Indie Book Club discussion

This seems to have been on the backburner for ages, but I've finally started Kingdom Asunder.

It's the first part of a trilogy, set in the same world as Bane of Souls and Journey to Altmortis, but with an entirely new cast. It takes place in Denland, and covers the civil war there (the events of Kingdom Asunder overlap, time-wise, with Bane of Souls).

I'm finding it a bit tricky to get into it. It's probably been about a year and a half since I started a first draft of a 'serious' fantasy, but I'm getting there.

Ahem, been a bit rubbish updating this thread.

Because of reasons that are strange and mysterious (well, I've also been writing short stories and Sir Edric's Treasure) I haven't made as much progress with this as I'd planned.

However, I'm still about 2/3 or 3/4 into the first draft. I don't think it'll be out this year, although that's not impossible. On the plus side, I do hope Treasure will be (as well as some short stories) and that Kingdom Asunder will be prepped and ready for launch pretty shortly thereafter.

At this stage there will need to be some editing, probably axing some secondary characters, adding more for the primaries, and smoothing continuity. At the moment, I don't think I've made a major faux pas (touch wood).

Completed the first draft of this the other day. Lots of redrafting to do near the start, and some general improvement needed throughout, but the broad thrust seems fine. I'll also be cutting a subplot (there are several) which is not merely unnecessary but seem to clutter rather than augment the storyline.

My immediate work on this, though, is trying to get the maps going. Got a good-sized functional map I've been using as I write, but it's pretty basic to look at.

Just given the first two chapters a once over. First is more or less ok but will need many minor changes. I'm going to have to cut the second in two and rewrite the start, I think. A few nice moments but generally doesn't cut it.

Expected that, to be honest. Big changes re nicer than small ones, often. Less fiddly and you get to write more new stuff.

This is true.

Doing another redraft, focusing on trying to improve the quality of the language. Important to try and make a book easy and enjoyable to read.

After this, I'll probably try and hunt down some beta readers.

Ahem. That was interesting.

Just shipped off Ch1 to some beta readers. One absolutely loved it. Another wrote a tidal wave of red ink.

In the past I've had the same line (in Sir Edric's Temple) get praised as laugh-out-loud funny and considered the worst joke so far, but I think this is the first time I've had a whole chapter totally polarise opinion.

Right. So, all I need to do is keep it exactly the same and change everything. Quantum mechanics to the rescue!

Lol. That's one of the difficulties with humour. What one finds funny another won't. Although now I think about it that's true of anything.

True, but a joke that's unfunny is as awful as unwittingly hilarious tragedy. It's a special sort of failure.

For various reasons progress has been slower than I'd hoped with Kingdom Asunder. Worth saying that's partly because I've been making more progress with other stuff (Sir Edric's second and third adventures are well on the way).

Hard to think of an ETA right now. It is mostly done, but I have other commitments too so I can't just throw all my time/effort on this.