Proof Reading, Editing and Map Experiments

Hi all, it's been months since my last confession!

So the first part of my fantasy opus is finished and editing is underway; thanks to my lovely wife who is proofreading as I write. One thing I have decided is that it is being split into two books. It's just too big to publish in a single volume due to page count constraints.

Also, there will now be at least two further books. I essentially built a world so big that the story grew until it resembled a much bigger arc. While I originally decided to take a break to write some more science fiction, I've decided to complete the fantasy first. So that will be another three years!

So...

• Proof Reading and editing are underway
• Paperback formatting has begun
• A Cover artist has been chosen
• I've started outlining the next two parts.
• I've been experimenting with some map drawing software:

This is my first trial using Wonderdraft to create a fantasy map for my Opus. It's very rough and ready, but given more time I think I can create something very professional:

That's all for now!

Cheers - John Howes.

19 Down, Just 90 to go!

I've finished editing the first 19 chapters. Just 90 more to go!

Using Grammarly has made the whole task significantly less painful. Grammarly is even helping me with this post as it will run in Microsoft Word and within a Chrome browser. It's not cheap but it is exceptionally good. I highly recommend it for any budding writers.

I don't have much more to share at present. I'll be getting into map design after editing, so I'll be posting my experiments.

That's all for now.

John Howes.

Fantasy Opus - Formatting & Yet More Editing

 Hi there,

I've finally finished writing my second novel and I'm getting into the formatting and final edits. I'm writing in the garden once more although it's a very blustery day in blighty.

My aim is to format the novel into two parts, each will be around 700 pages long and my preferred form factor is 5" X 8" which is the same size as my old dog-eared copy of Lord of the Rings. Just a tad bigger than a standard mass market paperback.

The next stages will be:

• Final edit using the Grammarly tool
• Proofreading (My wonderful wife Lisa has volunteered)
• Digitizing the story map using WonderDraft
• Final formatting
• Engaging a Cover artist (I'm hoping to use Damonza)
• Formatting the ebook
• Publishing to Amazon in both print and ebook.

That's all for now,

Cheers,

John Howes

Epilogue in the Garden

 Hi All. I'm still working on the Epilogue while I enjoy a single malt in the garden.

It's forecast to rain with thunderstorms from tomorrow, so no more outside writing moments for a while.

I was watching a youtube video the other day by a writer named Jerry B. Jenkins, where he supposedly has 13 rules to becoming a writer. One of these is to have a dedicated space. Well on this count I fail completely. I write anywhere I want: in the garden, on the beach, in the lounge, in the study, in coffee shops, and even in bed. I have the main laptop I'm using now, and also a small chrome book which I can take anywhere - For the record, I use Google Docs rather than Microsoft Word as (a) it's free, (b) the storage is free and (c) it's not by Microsoft :-)

See how you get on with this. I didn't:

That's all for now,

John Howes.

Proof - Still Writing

I swear this isn't just posed. Writing the Epilogue in the garden at night. Yes, that is a banana tree in the background!

Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. It's been two years since my last blog post.

So after teasing us with a new book, what the heck have you been up to John?

I suppose I'm too old for the dog ate my homework, so I'll just need to fess up.

I'm still working on my fantasy opus.

• It's finished!
• Well actually not quite.
• There's the editing - I've just finished the third read through, and now I'm using some tools to check the grammar and punctuation etc.
• After much internal debate, I decided to add an epilogue. It's a section of story I was going to add to the next volume, but I decided it fitted better in this one.

Other things have also solidified:

• After much flip-flopping, I've decided on a cover artist. It's one of the leading names in the business. A lot more expensive, but the quality is excellent. I'll be sharing some more details in a future post.
• Every good Fantasy story needs a map. I currently have a hand-drawn map which I was going to digitize using photoshop. I've discovered a specific map-making tool which I will be using instead. I'll be having a go soon, and I'll share my experiments with you.

I still don't know how many parts the first book will be split into. I haven't started the formatting yet.

Whatever happens, I promise to blog at least once a week from now on.

You can also catch my random ramblings on Twitter and Instagram. I'm very new to Instagram, so please be gentle.

That's all for now.

Cheers,

John H.