Clee Hill: Blog

Wilhelm 2 is coming!

No, really it is!

Book Two will run for a total of twenty-two chapters, twenty of which are done as first drafts...and now I'm stopping writing of those first drafts to get into prepping Book Two.

It's not as crazy as it sounds.

Between the hand grenades of real life and wanting to think things through even more thoroughly than I did for Book One, it has taken quite some time to put down the first drafts, with Book Two beginning for me back in April 2018. Moreover, Book One began back in June 2017, and I've been working on 'Wilhelm' as much as I can since then.

And that's the problem, in a way.

With this story being something of a diary with each chapter representing one day, whilst it has only been two weeks between Luke buying The Thing and getting to finally have sex with his sister, and then only another three weeks from then to the end of Book Two, for me it's been a lot longer.

Consequently it is easy to forget that though Luke and Stef and Leri - and others! - have been 'doing things' in my head for almost eighteen months, for them it is a lot less. As I've got further and further into Book Two, I have become conscious of feeling further and further disconnected from their calendar, meaning they are more likely to do things in my head because, in my head, they are more 'matured' than they actually are in the story.

So.

The final two chapters of Book Two have been 'parked', not least because I know exactly where they are headed in terms of plot and 'parking' them will not risk anything in terms of things which might need to be included in the preceding chapters.

Therefore, I'm taking a week off from writing other than to upload the revamped 1:15 over the New Year's holiday, after which I will re-read Book One (uploading typo corrections as I find them) and following which I will edit and upload Book Two. That way I hope that I can keep 'in their heads' and so keep my characters more consistent with who they were rather than who they've grown into in my head.

So what will happen in Book Two? Plenty of revelations about The Thing, lots of fun with Luke and Stef, Leri gets into the act in all kinds of unexpected ways, and new characters bring a little drama, quite a bit of comedy, and a few touching moments into the story. Plus puns, Welsh, and the first threats that this summer won't last forever.

Onward!
Clee

Just a quick pre-Christmas update to let those who are watching and waiting know that the first drafts have four chapters to get done, one of which is already underway.

Once they're done, 1:15 will be re-ended and re-uploaded, after which I'll get into the editing and releasing of Book Two. Given that Book Two is twenty-two chapters long compared to Book One's fifteen chapters, this will take a while.

After that, there will be a Book Three as this will tie up most of the puzzle of The Thing, bring the summer holidays to an end, and set up Luke, et al, for their return to school.

As to what happens next, there won't be a Book set when Luke and the girls are at school as it is far too long since I was at school myself to say anything relevant to the current situation.

If I do decide to go into a Book Four at some point (which is a possibility given the open-ended nature of the conclusion of Book Three) then it would be set in the summer holidays again, as this setting allows for the most freedom of action, as well as dressing Stef and Leri in some very nice clothes.

So there you have it, it's freezing cold and mostly dark in Scotland, so thank God for heating and 'summer meadow ambiences' on YouTube, and Book Two isn't too far from starting to appear.

Cheers...Clee

Quick update, I'm fifteen chapters in on a run of twenty-two, with the rest on course, plotted out, and ready for me to draft down.

I've had to get a wrist rest to help with the typing as I have been typing a lot, with the word count thus far over 250,000 and possibly going to end up as high as 350,000 by the time it gets finished and uploaded.

No false promises of when other than when it's ready, but I'm going to pass directly from finishing the first draft stage into the editing and publishing stage, and once I've a better guide on when, I'll pass it on.

Meanwhile, Luke et al have a few adventures left to them in the last few chapters, some surprising people to meet, places to go, and mysteries to have deepened. Plus plenty of nudity, occasional Welsh, and lots of walnuts.

Clee

For all those kind readers who drop me a sitemail from time to time, asking for an update on Book Two - here it is.

* Those pesky Real Life issues that had been hanging over me for the past few months (nothing bad, just highly distracting and energy draining) are now over, meaning I can keep working much closer to full-time than I had been able to.

* I have a title, but I'll hold that back for now, even though, like Book One's title, it is not readily apparent what it means.

* I have completed first drafts for the first nine days.

* I am working on day ten this week.

* I have outlines in my head for what needs to happen for days eleven through fifteen.

* Book Two will probably wrap up around chapter twenty-two, but this is subject to change if plot necessitates it.

* Once I'm ready to upload 2:1, I'll uploaded the revised 1:15, as well as blog it, too.

* This is a lot of story. Thus far the first drafts are closing in on 150,000 words, and I may be only just at the half-way point.

* By the end of Book Two, more of The Thing's workings are known, but final revelation may be for Book Three, or I may conclude Book Two and come back to Book Three later, once I've had my knuckles fitted with bionics.

And of course, it won't appear until it's ready, but I am working to get the release of Book Two started by the end of the year, at which time new characters, situations, and puzzles will reveal themselves.

Cheers...Clee

Quick update for those following these things, one of the two RL issues has passed, so I've been able to get into the first drafts on a meaningful basis.

At the moment, it looks like this Book will cover two to three weeks, chronologically, but each day will not always be a chapter on its own, and some will be combined into one chapter. After all, it is not realistic to have something happen every day, after day, after day.

You get the idea.

For now I'm four chapters done, fifth underway, with six, seven, eight, and nine pretty well mapped out, but after that it gets a little hazy for now.

So, it's under way, it'll be ready when it is, and Luke's adventures with Stef and Leri will continue, with puns and more Welsh, too.

Cheers...Clee