Another Edit Update: Book III of the Alban Saga: VORTEX

 

 

The editing process for the third and final book of the Alban Saga trilogy, VORTEX, is going well! The first edit is complete, and the second edit is progressing well, with five chapters out of thirty-four finished so far! 

In the second edit, there’s still basic editing happening, but less of it. Also, the plot, relative to the different characters and plot lines, continues to be monitored. That’s the most complex task going on right now. So, the spreadsheet that was created during the first edit to keep track of all the dates, characters, and time travel has been really helpful!

The book will probably go through a total of three edits before that process is completely done, and I hope to have VORTEX published by the end of May.

Just wanted to keep you updated! 📚 

"MERLIN & ARTHUR: THE AWAKENING" - Manuscript Finished!

The manuscript of my latest SciFi/Fantasy novel, Merlin & Arthur: The Awakening is done. It is over 162,000 words and has thirty-four chapters, plus a Prologue.

I began the research for this novel, which I originally entitled "M", in March of 2016. After three months of preparation, I actually started writing it in June of 2016, and just finished it yesterday, August 26, 2019.

It has been an unbelievable journey that has included some wonderful characters such as Merlin and Arthur, of course, but also many, many others. The plot takes place across the globe in such places as Carmarthen Wales, Glastonbury England, many cities and villages across Russia, and in Alaska. It has magic as well as science fiction, real places mixed with fictional scenes, humor, great sorrow and pain, international intrigue, love, joy, adventure, and events based on current politics, history, legend, and imagination.

I am extremely proud of all the hard work, sweat, tears, and dreams that have gone into this, and I hope to be able to share it with you in the not-too-distant future. But my approach with publishing this book will be different than with my others. I just sent it off to be edited, and in the meantime, I'm leaving on a trip to Europe where I'll be gone for a year. We'll get the manuscript into its final form, and then I'll send it off to as many agents as I can. Then while I'm in Europe, I'll attempt to meet with some agents and publishers there, as well as enter it in some writing competitions.

If I can find a publisher or an agent, I will go that route to publish the book. If not, I'll publish it independently as I have my others.

While I'm in Europe, I've also decided to step away from writing prose for a time and work on my poetry. Many of you have read some of my poems on the blog. I'd love to write more and publish a book of poetry. It was my first love after leaving the music business. Now I'm anxious to get back into it.

Just yesterday, I noticed that my blog is now being read in 70 countries, and I wanted to thank all of you for your interest and support of my work. When I started all this, my goal was to share my struggles as well as my writing. I didn't want to merely try to impress; I wanted to be real and honest.

I'm looking forward to improving everyday, gaining more readers, and producing work that I can continue to be proud of. If you want to read any of my other books, you can get a printed copy or download it onto your Kindle through any of Amazon's websites around the world. Just do a search on Amazon with my name in quotes: "Bob Stegner". I wish my books were written in other languages, but for now they're only in English.

So...keep watching my blog. I'll let you know what's going on with my writing, what's happening with Merlin & Arthur: The Awakening, and when it will be available. I'll also be publishing some of my new poetry on my blog, so keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for taking this journey with me!

Bob Stegner

"M": Chapter 12 Challenge

In chapter 12 of my new science fiction/fantasy book "M", I've had a challenge that I've never confronted before. Two very important characters and the events surrounding them will be introduced at the beginning of the chapter, and what happens to them comes at a very crucial moment within the plot. The characters will need to be found credible by the reader, and they and their predicament must be something that the reader can relate to and empathize with in a significant way. The real challenge is that they will never come up in the book again, and I need to do all this inside two short pieces at the beginning of the chapter. I need to say enough without saying too much or too little, and do it in such a way that the reader "gets" why I've done it and is drawn in by it.

I've finished the writing for the first character and have started the second. I'm having fun with this and really enjoying figuring out how to do it.

I think I'm still about a year away from completing the book but am, even now, looking forward to the reader's responses to what I've done. I love this book!

Traveling in Scotland and Writing BLACK GROTTO

In Scotland Working on Black Grotto

Well, it's wonderful to be spending time in the country that is the setting for my newest fantasy, Black Grotto. I've been in Inverness for a week and have finished another chapter. I'm working on chapter 23 at the moment. As when I was at home, it's still taking me a week or a little more to write a chapter, and the closer I get to the end of the book, the more slowly the chapters seem to progress.

I wanted to mention a character in the book. His name is Andrew Jade. He's a geologist and used to be a professor at Edinburgh University. I love the name because it's actually based on my two favorite pubtenders in Inverness. They work at the Castle Tavern, which is near Inverness Castle. I don't usually do the type of thing where a character has a name that relates to who they are or what they do, but in this case it just worked out, and I thought it was fun. A geologist with the last name "Jade", who would've thought?

I'll be in Inverness for another week and then off to Edinburgh where I'll probably discover even more great ales, superb whiskies, and fun food!

BLACK GROTTO: Interesting News!

BLACK GROTTO 

Interesting News!

I wanted to mention something that was very interesting in relation to BLACK GROTTO. In the novel, Bea, who is the main character, is on a journey through Scotland to discover more about herself and where she came from. One of the many places that she travels to on her quest is an archeological site called Skara Brae on the Orkney Archipelago.  As I was reading BBC news, I noticed an article about a discovery on the Orkney's. The site that I mention within the story may end up being part of a larger archeological dig that could cause a re-write of our pre-history. It could be the actual cradle, or beginning, of our civilized culture.

Click here to go to the BBC page that has the article.

BLACK GROTTO: Change Of Title

BLACK GROTTO 

New Title

I've finished planning and have begun writing the 18th chapter of my new fantasy novel. As I've mentioned before, this new book is a continuation of the Beatrice series. The original title, Cave of Dreams, didn't seem to fit the book nearly as well as another one I've been considering.

This book is much darker than the first and a more complex story. I believe that BLACK GROTTO, for several reasons, sets a better tone and provides a better sense of the mystery inherent in the novel.

I'm only writing about a chapter a week now, as each chapter is taking a great deal of planning and thought. It's a joy to write this book, and I'm having a great time with the characters, scenes, and the plot. It isn't an easy book to write, though, and each of the chapters are much longer than in any of my other books.

So...BLACK GROTTO it is!

CAVE OF DREAMS: UPDATE

Cave of Dreams 

UPDATE

The main character in my new fantasy book is Bea. She is eighteen years old at the beginning of the book, and she must go on a quest across the width and breadth of Scotland to fully understand where she came from, who she is, and where she is headed.

There are many other important characters in the book: Marta Pottinger, Willam Brodie and his son, Aran, Bea's family, the Bauman's, Anu Grenn, and others. There are also several plot lines moving forward, and the beginning of each chapter has a date that helps you keep track of where in time you are. All of them will converge finally toward the end of the book.

I've just finished writing Chapter 16 and have started Chapter 17, and I know this book will be my most intricate and longest book to date.

I will let you know when it is done, but it will be a while, and I may enter it in some fantasy contests before then as well as have it read by some reviewers and editors.

Hope you enjoyed the update!

Back From My First Long Break From Writing

Cave of Dreams 

Changes in Style

Today, after six weeks of R&R from writing, I've gone back to work on my new fantasy novel, Cave of Dreams. In sequence, it comes after Beatrice, but it is being written so that you can read it without having read the first book. 

This really was my first long break from writing since May of 2013. Since that time, I've been writing about six to eight hours a day, five days a week. The break that I just took was sorely needed.

Today, though, I re-read Cave of Dreams to the middle of the ninth chapter. The change in the style of my writing is obvious. I take more time to picture more moments, painting as vivid a picture as I can of what's happening so that the reader can clearly "see" the story. Also, I'm slowing down so that the important and interesting details are portrayed. I believe both of these writing techniques are adding depth and texture to my work.

I had a great time reading the book again today, and tomorrow I'll get back to work and complete the ninth chapter.

Also, this book has more character descriptions, and I think I'm doing a better job of helping the reader understand the characters, not only by describing them better, but also by crafting the words they use in conversation in such a way as to indicate more about them.

I'm very excited about the Cave of Dreams and hope it will be my best work to date when completed.

CAVE OF DREAMS: Character Profiles

Cave of Dreams 

CHARACTER PROFILES

I'm writing a new fantasy novel titled Cave of Dreams. In sequence, it comes after Beatrice, but it is being written so that you can read it without having read the first book. They have many of the same characters with some new ones added in Cave of Dreams.

It seems the more I write, the more I attempt to give each of my characters their own very unique personality and characteristics. In order to accomplish that in a more organized fashion, I've recently taken to listing each of their attributes before I begin writing about them in the novel. I can remember them better that way, and I can also make sure that each of them is truly an individual. It's a technique that I'm finding quite helpful, as I seem to refer back to each character's profile often and even add to it as I write.

To give you an example, I'm going to show you one of the profiles that I created for a new character in Cave of Dreams. I've taken the list of attributes for him directly from my working notes for the book and listed them below. The list does not contain all of his characteristics because some of them would tell you too much about the novel. There are enough, though, for you to get a sense of what I'm doing.

One other technique that I found useful in developing this particular character was that I did an image search on the internet for a person that would fit his general description. And in so doing, he actually ended up being a compilation of my imagination as well as several of the pictures that I viewed during the search.

In relation to his name, it is completely fictitious, derived from a Scottish name search that I did.

Dr. Willam Hamilton Brodie or Wellyn (his Druid name)

• Professor of Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University
• Avocation is as a Druid healer mostly during the summer months
• In that capacity, his name is Wellyn
• 59 years old
• 5' 10"
• White shoulder length hair parted in the middle of his head
• Ruddy, outdoors complexion
• Gray eyes
• Summer clothes
• T-shirt and blue jeans
• Leather loafers
• Dress as Druid healer
• Brown, hooded ankle-length robe
• Tattoos on arms and one shoulder
• Druid runes
• Fit but slight paunch - likes Scottish ale
• Strong arms like his ancestor, Erin
• Serious student of
• Celtic and Druid history
• Sacred Druid sites in Scotland
• Druid healing techniques and customs
• Knows of the Baumans and the new Center on their estate
• Direct descendant of famous Druid Prophet, Erin
• Drives a white and brown 2-door Cooper

Expanding My Writing

Cave of Dreams 

Cave of Dreams is my latest novel. It's my fifth and probably my most ambitious project to date. As I've written, studied, and read other authors, I've become more and more aware of the importance of details. Having a rich story that feels life-like and real to the reader beg the necessity and importance of them. There are scenes to be painted, character's to be enriched and enlivened, and the tremendous importance that details play in the plot as well. There are times, though, when you need to watch out for the pitfalls that one can encounter with details from either slathering the page with too many of them or trying to place them into a story at the wrong moment.

In Cave of Dreams, the number of characters has increased over my other novels as have the fine details that tick the story along - moment to moment. And, I'm painting my characters with richer and finer tones and qualities. All of this detail also teaches me patience and sometimes creates a need for more research to make sure that the work feels authentic and has some basis in fact, even if it is a fantasy, as this book is.

I've been working on Cave of Dreams since the beginning of June, and I'm only into the sixth chapter. So far, though, my chapters are longer, and I'm building the world of this story a lot more slowly and carefully than ever before. In those six chapters, I've almost written 25,000 words, and chapter six isn't even complete yet. I'm not a word counter, normally, but it is an indicator of what I know is happening in my writing.

I mentioned patience, and I know that I'm gaining that as an author. I'm really enjoying the slower pace. I've always loved writing descriptions anyway, and taking more time to lay out the scenes has become very enjoyable for me.

I also mentioned the possible pitfalls of too much detail. I'm watching for that and using places where I believe other authors have stepped over that cliff as my measuring tape. Sometimes simpler is better, so I'm doing my best to balance conciseness with rich texture. "Balance in all things..." has always been one of my mottos, and I think it definitely applies to writing as well.

I'm enjoying and learning and working hard on Cave of Dreams. The book should be done in five to six months. I'll be excited as always when I finish and look back on its development and the wonder of creating something from my mind. It's a ride that I relish and revel in!


Learn More About My Other Books
To learn more about my other books, click on the BOB'S BOOKS link at the top of this blog.