Now that I have a complete draft of the collaboration story in Ruth Nestvold’s hands, I’m turning back to the novel that should be done already. I’ve really struggled with this thing. This novel, Rigel Kentaurus, is completely different from Neanderthal Swan Song.
I’ve been spinning my wheels on the beginning, trying to find my characters and the details on the story line. This novel has two distinct points of view in what writer Rob Hall calls a Y-shaped story. The two story lines start in geographically different locations and eventually merge.
Interestingly, the alien part of the story is coming together fairly well, but the human half is giving me fits. It’s such a problem that for the first time, I’ve split the novel up and I’m working only on the alien story line right now.
It’s difficult, but I am making slow but steady progress. I hope to be finished with this project by Octoer 2008.
Keep pressing on, Rick! I’ve struggled this month to get a first chapter and outline/synopsis done for Dave Wolverton’s workshop, and then eventually I have to write the rest of the thing. Sounds as if you’ve got a good approach started; I bet the “human half” starts coming together for you the more you work on the “alien half.”