Kenn Ghannon: Blog

I'm going to admit something. If I find a story on SOL that contains a chapter or prologue or something with the list of characters in the story... I don't read it (unless it's added after I start reading the story). In the past, I thought it was a horrible tool that just meant the author wasn't able to differentiate characters and, therefore, the story wasn't worth reading.

Yes. I was a snob.

Sitting here now and looking at potentially having to create one of these for 'Runesward', I'm beginning to change my opinion. I'm sure there are stories out there with 'Dramatis Personae' where the author really isn't good at differentiating characters. I'm equally sure this may be my problem with 'Runesward' but I think part of the problem is that I deliver only a chapter a week. My job, as an author, is to introduce you to characters and make them different enough and make you care about them enough that you get to think of them as acquaintances, if not old friends.

If I've done my job, there should be no question of who 'Vestra' is, or who 'Ilzu' is, or who 'Audette' is or how 'Audette' differs from 'Ataya'. I like to think I'm doing my job - but either I'm not or the chapter-a-week pace is too few and far between for my readers to care/remember. Either way, it's making me re-consider my stance on listing the story's characters...

Every now and again, someone will ask for the status of one of my other stories. Rather than go on answering them individually - which I have no problem doing because I enjoy getting email - I thought I'd answer some of those questions here.

Runesward: Tome 2 is posting - but I haven't finished writing it yet (I got stuck on chapter 55 but had a breakthrough this weekend and actually wrote a huge chunk of chapter 56). Posting is catching up to the writing, which is never a good thing. I hope to have it fully written by mid-July (I have a 2-week family vacation coming up, so that's going to make things a bit tight).

InCAPable: the next chapter in the Calix saga (set in Thinking Horndog's Swarm Universe) will be my next writing endeavor. I don't have a deadline, but I'll start writing it immediately after I finish writing Runesward. I'm HOPING to finish it by the end of September so I can start posting in October - but don't underestimate how RL can mess up my plans.

Ring of Command: It's been inactive/abandoned for years now and needs a full re-write - starting from scratch. Andy is just... too good to be true. I do not believe anyone given the power of the ring would not abuse it at least a little before seeing the error of their ways. I hope to maybe write a chapter here and there when I run into a block with Runesward and InCAPable. No idea when I'll finish it and re-post.

In the meantime, I have 2 story ideas that are percolating in the back of my head that I'd eventually like to get put on paper. One is actually fairly persistent in that I've tried mapping it several times in the past and just never got it to a point I liked. I could never see the end, so I had no focus on where I was going with it. That's changed recently, so I'm spit-balling ideas and notes on where to start and how to get from start to finish. I will say that it's going to be at least two stories and maybe more. The other is one that occurred to me a few weeks ago and I've been fudging around with the premise. Still no ending or beginning but I like the idea of it. We'll see if anything comes of it.

Anyway, that is my current queue. If I've missed anything, please let me know.

I am WAY behind on my email. Most of them appear to be crowd-source edits.

I promise I will get to them. It just may take a bit. I try to answer every single email sent to me - but I've been head down most of the day trying to find a way to finish chapter 55.

So, please, don't be discouraged. I will get to the mail as soon as I can.

I've got a few things coming up in the next two weeks which are going to be running me ragged. Therefore, I've decided I will probably take a week off from posting next week. I'll post as normal on 5/6 but my next post after that will very likely not be until 5/20. If I don't post on 5/14, I'll make up for it by posting two chapters on 5/20.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

I have a process. It probably isn't great but it's what I use. I plan out my stories before I start writing them. Before I ever began writing Runesward, I knew how it was going to end. I almost always write the ending first.

Getting to the end is the exciting part for me. I know the ending, so finding a beginning and then writing the pieces that get me to the end is what I enjoy in writing a story.

The ending is NOT stagnant - the CONCLUSION is stanant, the story will end as it will end, but the details, the true ending, is not. As I give voices and personalities to the people who must get me there, they change details and perspectives about the ending I've written. I know what I need to get there... I just don't know how I'm going to get there.

Tome 1 was simple. It focused on getting my main character to the place I wanted him to start his journeys. Tome 1 was always meant to be the beginning - but he needed a reason to 'move'. The Red Guard were that reason.

When I dreamed up the Red Guard, they had to come from somewhere and they had to have a reason for entering Yren's life and a reason for Yren to have to 'move'. The reason complicated my life so much that there are times I wish I can go back and re-write the Red Guard out of existence (or, at least, Arlade Tinsto). I could've opted just to make the Empire the bad guys, the Red Guard invaded and so on. BUT... that wouldn't get me to the conclusion I had envisioned for this story.

Now, we're in Tome 2. Yren has to have a reason to continue the journey. He has to find a purpose. That's what Tome 2 is really about - and what Tome 3 will continue. Yren has a reason to 'move' but now he needs a purpose beyond that 'movement'. Something has to drive him.

I've received a lot of constructive criticism, most of it because we're 9 chapters into Tome 2 and Yren has yet to make an appearance. The problem is my effort to keep Tome 1 'simple'. Much of the pieces I need to put into play to get to the conclusion I purposefully kept out of Tome 1. Oh, I mucked with the Empire a bit because it was necessary, but there are pieces I needed to move that I probably should have started in Tome 1... but that would have left them flapping in the wind. I would have started them in motion but with no conclusion. I didn't want to do that.

I promise, Yren will return. His return begins in Chapter 38 and continues in Chapter 39 and 40.

Thank you for reading.