Genesis of a Novel – Part VII – Scene by Scene

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Green Dragon Artist — 16 Comments

This is the next installment of a series of posts I’ve been writing, following the process of writing a novel from conception through publication and beyond.

Now I’m into the ‘meat’ of a novel. The daily slog and joy of writing each scene out. I’m a planner, and I love writing them in order that they will be in the book. Not everyone writes like that. Diana Gabaldon, for instance, has said she writes random scenes all over the timeline and then connects them. I’ve got to see my path, the winding turns, and the crossroads before I start walking. Of course, it can change.

At the moment, my wordcount is 23,253. Most of the novels in this series are around 100K to 120K words long, so this isn’t even 25% through. However, I do keep track of my progress. I have 65 scenes planned out, and I’ve done 16 of them. That means my ending wordcount as it is looks to be about 95K words. A little on the light side, but I’ll go back and beef up some scenes with action or description later. Or I could add three scenes were one was (just did that).

I was supposed to be writing 2,000 words a weekday, and I started three weeks ago, so technically I should have 30,000 words written. However, I went to Dragoncon, so that was five days I wasn’t writing. It happens. It’s not tragic. It’s understandable. Back to the grindstone, though!

Also, new subplots might pop up. That just happened in my last scene. The main character, a 65-year old grandmother, might have a love interest. An old soldier, chief raider, cousin to her king. Of course, she’s cousin to the king as well. Most of the older folk of the clan are related in some way to the king. It’s called a derbfine, anyone who shares a grandfather to the king. It’s from the derbfine that the next king is usually chosen, not necessarily the son of the present king. That means a king has to groom his chosen successor, and still it won’t be assured. Men of the clan must choose the wisest leader.

Oh, I’m digressing down the path of historical research. Sorry! I do that a lot while writing. I get caught into a rabbit hole. Hopefully that research pays off later, but often it’s just background information I keep in mind while writing.

It is certainly possible to get so lost in the incidental research that you forget to write. Don’t let it happen too often, or you’ll never finish!

More parts:

Part I – The Beginning

Part II – Research

Part III – Place

Part IV – Scenes

Part V – Opening Lines

Part VI – Characters going Awry

Part VII – Scene by Scene

Part VIII – The Boggy Middle

Part IX – Procrastination and NaNoWriMo

Part X – More Procrastination and First Draft Done!

Part XI – Beta Readers

Part XII – Beta Edits

Part XIII – Submission!

Part XIV – Acceptance!

Part XV – First Round of Edits

Part XVI – Last Round of Edits and Cover Art

Part XVII – Artist Package, ARCs and Review Requests, Oh, My!

Part XVIII – Release Day!

*****

I write historical fantasy novels, mostly set in Ireland, and a contemporary romance based on my parents’ 30-year search for true love. Don’t miss information on Celtic myth and history, as well as practical travel planning tips, and hidden places, in my travel books.

Call of the Morrigú – Historical fantasy set in 1797 Ireland.
The Enchanted Swans– Historical fantasy set in 500 BCE Ireland, based on The Children of Lir, an Irish Fairy Tale.
Better To Have Loved– Contemporary romance based on the true story of my parents’ 30-year search for love
Legacy of Hunger– Historical fantasy set in 1846 Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #1 (Now available in PRINT!)
Legacy of Truth– Historical fantasy set around 1800 Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #2
Legacy of Luck – Historical fantasy set in 1745 Ireland and Scotland. Druid’s Brooch #3
Misfortune of Vision – Historical fantasy set in 12th century Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #4 (release date January 10, 2018)
Misfortune of Song – Historical fantasy set in 12th century Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #5 (projected release date April 2018)
Misfortune of Time – Historical fantasy set in 11th century Ireland. Druid’s Brooch #6 (first draft done – in editing)
Turlough’s Tale – Short Story in The Druid’s Brooch series, set ten years before Legacy of Luck.
Stunning, Strange and Secret: A Guide to Hidden Scotland
Mythical, Magical, Mystical: A Guide to Hidden Ireland

More info at Green Dragon Artist :: Home ,

Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author , and

Tirgearr Publishing – Christy Nicholas

Green Dragon Artist Blog

About Green Dragon Artist

Celtic Fairies, Fables, and Folklore! Bestselling author (top #100 Amazon Canada, #1 in Paranormal Fantasy, Amazon Canada) Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with 'A', and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels. Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were. She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth. Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. She does local art and craft shows, as well as sending her art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad. Facebook: www.facebook.com/greendragonauthor Homepage: www.greendragonartist.com Blog: www.greendragonartist.net Twitter: www.twitter.com/greendragon9

Tagged with: ancient, author, blog, blogging, book, celt, celtic, ebook, fiction, histfic, historic, historical, historical fantasy, historical fiction, history, ireland, irish, novel, old, write, writing
Posted in History, Writing

16 comments on “Genesis of a Novel – Part VII – Scene by Scene”

Genesis of a Novel – Part VIII – The Boggy Middle | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

September 28, 2016 at 1:56 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part IX – Procrastination and NaNoWriMo | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

November 4, 2016 at 8:48 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part X – More Procrastination and First Draft Finished! | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 13, 2017 at 9:38 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – PartXI – Beta Readers | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 20, 2017 at 1:53 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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The Genesis of a Novel, the Beginning – Part 1 | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 28, 2017 at 6:16 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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The Genesis of a Novel – Research – Part II | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 28, 2017 at 6:21 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – The Scene List – Part IV | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 28, 2017 at 6:22 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Opening Lines – Part V | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 28, 2017 at 6:22 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part VI – Characters Going Awry | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

February 28, 2017 at 6:22 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part XII – Beta Edits | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

March 21, 2017 at 5:10 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part XIII – Submission! | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

May 22, 2017 at 12:27 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part XIV – Acceptance! | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

June 6, 2017 at 3:31 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part XV – First Round of Edits | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

September 22, 2017 at 2:00 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part XVI – Last Round of Edits and Cover Art | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

November 7, 2017 at 9:25 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part XVII – Artist Package, ARCs and Review Requests, Oh, my! | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

November 14, 2017 at 9:04 am

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – RELEASE DAY! | Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author and Artist says:

January 15, 2018 at 2:45 pm

[…] Part VII – Scene by Scene […]

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Genesis of a Novel – Part VII – Scene by Scene

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