Word count: ~14,500 of ???
Well, during this week’s writing, I had a small ‘aha’ moment. Not the one I’m looking for but still, a good one. And that ‘keeping it to two points of view for ease’ that I thought I’d use–out the window. Oh well, I’m back to splitting up my large group because of that small ‘aha’ moment.
A few thoughts on why I’m doing what I am in this story. I’m not just a writer, I’m a reader…I think you’ll find that all writers are readers too. We love to read. It’s what got us interested in writing in the first place. Being awed, blown away, mystified, delighted, and any other words you can find to express the love of reading is why we do it. So as a writer, you hope that you have that effect on those who take the time to invest in your stories.
I had one commenter tell me after reading Book 1, Portal Through the Pond, that he wanted ‘more’ from the Empty World. I completely understood his comment. My tale focused more on the characters and their reactions and problems of finding themselves stranded in the Empty World than building the world itself up. I’m ok with what I did, which led into and drove the plots of Book 2, Beyond the Portal, and Book 3, At the Portal’s End, but I remember reading a science fiction story of a group of travelers on an alien planet and the opening up of the mysteries of that world is what kept me reading. And I took that comment and my own experiences as a reader and made an assessment of my stories.
It is a fine balance and I may have erred on the side of character development and their interactions over creating an interesting, mysterious world. But in Book 4 (At some point I will have a title-I even thought of calling it The Book With No Name-but scrapped that idea), I want to make the problems and situations come out of the uniqueness of the Empty World and its (hopefully) intriguing landscapes, abandoned cities, dangerous terrains, and the curiosity of learning about the assortment of alien species on the world-native and otherwise. If you want more from the Empty World, you’re getting it now.
Until next time,
David K. Anderson
