Well, it did seem like a good idea at the time. Actually, it’s still a good idea, and really it was a very obvious decision right from day 1. In fact, there wasn’t even another option under consideration - Dark Heart was meant to be written in the first person. Third person? No way - this is Dr Jackson Clarke’s story.

Except I also decided that it wouldn’t just be his story. First person is great, but it can be limiting by its very nature - a single character, unless they’re in every single scene, doesn’t see everything that’s going on. He or she is going to view the events of the narrative through their own eyes and from their own point of view, preconceptions, agendas, assumptions and all.

In a story as large as Dark Heart, this isn’t going to work. There is too much going on. So I borrowed a technique introduced to me when I was about eight years old by Donald Cotton’s wonderful, wonderful Target novelisation of the Doctor Who story The Romans. For this book, Cotton abandoned the standard format of converting TV script to third-person prose, and instead told the story from the first-person perspective of about half a dozen characters, who rotate through the chapters.

Ok, nothing new there. Bram Stoker did it 1897, and he probably grabbed the idea from someone else anyway. But as far as I can tell, it’s not a common technique. Now I know why.

It’s freakin’ hard work, that’s why.

So take Dark Heart. I’m on 16,052 words, with 83,948 to go. The book opens with an account by a nameless narrator, detailing a gruesome task he was forced to undertake once upon a time in the African jungle.

The bulk of the book - what has been written, and what has yet to be written - is Jackson Clarke. Finding his voice was no problem, and he’s a lot of fun to write.

The hard part is the inbetween stuff. While our first narrator returns later, he’ll be talking from a different timezone altogether. Then there are the two chapters that belong to Zoe Bellamy, and she always “talks” in the present tense. Well, she’s telling you what she was doing! Tonight I’ve got about halfway through a military report from RSM Allen - he’s not the usual compiler of these things, so he doesn’t fit regulation style, but he’s doing his best. He’s short and to the point, as any good soldier would be.

Last night I actually jumped ahead to a standalone chapter I’ve been wanting to write for a while. Here, we listen in to a bit of street theatre. And coming up are a couple of entries from Macmillan Brown, the man from the ministry who has an agenda of his own.

And finally, our Occult-Detective himself, Alexander Bellamy, gets to have his say towards the end as Dr Clarke becomes (temporarily) incapacitated.

So in theory, it should be grand, and so far it’s reading pretty well. But hot-damn, it’s hard work! Harder than usual, I mean. Half a dozen first-persons, past and present tense, two (or is it three?) time periods.

Hard, but fun. No point doing it if it isn’t! And thanks very much to Rob in Denver, whose fancy wordcount tracker is telling me that I’ll hit 100,000 words on September 10th. Ahead of schedule? Oooh… back to the typing!

…you spend hours adjusting your blog’s CSS. But hey, it’s fun to learn by trial and error!

I’ve finally figured it out. Two days of wrestling with Zoe’s new chapter and going not far (well, 1405 words, but that was damned hard work), and now I know why. I didn’t outline it.

Y’see, I’m an organised person. Too organised. Making lists is an actual hobby of mine. Put it this way: if I have a day off, I make a big list of all the fun things I need to do that day, and if I don’t tick them all off I get annoyed with myself. Did someone say OCD?

Anyway, the idea for the new chapter came to me only a couple of weeks ago. I thought it would be a good bridge between two events - rather than have one character sit down with two others and TELL them about what she just did, I thought it would be much better to SHOW what she just did. And of course that is perfectly true. Plus, Zoe gets another chapter all to herself later in the book, so by giving her an extra one right at the beginning, it helps to introduce the reader not only to her character, but to the style of the book. Dark Heart is, by the way, almost entirely first-person, with the narrative being shared out by a handful of characters in their own chapters. Actually it’s mostly seen from Dr Clarke’s point of view, but allowing Zoe to tell her own story at this particular stage fits perfectly.

Now I certainly wasn’t making it up as I went along - I know some writers do this, but I honestly think it shows in the finished piece. I’ve outlined Dark Heart from beginning to end, but this chapter wasn’t around back then. So in my mind I just identified a beginning, middle, and end, and sat down to start typing.

Big mistake. Zoe and Nick race off into the night, eager to get a close-up look at the epicentre of the London explosion. They need to reach a cordon, find a way past, make a shocking discovery, then quickly split up with Zoe running off to meet her brother and Dr Clarke at the St James’ Park Airdome, and Nick off back to her office.

So 1000 words in, and Zoe and Nick are hiding in an alleyway, wondering what to do next. I’m sitting at the keyboard, wondering what to do next. I tried to figure out why this apparently simple chapter was being so difficult to write, but couldn’t work it out. I hit 1405 words and called for time-out.

In hindsight, the problem is obvious. I didn’t outline it. I’d created my own problem, and one that a lot of people make when starting out as a writer.

There is a difference between an idea and the plot. An idea is the seed, the spark that sets it all off. It could be the central concept of the story, or a little side-detail. But an idea is NOT the plot. Until now, Zoe’s chapter has existed only as an idea, and by fooling myself that this would be a short, easy section to write, I mistook the idea for the plot and got stuck. I’ve seen it happen with others - go to an convention or panel or workshop, and people in the audience will always ask the same thing of a successful (ie, published) novelist: “I keep coming up with great stories, but when I start writing I get stuck on page 3. How do you do it?!” The problem is that they’ve confused the idea with the story. Sounds obvious, but actually it can be difficult to understand. And look, I know this myself, but that didn’t stop me being caught out!

The solution: take some time, outline the chapter. Figure it out, run it through your mind, note it down. Then start writing! Bingo, should be good to go.

The thing is, if you find what you are writing is hard to finish, or boring to write, then there is a 100% chance that your reader will find it hard to finish and boring to read. Your mood is reflected in what you write - if you’re forcing it out, it’ll show instantly. And the plotting-as-you-go really isn’t for me. Tolkien didn’t outline The Lord of the Rings, he made it up as he went along. And man alive, does it show.

So back to the plan. Tonight: read through Zoe’s chapter (what there is of it), plot it out from the beginning to end. Tomorrow: finish the sucker. And by finish, I don’t mean rewrite (because editing as you write is made of pure fail), I mean finish it off. I’ve got 1405 words there and it would be silly to waste them! But at least I’ll know where I’m going, and before no time Zoe will be relaxing in that wicker chair with G’n'T, floating high above the south of England.

And we’re back into it. This is a 100,000 word SF novel that I want people to read, like, and buy. Which means I have to actually write the thing. Sounds logical, but I’m sure there are a lot of writers out there who have faced the garganuan problem of SITTING DOWN AND WRITING.

I’m serious. Writers love their craft - no point doing it if you don’t! - but what we really love is not writing, it’s having written. The other day I was running through a final edit of The Devil in Chains, my short novella prequel to Dark Heart, before sending it out to my readers, and I got quite a sense of satisfaction as I hefted the 80-page A4 print-out. It’s only 25,000 words, but that’s actually a fair chunk.

But writing itself can be painful. Oh god, it’s like sweating blood. Every word you write absolutely sucks. Each paragraph just shows the world how awful you are. Perhaps writing isn’t my thing, you say to yourself. I could stop now and do the dishes, and take up painting instead.

Much like an athlete breaking the pain barrier, the thing that separates writers from people who want to write is that we keep going. Yep, that last couple of sentences were freakin’ terrible. Here comes another one. Ouch!

And then 100,000 words later you have yourself a book.

Of course not every writer feels like this. I’m sure for some it all just floats along and it’s all entirely pleasurable. And I’m not saying writing is actually slow, or that writers like me have difficulty in getting the words down. I don’t have writer’s block - in fact I’m pretty sure there is no such thing. I can type pretty much as fast as I can think, and as soon as the blank page is up the adventures continue and the prose flows. Lousy, awful, stinking prose. Yeesh.

But a day later, and I’m re-reading the previous night’s effort, and I’m completely hooked. That’s not bad, actually. Sure, lots to edit and fix, but it’s pretty good, and if I like it then perhaps other people will as well.

So that’s the process. Not for all writers, but for a lot, including big names and successful novelists. It’s a strange job - it’s immensely enjoyable to create a story and to see it come to life and unfold and expand in ways you never thought of. It can also be very painful to place ass in chair, power up the computer, and actually type some words. But hey, who wants an easy life.

Tonight I’m back in the action, and have done maybe half of Zoe’s new chapter, where she and an ex-colleague from the Society of Arts, Nick (short for Nicola, of course) try and take a closer look at the disaster area, only to make not one, but two quite startling discoveries. Monday’s plan is to knock that chapter off, so we can get back to the airship journey to Africa on Tuesday, which is where we return to my original synopsis.

I had a wee surprise when I updated my progress spreadsheet - for some reason, I said Chapter 2 Scene 2 was an impressed 4000 words, when it’s actually only 804. So despite a nice run this evening, I’ve gone backwards a little since my last post and am on 11258 words, with 88742 to go. Depending on time tomorrow, I’ll aim to get that under 88000.

Because every sweat-soaked, hard-won word is progress.

Now if only I had a microphone like Kermit used to have…

Lost Metropolis footage found! Well now, there’s something nobody thought would ever happen. Fans of Fritz Lang’s 1927 magnum opus will be dying for the footage to be restored all crisp and shiny-like and Blu-rayed as soon as possible (can I use Blu-rayed as a verb?). Speaking of shiny, Pantechnicon has a nice, new, clean look, and a new issue as well - go and grab the entirely free PDF of issue seven, and while you’re about it, check out the forum, where you’ll find me as Carnacki. Actually I’ll have something coming up online in a week or two, and I’m also pleased to say that my short novella prequel to Dark Heart, The Devil in Chains, will be published in two parts in the PDF edition of Pantechnicon, starting with issue 8. I’ll be blogging more about that when the time comes and offering delicious samples of voodoo steampunk goodness here, of course. And staying with publishing and writing, I was talking to Gwen Gades from the quite frankly hot Dragonmoon Press, and she mentioned a few rather interesting titles they’ve got coming up. If I were you I’d visit the site and load up your shopping cart. And another book you should all be snapping up is Wiffle Lever to Full by my friend Bob Fisher - if you ever want to really, REALLY know what goes on at Robin of Sherwood conventions (I’m entirely serious), then this no doubt the definitive tome. Bob will be launching his book at PM2008, a one-day celebration of all things related to The Prisoner, being held on Sunday July 13th at - my favourite place ever ever - Portmeirion. Oh boy! I’ll be there representing the Detroit Ninja Academy, so do feel free to challenge me to a quick bout of Kosho should you see me lurking around Hercules Hall looking for trouble.

Oh, and with 90 days to go until my deadline Zoe came along and told me she needed her own chapter about her midnight adventures in the ice fog. Nothing like adding another 2000 words to your list when you haven’t opened Scrivener in weeks!

Ok, July has arrived. House guests have left. The sunshine hours may be slowing decreasing now, but summer is starting to get warm. Perfect time to get down to work - my deadline is 91 days away!

Tricky business, June. Wales last weekend, Scotland tomorrow, demonstrating the delights of the UK to the in-laws over from New Zealand. But I knew this would mean my writing schedule would kinda vanish for a couple of months, so I programmed that into my deadline of the end of September for the first draft of Dark Heart. So all good - lots of sun (unlike last year) and some great places to explore in Snowdonia and (soon) the Scottish Highlands has made for a rather relaxing and pleasant start to summer.

This has made the cumulative wordcount low, but we’re ok. Because I haven’t been idle. I’ve been writing. I just haven’t been typing it out.

Dark Heart is one of those stories that needs a lot of room. There is a lot of story to tell, and added to that there is a big, new (I hope!) world to explore and to explain. It’s as much a journey for me as it is for my characters - in the last section I wrote, I found Dr Clarke and Bellamy discussing the events of the previous day over breakfast. Well sure, be my guest - you guys were supposed to be onboard the airship already! But hey, take your time, have some more coffee. Bellamy is packed and you’re meeting Zoe at the St James’s Park Airdome…

So as any writer will tell you, a story and its characters will start to develop an independent life, quite separate to your own thought processes. So while I haven’t been doing much writing, as such, the story has been progressing quite nicely in my subconscious. And occassonally, it’ll give me a hint of what it’s working on. The other day it showed me what Albert looks like in his black armour as he holds court in the Crystal Palace. Wow, very cool. And then that chase in the jungle temple? Nice twist there, I’ll be sure to include it. Thanks!

Dark Heart is a big book. Lots to tell. And right now, even as procrastinate about which t-shirts to pack for the trip north, Zoe is telling her brother about her unexpected midnight excursion. Dr Clarke is taking notes, and I’m on the edge of my seat…

Penmachno to be precise. Blog to resume in a few days. I have local ales to sample!

Dark Heart crossed the 10,000 word mark at some point during chapter three, which is a nice little milestone, if a somewhat slow one to reach. The issue: editing while you write. The solution: don’t.

Before anything was written, I created a full synopsis and chapter breakdown. I tend to write in the order of the story, so as soon as Bellamy announced to Zoe and Dr Clarke that they were pootling off to Africa at the end of chapter two, I knew exactly what was to come next. Chapter three introduces three new characters and presents another view of modern-day “Albertian” London - a hot, polluted Victorian city, populated by strong communities that, in some instances at least, are not too happy being policed by steam-powered robot police and their half-animal, half-machine horses.

All of this we see from the perspective of market stallholder Grange Parkes, who has a minor run-in with a mounted patrol man just before the city is rocked by a gigantic explosion. Chapter three also introduces his wife, Megan, and a strange gentleman in black…

Sounds easy then. Chapter three has a purpose and a plot, dealing as it does with one of the key events of the book. So why did it take so long to write? I think it may have been because the chapter existed in an earlier draft without the man in black. Using this draft as the template, I rewrote the chapter over the top, weaving in the new plot strand and expanding on Grange’s confrontation with the police. Which came out just fine, but it may well have been completed a tad quicker if I had just started from scratch. Once you start substantially re-writing an old draft you have no choice but to fall into the trap of editing as you write, which for any writer is completely made of fail. You never edit as you write, as you’ll end up having written 100,000 words in three months to only have half the book written.

For chapter three I felt it was necessary to take this approach, however, but from here on in it’s 100% fresh. And now we return to Bellamy and friends as they fly over the Black Lands of Europe en route to West Africa…

Dark Heart stats, 1st June 2008.

Target wordcount: 100,000

Current wordcount: 11,329

Words remaining: 88,671

Deadline: 30th September 2008

Days remaining: 121

Average daily wordcount required: 733

Nothing like a week off to rejuvenate and clear the mind. Especially when said week includes my second-favourite place in the whole of the UK, Avebury. Boring holiday snaps to follow!