Line War.

Okay, enough of the ranting and back to some writerly stuff. I’ve been wracking my brains with Line War looking for a satisfactory conclusion. Every story, every novel, should, in my opinion adhere to the beginning>middle>end structure (the beginning, the middle, where tension escalates, the end or resolution phase, which consists of a climax which resolves the tension). This is not always an easy thing to do and, to be frank, I’m not entirely sure I’ve managed with every one of my books – probably because I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer who has never really planned any book nor stuck a post-it note anywhere near my screen. And things get even more difficult when, really, every series should adhere to this structure as well. One of the things I’ve been working hard to avoid is that good old deus ex machina, which has been the downfall of a few space opera series in recent years. It is a difficult option to avoid because it’s such an easy option to take, especially if you’ve written yourself into a corner by making your villains too powerful (ulp!). I also think it’s a cop-out and betrayal of your readership. Now I’m beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel (though it may be a train) and I should be able to bring the Cormac series to an end without lowering Zeus onto the stage from the clouds. Line War just cleared 60,000 words yesterday and I’ve realised I must keep myself utterly focused on it to achieve the above aims. Seven-day working week from now on.

8 thoughts on “Line War.

  1. mmmm 60,000 wordalicious… *drool*

    i expect you'll do fine. what with the adhering to your own sense of quality in all you do and such. 8)

    i look forward to the final product. 8)

  2. Hi Neal, do you print out your drafts and rewrite from copy or do you work just from the screen? I'm thinking about working from the screen only but I also need something to work on away from the computer.

    I know what you mean about "the hand of God" thingy. I recall years ago when I was submitting short stories I can't recall the market but I recall the story when Orson Scott Card scribbled a note on the rejection letter saying too much Deus Machina. It was only recently I discovered what that means. Doh!

  3. Can't wait Neal! I will admit I haven't started Polity Agent yet because my reading list is very long (thanks to my dad's constant shipments of books); however, I'm about 100 pages into Voyage of the Sable Keech and so far it has not disappointed.

    I'm curious if a series of books on the 'Quiet War' is a possibility for the future?

    As for 60,000 words… I know the publishers have their opinions but does it really matter as long as the story is a damn good yarn?

  4. Good luck Neal.

    By the way, I came across a reference to the word "polity" — the definition was a government run by the people irrespective of class, as opposed to "democracy" — government run by the poorer classes.

    This was in Kitto's "The Greeks".

    I've only read "Brass Man" but does this reflect your opinion of the Polity in your works?

  5. As long as the ending is a satisfying and believable conclusion to the story I'm usually happy 🙂

    As long as some super hyper invincible nuclear monkey warrior from the end of the universe doesn't turn up to tie up the loose ends all should be fine 😉

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