Highway West novel notes
Dec. 24th, 2010 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jasonandrewI'm not sure that the flow of this novel will work for general audiences, but right now it is really working for me.
Elavator Pitch: The Highway West
Nathan Carver hasn’t had an easy life. His father died in a robbery when he was five. His mother abandoned him at a farm when he was ten. Raised by his grandparents, he’s been taught to ignore the strange occurrences in his life. Or at the least hide them. Just before graduation, his uncle, the black sheep of the family, Martin Carver returns with a promise to show Nathan his father’s magical legacy and the truth about their family. Together, they take a spiritual road trip across the country called the Highway West. Will Nathan accept his new role as a mystic? Or will he seek to have his abilities bound as his father did and live a normal life?
Notes:
I have the first six chapters outlined and the first three chapters written.
Chapter One: Spirits are Ruthless With the Paths They Choose
Chapter Two: The Terror of Knowing
Chapter Three: Children of Tomorrow Live in the Tears That Fall Today
Chapter Four: Season of the Witch
Chapter Five: Along the Open Road
Chapter Six: All of My Pictures Seem to Fade to Black and White
The flow of the novel isn't what I expected. The mystical occurances that happen in the first chapter are subtle at first and then later threatening. The next chapter occurs eight years later and structures the rest of the story.
This is more of a picaresque novel than a Hero of a Thousand Faces story. The first three chapters goes into a lot of details about the main character Nathan, his losses, and the strange set up of his life. I've added some details from my personal life. I set the story in my hometown of Sanger, California and so I think I've been able to mine rich details there for the story.
Chapter Four is interesting because I am using the local version of the La Llorona legend from Snake Road. I remember going to partys at that very spot I'm writing about. Hell, I think that's where my first serious makeout session occured and the first time I actually was permitted to touch an actual breast.
Fresno/Sanger has such an interesting spin on the tale. It evolved into a story about the crying lady that would punish wild teenagers and sexually active teenagers. Like a female version of Jason from Friday the Thirteeth.
Chapter Five and Six involved the introduction of a third main character and the main minons of the series antagonist. I'm shifting around a bit on the name of the third character. She isn't a fully developed being, almost a blank slate. Eve seems a bit on the nose. I'll have to consider that one more carefully.
The minons are a pack of ruthless, insane vampires. Yes, I know people are getting bored of vampires, except for the bookshelves of course. I needed a group of thugs that the characters would have a travel advantage over and vampires feel right for that. Can't have a sparkling vampire. These bastards explode. I think I have a good concept for them and I think vampire bad guys are almost refreshing at this point as shock troops.
I'm borrowing a couple of characters from my other novels. That's OK because I created them and then never got to use them.
I have good idea for the last four chapters or so. It is the middle bit and journey that I'm working on ideas for. A way to connect the two points of the story.
I think the actually words of the story are coming easier and better. Hard to tell right now. Certainly I think the descriptions have gotten much richer.
Elavator Pitch: The Highway West
Nathan Carver hasn’t had an easy life. His father died in a robbery when he was five. His mother abandoned him at a farm when he was ten. Raised by his grandparents, he’s been taught to ignore the strange occurrences in his life. Or at the least hide them. Just before graduation, his uncle, the black sheep of the family, Martin Carver returns with a promise to show Nathan his father’s magical legacy and the truth about their family. Together, they take a spiritual road trip across the country called the Highway West. Will Nathan accept his new role as a mystic? Or will he seek to have his abilities bound as his father did and live a normal life?
Notes:
I have the first six chapters outlined and the first three chapters written.
Chapter One: Spirits are Ruthless With the Paths They Choose
Chapter Two: The Terror of Knowing
Chapter Three: Children of Tomorrow Live in the Tears That Fall Today
Chapter Four: Season of the Witch
Chapter Five: Along the Open Road
Chapter Six: All of My Pictures Seem to Fade to Black and White
The flow of the novel isn't what I expected. The mystical occurances that happen in the first chapter are subtle at first and then later threatening. The next chapter occurs eight years later and structures the rest of the story.
This is more of a picaresque novel than a Hero of a Thousand Faces story. The first three chapters goes into a lot of details about the main character Nathan, his losses, and the strange set up of his life. I've added some details from my personal life. I set the story in my hometown of Sanger, California and so I think I've been able to mine rich details there for the story.
Chapter Four is interesting because I am using the local version of the La Llorona legend from Snake Road. I remember going to partys at that very spot I'm writing about. Hell, I think that's where my first serious makeout session occured and the first time I actually was permitted to touch an actual breast.
Fresno/Sanger has such an interesting spin on the tale. It evolved into a story about the crying lady that would punish wild teenagers and sexually active teenagers. Like a female version of Jason from Friday the Thirteeth.
Chapter Five and Six involved the introduction of a third main character and the main minons of the series antagonist. I'm shifting around a bit on the name of the third character. She isn't a fully developed being, almost a blank slate. Eve seems a bit on the nose. I'll have to consider that one more carefully.
The minons are a pack of ruthless, insane vampires. Yes, I know people are getting bored of vampires, except for the bookshelves of course. I needed a group of thugs that the characters would have a travel advantage over and vampires feel right for that. Can't have a sparkling vampire. These bastards explode. I think I have a good concept for them and I think vampire bad guys are almost refreshing at this point as shock troops.
I'm borrowing a couple of characters from my other novels. That's OK because I created them and then never got to use them.
I have good idea for the last four chapters or so. It is the middle bit and journey that I'm working on ideas for. A way to connect the two points of the story.
I think the actually words of the story are coming easier and better. Hard to tell right now. Certainly I think the descriptions have gotten much richer.