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| PAST MUSINGS 21st June 2010 The Adventures of Some Kid I've finished writing the first draft of The Adventures of Some Kid (working title) over the weekend, a project I started earlier this year. The hero of the story is Zach Caan, a 13 year old boy from Lancashire. The thing about Zach Caan is . . . well . . . there's isn't anything really remarkable about him. He's not a boy-wizard like Harry, or a super spy-kid like Cody Banks and Alex Rider, or even a half-blood demigod like Percy Jackson. He's the second born child of a Pakistani migrant and lives in the shadow of his more intelligent sisters. Most of his time is spent dodging school bullies and flying under the radar of his teachers. Nothing interesting ever happens to Zach Caan; ever. That is until he get's mistaken for a baby-faced terrorist at an airport in Paris, on the way back from a school trip to France. The matter is eventually cleared up but Zach misses his plane and only Mrs Steven, a parent who came on the trip as a chaperone, and her daughter Erica have stayed behind, which would have been fine, if Erica hadn't been one of the people that made his life a misery in school. A freak storm hits Western-Europe, grounding all flights in and out of France. Ted Glory, a millionaire entrepreneur and his entourage, also wanting to fly out to England, buy a private charter out of France, offering free seats to their fellow stranded Brits, Zach and the Stevens's. Zach drops off to sleep. When he wakes up, his life isn't unremarkable anymore, no matter how much he wants it to be. In other news, the award winning Apex Book Company have featured a blog by Zakraya Anwar, one of the editors of Seven Earths on their website. Follow this link to read more: http://www.apexbookcompany.com/blog/2010/06/a-story-told-is-a-story-shared/ Seven Earths Issue 1 is available to download from the Seven Earth's page and so far we've recieved some excellent feedback. In the meantime, keep reading and keep writing. 17th June 2010 The Road is Long Let's start with some bad news. I didn't make it as a finalist for the Brit Writers Awards 2010, though it was still an honour to be shortlisted from the initial 21,000+ applicants. I'd like to thank the judges of the competition for considering me, but more so, I'd like to thank everyone who prayed for me and was rooting for me. How does it feel? I don't honestly know. I was really hopeful that I'd make it, but when the Children's Author's list was released last night and I realised my name wasn't on it, I nodded my head and continued to pound Randy Jackson on UFC 2010. It wasn't until a few hours later that my heart started to sink. Another door closed in the face. It similar to the feeling you get when playing snakes and ladders, when you are just a few squares away from winning and you land on a snake and get sent back to square one. In other news, I've almost finished the first draft of the new book, The Adventures of Some Kid (working title) and am starting to think what I should work on next, i.e. finish the Renegade Prince, or start a new project. I've just finished reading the Percy Jackson books (ebook format) and clocked Batman: Arkham Asylum last weekend. Probabyl going to read an Orson Scott Card novel next and play through [Prototype]. 25th May 2010 Social Networking Those of you who were members of my Facebook Groups and FB buddies will know that I’ve suspended my account. I’ve noted for a while now that there are just too many groups on Facebook that are about hating on people, cultures and belief. Humour I can understand, but spewing and promoting hate is something that I can not abide, and therefore took the decision to suspend my account and groups, despite the marketing and networking benefits of Facebook. I’m still with Twitter, but I’m new to it and haven’t come face to face with any ugliness (of mind and spirit) so far. If you are on Twitter, my username is NoorJahangir, so please do look me up and follow me. I’m also still on my favourite network, Goodreads. Its all about books and reading. Excellent, cool, excellent. I’m currently working to finish the first draft of ‘Adventures of Some Kid’ (working title) and am planning a novella in partnership with the Brother’s Anwar. Hopefully, my structured approach and their twisted genius will make for a slick story. Can’t reveal more than that at the moment. I’m currently reading a book called Story, which is aimed at screenwriters but has a lot of good advice in general about constructing a good story. Until next time, keep reading, keep writing. 17th May 2010 A Belated Post It seems I’m forever apologising for not posting a blog on a regular basis. I’ve been down of late and haven’t really been writing as much as I want. For one thing, life is getting busier, both at work and at home. I know it’s no excuse for a writer, but there it is. One of the other major downers was that, for the second in a year, I lost two chapters of writing, which I had eked out through painstaking labour. They were difficult to conceive and even more difficult to form (apologies for all the burgeoning ‘pregnant’ terms, but writing is almost like giving birth . . . without all the weird cravings, morning sickness, grunting and sweating). Followers of the Facebook group will know that I did a slot on Pendle Radio, reviewing George Orwell’s 1984 and talked a bit about my writing. I’m doing another slot on BBC Radio Lancashire, with Joe Wilson, on this coming Sunday morning, 7.30am, talking about my day-job, as well as my writing. For those of you who don’t live in Lancashire or live continents away, you should be able to listen to it on the BBC Radio Lancashire website, both live and, from the following Monday, as a recorded programme. In other news, you may recall I mentioned being long-listed for the Brit Writers Award Unpublished 2010. Well I’ve received an email to say that I’ve made it through to the next round. About 1500 submissions were shortlisted from 21,000+ entries received, across six categories. It gives me hope that my writing doesn’t suck as badly as I thought it did. And maybe, it will even soften a kind editor’s heart towards ‘The Changeling King’. I thank all those who have prayed for me so far, and humbly request you keep praying for me until I announce that I’ve won the competition or received an offer to publish my book. I’m currently playing Batman Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Edition (at it is awesome) and looking forward to getting my hands on UFC 2010. I’m currently reading Raymond Fiest’s Faerie Tale and wish his new stuff was as good as this. 15th April 2010 Ebooks and Awards My all singing, all dancing, HTC Legend has arrived. Facebook friends will know that I've mentioned it several times. Now I know why the iPhone people have sneered at us regular mobile phone users for so long. The Legend runs the latest Android operating system and is easily a rival (if not better, which I think it is) to the current version of iPhone (3GS), though Apple are going to unviel the next one this summer, in looks, functionality and speed. The reason why I mention my Legend, besides bragging rights, is that I've been forced to reevaluate my stance on ebooks. I now have around ten ebooks on my phone and have turned to them when I'm away from my trusty bookshelf and need a quick fix. So yes, there is a place for ebooks in the world. Though, I still prefer the feel, smell and simple joy you get from a paperback. The David Gemmel Legend Awards shortlist is up on their website so do go have a gander. Also, the British Fantasy Society are taking votes for their annual fantasy awards, so go and vote. Finally, I've made it past the first round of judging for the Brit Writer's Awards, Unpublished 2010 for the Changeling King. Recognition finally, woohoo. Also, there's been a lot of Kevin Smith bashing in on forums lately. He is a creative genius and is greatly mis-understood; just like the platypus. (now how about those twenty dollars you promised me, Kevin). 3rd April 2010 Second Trailer This is how much I love you guys. I'm up at 12am writing a blog for you. I just wanted to introduce my newest trailer, again featuring music by Kevin Macleod. Actually its from the exact same track and album, just a little later on, that's all. Okay, so this trailer follows the Sultan story arc, introducing how he enters Kryllon and gets involved in the Trollking mess. The images are again drawn by yours trully using sketching pencils and occasionally a little soft pastel. Enjoy. Tech front, I should be getting my HTC Legend next Friday (just showing off), which I'm looking forward too. I've almost completed The Chronicles of Riddick game, which, though short, is well worth a play. I'm currently reading Tunnels, a YA novel that was originally self-published by its two authors, but was then picked up by Chicken House. The search for my own books publication continues. I got a nice rejection from Greenhouse Lit Agency. They said the story had some nice points. Hope you enjoy your Easter break. Visit often. 27th March 2010 Preview Trailer Its been a busy month at day job, with several events coming together in a tight timeframe. I've got very little writing done, though the 'secret project' is drawing closer to the completion of draft 1. I've sent out The Changeling King to a few publishers so far, but there doesn't seem to be all that many that welcome unsolicited manuscripts. I hope you like the new front page for the webiste and the brand new preview trailer of the Changeling King. The illustrations featured are my own but the music is called One of Them, by Kevin Macleod, from the Dark World album, downloaded from the incompetech.com website. Enjoy and let me know what you think. 11th March 2010 The Future of Books? What is the future of books? Is it the iphone’s new(ish) e-book store and apps? Is it Amazon’s Kindle or one of it’s growing competitors? Or is it Apple’s fancy slate computer iPad? Or is it going to get sexier than that, perhaps a bit of clear film that folds away neatly into your pocket? All these solutions are available today and whilst (some) publishers are crowing with delight at the new ways they can flog books to punters, ebooks form only a small slice of overall book sales. Sure the ebook thing is a sexy concept. I wouldn’t mind having a slim tablet of polished aluminium or carbon-fibre with an OLED backlit screen on my lap as I sit comfortably on my favourite spot on the sofa (who wouldn’t?), but can you really be putting up with the hassle of making sure your that the tech is sufficiently charged for prolonged use, that its held in such a way that its not at risk of falling down, that the kids won’t do something horrible to it when you put it down to grab a can of Pepsi or answer the door, as well as all the other concerns you have of keeping your expensive, shiny tech, smudge, scratch and crack free? Would you whip it out on a train or on the tube, or even at the bus-stop, a waiting area or take it to the loo (potential threat of getting wet) the way you might with a paperback? Here’s another question to ponder. Is a book just about the content? Or is it more than that? Personally, I like admiring the cover art, often pausing in my reading to look at it, trying to glean what’s coming up or just to stare at wonder at this amazing experience I’m having. I love it when the inside cover has been given some love to and made special with the use of textures, patterns or illustrations. I don’t about the rest of you, but I like smelling my books, letting the pages flick off my thumb, wafting that unique musty smell. Library books and antique books are the best! New one’s aren’t too bad either. Sometimes, I like to stand in front of my bookshelf and just admire the variegated spines with their little illustrations and bold font-types. Sometimes, I take pleasure just from seeing how much I’ve got left by judging the thickness of the pages on either side of the one I’m on. With tech, its always going to smell the same, heated metal and plastic, always going to feel and look the same, and only ever going to be a thumbnail amongst a collection of thumbnails. As much as I love tech, I feel that its an expensive and clinical barrier to enjoying a good book. 23rd February 2010 Rant About the State of Publishing Okay, so I'm no expert, right? But I still have the right to an opinion, hmm? I'm a regular visitor to the Bookseller.com website, Bookseller being a trade magazine for bookshops (I have fond memories of working in my University's bookshop at Buckinghamshire Chiltern's University, Hi Dave, if you're reading this!) and came across an article by a chap called Naim Attaullah, a writer and the Chairman of Quartet Books. The article was called something to the effect of 'Are Agents Needed?' and touched on the problems with the publishing industry today, which has got me on the soapbox too! Now anyone in the know will tell you that all the big publishers are interested in at the moment is celebrity titles; ghost written biographies like 'Jordan' or rambling rants about stuff like 'Jeremy Clarkson', amongst others. Try getting a cookery book published in a genre dominated by celebrity chefs and you'll know what I mean. The other main trend that we've grown familliar with is the Attack of the Clones model (not the Star Wars movie), i.e. Harry Potter clones (Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief, etc) and Twilight clones (Vampire Diaries, etc). Basically, these two models make a lot of money for publishers, agents and the handful of authors lucky to be selected for cloning. What this is doing to the writing and publishing is destroying opportunities for new voices and the rare one off gems that occasionally appear in bookshops, like J D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Even those writers who are lucky to get published find themselves desperately trying to get noticed whilst all the publicity and market share is horded for the authors that have money minting presses instead of inkjet printers. The biggest culprit in this picture is you (and me, and us) the reader for unwittingly feeding this machine by buying up all these clones and celeb titles, drawn in by the glitz and fooled by the glamour spell cast over them to make you desire them more than their literary merit, or even storytelling ability. Here is my challenge, look out for new authors and pick up books that you wouldn't normally read, something different to what is currently the craze. Keep reading, keep writing. 16th February 2010 Opening Doors I've now delivered two assemblies at Thomas Whittam Sixth Form. Right now I'm cooking up a workshop plan for a follow seminar that I'm going to deliver at Thomas Whittam on the first week back from Half-Term. Kindly, my day-job employers look on my creative writing input as an added bonus and developing better links with the schools. On the writing front, work goes on as usual. Both Red Dawn and the secret project, 'The Adventures of Some Kid' are both at a stage when many would be writers just lose the steampower to continue. Keeping the plot fresh and the readers interest is one of the more difficult aspects of writing, but trying to pull ideas out of the ether is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In other news, I watched Inkheart and Coraline (in 3D) recently, both of which are based on best-selling novels. If you haven't seen them yet, both are worth checking out. I'm currently playing Assassin's Creed 2, which has massively improved gameplay and a more engaging plot than the original. I've also spent a few hours on Mass Effect 2 and again, BioWare(?) seem to have done an excellent job of recapturing what was good about the first one and adding more depth to the gameplay. Apologies to regular readers for the shortness of this blog (as in length rather than temperment), but I've got a lot of work on my hands. So, until next time, 'Keep Reading, Keep Writing.' 1st February 2010 New Horizons The deadline for submissions to Issue 1 of Seven Earths eJournal has expired. To be honest, we haven't been bogged down with masses of submissions, though we do have some good gothicky content headed your way. Seven Earths Publications is now a constituted charity and one thread of work that we are keen on promoting is the work with schools. If you've visited the facebook groups (Seven Earths Publications and the Trollking Saga) you'll know all about the bookings I've had from two schools in Lancashire already for creative writing workshops and an assembly to promote the art and craft of writing. ITo ensure you don't miss out on a single copy of the free ejounral, subscribe by sending me an email through the contact us page with the subject 'Subscribe to Seven Earths'. In other news, I recieved yet another rejection from an agent and rather than going on another bout of self-pity, I've decided that perhaps I should start looking for a publisher instead. As the saying goes, 'Its harder to find an agent now than it is to find a publisher.' Although, that said, I did have an offer from Laurnece Fitch (agent) to represent me if I can find a publisher myself. Therefore I'm doing another redraft of The Changeling King (Draft 6) and have already chopped another 3000 words from the total. This is the last time, I promise (deja' vu?) I've sent the first proposal letter off, so those who believe, please pray to God for me too. In other news, the adventures of Caleb Elezar in Red Dawn are coming along fine, I think I'm about 10,000 words in. The Renegade Prince is about 20,000 words in and I've also written 5,000 words on a new 'secret' project. So, until next time, 'Keep Reading, Keep Writing.' 19th January 2010 Goodreads and Supporting Your Local Bookshop Now I'm guessing you're into books, or maybe you like to read occasionally (like my wife), otherwise, why would you be wasting your time reading my blog, right? (If at this point you've nodded your head and are dragging your mouse-pointer to the search bar, then maybe I shouldn't have written that). But I'm guessing you are, a little or a lot, into books and reading. Now, I'm all for technology in most things and I do eye up the Sony eBook Reader every now and then, but I like my books to be made out of dead forest pulp (from a properly managed forest) and recycled paper, rather than 1's and 0's. I wouldn't want my book to just be available digitally. I want it on my shelf. So I'm asking everyone to invest a little bit of their hard earned cash and spend it on a book. If you're a lazy bargain hunter like me, you'll likely have an amazon account or a book club membership, but I want to ask you another favour. The book industry is struggling, particularly new authors (non-celeb). So instead of buying a book off the web or from your local supermarket, support your local bookshop and buy from there instead. I bought three books, two paperbacks and a hardback from my local (Pam's Corner Bookshop) just the other day. Also, I've joined Goodread, a social network kind of thing for book lovers with good links with facebook, bebo, etc too. So go setup an account do a search on me and become a fan. Also, I've put up three whole chapters from Changeling King on my Goodread profile, read it all and write a review. The deadline for Issue 1 of Seven Earths is coming up soon (31st Jan) so if you want to be in, you've got to submit before then, unless you're enter the Under 18s competition (28th Feb). Otherwise, if you know any budding writers, let them know where to find us. 4th January 2010 Twenty Ten and New Sneak Preview 2010. Finally, we are in the future. Or at least that's what we use to think back in the 80s. Still no flying cars. The problem is infrastructure. You can't have flying cars unless you have floating traffic lights and holographic road signs and markings. Also, what would be the impact on the environment? Would the cars use hydrogen fuel cells (known to be heavy) or be powered by kinetic electricity? That's what you get for talking to a writer! But come on lets be fair, it's not so bad is it? Okay, so they went and killed off David Tennant's Dr Who, but let's give the new guy a fighting chance before we pass judgement. We still have mobile phones that do everything from show you where you left your car to where you should be eating. We have little computers in our cars that boss us around and tell us where to go. We've got thin tv's that hang on our walls and frost free freezers (trying saying it fast, over and over again). We've even got Avatar in 3D! Okay, so 3D isn't all that new, but go watch it anyway, its probably the best it's been so far. And its a great movie too. Writing front; last week was a disaster. January sales sucked up all my time. But as people keep telling me, you've got to spend time with the family too. But exciting things are happening in the world of Eridani, and even more exciting stuff on Earth. That reminds me, I've stuck up a new sneak preview for ya'all to go and read. Just click on that Sneak Previews tab after you finish reading this. The chunk I've given you to read is a pivotal moment in the story and it happens quite early on. I'm going to be at Thomas Whittam Sixth Form School in Burnley on the 18th and 19th January to talk to the whole school about writing and also Seven Earths. Seven Earths is now a constituted charity and has its own bank account. If you haven't already done so, please do submit your new writing to us before the 31st Jan deadline. Click on the Seven Earths tab for more details. Keep reading, keep writing. 22nd December 2009 The Dumps ‘Twas a few nights before Christmas and all is quiet at home. The little one is taking his afternoon nap and the missus has taken my daughter to her cousins. I’m supposed to be working on The Renegade Prince right now, but I thought I’d post a fresh blog to give the keener readers something to do. First I’ll share some bad news. I got another rejection from an agent today, bringing it to 11. All the articles on the web say that it’s a subjective thing with agents. They either really like a story or they don’t. A lukewarm or even a comfortably warm reception isn’t good enough. They have to be hot for your story. So I’ll keep on, keepin on until I find one who does. I got the most recent copy of The Writers Market UK (2010 edition) and there seems to be more agencies actively seeking writers and representing children’s fiction writers, so there is still cause for hope. The other bad news is that my diabetes doesn’t seem to be behaving. My consultant has put me on some new pills and offered to kick my backside if I don’t take them every morning. I recently bought a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. I have to say first off that I wasn’t a big Stephen King fan, having only read Carrie and the Running Man. I’ve watched the movies of course, like any other good film buff, but I wasn’t breathing heavy for his next book, if you take my meaning. I got it because I keep reading and hearing that it’s a really good book on writing. I started to read it and was instantly hooked. It’s partly biographical, but focuses only on those things that Stephen felt had an impact on the kind of writer he eventually became. The rest of it is a hard-nosed lesson on what it means to be a writer, discipline and getting it right. I recommend it to all budding and published writers. Its really good advice and a really good read. Trust me, I haven’t read a whole book in three days since 1998. ‘On Writing’ has given me more determination now to write with discipline, every day. I’m aiming to write at least 1000 words a day. Whether it’s the Renegade Prince, Red Dawn or a short story, I’m going to keep to it (check back with me in the New Year to see if I kept the resolution). So far, it’s been just over a week and I’ve eked out at least 10,000 words of new writing, including a new short story (Samsara) under a different pen name (because it’s a much more grown-up story than my other stuff). Happy Holidays, and keep writing 14th December 09 HAVE YOU GOT THE X-FICTION? First up, the big news. BBC Lancashire Web-Producer, Lynette Horsburgh, who also happens to be the Women's World Pool Champion, has written an article on Seven Earths and yours trully. Follow the link and check it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8408000/8408010.stm There's also a very pretty picture of me which you can download and use as your desktop wallpaper (okay, maybe not). In other news, I've recieved another rejection from an agent. These guys took so long (5 months) that I thought they hadn't recieved it. That brings the total to nine. I've sent out another batch though, so keep praying for me. I've also started to write the first draft of novel (or novella) length Red Dawn (check out the quick links down below to see what it's about). I'm still writing The Renegade Prince, but I've bought a nice leather bound journal to write in during my lunch breaks. That's right, the old fashioned way; by hand. I'm writing from scratch without looking at the short story drafts that I did earlier. I thought I'd take the advice of all those magazine editors who responded back by saying it should be a book. I'm still reading Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jouster series, but I'm also reading the British Fantasy Society's Yearbook 2009, which has some excellent stories from writers like James Barclay. Well worth going over to the BFS website and buying a copy. For those of you in a festive mood, have a good Christmas break and hopefully, I'll have some more good news to report over the holidays. 2nd December 09 The Lancashire Writing Scene In the last blog posted, I mentioned that a new writer's group had launched itself in Nelson, Lancashire Muslim Writers, a sister organisation to Manchester Muslim Writers, brainchild of author Zahid Hussain. In this blog, I want to share some more info with what's happening in Lancashire. The biggee is the Lancaster Litfest, running literary events and writing projects through the year, with its highlight the Annual Literature Festival (October 2010). They also run a writing circle called the Spotlight Club. So if you live in North Lancashire or Cumbira, it may be worthwhile for you to get hooked up (www.litfest.org). In Preston there is ScRibble, an online writing workshop (http://scribblepreston.blogspot.com) that also meet as a writing circle. If you live in the Preston area it may be worth contacting Catherine Cable (catherine.cable@talktalk.net). Also in Preston there is a new writing group called They Eat Culture (www.theyeatculture.org) who do art events and writing groups, one of which is the Central Lancashire Writing Hub, which is a blog page. Liverpool have the Window Project (www.windowsproject.co.uk), the main focus of which is poetry, which is also the focus for the Dead Good Poets Society in Liverpool. Also, I was recently interviewed by BBC Lancashire for Seven Earths and hopefully will post the article link when its up.
23rd November 2009 Seven Earths and Lancashire Muslim Writers
Okay, first off, you've probably noticed the new Seven Earths banners on the home page and on the corresponding page too. I've been in discussion with the Brother's Anwar about branding, etc. The idea is eventually for Seven Earths to have it's own website, but that costs money and time. Two things I don't have much of. I have however set up a Facebook group for those of you who have accounts, Seven Earths - Quarterly eJounral of BME Fantasy, SF and Horror. So if you are a writer or an artist, check out our guidelines and send something through. Please. Now. Do it. Last week, I attended a launch event with one of the Brother's Anwar for a countywide writers group called Lancashire Muslim Writers. We went with high expectations of finding a group of writers with similar experiances to us. Writing is a pretty lonely trade so finding other's like yourself, when you have gone for so long thinking you are the only one, is an exciting thing. Think Dr Who and how excited the Doctor gets everytime he thinks he may not be the last Timelord . . . Okay, so we're not quite timelords, but you get the idea right? Anyway, it took us ages finding the venue, driving past the school three times before realising it wasn't an Asian wedding, before we pulled into a packed out car park. We walked into the school, growing anxious as we noted the number of 'OMG' types flitting around and wondering whether this is the right place. The school hall is packed with local Asians, mostly women and children. A theatre company from Luton, Khayaal, is putting on a show about identity. We sit through it hoping that something will clue us into where we are. Then afterwards, a guy with curly hair and publicity shot on the projector screen steps up to the stage and starts talking about the writing profession (personally, I think I could have done better). His name is Zahid Hussain and he is from Manchester. He's had a book published, The Curry Mile, and he's the head honcho of Manchester Muslim Writers. Needless to say, we were emphatically disappointed. We shook hands with the guy at end, handed him some leaflets and made for the door. Good luck to him and the Lancashire Muslim Writers. Maybe in another year's time, it'll be the hub it needs to be. 10th November 2009 Mental Floss
Last week, after watching a low budget Keanu Reaves movie (The Watcher) I went to bed and found I couldn't sleep. Some would argue that perhaps my mind was trying to decide who's acting had been more wooden, Keanu or James Spader. But no, as important as that debate may be, my mind had churned up a far more momentus series of thoughts. I have worked in the non-profit sector for over seven years now (mis-placed sense of nobility?) and for most part, my writing and the day job have never crossed over. But now I found myself thinking, I can't be the only Asian writer struggling to get published, despite my aptitude for writing (self-assessed). I mean, what really was there out there to help people from ethnic minorities to get into writing? Especially in genre fiction. Oh sure, Zadie Smith did okay with White Teeth and Monica Ali with Brick Lane. But they are a part of a small group of 'literary' writers (high brow palava). In my uni days, I edited a one-off student creative writing anthology, which I had titled Mental Floss. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it was the concept that was now intriguing me. What if I started a not-for-profit quarterly journal for the best new genre fiction by ethnic minority writers? That was it. Sleep was out of the window for at least two hours. The journal would be produced on a monthly basis as an ebook and circulated virally by email and facebook. After the first issue we will try and find some funding. Now, with the Brother's Anwar behind the idea as volunteer editors and with the support in spirit from my friend Nerine, I am proud to announce Seven Earths open for submissions. Check out the new Seven Earths page for submission guidelines.
2nd November 2009
I'm fifty pages into the draft 1 of The Renegade Prince and already I find myself buffeted by the winds of editing. This weekend I was working on an Earth chapter, and decided not to give one of the characters a point-of-view (POV), who I'd originally built in as a POV character. The reason for this change of heart is that I felt I need to cutback on the number of POVs, an issue I raised when working on later drafts of The Changeling King. Their are advantages both ways I suppose. The fewer the POVs, the more time readers have to build sympathy with the main characters. More POVs allow for more angles on the story, allowing me as a writer to approach the story from different angles and readers get more of an insight into what's going on. Currently I have three Earth POVs and three Eridani POVs.
I've added two knew characters to the plot, both young ladies that are going to be the new love-interests of two returning characters. More on them in a later blog I think.
I've started to play Dead Space, the videogame. Its an interesting take on a tired genre, it plays well and the interface (i.e. the onscreen hud) has been implemented to maximise on the immersement in the game world. I definately recommend it, though not to heart patients as nightmare creatures have a tendency to jump out often. I'm reading the third part of the Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jouster series, titled Sanctuary and recently watched Mall Cop, which I recommed for seasonal viewing.
Of late, I've been struggling with my diabetes (type 2), not that its wildly out of control (I keep it on a short leash), but I have began to notice its effects on my body. One of things I've noticed is that my kidneys and bladder start hurting if I don't run along to the little boys room straight away. This of course affects my writing, as its hard to focus when you're having to take a break every couple of hours. Previously it hadn't been an issue. Hopefully its just a temporary thing and won't get any worse. Keep praying for me.
21st October 2009
No news as yet on the agent front. I haven't spent as much time as would like on my writing either, which means The Renegade Prince is coming along slowly and I'm not likely to finish draft one by Christmas, as I initially hoped. But when I do write, the story is coming along nicely, with new directions for the returning characters. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I've built up the world of Eridani around Kryllon and that TRP is going to visit some of these new places, although I will not quite take the readers to every place on the map. The Brother's Anwar sometimes joke that maps in fantasy books usually only show the places the characters are going to go to.
I'm not certain how much I should reveal as yet about TRP, but I can say that two of the female characters that didn't get POV in the Changeling King will do so in TRP. Characters have new drivers (not in the vehicular sense, but in the emotional sense) and are new missions. I've collected a few books on the occult for research for TRP and will hopefully be tapping into more European and local folklore.
The new day job is starting to take up more of my time, though not in the same unhealthy way as my previous job. The challenges are new and the problems are not insurmountable. Nothing new on the gaming front, but I've played an online beta for Unchartered 2 and read some good reviews about it. In movies, I recently watched Mega Shark vs Giant Squid and recommend people avoid that stinker like the plague, or like a thawed out prehistoric sea monster. Books, still reading Mercedes Lackey, recently bought Janny Wurts Stormed Fortress and George Orwell's classic, 1984.
8th October 2009 I'm still waiting to hear back from an agent I've sent a submission to and its the eigth week going. I'm not even sure if they've recieved the submission due to the idiotic Royal Mail strikes that keep cropping up. At this rate, privatisation of the mail system is starting to sound like a good idea. I've sent an email to the agent to confirm whether they have recieved it or not, but no response as yet. Likely they have a huge pile of manuscripts to get through and a jam-packed inbox. My own fault really. Should have include a stamped and addressed postcard for confirmation. I'm beginning to consider sending the Changeling King to another agent now. How long should a writer wait? There's been a wedding in the family recently, which means my weekends have been spent doing things other than writing, though I've got a few chapters done since my last blog. I've been listing to the Writing Show podcasts about Mark Lesley's progress with A Canadian Werewolf in New York. I recently watched a really bad movie called something like 'Dragon wars: Ice and Fire,' and definately recommend avoiding it. Still playing GTA 4, but enjoyed the demo of Lost Planet 2 on PSN. On the reading front, I'm still reading the Mercedes Lackey dragon series and have recently bought a copy of George Orwell's 1984, currently sitting in my office desk.
25th Septemeber 2009 SNEAK PREVIEW - THE BELT I wrote this quite early in the morning hours so they may be more than the usual raft of spelling mistakes and missing words. First off, as promised in the previous blog, there is a new sneak preview up for you all to feast you eyes and gorge your minds on. Its taken from the second quarter of the latest draft. Enough said, head over and read it as soon as you're done here. I'm still playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and reading Alta, Mercedes Lackey's sequal to Joust. Recent purhcases include Sanctuary (the third book following on from Alta) and Janny Wurts final Light and Shadows book, Stormed Fortress. I've recently watched Rise of the Lycans, which though probably billed as a horror was more Dark Fantasy and found myself enjoying it. I've also recently watched Jet Li's Warlords, another excellent movie and well worth the watching. Also, fans of gothic horror may note that my writing buddy Nerine, from South Africa, has her new Ebook coming out in December, published by Lyrical Press, titled Khepera Rising.
14th September 09 A CHANGE OF TACTICS It's my son's second birthday today and here I am blogging away like a good little trooper. Just wanted to tell you all what I've been up to. Reading wise I've been going nuts about dragons, ever since I started reading the second part of the Raven Chronicles (Barclay). My niece gave me a book called Icefire, can't remember the author's name, but it was about an aspiring writer (no seriously) living with a woman that makes clay dragons that come alive. Now I'm getting my teeth into Mercedes Lackey's Joust and am bugging out on the detail she's gone into about rearing dragons. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I've completed the outline for the Renegade Prince, as well as drawn up a list of names for all the new characters and mapped out the world of Eridani, in which Kryllon is but a smallish island. The original plan was to consult with the Brother's Anwar, but their busy with their new PS3, Ramadan and the fast approaching final term at Uni; and besides, I rather get a first draft done, edit/chop/change, write the second draft and then share it with my peers. Its how I wrote the Changeling King (although I didn't do a full plot outline the first time out). I wrote a new chapter, featuring some of the new characters and locations and am very excited about writing more. I can't share any details yet because I don't want to spoil it. Hopefully, TCK will soon find a home and then you'll be reading it and I can start giving out tidbits on TRP, but that's at least a year away yet. I do promise to put up another sneak preview soon though.
28th August 09 I've just finished my first week at the new job and it does feel a lot like starting at a new school, getting used to the timetable, the new teachers (board members), classmates (fellow employees) and working out the relationship dynamics. They all seem nice so far and I did recieve a lovely pen as a welcome present, so I'm hopeful that the new 'day job' is going to be rewarding; though I am still missing my friends from the old job and the familiar routine. On the writing front, I have despatched the Changeling King draft 5c to an agent with an excitingly diverse portfolio of writers on their books. I'm very hopeful that they will like what they read. I've started the skeleton outlining of the Renegade Prince, but the fasting seems to be getting the better of me. Will keep on top of it though once I've gotten used to the sleep deprivation.
12th August 09
I’ve just started the last week of my current job, a place where I’ve spent the last seven years developing into the person I am today. Whilst working there, I performed the pilgrimage that every Muslim has to make once in their life, I married my beloved wife, bought my first house, my second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eight car, and had two children (although most of the credit goes to my wife for the latter). So it’s going to be a bittersweet week.
I still find myself endlessly polishing The Changeling King, the synopsis, my writer’s CV, even as I calmly receive the standard response letters from agents who are too busy to take on new writers, but keep saying don’t give up. Summer is in its last month and some days the rain lets up long enough for us to notice that it is summer. The month of fasting is also looming.
Strangely, despite being overdrawn as usual, I feel content, maybe because now when people ask me how my book is coming along, I tell them I’ve finished and am looking for an agent. I’ve waited fifteen years to be able to say that. God is kind.
The Facebook group is doing well with ten new members joining this past week. Keep spreading the word.
2nd August 09
2nd ANNIVERSARY
Welcome to the second anniversary of trollking.co.uk. If this is not your first visit, then please accept my most humble gratitude for your repeat visits. This year, the site has a total of 3188 hits, that a 1500 more than last year! I think a special thanks is due to the girls of Markazul Uloom, Blackburn, who have been regular visitors. Thanks also to the members of Writers of Extra-ordinary Vision and the Critters Writing Workshop for their visits and comments.
To mark the anniversary, I’ve put up a brand new Sneak Preview from Draft 5 of the Changeling King. The preview content did not exist before Draft 5, so this really is the new stuff. I won’t tell you any much more than that. So as soon as you finish reading this blog, please click on the Sneak Previews tab and have a read. I’d love to hear what you think of it, so please do leave your comments through the Contact US page.
I’m still marketing testing with a range of readers. I want to send out a special thanks to Sapphire Aslam and Hikmat ‘Halo’ Khan for their constructive feedback. Those of the market testers that are still reading the proof copy, hurry up, I’m waiting . . .
I want to ask everyone to pray for me that 2009/2010 is my year. Keep visiting and keep telling your friends to keep visiting too. I’m counting on you all.
23 July 09
More on Draft 5
As posted earlier this month, Draft 5 of the Changeling King has been completed, with the wordage coming in at around 87,000 words. Draft 4 was 104,000 words and Draft 2 was around 120,000, that’s 33,000 words cut in total; not including all the earlier redrafts and chapter chopping I did whilst writing draft 2 over ten years. That is why it is very important to gain objectivity by not looking at a piece for some time before beginning redrafts. Since the completion of Draft 5, I’ve been market testing it on various age groups (male and female). Some are still in the process of reading it, but it seems to appeal to both boys and girls, over the age of 16, as well as older readers. One market tester recommended that some of the language should be ‘dumbed down’ for slightly younger male readers, but the girls don’t agree. Also, there is some debate whether it is ‘PC’ to talk down to readers. Personally I try and use words that best describe the images and ideas in my mind, without really considering the reader’s level. But then I am hopeful that The Changeling King will be appreciated by a wider audience (BRING ON THE MOVIE RIGHTS!). As for The Renegade Prince, as mentioned in an earlier blog, I’ve written the first four chapters and then decided that I want to plan this one out before I continue to write. So far I’ve done an overview of 10 chapters and will continue once I’ve finished this post. Next I’m going to take the plot to the Brothers Anwar and get their feedback before continuing to write draft 1. August 09 will mark the second anniversary of trollking.co.uk and I’m hoping to mark the occasion with an exclusive extract from Draft 5 of the Changeling King, so please do visit back soon.
10th July 09 Brent Weeks and Draft 5 I'm really excited about a new trilogy that I'm reading by Brent Weeks, called the Night Angel trilogy. The way of Shadows is the first book in a while thats made me want to stay up late to carry on reading it, with exellent fight scenes, deep characterisation and essentially flawed characters. It has some whispers of influneces that perhaps other writers and the sharp eyed readre may be able to pick out, like Star Wars (Vader revealing his identity to Luke), Sin City, Fist of the North Star and even Harry Potter, though perhaps subconciously, but i is fantastic and un-put-downable. Go buy it or borrow it from a library. In other news, I'VE FINISHED DRAFT FIVE!!! A quick roudn of maket testing will be followed by sending it to the agents.Woohoo. Also, its coming to the sites second anniversary. Seeing as you've all been really good and visted my site regularly, I'm going to reward your loyalty by putting up a Sneak Preview from draft 5 of The Changeling King, soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
29th June 09 The world is constantly changing as the cycle of life and death continue regardless of people's desires and ambitions. This past month we have seen the death of two people, David Eddings and Michael Jackson (the latter described by one fellow writer as having a huge impact on his writing, i.e. the Thriller video). David Eddings is the most recent of fantasy masters to have passed into the next stage of life, preceded by Robert Jordan and David Gemmell. Hopefully, new writers like my friends and I will be able to fill some of the void created by these leading luminaries of our calling, though it will no doubt prove a difficult task. I have been writing and editing this past week, having written a new prologue for The Renegade Prince and edited about 100 pages of The Changeling King. Hopefully by next weekend, Draft 5 should be complete and ready for despatching. Currently I'm reading James Barclays second book of the Raven, Noonshade. I must say, his descriptions of dragons battling are breathtaking. 22nd June 09 More Excuses . . . The tropical fish ate my laptop and it has a slow digestion, hence it took me a while to get back to you. No seriously. Real life is so much more complicated than fiction. Nathan and the others in The Changeling King don't have to balance a career with their efforts to return home through a mystical dimension portal that lies behind a few thousand trolls, goblins and dark elves, in the heart of the Trollking's city and fortress. Compared to the trials and tribulations of my life, there's is a walk in the park, surely. Erm, perhaps not. But they do have the advantage of being fictional, which I am not. That said, Noor Jahangir is a pen name, so perhaps you could say I am a little fictional. Anyhow . . . I've just finished reading the Second Star Wars Ombinus Rogue Squadron and one of the Star Wars Empire graphic novels. Mostly tales of camarderie and galaxy expansion (George Lucas's). I'm playing the awesome UFC Undisputed and have added the Light Heavyweight Champion of the World to my titles, having beaten Rampage Jackson to get it and defending it against Rashad Evans, before compulsary retirement. I've also began the assault on Helghan in Killzone 2, so if you are online and see a grunt called Darlou, DONT SHOOT! In the words of an old Playstation advert, 'I have conquered worlds.'
5th June 09 The day job is a mixed blessing for most part-time writers. It may put food on the table and pay the monthly bills and rent, but it also takes you away from writing, especially when things are coming to head. I'm going to try and get more of draft 5 done this weekend, as well as more Renegade Prince chapters done. Current distractions include Stephen Lawheads 'Hood' and the Epilogue of Prince of Persia with its frustratingly devilish level design. E3 is spewing out videos of forthcoming coming games. Tekken 6, yes please!
30th May 09 Last blog of May 09. By the Grace of God, my daughter is much better, thank you to all who have prayed for her. Hopefully that means I will be able to focus more on my writing. Whilst working on the final cuts and polish on draft 5 of The Changeling King (about half way in), I'm throwing around ideas for The Renegade Prince in my head too. As I've mentioned, the basic plot is in my head, and some early outlines have been drawn out on paper, my thoughts are more along the line of character development. In other news, Nerine's just bought a Hudson and is working with her husband to restore it, Zakarya's review of Hulk vs Wolverine has been referenced on Marvel.com and I was up last night until 3am doing what all writer's do on a friday night, playing console games. Actually, I clocked the PS3 version of Prince of Persia, and what an ending!!! Also I've started to read Stephen Lawhead's 'Hood' and so far its very good. Tight writing, excellent descriptions and great battle scenes. The characters and action bring David Gemmell to mind. I know, I know, get that damn book finished and stop wasting time playing games, etc, etc. Okay, okay, I'm on it.
24th May 09 THE WEEK AFTER My daughter's been back home for a couple of days. She's much better now but still on antibiotics. I'm still worried that she may relapse, but at am grateful to God for her recovery. This means of course that I'm going to get back on to the writing. I'm considering putting the first draft of The Renegade Prince on Critters as i complete sets of chapters, like some of my writing buddies do, so I have a log of feedback to fall back on once the draft is complete, to avoid a big break in between drafts, though some kind of break is considered good for objectivity. There are also the other projects like Red Dawn that require some time and consideration and over the coming months, I'll reignite work on them too.
18th May 09 THE MOST DIFFICULT WEEK OF MY LIFE Warning, this is a little personal and some may find that upsetting. Last week, after a number of visits to our family doctors, my wife and I learnt that our daughter had a water infection. Since then, I who have never spent a single night in a hospital, have had to stay in hospital for over a week with my daughter. The hardest thing I've ever done in my life award now goes to holding my daughter down whilst the doctors have repeatedly stuck in a little contraption into her veins for IV medication and fluids. My heart has broken every time they've had to insert a new one. The poor girl's arms are covered in bruises now. Each night, I lie beside her, watching her flinch in her sleep, listening to the constant clatter of the IV and the other strange beeping and buzzing noises that carry down the corridor. In the Changeling King, I allude to Karen having bad memories of being in hospital when her father was terminally ill. But only now do I understand what that means. I don't know if my daughter will ever forget this experiance or forgive me for my part in it, but I hope one day she will understand that it was neccessary. Our experiances and our memories of them are a part of being human, and for a writer essential for building realism in their writings. I would have rather it have been me in the hospital bed. Well that would be my excuse for not having posted anything recently or having done any writing. Draft 5 is about half way done and hopefully should be completed swiftly once my daughter has recovered sufficiently to return home.
1st May 09 Okay, more on Renegade Prince. First three chapters are finished and the story is looking good so far. All three chapters feature returning characters but I'm not going to say which ones. Let's just say that this one is going to be darker than the original, the characters are going to be somewhat more mature and wiser to the ways of the world(s), but not neccesarily that much older than they were in the first novel. There will be more mysticism and magical happenings. That's enough on that, you haven't even read the first one yet! The Changeling King Draft 5 should be ready to go out again this summer to agents. I promise, no more amendments beyond the ones already made. Well, until I find an agent/publisher, at least. I've been really enjoying the latest season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and have heard disturbing rumors that its going to get canned. What? Tell them to put away the balance sheet and just glorify in the adoration of the fans, instead. More season, please. Unlike other TV series, the storyline hasn't gone stale yet. I'm also keenly waiting for Smallville's take on Clark Kent vs David Bloom (aka Doomsday), having read the original comic books way back in the 90s, but they keep pending like a constipated ass-filly (a mule). On the reading front, I've just started reading Raymond E Fiest's latest offering RIDES A DREAD LEGION. So far so good. The first two chapters feature new characters, something I think Ray should try for in each book, but who am I to speak, heh?
17th April 09 The Renegade Prince - First Details After having revealed that work is underway on The Renegade Prince (TRP) , the tentative title of the sequel to The Changeling King (TCK), in my last blog; I thought it was only fair that I reveal a few details about the story without spoiling the plot of TCK for would-be readers. TRP, like its predecessor will follow characters both on Earth and Kryllon. Without giving to much away, there will be three POVs (point-of-views) on Earth and at least three characters in Kryllon. One of these six characters is a brand new character mentioned only briefly in TCK. The other five will be returning characters. TRP will be based three Earth months after the events of TCK, which is quite a significant amount of time passing in comparison in Kryllon. The characters who survived the events of the original will have developed somewhat in this period, which means new conflicts and new aspirations. The bad news is that there isn't going to be any sneak previews of The Renegade Prince, unless completely arbitary from the events of TCK, until TCK gets a publish date. Sorry, but those are the rules. Other news, I'm currently reading Raymond Fiest's Wrath of a Mad God and playing Mirror's Edge and Prince of Persia on the PS3, both of which are excellent games, though the storytelling may seem a little stilted and predictable, and the dialogue in videogames seems to be served up with an extra helping of cheese.
14th April 09 Whats new in the wonderful world of Noor Jahangir? Believe it or not, us high-brow intellectual types have to do housework too. My wife and daughter have gone abroad for awhile, so I've spent most of Easter weekend redecorating our living room, Raspberry Belini with a Neutral Mocha feature wall for those in the know. I keep getting these insane urges to lick the walls, thats how tasty the end result looks. On the writing front, I've finished my hardcopy edits and have started to apply the changes to the electronic version. I've also joined an invitation only writers community hosted by Annette Bowman a.k.a. mamawhitewolf, for a select group of genre writers. The group is still in early days of development. But here is the most major news in a while . . . I've started writing The Renegade Prince, the sequel to The Changeling King.
5th April 09 I've almost finished the first read through of draft 5 and will hopefully soon begin the editing on the computer. Sadly, much of Lord Gillieron's perspective has had to be sacrificed for the greater good, though I've carried over the highlights to later parts of the story. Once the book is published, and if there is a demand for it, I will release all the Gillieron chapters that have been edited out on the website, providing you people rush out and by the book, the minute it drops on to the bookshop shelves. Next steps after the reworked draft will be to do a market test. Hopefully, my connections with the local secondary schools through the 'day job' will cede me an opportunity to a read through with a class or two. This should help the students to develop an appreciation for literature and reading and me with the much needed feedback. Then its upwards and onwards for the search for an agent who is willing to take on an exciting new writer.
23rd March 09
Rewrite after Rewrite
First off, apologies to my readers for the delay in posting a blog. Its coming to the end of the financial year and the 'day job' has gotten a little hectic. Also, I'm came down with a nasty throat infection that had me laid out for a week. Excuses aside, I have been working on the Changeling King, as well as constructing new plots for future Trollking saga books.
What on earth are you doing to it now? Is a question my wife asks me every time a begin a new draft of an old project. Initially, at the end of Draft 4, I was happy with the length and the story itself, but following the knock-back from Darley Anderson Children's, I got to thinking that perhaps I was being too ambitious and not tailoring the book enough for the target market (i.e. juvenile fiction). You see the point I'm making here is about length. Draft 4 was about 104 thousand words long. Most new juvenile fiction tends to have an average length between 60 and 80 thousand words. The other thing I had noted from market research was the limitation of the number of point of views (POVs) engaged by other writers. The best-selling children's fiction series, Harry Potter, only really has one POV, limiting the story to only what Harry sees and experiences. Of course, a single POV would be too restrictive and not grand enough for the kind of epic I'm trying to produce. But I have decided to reduce the POVs down with only four main POVs used throughout the story, and a random one or two just to set the scene for a couple of chapters. The end result should mean that readers will be left with a tighter and more pacey narrative. Hopefully, once I'm published and have people with more confidence in my writing ability backing the saga, I'll work towards a length that suits my artistic endeavors.
Next steps are to make the adjustments and send out to a target market audience and a few fellow writers to get their views, before trying for another agent.
27th February 09 INTRODUCING NOOR JAHANGIR So who is this mysterious Noor Jahangir and why am I blogging about him? Let's start at the beginning. I've been consulting with a number of people including my spiritual teacher, a Sufi master, and David Wolverton (a.k.a. David Farland of Rune Lords fame) on whether I should adopt a PEN Name or not. Most people, including the aforementioned suggested that it is advisable. I won't go into all the reasons of why, but long story short, I have settled on Noor Jahangir. Here is the why. Historically speaking, Nur-uddin Jahangir was a famous mughal king, the father of the chap who had the Taj Mahal built for his wife. King Jahangir's wife was known as Nur Jahan (Light of the World). My grandfather's village in Pakistan is named after the King Jahangir. There is an old tradition in the East to take the name of one's home town as an identification factor. Incidently, my grandfather's name is also Noor, which is the root word for my surname, Anwar. Hence, I have taken the name Noor Jahangir (which means, the light that will conquer the world). The practical reasons are that the name is much more memorable than my actual name, and the new surname won't see me relegated to the top shelves in the book stores (here's hoping), or knocked off the shelf by a more popular author with a similar name. If you have any views you would like to share with me regarding my pen name, please do so through the contact me page or on facebook. In the meantime, don't be too alarmed by the change of branding on the website.
15th February 09 FIRST REJECTION I was debating with myself whether to put up this blog or not, but felt that if I'm going to be honest with portraying a writer's journey from obscurity to publication, I should be willing to share the low points as well as the high. I got my first rejection letter. You may remember from the last blog that I was prepared for this, knowing full well that it is very rare for a writer to be accepted by the first person he/she sends their manuscript to. But even then when I recieved the letter I found myself unable to comprehend what I was reading the first time round. I had to reread it before it sank in. I've read it about five times now since Friday. It felt like someone had reached in through my chest and squeezed my heart. I didn't like the feeling, to say the least. I found myself feeling low. My wife saw through my brave face and didn't make a fuss when I said I was going to go have a session on the PS3. Luckily there was a demo of Killzone 2 available to download. Its amazing what ten minutes of shooting Helghasts can do for you. Following that, I spent another hour ripping tie-fighters out of the skies and dragging a star destroyer down from the heavens in The Force Unleashed. It worked, I was feeling a little better, but I still didn't write the following day either. Now on Sunday, I'm back on the keyboard and revving to keep going, to keep writing, chopping and changing, resending, until I've exhausted the list of agents I've made. Stephen King has a large nail in his study on which he used to pin rejection letters. The pile got so thick that he needed a bigger nail. I'm in good company.
6th February 2009
FACEBOOK GROUP
I live. Just thought I'd let you all know that someone has kindly set up a Facebook group titled The Trollking Saga. Its a place for would be fans and critics to meet up and show the love (or hate), for yours trully's writing. If you're already on Facebook then click through on this link http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=48138144982. If you're not on facebook, well . . . sign up, quick time! Or at least consider it. By signing up to the group, you will be supporting the cause.
Other news, Draft 5 is coming along nicely and hopefully should be almost ready by the end of February. Also, here is the big news, I've submittted the first three chapters, a synopsis and introduction letter to the first agent on my list. The dream is one step closer. All though I'm fervantely praying for an emphatic yes, but at the same time, I know from the experiance of many other writers (some quite famous, prolific and loaded now) that recieved many rejections before they got a yes. It would be really cool if we I didn't have to go through that heartache though. Onwards and upwards.
25/01/09 FIRST SNEAK PREVIEW FROM DRAFT 4 Following on from the exultant completion of draft 4, I've been busy back at work again. I have however, began the edits on Draft 5 based on feedback from proofreaders and will soon be shopping for an agent. Incidentally, my next Craft of Writing snippet will be on the process of researching and preparing for the process of getting an agent. Its really tough, hard work and took me some time to get my head around it. As the subheading suggests there is a brand spanking new sneak preview up, a completely new scene from Draft 4, following the exploits of my favourite troll, Vasch. If you missed the last sneak preview, there is a snippet from it that ended up on the cutting floor and hence is now located in Deleted Scenes. In other news, the latest issue of New Horizons, by the British Fantasy Soceity is now available, as well as information on Fantastycon 2009, so after you've finished reading the sneak preview, go have a gander at BFS.
13/01/09 DRAFT FOUR IS DONE!!! That's right. I finished the last chapter 4am in the morning. So right now, I'm suffering from sleep deprivation and therefore will treat myself to an early night tonight (12pm). That's it, the story is all down now as will be in the final draft. My proofreaders are busy proofing away and have already sent me quite a bit of feedback. Hopefully, I'm going to have some more deleted scenes and sneak previews to share with you soon, as well as images of the countryside that inspired some of the scenes in the story. Eyes wide for upcoming updates, and thats an order. Incidently, I had my annual seasonal message published in the Lancashire Evening Post, as usual. Not really sure if that counts as a credit, because I've done quite a few peices that have appeared in the local press.
01/01/09 HAPPY NEW YEAR Sadly the passing into the New Year was marred by the goings-on in the middle-east. Lets hope and pray that 2009 is the year when a peaceful resolution can be found. There's me getting political. Sorry, normal service will resume immediately. Apologies to all, I was unable to finish Draft 4 before New Year fireworks woke up the kids. The boiler breakdown has gotten the better of me. My study is cold enough to store fresh meat in. My knuckles and fingers feel like they've got needles stuck in them. I have made a good go of it, having penetrated through the first 330 pages, with another 170 something to go. I'm going to keep at it now until I go back to the day job on Monday, 5th January. Hopefully by then I may have laid it to rest. Critiques for Draft 3 are all in and my proofreaders have already began reviewing the pages already written for Draft 4. Please God, let this be the year I get published! Amen/Ameen. Once I'm done writing Draft 4 and the critiques are in, I will make the neccessary amendments, i.e. spelling, grammar, structure mistakes, then that is that. Next step is find an agent or publisher that likes the look of it and wants to sign me up. Apparently, this is even harder than writing the bloomin' thing. So if you are the believing sort, please say a prayer for me too. Whilst I'm waiting to hear back from them, I will begin writing draft 1 of the second volume in the Trollking saga, The Renegade Prince. You heard it here first.
23/12/08 SEASONAL RAMBLINGS 2 It was the day before the night before Christmas, or something. Sorry, I've just gone and confused myself. Anyways, as promised, the man at work signs are up on my study's door and I'm bashing away at the keyboard for at least 4 hours a day. As long as I keep my work output to the target I've set myself, I still may very well meet my self-imposed deadline. I remind all that this will be the last proper draft, bar changes suggested by my proofreaders. So come early 2009, I'm going to be on the hunt for an agent or publisher. On the off chance you are an agent or a publisher and are interested in signing me up, don't hesitate in contacting me. As briefly noted last week, I've posted a new deleted scene on Insider so please do take a gander if you haven't already done so. I would also like to introduce Annette Bowman (link has been added under writers on the Link page), a writer from Michigan, USA and a damn fine one too. I came across her work on Critters and found it better than many established writers. Annette has already signed up to proof read Draft 4. Anyway, better get back to the writing. Happy holidays folks.
16/12/08 SEASONAL RAMBLINGS First off, apologies to everyone who has visited the site over the last few weeks. I haven't had much of a chance to update the website. The 'day job' has been draining the creative life-force out of me due to added responsibilities. As such, my writing has taken the brunt of neglect. My boiler broke-down last week and my study is currently the third coldest place on the Earth, after the polar ice caps, and you don't want me harming my fingers now do you? Good news is that I'm taking two weeks off from this weekend onwards and writing is priority number 1. I'm still hoping to finish draft 4 on this side of the New Year. Chances are that whilst everyone's dancing and watching the fireworks, I will be at my keyboard putting the last flourishes to draft 4. Its shaping up nicely and I'm getting a very good feeling that this is the one, post amendments suggested by proof-readers, that I will be sending out to the agents/publishers. Hopefully I'll have good news for you by July. On the games-front Resistance 2 and Star Wars Force Unleashed have found their way into my PlayStation 3, both are excellent but the Resistance 2 online modes are amazing 60 players team deathmatch anyone? On the reading front, I've started to read fellow BFS member James Barclay's Raven series. He's no David Gemmell, but he ain't half bad either. Before I forget, those of you who recently celebrated Eid or performed the Hajj, congratulations and I pray you enjoyed them greatly. For those of you looking forward to Christmas, have a very merry one.
19/11/08 TIME ISN'T ON MY SIDE Another day has dawned, I'm still half asleap. I'm trying to keep up a rate of writing ten pages a night of Draft 4. Not being a full-time or even a part-time writer is hard. There's the constant juggling of priorities, I'm now the senior most employee of my charity and therefore have new responsibilities, e.g. pulling in funding, setting in place strategies and performance managing the whole organisation. I'm resolute that I am going to give my day-calling my full attention during the day. My evenings belong to my family, and I am also resolute to ensure that I give them as much of me as possible in the few hours that we are together. But once the clock strikes 10.00pm, my mind automatically switches to my true calling. The keyboard beckons. The trouble is, life doesn't always turn out the way you plan. Work often cuts into family time and family time cuts into both work time and writing time. I'm not criticising, my family give me most of Sunday to write in peace, that's a big sacrifice on their part. But that doesn't mean I can't look for sympathy from my readers does it? To make matters worse, I've got a stack of PS3 games that I need to play through. I think I'm half way through Dark Sector, a decent sf with good gameplay. I've just scratched the surface with Grand Theft Auto 4 and have played some way into Fallout 3, the game the critics are currently going nuts over. Add to that list Soul Calibur 3, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (nearly finished), as well as GT5 Prolouge, Wipeout HD and Warhawk on my hard drive. Although, I'd class some of these as research for my writing (ahem), when and where is there an opportunity or justification for a little 'me' time? Recently Updated: Masters of Fantasy, Kryllon Character Profiles, Red Dawn
12/11/08 WHATS NEW IN DRAFT 4? Oi. I've noticed that whilst I've been busy working on Draft 4 of the Changeling King, you've all decided to go entertain yourselves through other means. Have a heart, us poor writers need a little attention too, you know, someone to pat us on the back to say 'keep up the good work'. Ah well. I thought you might want to know whats going on with Draft 4. The proofreaders have come back to me with a number of comments, what works, what doesn't work, which points of view (POV) are more enjoyable to read, which POV's drag. You'll be glad to hear the Vasch and his warband are being given more space, but that has meant cutting out some of Detective Karen Rainbow's POV down. Hopefully this means it will read better and reveal the story more dramatically. Another comment that came across quite strongly is that the elves are too reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings elves. Also they felt that Elven Reach, the last city of the elves, was too much like Lothlorien. I was actually aiming for a tree city similar to the Ewok's home on Endor, but never mind. The elves have been undergone a major biological and cosmetic makeover to make them unique and Elven Reach has been re-landscaped, creating a brand new flava. Why has it taken so long? I've had to research everything extensively to provide enough realistic detail to make the race and city believable. So how about some of that appreciation now, hmm? Why are so many drafts needed, is a question that I'm often asked. Well I can only tell you how I work, so it's probably different for other writers. My first draft was the initial idea for the storyline and the characters (approx 60,000 words). The next draft took me years due to my on and off efforts and brought together a lot of ideas and concepts, most of which were scrapped or changed by the end of draft 2. Draft 2 ran closer to 140,000 words). Draft 3 was all about finalising the storylines, the chapter layout and the characters. This was the draft that was submitted to proofreaders. Now Draft 4 will take into account their comments and suggestions, sharpen up the manuscript, work out the dialouge to sound natural whilst moving the story forward. Draft 4 will hopefully be the last bit of polish on the content and structure. This will then be passed back to proofreaders, before making the trip to an editor's or agent's desk.
28/10/08 NEW SNEAK PREVIEW!!! Click on the Sneak Preview tab to see the latest excerpt from The Changeling King. If you visited the site late last week, you will have noted that on 24th October 08 I completed Draft 3 of the Changeling King. For those of you who missed it: 'WOOHOO!'. To celebrate this stellar achievement I've posted a Sneak Preview chapter from draft 3 for your reading pleasure. The adventurous amongst you will have also noted the new Deleted Scenes section. You'll find it under Insider. Keep your eyes peeled for juicy chunks of writing that aren't going to make the fourth draft. Other changes include the new Writer's Resources tab, the new home of Writer's Bookshelf and 'Regarding the Craft of Writing', offering a rather thoughtful insight into the noble art. Here is the other major news. Draft 4 of Changeling King is underway.
22/10/08 Draft 3 The Changeling King I've almost completed Draft 3 of the Changeling King. In fact, I'm on the last 60 pages and will be signing it off hopefully before the week is out. The Critters are hot on my heals and once they have finished proofreading Draft 3, draft 4 will be immediately in the works. At this rate, I may just make the Spring 09 deadline I've set myself. In other news, if you go down to the Inisder's Info tab today, you sure to find a curious new tab called Deleted Scenes. As promised in an earlier blog, I've uploaded some of the scenes that will decidedly not make the final cut (pardon the movie phraseology). There are currently two scenes up. The first scene is from Draft 3 and will not be appearing in Draft 4. Check it out to find out more. Also you'll have noticed the section of the craft of writing. Although I'm not the definitve guide on writing, I hope new writers will appreciate the pointers and the highlighting of pitfalls. When I get time to write more, hopefully this section will get its own page. Thank you visiting. Look out for a fresh posting on Sneak Previews soon from a completed Draft 3 of the Changeling King.
08/10/08 The Critters of the Changeling King No, that's not the title of the next Indiana Jones movie. I wanted to introduce the people who are critiquing The Changeling King to you all. First up are the Brother's Anwar, Zakarya, author of Drakin's Day, and his wingman, Omar. They are both big time into heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery and George R R Martin fans. They're both currently studying for an honours degree, English and Creative Writing, at the University of Central Lancashire. Nerine Dorman, author of When the West Wind Blows, recently featured on Guest Writers, is a multi-talented writer and artist from Cape Town, also a GRRM fan, but prefers dark fantasy (Gaiman, Rice, Constantine). She currently writes for South African news agency and has written three novels. Christine Snyder is a Production Specialist in IT Company and hails from Cottage Grove, Oregon. She loves Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and is taking longsword lessons (how cool is that!). She is currently working on her first novel. Lucy Schmeidler is a New Yorker who likes to read character driven fantasy and sf, as well as 'old fashioned' spooky horror. She is a retired Software Developer and a grandmother of three. She too is currently working on her own novel. Finally, the only none critter currently proof-reading for me is a Dr Bano Murtaja from Blackburn. She is a senior associate with a consultancy, mentors young people and volunteers as a strategic director for a Lancashire (UK) based charity. Remember these names, for they will assuredly appear on the acknowledgement page of The Changeling King.
30/09/08 Just a few updates on whats been happening these past few weeks. Draft 3 of The Changeling King has had a major reshuffle of the chapters and I'm having second thoughts about some of the new stuff, i.e. is there too many perspectives in the story, how far apart are the various strands, etc. Hopefully, the end result will mean a tighter and more balanced read. I promise that if something doesn't make the final cut, I'll stick it up on Insider under a new heading, e.g. Deleted Scenes. Red Dawn will most definately be surfacing as a novella, although how long exactly I don't know. The characters are currently on a sabatical and seeing as its their story, i have to consult with them first. I won't start working on Red Dawn until Draft 3 of TCK is signed off. The Rape of Caelia has had its stuffings kicked out by the Critters and will soon be treated to a rewrite. The controversial title will be snubbed for a more palatable one, I'm thinking Rogue Enchantress. This is another title that's looking to become a novella if I'm not careful. I'm currently working on a short story titled Insanitorium. I won't give any plot details away yet, but let's just say it scares me so much tht I only work on it during daylight. I'm currently reading Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies, sequel to the Lies of Locke Lamora. I'm playing Wipeout HD, Dark Sector, Soul Calibur 4, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and GTA 4, as well as replaying Game of the Decade, MGS4. The most recent movies I've watched are Black Water (watch), an aussie croc film and In the Name of the King (avoid). The Contact Us page has been suspended due to a large number of postings from marketing bots promoting dodgy links.
18/09/08 Double Wammy This week you're getting to peices of excellent new content. First off, let me introduce fellow Critter, Nerine Dorman, a South African writer from Cape Town. You'll find a link to her site on the . . . wait for it . . . Links page. Second new feature, the previously announced Red Dawn page. Its been given its own tab because I kind of like Caleb Elezar (a.k.a. The Red Dawn). I've got a feeling, this short story/serial may become a novella, which may become a novel in the near future, once I've got The Changeling King nailed. If you're a writer and not already a Critter, sign up to Critters and you'll be able to critique, read and enjoy the first three chapters of The Changeling King, which will becoming up in the beginnig of October. The Rape of Caelia should be up on Critters at the end of this month. Check out the new stuff, revisit the old stuff and start saving up for the inevitable publication of The Changeling King in 2009 (or 2010, or 2011 . . .)
11/09/08 Guest Writers Come to trollking.co.uk The astute amongst you will have noticed the banner on the opposite side of the homepage announcing this new feature. As promised at the begining of August, I have began to invite other writers to contribute their work to my website as well, just for the reading pleasure of my loyal visitors. The first guest writer is Zakarya Anwar, my kid brother, a new writer that is had a fair number of successes in getting published. His story, Drakin's Day is one in a series of stories focusing on a national hero, Drakin. To read the story, all you got to do is click on the Other Works tab, then on the Guest Writer tab and then on the story you want to read. This section will be updated periodically. Next up will be a South African writer, editor, photographer, artist (this lady is too talented for her own good) from Cape Town and fellow Critter, Nerine Dorman. There is a link to the personal sites of both of these writers on my link page. Check them out. Now a little bit about what I'm up to. I've written a short story titled Godsent, a story of superheroes in a fantasy world, with mystical undertones, who are revered as being literaly sent by God to protect the good folk of this world. I'm also working on a third (or is it fourth) draft of Red Dawn: the Duellist, who, as I've mentioned before, will be getting his own page soon. Well until next time, enjoy.
29/08/08 The Echo, Red Dawn and Critters There is a new story up under Other Works, titled . . . yup, you've guessed it, 'The Echo'. I wont tell you much here about the plot, don't want to ruin the ending. First thing you'll notice is that it isn't a fantasy story. I guess it would be termed a horror, but I don't think that letter-boxing will fit this story. Have read and let me know what you think. I've been busy working on a serial called the Red Dawn. No not the Patrick Swayze movie. This is more a swashbuckler in the vein of the late and great Raphael Sabittini, author of Captain Blood and Scaramouche. The Red Dawn is a retired duellist by the name of Caleb Elezar, once famous for the number of duels he had fought, all ending in fatalities. Watch out for a new page dedicated to the Red Dawn in the near future, with character profiles and maybe even sneak previews. The Changeling King Draft 3 is well underway and the early chapters have been submitted to Critters for feedback from fellow fantasy and sf writers. I hoping to have Changeling King Draft 4 ready to submit to a publisher/agent come Spring 09. Pray for me. The website has now been running for a full 12 months and has had a total of 1630 visits in its first year, so a great big thank you from me to you all for visiting. Now go tell some more of your friends about it and lets aim for the 3000 figure for August 09.
11/08/08 1st Anniversary Thank you for joining me on trollking.co.uk's first anniversary. I registered the site in August 2007 and began to develop content for the site. To celebrate I've carried out an overhaul of the look of the website and added mucho content. First up, the read through of the The Changeling King Draft 2 is complete so Draft 3 is well underway. I've stuck up the Draft 3 prologue in the Sneak Preview area, much more explosive and exciting than the timid Draft 2 opening chapter. Masters of Fantasy section of the website is now complete with images and two new (old) writers joining the lists, Piers Anthony author of the Xanth novels and the fantastic Incarnations of Immortality saga, and also John Norman, author of the seminal sword and sorcery Gor books. And also this month features the concluding chapter of Alauddin, yes ladies, wedding bells are ringing and haute couture is the order of the day. Finally, I have decided to invite other exciting and new authors to submit their stories to trollking.co.uk and the first of these should be appearing before the month is out!!!
25/07/08 Alauddin Redefined In the original print version, Chapter 8 was really two chapters. As I mentioned in a previous blog, this is were the story veers off from the tried and tested, right off the Disney and Arabian Nights versions. The title is a big give away to what is going to happen in this chapter, but then most chapter titles are. Alauddin is going to make like William Wallace and give a short rousing speech, without the expletives and the pre-underpant era display of a mass moony. I've edited out most of the preachiness but have had to leave some in, otherwise Alauddin's speech would have gone from being two pages to two lines. So I hope you all approve. The next installment will be the Conclusion. Speak of the next installment, be prepared for a massive update of the website to celebrate its first anniversary. Thats right, the Trollking website was originally launched in August 2007. In other news, I am now an active member of the Critters Writing Workshop. If you are a writer or love to read fantasy, sf or horror, you may wish to check out the critters website at www.critters.org. Doh, obviously you're going to be fans of fantasy and sf, otherwise you wouldn't be here.
14/07/08 Fractured Reality Variance Press, an online Fantasy, SF and Horror magazine has published a story that I originally wrote whilst at University. The story is about a young lady that sits in a room, completely enthralled by her wall-2-wall television. The story is a kind of commentary of the direction society is heading. Even now we find ourselves drawn to the box despite the drivel that is being aired. If you've ever talked to someone who doesn't hear a word you've said because their watching television, you've already witnessed the beginnings of Fractured Reality. A note in point, this story was originally written before digital television became the norm, as well as on-screen prompts, e.g. BBCi, Sky News, etc, to push the red button to learn more. I'm no Gibson and Fractured Reality doesn't even come close to seminal writings like Gibson's Neuromancer and Huxley's Brave New World, but you have to admit, it is kind of creepy, right? Unfortunately, the story does deal with adult themes therefore I would advise that if you are under fifteen, you let your parents check out the Variance Press Website first. Here is a direct link to the website: http://www.variancepress.com/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&book_id=14
11/07/08 I've finished the first draft of the short story 'The Duellist', which I mentioned in the previous blog and am close to completing the read-through of draft 2 of 'the Changeling King'. Next step for that is a complete rewrite based on my notes, but hopefully its the last major rewrite I've undertaken. I'm not sure if I'll make the summer 08 target, but I'll definately try my best. Chapters 6 and 7 of Alauddin are also up on the site. These two are probably the last two chapters that follow the beaten path for this story. They cover Alauddin's adventure in the Cave of Wonders and his first meeting with the genie of the lamp. Its all change from here on in. As usual, comments will be much appreciated.
01/07/08 July has finally arrived and my 30th birthday looms ahead of me like a huge sign that says, 'When the heck are you going to finish that novel you've been writing for the last 15 years!!!' Well I'm 330 pages into the 3rd draft rewrite with another 200 to go. Hey, its not easy balancing a full-time job, education, children and a writing career, you know. Ask any of the greatest fantasy writers and they'll tell you that they spent the best part of five to twenty years polishing that crucial first mind-blowing novel that paved the way for a successful writing career. I'd happily throw in the full-time and write for a living, but there is a question of how I'm going to pay off that mortgage and feed by videogaming habit and getting my kids through education and pay for weddings, and the list goes on. You can help by telling your friends to visit my site and boost my confidence in myself. That's right, yours trully sometimes sits there thinking whether he is as good as he thinks he is and needs constant reminders from others to say, yes you are, not stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with writing the damn thing. Other news, I've written a new short story titled 'The Rape of Caelia', which once its accepted and published, I will add a link to on the Other Works/Fiction link. The story is about a young initiate who has been sent to help an island with her healing craft and maintain the all important weather wards. The title gives away what happens next a little. So another one not suitable for you young'uns. There is the potentiol to expand on this story with further episodes in the tragic Caelia's life. I'm also working on a series of short stories titled Red Dawn, the first of which is called 'The Duellist'. Its still work in progress so I wont tell you to much expect that the plot rotates around a retired duellist by the name of Caleb Elezar, once renowned as the Red Dawn (i.e. lots of duels at dawn ending in blood, get it?). A third project is Insanitorium, a horror story set in a hospital with a mental patients ward. A doctor investigating an exorcism is given the power to see what is trully afflicting his patients.
24/06/08 Alauddin Part 5 More good news. Instead of one chapter of Alauddin, you're getting two chapters instead. The first chapter sees the relationship between Alauddin and Yasmin go from dislike to begrudging admiration. This chapter sparked off a little bit of controversy when it was originally published as a few people felt that the physical contact between Alauddin and Yasmin during the chase sequence is inappropriate. I've rewritten this chapter slightly to spare some blushes of those people, but have left one situation in, when Alauddin grabs Yasmin's hand to pull her off the ground whilst they are being chased. I'll let the readers decide if it is inappropriate or not, but sometimes protocol has to go out of the proverbial window when needs must. The second chapter is called Alauddin's Escape. If I go on here it will a plot spoiler, so I won't. By the way, the bright, sparkly-eyed amongst will have noticed the new tab. 'Masters of Fantasy' are back, they have their own page, with links to thier official websites and status. In other news, I've had a story accepted by Variance Press, an online fantasy, sf and horror magazine. The site is targeted at an adult readership, so if you are under 16, I would suggest you let your parents or elder siblings have a look at it first before you go on. Censureship is important and I support its use. I also believe in freedom of speech, but not when it is abused and used to harm others.
11/06/08 Alauddin Part 4 Great News. I've completed my management course so I'm going to be spending more time on my writing. The third chapter of Alauddin focuses on the Princess Yasmin's reasons for running away from the palace. It was important for me to show that she wasn't running away from responsibility, but because she was sure, in her own naive way, that was the best thing for her father's kingdom. This is also the chapter that Yasmin meets Alauddin. Alauddin is uncomfortable with the situation and nows his options are limited. On one hand he wants to maintain his respect, so does not want to be seen by anyone with a strange girl. On the other hand he would have to be a cretin to leave a girl to her own defenses at night in a city that she is unfamilliar with. In this chapter we are also introduced to Alauddin's parents, a soldier and a seamstress. Somewhat influenced by my years reading comic books, I felt it was important to show what the two major influences on Alauddin's life are like. Hope you all enjoy it. Finally, I've added a few more titles on to the Writer's Bookshelf, so please have a quick gander at them too.
28/05/08 Alauddin Part 3 I'm currently reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It reminds me of the Count of Monte Cristo and also Tad William's War of the Flowers. The jumps in time between sections is slightly disorientating, but the Dicken's inspired characters are very charming. Anyways, Alauddin. First off, if you've missed Chapter 1, shame on you. The good news is that there is a link on the Alauddin page that will allow you read the previous chapter. As promised in a previous post, this will continue throughout the serialisation of Alauddin. In this new chapter, the Wazir, the Princess Yasmin and the Sultan. The chapter is mostly about the Wazir's ambition, but also sets up the relationship between the aforementioned characters. Anyway's enjoy it, and once more I apologise for the preachiness, but I was young and naive, and a touch zealous.
20/05/08 Alauddin Part 2 There's good news and there's bad news. I'll start with the bad so I don't leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. There will be no sneak previews for a few months, whilst I'm working to complete drafts 3 and 4 of The Changeling King. The good news however is that as of today, there will be a regular bi-weekly update on Alauddin. To locate Alauddin, you'll have to click on Other Works, Fiction and then on the Alauddin hyperlink. There'll be a direct link from the home page. Each chapter will stay on for a month. Other news, I've just finished reading Stan Nichols Orcs Omnibus. The writing style isn't too clever, but the story still has a certain charm all of its own. The characters are very human, despite being Orcs and the action is literally non-stop.
15/05/08 Alauddin So here it is! Everything you want to know about the forthcoming serialisation of Alauddin. I first wrote and self-published (by the way, if you're thinking of self-publishing, only it if you have exhausted all your other options, and even then, its best to leave it on the back-burner and come back to it after you have had something else published) Alauddin in 1998. Its a little preachy, much like Grimm's fairy tales and it was inspired by the desire to express Alauddin as a more positive hero (not a thief or streer rat) with a more authentic Islamic/Arabian environment, so apologies in advance. I had about a thousand copies printed, all of which eventually sold out. The biggest challenge then was that I didn't have access to the kind of technology I needed, but more than that was the marketing and finding booksellers that would take it on. Originally, the book(let?) was aimed at the 8-16 market and at that time there wasn't much original fiction around for Muslim children. Attitudes, even today, amongst South-Asian Muslims aren't exactly favourable towards fiction, especially fantasy (see Gryffindor Gazette), so Alauddin was an attempt to initiate a change in attitudes and in the market place.
02/05/08
May Sneak Preview
This is from the third book of the Changeling King and is set in the latter half of the journey Nathan, Logan, Salina and Katrina make to cross Kryllon, on a mission to escape home and assassinate the Trollking, if the opportunity arises. They are equipped with the training they received from the elite Elven Guard, dwarf forged weapons and horses from the human settlement in the Brigandine Mountains. More importantly, they are at this point better informed of what is going on Kryllon and how they got there in the first place. The four have passed through highly dangerous and emotionally charged experiences and are beginning to learn things about themselves that young people would never have to in our safe and bubble-wrapped existence in the West.
At this point in the story, they are riding out of the Brigandines’ when they are given chase by a mercenary band of goblins and trolls in the employ of the Trollking, mounted on their Hogs (note: these hogs don’t run on wheels). The Hogs of Kryllon are much larger than their Earth equivalents, with bodies that resemble an African rhinoceros, both in mass and shape. They tend to be native to the marshes in the upper north east of Kryllon and are bred by goblins and trolls as war mounts.
10/04/08 – Bergtatt: Monster or Victim
First of all, apologies for the problems with the website, it was something that the web service providers needed to look into. Now down to business.
Who is Bergtatt? Bergtatt is a changeling. Bergtatt is the name given to the Trollking by his father, an elven noble of Ranush. Changelings have featured in fiction and west European folklore for hundred’s of years ago, including the 1622 play written by Middleton and Rowley. In folklore, it was believed that elves, goblins or trolls would kidnap babies and replace them with one of their own. Some believed that by beating the changeling child, one could force its parents to return one’s child. Other’s believed that any hardship inflicted on the changeling would be inflicted on one’s own child. A changeling child would be marked by an inhuman appetite for food, malicious and violent behaviour and ungainly movement. Various reasons have been given for the substitution of a changeling child, including disenfranchised natives swapping their sickly children with the healthy children of the invaders. Historical records however indicate that people did indeed hold to the belief of changelings, which often lead to the child being savagely beaten and even murdered. The sad truth behind these stories and superstitions is that changelings are actually children born with disabilities or birth defects. A wikipedia article suggests that the symptoms described in folklore match diseases such as cerebral palsy and spinus bifidus.
In The Changeling King, Bergrtatt isn’t the substituted get of trolls or goblins, but is born with a rare genetic disorder that is specific to the elven people. The symptoms of this disorder at birth are that the child is much larger than an elven baby, indeed would be much larger than a human baby too, averaging at about 25lbs at birth. The baby’s bone structure isn’t quite developed so its cheekbones aren’t where they are supposed to be, the brow juts slightly beyond normal, the nose is slightly out of place and the nostrils are too wide and too flared. The baby’s mouth is almost lipless and wide, its teeth already protruding from the gums. The appearance overall is unsettling for the elves, who are used to physical beauty as being normal. The changeling child is also marked by rapid growth. Normally, a child takes over 9 months to develop its motor skills well enough to crawl, but Bergtatt develops these skills in a day. As the child grows older it develops violent mood swings, paranoia and eventually madness. But rather nurturing the child, even away from the public’s eyes, the elven creed is to return the child to the mountains, for it is believed that the child is influenced by the mountain element of the earth spirit, Kige. Bergtatt means taken by the mountains and is the traditional name given to a changeling child by its father during the Ceremony of Severance. No other changeling child was recorded to have been born during Bergtatt’s lifetime.
27/03/08 I hope people are looking forward to the April installment of the Changling King sneak preview. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel of my postgrad coursework, which means that the Trollking ship will be surging forward again. A lot of the stuff that features on the Sneak Preview section is from Draft 2, which means by the time I get through drafts 3 and 4, it will likely be completely rewritten twice over and bear little sembalance to the version you guys are reading now. Perhaps its a throwback from the days of the noble typewriter, but writers still suggest that every draft of a novel under-construction should be written from scratch, rather than reworking it on a word processor. My own preferrance is to make notes on a print-off of the whole novel (kept together in a big level-arch file) and then redraft directly over the original version, with changes tracked. It is also good practice to save each complete draft as a separate file, so hopefully you should have both electronic and hardcopy versions of your novel at the end.
21/03/08 I'm reading a book on Alchemy at the moment, you know that science that is shrouded in mystery and dismissed as an occult practice. In actuality, Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars have engaged in the process of transmutation (the process of turnign base metals into gold) and alchemist were the first people to use the scientific method of research. Of course, you may have already encountered alchemy in fiction, Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone, anyone? The Philospher's Stone is what alchemist aim to achieve, and the transmutation of metal to gold is a by-product of the testing a philospher's stone. The stone in the Harry Potter book is ascribed to Nicholas Flamel, a very famous alchemist who, in partnership with his wife, was rumored to have mastered the stone's secret; the prolonging of life. It is for this reason that its often compared to the Holy Grail. The reason why I'm telling you all this is because alchemy, along with British folklore and legend, will be playing a big role in Volume 2 of the Trollking Saga, The Renegade King. I know what you're think, get the first one finished and then worry about the second one. Point taken.
17/03/08 Is Gemmell's Troy series one of the greatest trilogies of all time? It may well be. The only time the books fail to deliver David Gemmell quality is when Stella takes over, because despite her best attempts, greatness is difficult to emulate. Despite this slight lasp in writing quality, Stella still manages to deliver the story in a simillar pace and stays true to the charachters. The final chapter must have been very difficult for Stella, but in my humble opinion, a fitting end to the works of late and great, David Gemmell. I pray that I too may one day aspire to the heights of the writing craft in the near future.
12/03/08 I've been watching the three part series on BBC Four titled 'The Worlds of Fantasy'. The narrator makes some interesting points, but the focus seems to shift between Fantasy Fiction, as we the readers of fantasy know it, and Fantasy, the stuff that people who only read 'real' literature read. Last week they covered Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Peake's Gormenghast. The only thing these two works have in common is that they were written in the same period. It would make sense for an academic to look at the books in this context, but for the rest of us, Lord of the Rings is epic fantasy and Gormenghast is the fantastic (psychological fantasy, e.g. Kafka's Metamorphosis). The other thing that bugs me is that they keeping bringing on television celebrities to give their views on the books alongside people who actually know what they are talking about, like Shippey and Abercrombie. Who care's what a tv celeb thinks about fantasy fiction?
02/03/08 I've just started reading the third Troy book, and I have to tell you, I'm loving it. Gemmell's Troy books are like a masterclass in writing. His characters are real and three dimensional. The dialouge isn't forced and the humour feels natural. And unlike 'proper literature' its got a cracking storyline that is pacey and yet well balanced. Anyway, now to the March Sneak Preview. This is from an early draft and tells the origin story of a character that is going to be central to the story in the sequel. I don't want to give too much away at this point, but he also plays a key role in The Changeling King too. Have a read and let me know what you think.
18/02/08 The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes was the first book that I read that had a dragon in the story. Ever since then I've had dragons on my brain. But it wasn't until I read Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Richard Knaak's Dragonrealm books that I fully understood the power and wonder created by these huge levithans. Hollywood didn't get dragons right until they made Dragonheart and Reign of Fire. The only other film that had a decent dragon in it was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There is one other work that is worth watching for Dragon fans, Justin Hardy's The Last Dragon, a documentary in the same vein as Walking with Dinosaurs. If you're a big dragon fan and have some drawings that you want to show the world, please go ahead and email them to me (JPEG format) and I'll get the webmaster to put them up on the website. Email me on: nasrullah@trollking.co.uk
13/02/08 I've just finished reading the first Gemmell Troy book. I have to admit, so far it is by far the best thing I've read. I hope the second one is just as good. As I try to focus on my novel, I keep getting flashes of story from the second volume, which I haven't started to write yet. The problem is that the images are that strong that it leaves me distracted and watching a film of that story instead of the sharp attention needed to cut, mold and reshape the first novel. Ideas for other stories are almost as bad as writer's block when you are working on a particular peice and need to focus, so here is my suggestion on how to handle these emotive flashes. Quickly jot down an outline of the new idea and get back to what your working on as quickly as possible, otherwise you will be carried away by the current of your own fantasising.
05/02/08 You'll know from my biography section that I studied in an Islamic boarding school in the Pennine Moors. The landscape there is very dramatic and obviously made a lasting impression on me, hence the Earth sections in The Changeling King. The tower that features in the new Prologue is based on Peel Tower, which looms above the Islamic College. The lake from the original prologue, which featured on the Sneak Preview back in September 07 is also near the college in the hills. A boy from New Zealand drowned there a few years after I graduated and I remember the shock I experienced, for I too had once swam in that lake and swung from that rotten old rope suspended from an overhanging tree.
28/01/08 I recently watched The Bridge to Terabithia, an interesting movie though not what I had expected from the trailers and the box art. Instead its an exploration of what life is like for writers and artists in their tender years, though I have to admit, the boys art was a little lame, and the girl writer didn't really do all that much writing. You don't get to see Terabithia until just before the end credits. Ah well, I guess its still safe to say that 'British Fantasy Writers Whose Books have been Intrepreted into Film Rule!' Bit of a mouth full, but its still in its draft stages. Anyways, thank you to all the people who have regularly been visiting the site. As a treat I've given the webmaster the 4th Draft of the Changeling King's brand spanking new opening chapter!!! That's the whole new Prolouge. Please enjoy and keep visiting.
23/01/08 I think most beginner writers do not realise how important it is to read, and read diversly at that. Anyone aspiring to write a novel, film or even a graphic novel needs to: a) read a lot of the stuff written in their chosen platform and genre, b) read other genres too and c) read non-fiction too, as this will provide the flesh and realism to your characters, events and places. I'm reading a book on 'Sailing' at the moment, although the one time I was on the water was in a canoe, because I wanted to write a short story set on a island. Now, I could try blagging a description of my character on a boat, or I could do the research and make it more real and thus immersive. It would probably be even better if I went and actually experianced a few hours on a sailing boat, of course, but for now I'll settle on the theory.
17/01/08 Wahey! Another day and another blog. Here is a fact for you from the Changeling King. There are three main characters in the story, Adam, Nathan and the madman. The madman, though he has much less page space as the other two, is going to become more important to the story as it develops beyond the first novel. I know, I'm being ambitious again, the first one hasn't left the desktop yet and I'm already talking about sequels. In fact I've already written a synopsis for the second one and am thinking of calling 'The Renegade King' (Trollking II).
16/01/08 I've just started to read David Gemmell's last trilogy, the Troy books starting with the Lord of the Silver Bow. Now, I've always been really into Gemmell's writing and his Drenai books are obviously a difficult standard to meet, but it seems he's managed yet again to recreate the classic in his own brand, with characters that are both very much human and yet heroic and epic too. Having started, my fingers have begun itching to return to my own keyboard too . . .
14/01/08 There is a deep undercurrent of mysticism in The Changeling King, rooted in folklore and even Sufism. There are examples of fantasy fiction that for me that transcend escapism to explore the wonder mankind experiances in their quest to find God. There are of course many traditions that need to be taken into account, not to say the least the rich British heritage of myth and legend, as well as that from my faith and the tradition of story-telling in my family and amongst Muslims, e.g. One Thousand and One Arabian Nights.
5/01/08 There is a lot of strange stuff happening in the world, political intrigues, political hypocrisy and convenient blindness to the facts, e.g. global warming. No wonder escapism is back in fashion. No seriously, scanning the weeks news stories is a good way of collecting ideas for your fiction, in fact The Changeling King has benefited quite a bit from real world events that have happened home and abroad. I'd quote examples, but the times isn't write yet. I have released another excerpt to my webmaster though, so please do go check it out in sneak peaks.
3/01/08 Happy New Year! I spent the seasonal month playing Mass Effect, a science fiction epic with elements of role-playing mixed in with a third-person shooter. The alien races were quite well designed and wouldn't have looked out of place in a Star Wars movie. I also managed to catch the The Golden Compass (e.g. Northern Lights by Philip Pullman) on the big screen. There are chunks of the story chopped out from the original, but all in all was a good rendition of the work. I thought I'd share the above with you to explain why I haven't been blogging as often as I should.
I'm currently reading Janny Wurts' Cycle of Fire and James Barclay's Chronicles of the Raven. One way of keeping your writing fresh is to read other people's work. In fact, I believe it is compulsory for a writer to keep reading, and not just your own genre, either. There's place for romance, crime, adventure, sf, horror and even gun-slinging western's to aid your creative juices to flow easier. Nothing inspires me more to write than a well written and well put together story.
3/12/07 Hello world! Okay, maybe that's a little ambitious. I'll start again, hello England (Better?) My webmaster suggested that it would be good idea if I wrote a blog occasionally, hence . . . Writing has been difficult these past two months as I've started back on my second year of a DMS course, plus we've had a new addition to the family. As such I'm struggling to make time until we find a routine that works. The day job isn't helping either. But I've started working on another short story, working title: The Rape of Caelia. Early impressions from my Friday-nighters is that its reminescent of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea stuff. Its the story of a weather witch who is a member of a sisterhood that serves the greater good by providing certain services, in the case of Caelia, weather management and medicine-making. Hopefully, it will be finished soon, and I may even forward something to the webmaster to put up in sneak peaks. Don't worry though, I'm still going to be working on the Changeling King too . . . | |
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