Secret #2
A few of the Squires have asked me about the overall continuity of AMOD - where it fits in with my first two books, do they need to read the first two books beforehand, and why are you laughing quietly in the corner? Are you crying?-- they ask.
The short answer is NO! I write episodic fiction - each adventure is designed to be enjoyed on its own merits, the reader is supplied with the information and equipment they need. To me, feeling the strange history of characters extending off into the ether only adds to the enjoyment - and you don't really need to know much about what happened last week, when Rime is frying half-ghost pirates with lightning bolts, now do you?
But - and of course there is a quibble - there is a longer answer. And a longer story, one quietly being told in the shadows of each adventure du jour. I wrote a blog post about it a few months ago - thought I'd share it here for all the new followers who are just now realizing the strange and absurd predicament they have inserted themselves into.
Continuity - spell-sword.com - 11/19/14
I get asked this question a lot: How many books are there in the Spell/Sword series?
Well, not a lot. Eleven times, tops.
People ask because they want to know what they’re getting into, I suppose. Or just figure out how many years they have to deal with me explaining my fiction with wild-eyed elan. On the site so far I have three titles listed: Spell/Sword, The Riddle Box [PREORDER IT OH MY GOD PLEASE IT COMES OUT ON THE 26th], and Asteroid Made of Dragons. These are reasonably set in stone – first one is out, second one next week, and I reference the title of the third book IN the second book so those are visible within the Narrative Fog of War. But, as I’ve always said – this is not epic fantasy, I’m not writing a trilogy. The story doesn’t end in the next book ( though you can safely consider AMOD as the end of an arc, or more correctly, the end of Disc One).
So, how many books will there be?
I should really only ask rhetorical questions that I know the answer to.
More than three, obviously? Seven seems like too many, but five might not be enough. BUT who writes a six book series?!? Is that a hexology? Wait, that kind of sounds badass, maybe it will be six books.
See, you would think I’m in charge of these things. But I’m kind of not. I know the tale I’m telling, I know the end. But the path to get there — there’s still plenty of shadows and fog, which is the way I like it. I’m a ‘pantser’, a ‘discovery writer’. I ‘don’t know what I’m doing’. I don’t know what I’m doing. Is there anything more wonderful or grand than that statement? I just point my antenna towards Aufero and pick up the broadcast and try to type fast enough to keep up with it — at least for the rough draft. Part of me wants there to be 10 books, because the last one is so sad.
Let’s pretend. Let’s pretend there are going to be ten books. Here’s what they will/could be.
* There will be a year ‘in-world’ gap between the events of AMOD and Paper-Thin Harry Potter Parody
** I think this is the one where they get Bird!
Shit, maybe I will write 10 books. I need to hurry up and become famous so I can write these faster and stop wasting time ‘feeding and clothing’ myself.
[Hope that obfuscated the matter completely! Thanks for the support as always. Squires, you have kitchen duty tonight - Wild Mages please stop making it rain jelly beans inside the men's lavatory, I slipped on a pile of Green Apple and sprained my ankle.]
The Milestone of May, or Where Projects May Fail
I set out at the start of 2015 to plan and write a book, so when I heard of the Sword & Laser Contest, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Preparation of the story elements was already underway, but writing was not projected to start until May 1st. I needed to do something. The contest stared me in the face, and the chance was too good to disregard.
Feverishly, I took the material I had, assembled a project page, and produced a plan for the campaign. I would accelerate the first few chapters and develop them concurrently with the summaries. I would advertise through social media, seek out local help, attempt to generate publicity, and build word of mouth.
Since then, I have dedicated my life to the project. If you are reading this, you likely know. When I'm not at work or with my son, I'm either writing or campaigning, and my wife, who has supported me all the way, rarely sees my face. I have pushed myself, listened to feedback, and revised my work over and over. I am confident in the product and overwhelmingly proud every follower and every pre-order, but despite the incredible support shown to me, at this moment, I don't believe it will be enough.
I hoped by diversifying the campaign into multiple channels, one would catch. Advertising generated likes and mentions but did not convert. Local support fell through. I failed to find sources of publicity. And the word of mouth, though minimally successful, was not enough to keep the project in the top five. The flames were stoked, but the fire would not burn brightly.
What does it mean?
I am unable to muster any publicity in May while I maintain my writing schedule. It falls to you, the reader to spread the word. Read chapters one and two. Do you like them? Would you like to see more? Could you get a friend or family member to pre-order? Don't like what you see? Have questions or thoughts? Send me feedback at joe.terzieva@gmail.com. I require your input to ensure the final product is of the highest quality. It is still possible that we can build a groundswell and earn a position in the top five, but I need your strong involvement to make it possible. Trust me when I say, I've explored and exploited every lead I know and I need your help to extend to a wider audience.
What happens if we miss the first milestone?
If we don't end in the top five at the end of May, the goal shifts to the final milestone for funding July 15th. We will need one-thousand total pre-orders by that date. This goal will require some serious public chatter, so if milestone one looks beyond reach, I will dedicate all campaign effort to find blogs, podcasts, anything that can spread the word. If the word gets out, and the work is high enough quality, it will catch, and we'll get our numbers.
What happens if we fail?
We don't fail. The project was a success the day it started. The incredible support, the lessons learned, it is all indisputably the greatest reward I could receive. The writing schedule remains unchanged. The book will be written, but it will be edited and finalized out of pocket, rather than with the support of Inkshares. The final product, from a production and a distribution standpoint, will suffer, but the story will not change. I will determine the platform and method of delivery and you will read a tale you will not forget.
Please, check out the chapters and spread the word. Only with your help will this succeed.
Hello, everyone!
Here is a quick note. If you would like to know when updated draft documents are available, follow @joeterzieva on Twitter. You can expect to find chapter two revisions in the Kindle document, but they need more work. I will take another pass at them soon, and if you follow me, you will be the first to read them.
You know what works. Yellow is back!
Weekly Update and Production Schedule
Let's start with a PSA. Did you know there are additional ways to help me reach my goal and they won't cost you any money? Log into Inkshares. You may already have credits. With credits, you can buy additional copies of my book for free! The contest ranks books on total pre-orders sold, so every order is incredibly important. If every person who pre-ordered used their credits I would be back in the top 5 right now!
Visit my project page (https://www.inkshares.com/projects/lost-generation) and share my project on Facebook, Twitter, or via E-mail. Every person you refer who buys a book will give you $15 credit. That's money you can use to buy more books!
Weekly Update
Hello, everyone! Why don't you go look at yourself in the mirror? It's alright. I will wait. Did you do it? What did you see? I can tell you what I saw, an amazing person who put their money on the line to help me realize a dream. I hope you feel excellent knowing that you could have done anything with that money, but instead you chose to help me out. You are great.
If you are one of the people who used their credits to buy additional books. Thank you so much. You have helped me reach ever closer to my goal.
I'll be honest with you, at the start of this week I felt quite down. Lost Generation crushed April, sitting pretty in the 3rd spot. Since then I have been knocked into 6th position and struggled to move back to the top five.
It is challenging to be so close to your goal, yet so far away, but thanks to some new additions and a generous infusion of credits by the Inkshares team, some ground was recovered.
Slowly the gap is closing and with your help the project will be a tremendous success. Keep spreading the word, sharing, reading, and using those credits if you have them.
Feedback
As I move forward, your feedback is more crucial than ever. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. Read the sample material and send honest feedback to joe.terzieva@gmail.com. Something you love? Something you hate? Let me know! I have dedicated myself to this project every night since it started, and I will take your critiques seriously. You may have already seen the revisions of chapters one and two. These represent my commitment to the quality of this work and a promise to continue this path until the amazing final product. Speaking of the final product, that takes us to the next section.
Production Schedule
This project began at the start of the year, and formal writing began in April. Now that I have an efficient process in place, I can lay out a realistic production schedule.
After significant consideration, I am happy to report, you will receive a new chapter of Lost Generation every week! Chapters four through eleven will appear on the Inkshares site. Once the campaign is complete, the remaining chapters will complete on the same schedule until the end of September. This schedule is based on the current summary document. I will add or remove weeks from the schedule if chapters are added or removed.
Wrap-Up
Thank you all for your support. Please continue to spread the word and follow along as the work develops.
A special thank you to the Inkshares writers who have supported me. I don't want to miss anyone, so will double check my supporters and send out a list in another update. I am honored to be one of you, and I couldn't ask to work with a nicer bunch of guys sharing a common interest. Regardless of the outcome of this contest. I am proud to have done it with you.