I feel like it’s getting old starting posts like this, but…wow.  At every turn, this story surprises me, and the more I work on it, the better I feel about it.

The Pioneer

When I decided to take another shot at writing phase one, I was hoping things would turn out better, but I wasn’t expecting this.

Now, armed with better notes, better character sketches, I’ve found myself writing something very, very different.  This story is cold, analytical.  It’s stark, almost gritty, dark…completely different from anything I’ve ever written before.  And I love it.  This is exactly what I wanted.  The character interactions seem more organic, and now that I have a clear idea of the layout of the Susan Constant, I’m able to write freely within the confines of my framework.  This is a lot better.

While I haven’t yet completed the reworking of the first chapter, I’ve already laid down almost 3,000 words over the past two nights, and I’m toying with the idea of writing more before I turn in.  I can’t describe how good it feels to want to write more, rather than feeling I have to.

One of the big keys to this renaissance of sorts has been my keen understanding of the Susan Constant.  I’m not just dreaming things up on the fly anymore: I know how this ship looks, I know how it operates, and with that, I’m able write scenes taking place in its various sections about as easily as I can write about my neighborhood, or my apartment.  Character introductions are cleaner, world-building blends seamlessly with the action.  This just feels right.

Over the next few days, I’ll be continuing to work through this rewrite of phase one.  Hopefully the rest will be more expansion and embellishment than complete reworking, but we shall see.  Once that’s done, phase two awaits.

I feel, at this point, that the beginning of phase two will go much like what I’ve done with phase one so far: extensive reworking, partial rewriting.  A lot has changed in a fairly short period of time, and much of what I have of the early chapters of phase two likely contains outdated information at this point.  Besides, I’ve already come up with plenty of useful dialogue for the formative chapters, and can’t wait to use them.

After that, the real fun begins: the first colonists set foot on the planet known to them as Samarkand.  There, the three main characters of the story will be explored, as together they fight to survive on an unforgiving alien planet, learn about its native flora and fauna, and come to understand why its uniqueness must be protected.

My plan is to begin work on phase two before the end of the week.  An audacious goal, but it’s important to keep moving forward.  Watch for my Week in Review post this Saturday.  I’m happy to say that I’m looking forward to it. – MK