# Writing, writing, and more writing!



## Ralph Rotten (Dec 15, 2017)

I normally start writing at 0400hrs, every day.  Today I actually started at 0330hrs just because I woke up early.  Although I greatly enjoy Indie publishing, I have got to say that this latest project has been difficult.  I've written a number of books under a variety of names but this is the hardest of them all to write.  Writing a single book is a ton 'o work, but writing a two-volume book is just Klazy.  Sure, it's all going together, slowly, but holy crap is this a lotta work.  By the time I finish, it'll be close to 400k words in length, plus illustrations, and the whole thing has to meet up in the middle like a jigsaw puzzle (while interlocking with the previous two books as well.)  Not only that, but this particular series has a huge cast, each with their own story that needs to fit neatly into the overall story.

So what is my point?  Don't really have one; I'm just taking a break between scenes to belly-ache a little.  Sometimes writing makes me feel a little like Sisyphus.


----------



## SueC (Dec 15, 2017)

Good for you, Ralph


----------



## moderan (Dec 16, 2017)

Rock and roll, Ralph. Rock AND roll


----------



## Lucian Hodoboc (Dec 16, 2017)

Ralph Rotten said:


> this particular series has a huge cast, each with their own story that needs to fit neatly into the overall story.


How do you keep track of all the characters?


----------



## Ralph Rotten (Dec 19, 2017)

Lucian Hodoboc said:


> How do you keep track of all the characters?




For this particular series I have a big posterboard on the wall showing the relational tree.  I also have a notebook where people are broken down by where they eventually get assigned to work so I can keep track of who get assigned to which digger crew or is out of town during a particular period of time.  Because this series is actually 3 books interlaced over the same central event, I am constantly checking to see if character X is in town for that event or not.

Then there's the timeline... For the first book I had a linear timeline that was 2 pages long, breaking down events by day (the story starts with an impact and counts out from there.)
Then came the 2nd book and it had a 4 page timeline because it included the original timeline (and had to mesh perfectly with that story.)
Now on the 3rd book (aptly named 3.5) I have 2 volumes that need mesh with the original 2 storylines. I am constantly fact checking myself.

I actually took a break between each book of the series so I could write books with very small casts.  What a difference that is-going from a book with 50+ characters to a novel with a cast of 6.  Night & day!


----------



## Jack of all trades (Dec 19, 2017)

I read an article about business execs and how to have a small business feel in a large corporation. The problem is, humans can only keep track of 150 other people. That's it. After that, we know the people, but don't really care about them.

What does this have to do with writing? A large cast of characters is going to strain the reader's empathy potential. Real life people will naturally take priority, so there's a limited number of slots left for characters. While I think it's very exciting to have such complex plots, having more than fifty characters does put a strain on the reader.

This has helped me, too. I have a joint project that has a large cast, and it's been a struggle. I've just realized that this is why. I need to talk with my partner about the number of characters.


----------



## Ralph Rotten (Dec 19, 2017)

Not all characters play a pivotal role in every book.  For accuracy all characters are listed on the board so I could make an accurate headcount.  This series includes floorplans for the bunker they live in so I had to outline everyone who would be in the place, even if they don't get panned until much later.  Since most of these characters belong to a family unit, outlining their families helps me understand their motivations and how each of them are anchored.  

Like I said, this series of books is highly detailed and a ton o' work. That's why between each one I wrote something light and fun (and with small casts!)


----------



## Roac (Dec 20, 2017)

Ralph Rotten said:


> For this particular series I have a big posterboard on the wall showing the relational tree.  I also have a notebook where people are broken down by where they eventually get assigned to work so I can keep track of who get assigned to which digger crew or is out of town during a particular period of time.  Because this series is actually 3 books interlaced over the same central event, I am constantly checking to see if character X is in town for that event or not.
> 
> Then there's the timeline... For the first book I had a linear timeline that was 2 pages long, breaking down events by day (the story starts with an impact and counts out from there.)
> Then came the 2nd book and it had a 4 page timeline because it included the original timeline (and had to mesh perfectly with that story.)
> ...




I'm exhausted just reading about what you are doing!


----------



## haribol (Dec 20, 2017)

A great project and you can emerge as a great writer with this kind of passion and flair. Only a few persons can work with this enthusiasm and only those very few emerge as bestselling writers.


----------



## Lucian Hodoboc (Dec 21, 2017)

Ralph Rotten said:


> For this particular series I have a big posterboard on the wall showing the relational tree.


Good heavens! That sounds like a lot of work! How did you create that posterboard? You should take a photo of it and post it here (after blurring out the writing on it) for us to see what it looks like. :tongue2:


----------



## Ralph Rotten (Dec 22, 2017)

The character board did not photo well, so I thought I'd post something else fun.  Early during the writing of this series I decided that instead of trying to imagine the place in my mind (and incurring errors) I'd just design the floorplan.  Then not only would I have a visual to reference, but also an animation.  Even better, I could plug characters into each apartment so they each have a consistent home (and I could better account for space.)  I use a really awesome program called SmartDraw to make floorplans and a lot of my animations.  It costs about $200 (on sale) but has been well worth it (I paid for it with my book sales.)

Since this series of books is oriented towards survivalists & preppers, pictures like these are practically prepper porn


----------

