Steve Nagy's Blog: Unfamiliar Things
June 30, 2021
Reminders
I just finished reading the first book in the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan today, and my takeaway from the experience -- besides enjoying a visit with characters I've know for decades -- is how this first book is a reminder that you can't wait for something to happen to you, that you have to take action if you want change.
The Eye of the World came out in 1990 and Jordan passed away before he finished the epic series. Readers were fortunate enough that his estate found someone who could pick up where he left off and complete the story, albeit with a more expansive conclusion than we probably would have received if Jordan had finished the work himself. Now, that isn't a complaint. Unlike some readers of the WoT, I believe more is better. The first book stands on its own as it sets the foundation for what will happen, but it's fairly easy to appreciate the subtlety Jordan employed with some of his set pieces. Specifically the role played by Logain as an example of what could/would happen to Rand al'Thor as he comes into his powers. Here, Logain is just a warning; later, he is a character with a broader role to play. That kind of detail takes planning and confidence to pull off, because you can't easily retcon him to importance if it wasn't already there in the back story.
The point being that you need to sit down and just write and write and write, establish those connections in a rough draft, solidify them in follow-ups, and keep in mind that every action presented to the reader should serve a purpose.
I'm going to keep up with reading the WoT again and do my best to finish it before the year ends, as I need its existence as a completed work to inspire me to finish the work I'm going to start tomorrow as 2021 starts its second half. My stories aren't going to do anyone any good if they're just in my head or in snippets on my laptop. I've titled this blog Unfamiliar Things because I want to make people familiar with my work. And since the working title of the novel in progress will be Familiar for several legitimate, non-meta reasons I can't think of a better blog title.
Robert Jordan
The Eye of the World came out in 1990 and Jordan passed away before he finished the epic series. Readers were fortunate enough that his estate found someone who could pick up where he left off and complete the story, albeit with a more expansive conclusion than we probably would have received if Jordan had finished the work himself. Now, that isn't a complaint. Unlike some readers of the WoT, I believe more is better. The first book stands on its own as it sets the foundation for what will happen, but it's fairly easy to appreciate the subtlety Jordan employed with some of his set pieces. Specifically the role played by Logain as an example of what could/would happen to Rand al'Thor as he comes into his powers. Here, Logain is just a warning; later, he is a character with a broader role to play. That kind of detail takes planning and confidence to pull off, because you can't easily retcon him to importance if it wasn't already there in the back story.
The point being that you need to sit down and just write and write and write, establish those connections in a rough draft, solidify them in follow-ups, and keep in mind that every action presented to the reader should serve a purpose.
I'm going to keep up with reading the WoT again and do my best to finish it before the year ends, as I need its existence as a completed work to inspire me to finish the work I'm going to start tomorrow as 2021 starts its second half. My stories aren't going to do anyone any good if they're just in my head or in snippets on my laptop. I've titled this blog Unfamiliar Things because I want to make people familiar with my work. And since the working title of the novel in progress will be Familiar for several legitimate, non-meta reasons I can't think of a better blog title.
Robert Jordan
