Salvage Operations

I have a habit of starting projects, working on them for a while, then putting them aside for a time.  The reasons for putting the projects aside vary from project to project.  Sometimes, I didn't spend enough time working out the plot line, so I have to stop and figure out what happens in the remainder of the project.  Sometimes, I get distracted by another project and just lose track of others.  Sometimes, I just get bored with an idea.

A little while ago, I had been working on a novel about a shape shifter who worked as an investigator and bodyguard.  I had put a lot of time into the race, known as the Children of Li'jha, giving them limits on their ability to shape change.  I also looked at some things that bothered me about shape changers I'd seen over the years, in particular Maya from Space 1999 and Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

With Maya, the main things that bothered me were, what happened to her clothes and equipment?  Was her clothing part of her body, or was it affected by whatever process allowed her to change form.  And how could a being the size and mass of a human being shrink down to the size of a mouse?  What happened to all that extra mass?  Was she shunting mass into a pocket dimension or was that the heaviest mouse in existence?

While Odo addressed the clothing question (his clothing was actually part of his body), there was still the question of his commbadge.  Was he duplicating the complex internal structure of the device?  And where did the power source come from?  Was he creating a fully charged battery?  How?

With all this in mind, I put some limits on the Children.  There is an upper and lower limit to the shapes they can assume, they can't duplicate complex technology and the certainly can't form a battery.  To put it in terms of Farscape, my main character, Dari Loq, could easily mimic Aeryn or Crichton.  She could mimic Chiana (a shorter, more slender form) but she'd be hard pressed to mimic D'Argo (a much bigger form).  There's no way she could mimic Rygel (a very small form).  She can simulate jewelry but has to wear an actual watch.

Anyway...

I had started working on a novel about Dari, titled The Shape of the Truth.  It began with Dari trying to find another of her people on a space station, someone who's been accused of murder.  From here, it went to Dari's home world then followed her as she and a couple of other characters tried to figure out who was responsible for the death of 5000 members of Dari's face who had colonized another planet.  For a while, I felt very good about the project.

After working on it for a time, I began having second thoughts about the first half of the novel.  While I thought it would be a good idea to show Dari doing her job, it really wasn't fitting with the second half.  So I put it aside until I could figure out how to make the two different stories work together.

Three years later...

While looking through some old files last night, I found the part of the novel I had written. I realized that the first half of the story, the part about Dari's missing person search, was a complete story that just needed a little love.

So I printed out the completed chapters (editing out the parts that foreshadowed the other story line) and have started an aggressive edit of the completed story.  I'm keeping the title, "The Shape of the Truth", for the shorter work.  I'll come up with a new title for the second plot line...whenever I get back to it.

I should be able to get through this quickly, while continuing to work on Before the Dawn, "The Fault Lies Not..." and "Intermezzo" (the last  story of A Bright Symmetry).  It's only a little over 16,000 words, so it shouldn't take long.

Time For A Plug, I Think...

Time for a plug, I think...

Mira Frayne thought she was going to make a change in her life, to try and make a better life for herself. Her life did change but not in any way she expected. She learns there is more to the world that she ever believed, a discovery she will deal with far into the future.

 WITH EYES OPEN... 

Available on Lulu - http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-p-dunn/with-eyes-open/ebook/product-20450486.html


Also available on iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/with-eyes-open.../id571656584?mt=11

Also available on NOOK - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-eyes-open-michael-p-dunn/1113785854?ean=9781300305415

...And Another Market...

With Eyes Open... is now listed on Barnes & Noble's NOOK Marketplace. It took a while, but I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

Find it here:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-eyes-open-michael-p-dunn/1113785854?ean=9781300305415

It can also be found in iTunes Market:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/with-eyes-open.../id571656584?mt=11

...and, of course, on Lulu:  http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/wordboy1

Now I really have to learn about marketing an ebook without spamming everyone I know.

11/05/12 - A Bright Symmetry - Continued Progress

I've finished writing the concluding piece of A Bright Symmetry, titled "...and Forever".  It addresses a point or two raised earlier in the collection, bringing it to a hopeful and satisfying conclusion.

There's still one last piece I have to write, a short piece that bridges the six month gap between "Really Real" (yes, I still need a new title for this one) and "The Arc of Heaven".  There were some points that came up during an editing pass of "The Arc of Heaven" that I feel should be addressed.  So I'll be working on a short piece titled "Intermezzo".

So as of now, the word count looks like this:  "Only Time..." 1967; "A God to Dance With" 7724; "Really Real" 4232; "Intermezzo" 0; "The Arc of Heaven" 18306; "Interlude" 6935; "...and Forever" 1798.  This brings the entire collection to 40962.  Half the length of a novel but that's okay.  Since this is going to be published as an ebook, like With Eyes Open..., I'm not too concerned about length.

This has actually been a good year, writing wise.  With the completion of "...and Forever", I've now completed five stories, which is more than I accomplished in previous years.  Yes, I backtracked on Before the Dawn, but I'm feeling good about it, and fully expect to be able to finish the novel once I finish the editing pass I'm doing now.

With Eyes Open... Plug

Mira Frayne wanted to change her life - but found more than she expected. With Eyes Open...  Available on Lulu http://bit.ly/Qz4Oao, as well as on Apple's iBookstore.

Still waiting to hear about Barnes & Noble's NOOK market.

Plug

My first ebook,With Eyes Open..., is now available on Lulu and Apple's iBookstore.

Mira Frayne wanted to change her life - but found more than she expected. With Eyes Open...  Available on Lulu http://bit.ly/Qz4Oao

Hopefully, it'll be available in Barnes & Nobles'  NOOK Market.

(I really have to learn about self-promotion.)

Another Market...

With Eyes Open... is now listed in Apple's iBookstore.  So all you iPhone, iPad and Mac users can now find it there.

(I knew it was being reviewed for inclusion there but I wanted to wait until I actually saw it listed  before I said anything about it.)

Now I just have to wait for it to be reviewed for Barnes & Noble's NOOK Market.