Announcing - Along the Way
A few weeks ago I finished writing my second novel. Today, I’m sharing the updated title and some news about it.
My latest project “Along the Way” is the novelization of a few poems that showed up on this blog first. What began as a “I’ll throw this together for Poetry Friday” has turned into a 400 page novel in verse about redemption, mistakes and discovering what’s important. This began as the City of Duhr poems here on the blog but has fleshed out into a longer story about three people trying to find their place in the after-life.
Purgatory is more than a mountain
(That’s a little Dante reference there.)
Along the Way takes place in a space between life and whatever’s next. This is a place where people can discover who they are, who they could be and - with the right survival skills - become that person. Purgatory is from the memories of the living where ancient temples and modern skyscrapers are neighbors. Commerce is based on the value of your soul as people give of themselves until nothing is left. Some souls try to move on to the next existence but most give up and stay in this in-between place.
Souls congregate into three major cities: Duhr (the City of Salvation), Verglas (the City of the Devourer) and Caliburn (the City of the King). Between these cities are frozen wastelands to scorching deserts and a bizarre menagerie of things built by lost souls. Magic is as purposterous here as it is in our world but it exists giving a few the power to shape purgatory.
Where am in the writing process? (Hint: not Purgatory)
I finished the first draft of the novel almost 2 months ago which means the story is finished marinating. I’ve started editing and tying it together in print form. For a quick roadmap of my process:
Write the story (version 1)
Marinate the story for 6-8 weeks
Print the story and begin editing <- I am here
Re-type the story from scratch (version 2)
Send the story to my ideal readers for feedback
Re-type the story from scratch (version 3)
Probably another few months on this project but it is moving along. I expect version 2 to be a very major rewrite with new characters and maybe even new plot lines. The original plan for the novel was the story of 3 people’s afterlife and then the story of their life that led to the afterlife. Now I’m changing that to be just focusing on their afterlife with small injections about their life throughout.
Looking forward to sharing more as I can. If you like this idea/concept please let me know what you like. I’m listening and now the version 1 is done I’m keeping my ear to the ground for feedback.
Photo from https://pixabay.com/photos/factory-skateboard-abandoned-boy-1283749/
Disappointing Apocalypse
This week’s poem is inspired by a great article I read a few weeks ago. Enjoy!
This isn’t what I was promised.
Where are the explosions?
Where are the zombies?
Where is my chance to be the
me I know is in me?
The movies said
I could be a hero too
with the right guts and guns.
I thought this could be my time
to be the me inside me
but instead I’m sitting home
alone
waiting.
Now the heroes aren’t the ones
with guts and guns
but the doctors
who always had everything.
We’re told to stay home
and stay calm and
wait
for someone
to help us.
But that’s not right?
That’s not what I grew up
knowing.
I need to take action
to be the hero
to be the cowboy
to be the me I know is in me.
I know it’s in me.
The movies said so.
But I can’t find it
or be the me I can be.
All I can be is
alone
waiting.