Trying Out a New Novel Format in Ukraine
The Ukraine is a nation afflicted by war. Head to Donetsk and Luhansk and you have a place where people are murdered on a daily basis. Some of my friends reacted in horror when I told them where I was. But despite the war in the east, Ukraine is still a safe place. I’ve gone to the south and the centre and I’ve not experienced any problems, or even heightened security for that matter.
Right now I’m in Kiev writing this in an apartment building on the main street, about a block away from Independence Square, the scene of the last revolution.
I’m also writing a new novel in a new format.
The New Format
I’d like to see each series as slightly different. My Made in Yorkshire series was the first series. It follows at a leisurely pace, before sparking into life as the brown sticky stuff starts to hit the fan. The War Years series creates a feeling of impending death as bullets whizz past and bombs explode at any opportunity.
Fans of my work can enjoy and fall in love with both of these series, but they’re ultimately targeted at slightly different readers. I create alteration in my work as I change as a writer.
So my new Pomp and Poverty series takes on a different angle still.
There are multiple main characters and it will cover the entirety of the Victorian period. Prior to this series, the biggest period I’d covered between books was five years, and within a book I’d never covered more than a year. Changing of the Guard will cover over twenty years in a single book.
Challenges Hopefully Overcome
The main challenges are keeping the story going and remembering what the hell happened a hundred pages ago. It presented a challenge for both my storytelling skills and my memory. I frequently had to check back to remember what I’d done.
That’s why I’m thankful I was staying in such inspiring locations during the writing of this.
The bulk of Changing of the Guard was written in Istanbul, Turkey, with the finish coming in Bucharest, Romania.
Right now I’m using the lessons I’ve learned to complete the currently untitled second book of the Pomp and Poverty series. In Kiev I’m getting a lot of work done and I hope to finish this book by the time I return to Germany next month.
I’m finding writing in this way far easier to deal with, so I hope I will only get better in time.
If you have any thoughts on Changing of the Guard on November 30th, or any of my other books, drop me an email. I answer all of them personally.
Until next time…
James Farner
Right now I’m in Kiev writing this in an apartment building on the main street, about a block away from Independence Square, the scene of the last revolution.
I’m also writing a new novel in a new format.
The New Format
In Kiev grey is the new black
I’d like to see each series as slightly different. My Made in Yorkshire series was the first series. It follows at a leisurely pace, before sparking into life as the brown sticky stuff starts to hit the fan. The War Years series creates a feeling of impending death as bullets whizz past and bombs explode at any opportunity.
Fans of my work can enjoy and fall in love with both of these series, but they’re ultimately targeted at slightly different readers. I create alteration in my work as I change as a writer.
So my new Pomp and Poverty series takes on a different angle still.
There are multiple main characters and it will cover the entirety of the Victorian period. Prior to this series, the biggest period I’d covered between books was five years, and within a book I’d never covered more than a year. Changing of the Guard will cover over twenty years in a single book.
Challenges Hopefully Overcome
The main challenges are keeping the story going and remembering what the hell happened a hundred pages ago. It presented a challenge for both my storytelling skills and my memory. I frequently had to check back to remember what I’d done.
That’s why I’m thankful I was staying in such inspiring locations during the writing of this.
The bulk of Changing of the Guard was written in Istanbul, Turkey, with the finish coming in Bucharest, Romania.
Right now I’m using the lessons I’ve learned to complete the currently untitled second book of the Pomp and Poverty series. In Kiev I’m getting a lot of work done and I hope to finish this book by the time I return to Germany next month.
I’m finding writing in this way far easier to deal with, so I hope I will only get better in time.
If you have any thoughts on Changing of the Guard on November 30th, or any of my other books, drop me an email. I answer all of them personally.
Until next time…
James Farner
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