Seven : Update #9

So, another week, another chapter.

Added

- Chapter 1.09: David completes his mission and gets his nickname.

With this, Day 4 comes to an end. Only 3 more to go until the end of the beginning for David. What do those days have in store? And what is all of this preparing him for? Keep reading to find out!

Enjoy!

Seven: Update #8

Okay, finally another update! Sorry for the breaks the past few weeks. Hopefully, I can back into the swing of things and back to my regular scheduale. Now on to what's new this week.

Added

Chapter 1.08: David takes another type of specail test as we get to out literary hump day.

Enjoy!

Seven: Update #7

Wow! Finally an update this week. This update one has been on the list for a few weeks but I finally got around to it. And the new chapter turned out to be another hard one to break into. (That's why there wasn't an update last week, so sorry for that.) I think based on what the chapter is really about is something that I never went through back in high school. Also, its just not where my head has been lately, so it was hard to get into the mood to write. Anyway, here's the details:

Updated

Chapter 1.04: David remembers something else he needs to do before heading out to school: email his friend Kurt. Also, added a better segue leading into David's surgery after the accident.

Added

Chapter 1.07: David takes his girlfriend, Kim, to the school dance... something he's more anxious about than going hunting with his grandfather.

Enjoy!

Seven: Update #6

Added

Chapter 1.06: Day 3 begins with a lesson for David from his grandfather.

Also

So, I started my NYC Draft #2 updates. And as I figured, it did prove to be a bit of a distraction from my work on Seven Days. The distraction was both good and bad; while it was nice to ponder over a different section of Wolf's life, it was bad because I ended up procrastinating on chapter 1.06 until the last few days and really had to push to finish it (lately, I was keeping a week ahead). I'll probably continue the Draft #2 updates so I'll have something after finishing Seven Days (draft #1) but I'll have to try to not let it be a distraction from the current story.

Enjoy!

Seven: Update #5

This week brings about the wrap of Day 2, which isn't a good day for David.


Added
Chapter 1.05: A few things happen to David at the hospital... and all of them are important. (I swear!)


This chapter was probably the hardest I've written in some time. Day 2 in general was a hard day to get through. I usually dread dialogue heavy chapters, but this wasn't that kind of hard. Day 2 is more about the things that are happening to David (mostly outside of his control), how he deals with these things, and what becomes of them. But just like the ending of NYC, I wanted to word everything just right.


I also made a few discoveries about Wolf and what Seven Days is really about (below the surface) beyond what I had planned in the summary so I'm really excited to see where this goes!


You may also see a little change in how I structure the dialogue. Inspired by a blog article on dialogue, I started using a better format. Some of my updates (to Seven Days and, eventually, NYC) in the future will reflect this style more.

Seven: Update #4

Not much to say this morning (or tonight), so I'll get right to it.


Added
Chapter 1.04: I really don't want to give anything away (which is why there wasn't a teaser last week for this chapter), I'll just say that Day 2 begins and something happens to characters we've meet.


Notes
In my original outline (summary), I planned on 2 chapters per day. So, you can expect that format unless some days bring about new ideas while I'm writing them. This is the goal and the base line for this part, so there could possibly be more. And unlike NYC, I do have the political stuff planned so I'll be including that as well.

Seven: Update #3

Another chapter is on it's way as we wrap up Day 1! Here's what's up this week:


Added
Chapter 1.03: David meets a new friend as we wrap up the first day.
Seven Days Cover Page: Added a cover page; similiar to the one for NYC.


Still no updates yet. Although I did make one to Kurt's intro (in chapter 1.02), but I updated the text before the post last week. I guess that's another benefit of my "one chapter per week, one week ahead" plan.


Enjoy!

Seven: Update #2

Ok, so while last week's update to Seven Days was technically Update #1, I didn't title it as such for some reason. So, I renamed the post so there isn't any confusion.


Here's what's up this week:


Added
Chapter 1.02: David finally figures out what the Test is all about (sort of).


Note
Also, some of you may have noticed that I have been putting in a few extra sentences or a paragraph at the end. This is in addition to the chapter that I said I added. So, when I put chapter 1.01 up, there were also a few lines from the beginning of chapter 1.02. This is not an error on my part but rather to provide a little teaser of what is coming up. This is something I usually do when I can. And I usually can because I am trying to keep one chapter ahead of what is posted online.


Hope you enjoy the update!

The Beginning (Update #1)

Well, I have chapter 1.01 (Big Apple Bound) for all of you today! I hope you like it. It is a little slow but its necessary to get things started.

And I just finished writing chapter 1.02 (Columbia University) to keep ahead a little and I'm getting excited about it. I can't wait for you all to read it and let me know what you think.

PS: And just for fun, I added some "joke" names for future chapters (3-5). While they do have something to do with what's coming up, I definetly will not be using the titles and had a little chuckle at them.

The First Step

"Every journey begins with a single step."

That's the saying and I definetly feel like I'm on the brink of a grand adventure. And I hope all of you do as well! There are 8 parts to this saga and this is just the first chapter. This chapter doesn't just set up Seven Days but also sets up the entire saga (in a way). Are you ready to begin this jounrey with me?

So, without further ado, here is Seven Days chapter 1.00 (see Chapter References). Further updates can be checked using the link in the right column.

New Years Surprise!

First of all, I really have fallen of the wagon with the writing of Seven Days. And I know you've heard it before (see July '09 Update) but this time I'm going to do it right!

Progress

Progress has been scarce and looking back, I can't believe it's been 6 months since my last major update on the rest of the saga (beyond NYC)! A few weeks back I got back into things and it was going okay until... Well, I asked a few people (without spoiling any specifics) if they preferred my original vision or the new one (which is what I've been struggling with the past few years) in terms of the plot of Seven Days. Both said they preferred the original. So, last week, I made the decision to go back to my original idea for the plot and I've been working on it ever since.

Part of the reason I started this blog was to help keep me motivated in my writing and to push through the rough patches while still accomplishing 'something'. Which leads me to:

New Year's Promise!

While I generally don't make New Year's Resolutions (because every day is a good day to instill positive change in one's life!), I will make this promise to all of you readers: Starting in the new year, I will start posting the progress on Seven Days! This will start on January 1 with the first chapter (which is actually the only complete chapter I have done!). Then, I'll be posting another chapter, or updates, every Thursday after that!

Have a good one!

July '09 Update

I know I haven't been keeping up on the blog much at all lately but it's certainly not for lack of wanting to. I'm a person like any other and I have things going that greatly prolonged my hiatus longer than I wanted to. And just because there isn't much on the blog here doesn't mean I'm sitting on some street corner picking my nose!

Seven Days Progress

Over the past week, I've been working on Seven Days. For some reason, this story has always been a thorn in my side! Part of it is that it's the first story of a huge, epic saga and there is a lot of pressure to start things off right. (This is part of the reason I wrote NYC first!) Going through this process has given me a bit of empathy for George Lucas in his writing Star Wars Episode 1 (especially after 4-6 were already done!).

But I'm determined to push through to write the rest of the saga in order! But Seven Days will be a little more difficult to get through because I don't actually have a summary for it. I know what you're thinking... "I thought he already wrote a summary version for each part?" And you're right, I did. But I have since changed/modified the scope of Seven Days. This medium and the story are quite malleable until I actually publish the works (which is why I'm waiting to do that until after I finish the entire thing; to allow for adjustments and such as I go). And one thing I learned in a college art class (Photoshop actually) to "always be aware of you're frame (scope) and don't be afraid to explore a change."

So why am I not posting anything yet?

As of this post, I have finished 3 chapters (including the Prologue). I want to get a few more under my belt before I start posting anything. This is to give myself a little breathing room since I haven't nailed down the antagonists) 100% just yet. I have a general idea for them and basically how I want the protagonists to deal with them, but nothing is concrete just yet. The breathing room will allow me to take some time to flesh out the story and their interactions in more detail when I get to that part.

So, "hold on to your butts" because I am writing and will hopefully be posting stuff in the next week or two.