Of rewrites and rock bands

The first rewrite of Guardians of Paradise (1 of 2 I’ll do before I deliver it to Gollancz) is proceeding, albeit slowly.

I’m at that difficult two-thirds point, and I knew when I ground out the first draft that the scenery around here was a bit sparse, and the plot a bit naked – points my crit-group were quick to pick up on. So, this week one-and-a-half chapters have become four chapters. Or will do, by tomorrow.

I’ve also had some time-line issues: I have one thread taking place on a planet, and another that involves lots of travelling between systems (yes, I’m writing Space Opera – so sue me). As is my wont, I slightly fudged the technical points in the first draft, but now I need to work out exactly how long the journey is, and what’s involved, in order that the two threads don’t quite meet at the right point (that’s ‘don’t quite meet’ as in ‘damn, I got here too late!’).

However, because this is part of a series, I can’t just fix it so the universe fits the plot: I have a lot more stuff to write in said universe, and the decisions I make now are ones I’ll have to live with for some time. Neither Principles of Angels nor Consorts of Heaven involved significant space travel, but Guardians does, and I need to bite the bullet and work it all out.  Fortunately Beloved was on hand to bounce ideas off, and when it became obvious a diagram was needed, to drive the spreadsheet. Maths is not my strong point.

In other news, the third program item I’m on at Eastercon is now Official, as advertised in the back of the latest PR. I’ll be part of the demonstration band (as yet unnamed, but I’m sure it will be something suitably over-the-top) for Forbidden Planet’s ‘Rock Band – Battle of the Bands’. Given my complete ineptitude with computer games, I expect I will be demonstrating how not to do it. Anyone going to Eastercon who wants to see me make an utter tit of myself, or wants to show that they actually do know how to play this game, should strut on down to the Rowan Room at 10:00pm on Sunday night (I believe you have to sign up in advance to compete – if you just want to laugh at me, simply turn up on the day).

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