.
I am proud to say that I'm happy with what I've created. Now it just has to withstand the test of other people's opinions--and that, as we know, is where the real challenge lies.
I finished it yesterday evening. It now totals at 122,922 words, which is ahout a hundred words longer than the previous version--pretty good, seeing as I cut out several full scenes. The extra wordage is composed of a hundred little enhancements to description, characterisation and dialogue I added along the way.
The story now feels finished ... to me, at least. There are no longer any continuity errors that I can find. The dialogue is as realistic as I can make it. I have tried to create a satisfying story-arc for each and every character, and I've made sure that every character contributes to the resolution in as realistic a way as possible. Perhaps most importantly, there are no areas of the book which still feel wrong to me in any way. Writers develop a subtle sense wherein they can read a section of prose and feel that something isn't quite right. In the enthusiasm of a new project, this tiny voice is drowned out by inspiration ... but I like to think I'm treading the healthy middle ground between "detached" and "emotionally involved".
There's something else, too. When I first started writing PCW, it was mostly an experiment to see if I could write anything other than fantasy. But it was more than that. It was an excercise to see if I could create something which accurately reflects a particular set of emotions or ideas that exist in the real world. I wanted to explore the mystery and atmosphere of Orfordness, of Rendlesham Forest, of the whispered rumours which still persist to this day, and on which I founded the story of Project Cold Witness. I wanted to see if I could take that raw material and fashion it into something which satisfies--both as a work of fiction, and as a hypothetical set of answers to those questions which inspired the novel in the first place.
Although I haven't yet received any feedback on this version, I am glad to say that I think I've accomplished that goal. When I read some of the more powerful passages (ie. those strongly based on truth), I can feel the setting and the emotion of the setting. Surely, that must be a good sign.
So. After six long years of writing fantasy novels which quickly lose their fire, I've finally completed a book which has the stuff of dreams and nightmares woven into its very fabric. A wise author once said that you should always write what you love, what inspires you. I've done that, and at every turn, I've embellished my story with real-life experiences, emotions and feelings particular to the setting, and accurate local details. The result is powerful. Not only does it reflect the mind of its author, it also feels right.
I am proud to say that I'm happy with what I've created. Now it just has to withstand the test of other people's opinions--and that, as we know, is where the real challenge lies.
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