Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The History of my Novel, Part I

We have gone through many topics on my blog. Most of these blogs dealt with medieval life and weapons.


Now I am going to describe some of my upcoming novel, and the process I have gone through to get it published. This will be provided through several posts, so I hope you will continue to read each one.

My first attempt at written was a zombie novel. I thought it was a good concept for a zombie book; basically, it is a story from a zombie’s point of view. I had trouble getting it published, and still have not had any luck.

With my zombie novel sitting on my hard drive and nowhere to go, I had two choices; quit writing, or get another topic.

I thought about the first option for a while, but then realized many authors had sent many manuscripts to publishers and agents without any response, and that, in reality, it would take only one publisher to accept my novel to get it out.

Since I chose the 2nd option, I needed a new topic and create a story. I remember sitting down and watching one of the Harry Potter movies and said to myself, “Self, there are no knights in these stories.”

Ideas began popping into my head; how can I describe a Page learning how to become a knight? We are all familiar with Ivanhoe and other medieval setting stories; but I needed a twist to this story. Then something came inside my head, what if the medieval period never ended, what if it was set in today’s world. I also wanted it to be different from George Romero’s Knightriders , where a person thinks he is King Author set in today’s world (excellent movie by the way, knights jousting on motorcycles, rent it).

I came up with a concept. A power in an evil book was released upon the world during the middle ages. Monsters and other creatures of myth began bringing havoc upon the earth. If humankind was constantly facing evil, then perhaps the renaissance never happened. What if the world was stuck in the same technological place as it was 1,000 years ago.

I had the concept of my novel, now to consider the plot. I decided to write a story based on The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. I truly believe most stories follow some of the format described in this book. I created a hero, a young man who is unaware his parents were members of a legendary order of knights. These knights were created for one purpose; to destroy the evil in the world. My novel also includes a mentor, love interest and an antagonist. When I put these characters together my story was formed.

Being an amateur historian, I then researched what it was like living in medieval times. In this research, I discovered minor details about the technology that was used by everyday people. I incorporated these details in my novel to give it a more realistic feel than other fantasy novels.

It was also in my research that I discovered long forgotten customs and rituals that were performed during that time. These were added to my novel for a sense of realism.

NEWS FLASH: I was just notified my novel will be released on July 30th. I will post the press release via here when it becomes available.

So now you know how I came up and wrote my book. The next time I shall describe the journey to find a publisher.

12 comments:

  1. Interesting story. I'm so glad you didn't quit after your first attempt. I like the way you chose your topic and plot.

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  2. I envy anyone who can do what you're doing with fantasy writing. Most of my work tends to stick to realism, though I'd like to think I might have a zombie story in me as well ;)

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  3. Hi William; congratulations first for being published but more importantly for not giving up. And it sounds like your historical research will give your book a realistic feel missing in so much fiction. any chance the book will be released in audio or be available through the library for the blind? looking forward to helping you promote your book and learning more about the process from idea to publishing. Good luck, max

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  4. I'm curious, why didn't you simply self-publish?

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  5. First, congratulations on getting your novel published. That's got to be a milestone for you and something to celebrate. I really like the way you describe how you went about choosing the plot. I'm looking forward to your next post about finding a publisher. All the best - hope your book lands on the bestseller list.
    Lenie

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  6. I want to thank everyone for your comments and your kind words, I really appreciate them.
    As for your questions, let me mass answer them.
    I was a semi pro wrestler, so I know something about promotion. However, I know nothing about book promotion or the writing business, to learn how to do this I decided to go with a publisher.
    I am unaware of what format the book may or may not be in later. Right now it is being published on Kindle, so that is where we are at the moment.
    Although my novel is of the fantasy genre, I made a conscious attempt to have realism in it also. As you know from my blogs, I do intense research about how people lived during that time frame (medieval period). I included scenes depicting exactly what it was like living during that time; this included the status of people, and even everyday items that they used. The book is a historical account of medieval Europe; it is just set in a fantasy world.

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  7. \so glad that you didnot give up after your first novel was rejected. Congratulations on the publication of your novel.

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  8. First of all congratulations on the upcoming publication! Whoopee! I'm an author too, so believe me ...I get it:) It sounds like a great premise, by the way. Though fantasy isn't my genre of choice, the idea that you mixed realism and did the research into the era is appealing...so I will look forward to reading it.

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  9. Hi William,
    Thanks for sharing the history of how your novel came to be and the creative processes involved in it. Continued success on your journey!

    Bill

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  10. Congrats on your novel getting released! It proves that if you have the courage to go after a goal, even if it means getting knocked down a few times, that success will prevail!

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  11. Thank you everyone for your kind words. I will keep you posted about the release of the nove in my upcoming blogs.

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  12. Woooohoooooo!!! Congrats on getting the book written and finding a publisher. You must be so excited about your upcoming publishing date. I admire your perseverance.

    I just have to say, I wouldn't abandon the first book just yet, I watched a very entertaining movie with my 13 year old daughter that was told from the zombies' perspective. It was called "Warm Bodies" and was released in 2013.

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