REACH Folder

Some of you know that a long time ago (coming up on 8 years—wow!) I was given the opportunity to write HALO: THE FALL OF REACH.

I had seven weeks to write this 100,000 word novel.

It wasn’t a cold start. Eric Trautmann and I had cobbled together a 10-page chapter-by-chapter outline, so I knew where I was headed. But still, that was a stretch for me.

Honestly, I don’t remember how I did it. I was working full time getting ready for the release of the first XBOX, so I had to cram in all that writing before and after work hours.

(Kudos to Trautmann because he was my long suffering editor and had to put up with endless typos and “creative” grammar. Kudos to Syne...who doesn’t talk much about that time, either. She kept me fed and probably put up with some pretty bad writer-ly behavior...)

Anyway, like I said, I don’t remember that time (and no, I wasn’t on drugs (other than caffeine)). It’s a black spot in my memory. But today I was nosing around in the FALL OF REACH files on my hard drive and I saw a file folder named: “GOD JUST LET THIS END.”

That made me smile. :)

Why Most “New” Novelists are 30

The most excellent writer, John Scalzi, explains this better than I ever could over on his blog post: Why New Novelists are kind of old. (btw, buy all his books; they’re wonderful.)

I agree with everything he says.

My experience was similar...with a few differences.

I started writing when I was 27. The first thing I wrote (after one back up to get a better running start) was, indeed, published. Age when it was published: 30.

Not to say that my writing hasn’t had its ups and downs since then. Oh boy, that’s that the subject for another eye-popping post (or one that I might save for my never-to-be published biography and exposé on the video gaming industry).

There are many exceptions to what Sclazi is saying, too. Stephen King was 24 when he wrote Carrie, and Christopher Paolini was 14 or 15 when he wrote Eragon. If you’re an aspiring writer, I hope you’re one of these lucky (and extremely hard working people!). But the vast majority of writers follow the it-takes-years-of-hard-work-and-rejection-and you’ll-be-middle-aged-by-the-time-you-break-into-print method.

The point is: it is harder and takes longer than most people think to write, write well, and get published.

This is normal.

Don’t be discouraged. Take heart. Just keep your head down and write and learn how to improve your writing along the way.

If it were easy, everyone would get published...and then there’d be more competition!

New Manuscript In

I just e-mailed the manuscript of ALL THAT LIVES MUST DIE to my editor at TOR (this book is the sequel to MORTAL COILS for all those that have asked if this is a HALO novel).

The manuscript is a 10% longer than the first book in the series ~ 220,000 words. Printed out in Courier font and double spaced, that’s a stack of 1100+ pages. Thanks goodness for Kinko’s/FedEx online printing where you can upload a file and have them effortless print it for you!

While I’m waiting to get feedback, I’ve got half a dozen new writing projects to tackle...including one very special novella.

I Want to Write a HALO Novel

You wouldn’t believe how many emails I get every week from people asking how to get their own HALO novel (or one they plan to write) published.

Usually I carefully explain the facts and let them down easy, but this time a young man has sent me emails—with increasing tones of desperation—with a return email address that my bounces my replies. So I’ll explain it here, and hopefully he will see this (or at least, I can point future queries to this post (despite the fact it’s already in my FAQ)).

D.S. writes (paraphrased):

“I would like to propose a sequal to Ghosts of Onyx. I have written the first chapter. I would like a response from you soon. I do understand copywright laws protecting your works.”

And then in a follow up email (more paraphrasing...):

“I would like to get into contact with Bungie to get it approved so that i wont get sued. I couldnt think of any other person who would be able to help me with this except for you. I really admire your work and expertise. Please help me.”

Most of these requests come from freshmen in high school (some even younger) who are trying to do the right thing and figure how to write and get published. If you comment here, I ask that you be very polite.

Okay. So let’s take this item by item.

First, I don’t have time to help anyone write a novel. I have a family, a full-time job, and several writing projects of my own already under contract. This leaves me zero free time to work with anyone else.

I try to dispense what little writing advice I have time and energy for on my blog. There’s a search field at the top of the blog page. Also every entry is “tagged” so if you see a blog with the label “writing advice” or “writing business” you can click on that tag and get a list of every blog entry on those subjects.

Second, for every HALO novel published so far, either Bungie or Microsoft’s Licensing team has approached established professional writers of their choosing for the project. It is unlikely that an unproven writer would be considered.

Microsoft also has to pick the right story that supports (or at least does not interfere with) any potential future HALO project they might be working on (and note, I’m not confirming or denying that they are!).

If you still want to try to get your novel published, I suggest contacting Microsoft’s current HALO publisher, TOR books. Please look over their FAQ for their submission guidelines.

Again the odds are long because it’s usually Microsoft who contacts TOR to find an author—not the other way around...but you never know.

Third, the young man in question is correct to seek clarification on this process and the copyright issues. You cannot publish a HALO novel without permission from the copyright holder (Microsoft in this case). Doing so is a violation of copyright law and Microsoft will vigorously protect its intellectual property. (I’m talking about published works—not fan fiction. Fan fic is a hotly debated legal quagmire that I’m NOT getting into here).

Last point: It’s gratifying that so many people like the HALO novels and want to try to write their own. It’s natural for beginning writers to imitate either the style or setting of works they like. It’s a good way to learn. I started out imitating Roger Zelazny (although not as good).

Don’t be discouraged, D.S. Just write. Learn. Make your own stories!

Good Luck.

Mortal Coils Re-Read

I finished re-reading MORTAL COILS this morning. It’s always a dangerous thing to re-read your stuff. You can never be entirely objective—or free of self-loathing.

I still like it, though.

Oh sure, I see all the flaws and cracks, but it holds together, and it’s still the kind of book I wish I had when I started reading fantasy. I also get to see all the things I’m setting up for the next book and the rest of the series...which is fun, too.

Note To Self: Next time do not listen to the audio book version of LORD OF LIGHT by Roger Zelazny on the commute to work while doing this. Comparison to this awesome 1968 Hugo-winning work is never an ego-enhancing thing.

Now onto the final edit pass of ALL THAT LIVES MUST DIE to see how it all fits together!

Free Comic Book Day Pics

A few pics from last week’s Free Comic Book Day event at Olympic Cards and Comics.

Brandon Jerwa (left), Me (center), and Eric Trautmann (right) planning world domination using their free online comic WIDE AWAKE! (The guy in the foreground has a blue spider brain control device and is doing Brandon’s evil bidding).

Me getting ready to man the tables. Note the huge awesomeness in the background which is only a tiny fraction Olympic C and C (one of the best and biggest comic stores I’ve ever been in).


Another shot of the store—full to the rafters with pure awesomeness.



And then there’s this.... I just never seem to get out of that store without something following me home. This spoke to my inner Buck Rogers.



Thanks to Eric T. and Gabi for hosting. Super thanks to Syne (pictured), for taking these pictures and for being wife extraordinaire.

Not pictured (because he just moves too darned fast) was Joshua Ortega and his clan.

Back to editing All that Lives Must Die. 90 chapters + prologue.

Saturday – Free Comic Book Day

Everyone should go out tomorrow and get FREE comics. Really—why wouldn’t you?

I’ll be at Olympic Cards and Comics in Lacy WA, hanging out from noon to...sometime later in the afternoon. Stop by and say hi and get something signed.

I NEVER go out and do signings these days (the subject of another blog post, I assure you). So this might be your one and only chance for a while.

Also at OCC will be comic-literatis Joshua Ortega, Brandon Jerwa, and Eric Trautmann.

The pic (above) is for the limited-edition posters -- 13 inches by 19 inches on 100lb aqueous stock -- ($10.00 at OCC) that Eric T. and Brandon will happily sign for you. It’s for their amazingly awesome about-to-be-released online comic WIDE AWAKE.

(I’ve seen previews—it is very cool.)

Even if you can’t make it to Lacy—make sure and go out and get your Free stuff!

Enjoy.

Live/Dies Draft Done

This morning I finished the rough draft of All That Lives Must Die (the next book in the Mortal Coils Series).

*Enormous sigh of relief*

I’m a bit overwhelmed by this entire thing. It is the biggest book I have ever written. Together with Mortal Coils, it’s more words about these characters than I have ever written about anything (easily surpassing all my HALO books combined).

And yet, I am strangely dawn to keep writing more. The end of what I’ve projected to be a five-book arc has almost a gravitational hold on me—it’s hard to explain.

Oh well, time to retrench and get my head back on straight. I have two months to edit and polish this thing before I turn it in.

More soon.

Quick Mid April Update

I’ve been focused on getting the draft for the next Mortal Coils book (All That Lives Must Die) done by the end of this month. I’m on track to do that—working on the very last chapter. Hurray!

NOTE: Syne just read the seventh section (out of eight) last night. These are the climax chapters where the plot threads pull together and resolve. I was worried it wouldn’t work or be satisfying. Syne gave it the “thumbs up.” Whew. Btw, Syne is no pushover of a first reader; she can rip a story to shreds if something’s wrong.

(No pressure. Just 200,000+ words all riding on those few critical moments!)

The finished manuscript is due at the end of June, which gives me two months to edit and polish. I edit my “draft” as I go, so it’s close to finished. Still, even minor changes mean a lot of work when magnified by a lengthy manuscript like this.

A few other news tidbits:

1) I had to turn down a peach of a writing assignment a few days ago. It would have been due at the end of June as well, and although I could have gotten it done, the quality of All That Lives Must Die as well as the new project would have suffered, and I couldn’t let that happen.

2) I’ll be at Olympic Cards and Comics for Free Comic Book Day (Saturday May 2nd). More on the specific times soon.

3) Got sick for a few days and ignored email. I’ll catch up. Promise.

4) It’s Spring in North Bend, Washington. Almost all the snow has melted!

New Keyboard

I confess I have this thing for keyboards. I’m always looking for a better one, and I’m never perfectly satisfied.

For many years I’ve been working on a Deck Legend (red), and it’s worked out great.

A good keyboard for me has to have:

1) Quality. I pound on my keyboards. They have to hold up.
2) Non-ergonomic design. I’m a mutant (or my bones are permanently warped) but using an ergonomic keyboard makes my hands and arms ache after 10 minutes of use. I need a plain, old-fashioned QWERTY rectangular setup.
3) Good action (please no snarky comments here). Keys have to travel well, feel solid, and not wobble. I like a good “clack” sound, too—which eliminates most membrane or “chiklet” or Apple-type keyboards.
4) Illuminated. Over the years my office has grown dimmer, by design. I like the feel of subdued lighting when I write. Add to this the glare from my dual monitor setup and I find that without a lit keyboard I can’t see anything.

You might’ve guessed from all this, I found a replacement to my trusty Deck Legend: The Logitech Illuminated.

The DECK’s red LEDs were never powerful enough to quite overcome the light from my monitors. The Logitech has beautiful, brilliant white LEDs.

The most amazing thing about this new keyboard is it’s practically two-dimensionally flat! Only 9 mm thick. Set on my black-stained lacquered desk it looks like the keys are embedded into the surface. This flatness somehow makes typing more comfortable for me.

The key action has taken little getting used to. They don’t make an audible “clack” like the DECK, rather than use a Scissor-type switch which has a nice non-mushy, but different feel to it.

Overall I rate it 8.5 out of 10.

Only two things are missing. First, it’s not wireless—probably impossible to drive all those LEDs and still be wireless without sucking down the batteries. Second, because it is so flat it has no USB ports like many modern keyboards do.

But it’s darn close to being perfect.

Syne suggested I sign my old DECK and put it up on eBay. Anyone want the keyboard that wrote HALO: GHOSTS OF ONYX? No? No takers?