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julesjonesBrain now only 10% mucus rather than 90% mucus, so I can more or less think again. But I'm inclined to leave the writing alone for at least another day, as I'm probably still in a state where I'll end up ripping half the words out again once I'm compos mentis.
Instead, some thoughts on developing the WIP, L&M3.
It's the third in a series, but it's set around five years after the first book, and around four years after the second. The guys have been legally married for nearly three years. (This is why I have a timeline file now, so I can keep track of this stuff and juggle dates to make sure things work together.) So the relationship has moved on a lot from the first two books, and I have to show that as I'm writing it.
First up, it's an established relationship. There's still a lot of romance, and they're still deeply in love (and always will be), but it's different to something that's still running on New Relationship Energy. Not least, Steven's got over that nagging fear that he'll drive Mark away.
With the passage of time the balance of power has shifted to something more equal. Mark now has the experience and confidence in his abilities to be acting as Steven's deputy at work, with greater authority than the assistant role he started in. That's also reflected in their personal relationship. Steven will have something of a mentor role for years yet, simply because he has twenty years more experience than Mark, but it's much less important than it was in the first couple of years of their relationship.
The age difference has long since ceased to be an issue to anyone who knows them. At least until a major plot point in this book stirs things up again...
However, the age difference will be a significant technical factor in writing the book. The first two were in Mark's point of view, but this one looks set to be in alternating viewpoint. The guys are a lot alike in personality and interests, but there are differences in the way they look at things simply because of the 20 year difference in age, further complicated by Steven's mood swings. I need to make those differences clear and consistent in the point of view, which is going to be harder because they are so much alike in other ways.
Need to work out the best way to inclue some backstory from a year or two earlier in the timeline, re Steven's very long term mood cycling. It explains the time gap between the plot hook in vol2 and the resolution in vol3, and gets that issue out of the way again for several years, so it needs to go in that gap. Easiest way is to simply info-dump it as Mark reminiscing to himself in the second chapter, but that's going to be rather clumsy. Start feeding it there and finish it a couple of chapters later in an AYKB section to spread it out a bit?
Still no idea what the word count on this is going to be, which probably means longer rather than shorter. Not going to get the draft finished *this* year, then.
Instead, some thoughts on developing the WIP, L&M3.
It's the third in a series, but it's set around five years after the first book, and around four years after the second. The guys have been legally married for nearly three years. (This is why I have a timeline file now, so I can keep track of this stuff and juggle dates to make sure things work together.) So the relationship has moved on a lot from the first two books, and I have to show that as I'm writing it.
First up, it's an established relationship. There's still a lot of romance, and they're still deeply in love (and always will be), but it's different to something that's still running on New Relationship Energy. Not least, Steven's got over that nagging fear that he'll drive Mark away.
With the passage of time the balance of power has shifted to something more equal. Mark now has the experience and confidence in his abilities to be acting as Steven's deputy at work, with greater authority than the assistant role he started in. That's also reflected in their personal relationship. Steven will have something of a mentor role for years yet, simply because he has twenty years more experience than Mark, but it's much less important than it was in the first couple of years of their relationship.
The age difference has long since ceased to be an issue to anyone who knows them. At least until a major plot point in this book stirs things up again...
However, the age difference will be a significant technical factor in writing the book. The first two were in Mark's point of view, but this one looks set to be in alternating viewpoint. The guys are a lot alike in personality and interests, but there are differences in the way they look at things simply because of the 20 year difference in age, further complicated by Steven's mood swings. I need to make those differences clear and consistent in the point of view, which is going to be harder because they are so much alike in other ways.
Need to work out the best way to inclue some backstory from a year or two earlier in the timeline, re Steven's very long term mood cycling. It explains the time gap between the plot hook in vol2 and the resolution in vol3, and gets that issue out of the way again for several years, so it needs to go in that gap. Easiest way is to simply info-dump it as Mark reminiscing to himself in the second chapter, but that's going to be rather clumsy. Start feeding it there and finish it a couple of chapters later in an AYKB section to spread it out a bit?
Still no idea what the word count on this is going to be, which probably means longer rather than shorter. Not going to get the draft finished *this* year, then.
Write it
Date: 2008-10-22 05:15 pm (UTC)Besides, I love your characters and stories, so, the more the better. And as you probably won't be bogged down in the pure minutiae of married live but liven it up with something, it'll be interesting and heartwarming to read.
There are not enough stories out there about the after-HEA, the work that makes it worthwhile to share your life with another person. Otherwise, why bother?
Inga
Re: Write it
Date: 2008-10-22 06:37 pm (UTC)A lot of romance readers do seem to want to stop with the riding off into the sunset at the end of the first book, but the second book is selling well enough that I think Loose Id will be happy to take the third. There are clearly plenty of people out there who would like to read about how Mark and Steven's relationship changes with married life.