Feb 12, 2018 is release date for ‘The Camper’, my first novel in The Stellar Universe series. I’m much more happy with the result than I was this time last month, it’s moved forward and improved.
I’m still nervous. I’m exposing my baby.
I’ve spent the last few weeks editing and evaluating, and of course done massively the wrong thing; I added new material. A lot of it.
My concern with adding material was and is that it increases the work with a deadline looming. I don’t want the whole product to suffer for one small benefit.
My reason for adding material is that I wanted more action, more illustration of the core protagonist in the series and that was sorely lacking. By adding material that has more action in it, I have upped the tempo and increased the view of the book.
In effect, I’ve used the time line of the camper to anchor the side stories and give relevance to them, hopefully.
A side ‘benefit’ of this is that I’ve exposed other characters in this era of the series. I have a huge body of work (well, jottings actually) and so taking from this means less effort but also ensures other characters are introduced.
Why don’t you pop on over to Richard C Holmes on Amazon and collect a pre order Kindle copy? For the insane introductory price of $1 you get a 75,000+ word novel, the fruit of a few thousand hours of dreaming and writing. I shall increase the price after a month.
I would dearly like to make the cost of a cup of coffee on the sale of a book. Ah, the dreams never stop! Maybe one day.
The Camper – Updated Synopsis
This is a story of alien first contact with a camper in the remote wilderness and the reasons for that contact, in that place and time. Then as time passes, the story moves to the course for history.
It is so much more than a simple first contact story. That is the initial ‘vehicle’ for the story.
From first contact it follows the reason for the alien contact and then the impact on the human race of a new genus arising. Small side stories, ‘Action Vignettes’ that give relevance and direction to the central story line.
All through this time we follow the life of the camper and his interactions, his life and loves.
Action Vignettes
The story of a camper and first contact would be rather quick and single tracked and in truth, that is only the beginning of the story of the Stellar Universe.
The small sections of action interspersed in The Camper nicely add difference, contrast and also the ability for the reader to get something more out of the books. You can tie together concepts and themes. You can see consequences.
In truth also, so many of my dreams were just small jottings, what-iffs.
Does Size Matter?
That is an ‘eye of the beholder’ question and something only you can answer.
I always prefer a bigger book. If I like it, there is more to be had, and if I don’t, well, it gets put down just the same.
For a writer there is the consideration that a 75,000 word book could have been released as two 37,500 word books and earned more income. Or three twenty five thousand word books.
For me, I really wanted to showcase the protagonists and give the reader something significant to read. I wanted to give a feeling for my work and a small novella just doesn’t do it.
There is too much to show, too much to tell to condense into a smaller work.
Stellar Universe : Recap
In 2018 we live in a world based on the history that brought us to this point. No revelation in that. Stating the obvious and that’s the way it works.
My initial premise in 2009 was that a new genus of the human race would arise, a new type of person, the result of race-desire and the influences of our environment.
So, moving forward in time, I wrote of the human race being impacted by these people, these Stellar people, and hence the Stellar Universe was born.
Exposition vs Description
In writing, these two methods are abbreviated to Show me or tell me. Those are the questions. Exposition tells, description shows.
What is better? Teachers suggest ‘Show Don’t Tell’ as this is more interesting for the reader and who am I to argue. It is more interesting to watch someone doing something than to be told about it, I suppose.
My own feeling is that there must be a mix of both else it is impossible to get a handle on the story and it makes the writing very difficult. Not only that, it is vastly easy to treat the reader as a fool, tell them too much and reduce their ability to dream.
Dreaming of Robots and Space Travel
I keep banging on about dreaming. For me that is why I read. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells wrote fiction and for a generation they captured imaginations. Then man walked on the moon and a trip around the world in 80 days became slow.
Consider the book ‘I Robot’ and tell me you don’t imagine what that society would be like. If you can’t then perhaps SciFi is not for you.
So, I am obviously a dreamer as I read, and also logically as I write, so I do hope my style suits.
Dreams can come true.
Moving Targets
This book started in 2009 with a few thoughts jotted down here and there, a few small snippet stories in the progression of the Stellar Universe. It didn’t even have a name at that time.
Now, collating those brief thought jottings and looking for a winning result, it’s not easy. I’ve read it all so may times and dreamed it even more often, I find I’m making assumptions and that results in missing text. Holes. I KNOW what I mean and assume the reader does also. Clearly a mistake.
Hence The Camper became a moving target in terms of what is going to be released. It’s changing, morphing and evolving into so much more than the simple story of first contact on a camping trip.