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.
Labels: All That Lives Must Die, News
posted by Eric Nylund at 6:16 AM
23 Comments:
As a fan, hearing that you're compelled to keep writing instead of compelled to feel burnt out is A Good Thing (TM Martha Stewart ;o)). I'm usually reluctant to get into a series that isn't finished because there's so many variables that could keep it from being finished. (One of my greatest annoyances being Andre Norton kicking off before the Halfblood Chronicles was done. I get she was old, but they either should have had a contingency plan to finish it or they shouldn't have started it in the first place or, at the very least, not ended the third book on a frakking cliff hanger.)
At any rate, one possible variable is the author either getting sick of it and throwing in the towel or, because of a contract, phoning in the rest of it because they can't throw in the towel. Knowing that you're completely with it still is quite reassuring.
Wow, it feels like just yesterday when you were promoting Mortal Coils. Time sure has flown by.
I imagine you negotiated with the publisher to string across a five-book arc, but is there some sort of loophole/clause that lets you renegotiate? Because I'm all about MC becoming a sexilogy. Frankly, I think it would be pretty sexi.
Anyone see what I did there? haha.
WOW!!!!! You should post a picture of the manuscript like you did Mortal Coils.
About two weeks ago I finished the second book in my 3-part book series. Its longer than the first one and I hope better than the first book. It has a ton off action, humor, and robots exploding.
Congrats on finishing All That Lives Must Die.
What's eve worse than a series left unfinished because of an author's death is a series left unfinished just because...
I picked up 'Alien Death Fleet' by Edward S. Hudson (pen name of Robert E. Vardeman) at a used book store and loved it. However, I couldn't find part two or three of the series anywhere. I finally tracked Vardeman down and asked him about it and he wrote back to me and said that he had books 2 and 3 written but the publisher decided not to print them.
Congrats, congrats, congrats! I'm sure that's a load off your mind.
And here's hoping it sells well enough that the series can continue on to its conclusion. It would be a terrible day when we learned the news that the series will not continue. Alas, I hope that day never comes.
I hope it continues, and I hope someday I'll be able to publish my series.
If your series doesn't continue, I be going crazy tearing up my room and throwing everything everywhere.
I hate to see series stopping after a book or two, that really sucks, I would go crazy if they only published one book in my series, it doesn't tell the whole flippin' story, you need more to tell a story, that's the point of making a series, it sucks if people don't get to write a sequel.
But I know your's will be turned into the full series, I just know it.
Nikoda--Hmm – let’s not blame the author for dying ;p
I’d have mixed feeling about someone finishing off a series I started. Has anyone read the DUNE-continuation novels? I’m curious if they are as good as the originals?
Dragonzord - -yeah, I’m trying to rein the story in. It grew from 200K to 230K words in this next part. I could see the series grow an extra book or two. (Although I’d be happy to get the five books done and published !)
Dakota – I will post something soon.
Aaron – I remember R.E. Vardeman. Great pulp! Is he still around?
Dangerussave—Thanks!
I think growing an extra book or two wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Then you'd have seven books, putting you right up there with Harry Potter and the Dark Tower and whatnot. That's heady company, but these books are definitely up there.
My newest story is probably going to be twice the size of my other storys and I'm having trouble chosing an ending and desiding if it should be a series or not. But right now I'm thinking of the extended ending and it just being one novel, but i'm trying to think of another series, but all i can think of are novel ideas.
I'm not sure when my first draft is going to done.
I wouldn't be so angsty about it if it wasn't a collaboration and I didn't keep reading that Lackey intends to finish it but it never seems to get finished ala Duke Nukem. ;o)
I think David may have read the continuations of Dune. I'll ask him about it.
Also, my security word is gragrunt and I find that very amusing.
It's funny you mention that Eric, a lot of the true believers think that when Herbert punched his ticket, the series just kind of collapsed. There were all these notes about where the story should go and while other Herbert and Kevin J Anderson did a good job. It just missed the master's touch. Don't get me wrong, while most people got into Star Wars novels through Timothy Zahn, for me it was Anderson and to have to admit he lacked in some way feels like a betrayal.
Keep on keeping on.
How do make your detail better, being 12, I have a limited vocab and can't think of better words in my story text or think of different words for better detail.
Can you please help.
Thanks.
:^)
;^)
:^0
'^)
"^)
:^O
Dakota: If you don't have one, get your parents to get you a thesaurus! I had about five or six when I was your age and I loved them very much.
Eric,
I tracked down Vardeman online about two years ago, and that's when he told me the story about the 'Alien Death Fleet' novels. I don't know if he still is around, but he was a few years ago. His stuff is really hard to find....
Nikoda-SORRY FOR ASKING!!!!!! Plus, I asked Eric Nylund. Is your name Eric Nylund? NO!!!! It isn't Eric Nylund.
Aaron—thanks. I have fond memories of Vardeman’s stuff.
Dakota – Man, you need to chill. Politeness is the operational word around here (well, expect for maybe Dragonzord...but he’s special (j/k DZ) ). Nikoda is right. A great first step would be to develop your vocabulary and not just large, fancy words, either. Grab a Roget’s Thesaurus and read it.
Dakota: I think you may have felt I was yelling at you because of my use of an exclamation point. I wasn't. Getting a new thesaurus is exciting to me. There's an entirely new world of words to discover and confound people with. I really do love my thesauruses and as you seem to have an equal love for writing, I thought you might as well.
I know, I just like to look tough and yell for fun. I have one of those Thesaurus's but when I look through it, it doesn't really help, I may need a new one, but all the other ones I see are way too thin to possibly have any thing in it. I may need to get one for my birthday coming up at the end of the month.
Hay Eric, if you like Vampires there's a good book series called Cirque Du Freak out there. It's VERY good. I've already read half the series.
How long did it take you to write the whole thing?
About a year...
Oh, is that all? :)
Mortal Coils is the first book of yours that I've read (just finished it last night), and I'm a huge fan! A lot of authors let books kind of fizzle out after the climax, but I was riveted until the last page. It was such a unique and creative story and a true joy to read. I'm so glad that another book in the series is on the way, because I'm not ready to part with Eliot and Fiona just yet and can't wait to see what happens to them next!
Great news! I am currently reading Mortal Coils and enjoying it a lot. It will only get better now that I know there is another book in the series. Thanks!
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