Well, the 3 Day Novel didn’t turn out so well. I wrote almost 2000 words, but it was a struggle and a battle just to get that far. Whether it was the stress and intimidation of the daunting 3 day deadline, or an inability to get into the right headspace to start pumping out pages like a Ford assembly line, I’m not sure. I think I have a decent foundation for a novella or even a novel, so I’ll continue to work on it. It was a good learning exercise, and maybe I’ll do it again next year.
In other news, keep an eye out for Episode 2 of Blind Utopia in the coming weeks. There’s also a few new ideas bubbling to the surface, though its too early to comment on those.
I’m up early, drinking my coffee, getting ready to write my 3 Day Novel. I’ll be posting about my progress once in a while (maybe once a day). Stay tuned for updates!
I’ve been pumping out notes and ideas for my 3 day novel project since last weekend. I have a decent idea where I’m going with it. As a teaser, I’m releasing the synopsis to everyone. Let’s see how close the final product is to this.
Living among the ruins of their ancient forefathers, the J’Raen tribe lives a peaceful existence. The teachings describe a place of unknowable evils, forbidding tribe members from going beyond the Great Wall. When a group of masked men invade the tribe’s boundaries, their small world is shattered. Women and children, who bear the miracles of life, are savagely murdered.
Going against the teachings, the chief orders an expedition to discover the origins of the attack. As the tribe prepares for a ruthless counterattack, a young woman who refuses to believe the attack was random searches frantically for answers. The survival of the tribe rests on her shoulders, as she must discover the truth behind the attack before countless boys and men risk their lives against an unknown danger that lies beyond the Great Wall.
Releasing the first chapter of Blind Utopia has been an uplifting experience. It has received positive reviews so far, which has been both encouraging and motivating. I’m starting to set goals for myself in my writing.
By the end of the year, I will have written the rough drafts for a novella and a novel (the former resulting from the 3 Day Novel Contest; the latter from NaNoWriMo) and released a minimum of four episodes of Blind Utopia (one per month).
For Blind Utopia, I hope to release a new episode on the 20th of every month, and maintain that schedule consistently.
That, my friends, is a shit ton of writing.
After four months of pleasure and torture, I have finally released the first episode of my serial novel, Blind Utopia. This is my first piece of writing that I have completed, and so the last few months have been spent figuring out my process and what I need to do to write. I’ve learned a huge amount in that time, and with the encouragement of my family, friends and writing peers, am comfortable with releasing my work. Thanks to those of you that patiently waited, asking every now and then “when is your story going to be finished?”
I’m already at work on the rough draft of Episode 2, which should go by much faster than the first, now that I’ve made those first leaps.
Comments, criticisms, suggestions and any other feedback are welcome and appreciated. I hope you enjoy it.
Dave 
7, September