In this new feature, I'll chat about the writing that I did during the past week. Hopefully it will be an interesting insight into one writer's creative process. As for me, I'm hoping that it will help keep me focused on what really matters here--having another Assignment with Eric and company chronicled for you to enjoy by the end of this year.As I wrote yesterday, I had all of last week off. In addition to doing some very fun, unwork-related things, I was also able to make some great writing headway on the new book. I took the little plot twist that I hinted at a while back and built upon it.
I really think the book is coming along nicely. I was able to write 2,900 or so words. Right now I'm in the middle of chapter seven. So far, I'm only up to about 28 pages, which kind of worried me at first. In Sharky and the Jewel, it took me 70 pages to reach chapter seven. Yikes!
But then I realized the reason for that. In Sharky, chapter one is real long, and--while I think it moves pretty quickly--there was a lot of setting up of the whole premise. The events in the new book so far move along pretty quickly. It's a pace that I think is pretty effective. I'm moving from scene to scene smoothly.
So, although I've got a lot of chapters done, I'm really still only a little past the introduction. As I envision the book, I think it will be around 200 pages, just like the last one, but there will be a lot more than the 27 chapters the last book had. I think this will make for an even faster paced book.
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is a little over 450 pages and has a ton of chapters--79! I think it's a gripping read. How long, or short, do you think a good chapter should be?
