“I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.”
I believe Hermann Hesse to be one of the greatest writers of all time. He is perhaps most well known for his Buddhist allegory “Siddhartha”, which is perhaps a curse to his name seeing as it’s one of the weakest of his works.
It would be better for us to see “Siddhartha” as just another work a midst’s the masterpieces in his library. In it’s stead, let’s focus on the stellar examples of literature that are “Steppenwolf”, “Narcissus and Goldmund”, and “The Glass Bead Game”. These novels not only entertain and are superbly written, they will open the crannies of your mind to not only new thoughts, but new ways of thinking.
Through these works, we invite Mr Hesse into our minds, and through them he plants and tends to seeds of thought so foreign to most people of today impossible for me to describe without you having read and understood them first.
I think of Hesse as a fighter. Not violent, though he did fight against the creative tyranny of the Nazi’s in his own way. I think of Hesse of a fighter of the human mind and spirit. Perhaps this is why he seems to me to have been at war within himself at times, because he cared so deeply for the soul, for joy, and even for suffering.
It’s been almost a month since my last writing report. Sorry about that. I was denied access to my blog for a while, and then I was on such a roll with the novel I didn’t want to break my flow by writing something else. Well, now I’m here, so lets get to it!
Featured quote: “I know that whoever reads this is in another time, and that by the time of reading I will have already survived or perished. Even so, I cannot help but to ask, pray for me. Pray for us.”
Due out: Mid-Late 2013
Word Count: about 99,000
86.09% 99000 of 115000
About: Discovering Aberration is a steampunk adventure story about two professors who discover a map and the adventure that ensues. Featuring violent gangs, blood thirsty scuttlers, tricky scuttleretes, desperate archaeologists and a mysterious island with a nightmarish secret…
Things Accomplished:Short answer… LOTS! I’ll cover as much as it as I’m able.
Writing Progress
There have been a few things in my life that account for my current progress in the novel. First is that I had a fairly significant hot streak while writing about a month ago which lasted a couple of weeks. In that time I was able to draft a significant portion of the end of the book.
And yet, I’m behind schedule. I was actually hoping to be even closer to completion by this point. My goal was 110,000 words, but over the last 3 weeks my writing has hit a near stand still. This is because about 3 weeks ago a very dear friend of mine passed away. He was living in Nashville with his wife where they played music in a band called Spit Shine with two other musicians.
Anyway, my life and the life of his friends and family has been in a bit of upheaval, and I’ve only been able to move forward with the Kickstarter campaign because of necessity. But the writing has nearly come to a halt until middle of last week. Before moving on to other news, it would do me well if you took a brief moment to watch the video below in memory of my very dear friend Nicholas Riddout…
I find myself slipping away when I hear his music lately. He called me from Nashville a week before he died and told me, “If you keep it up, you’ll be one of my top 3 writers.” It was sweet. I only wish I could have gone camping with him one more time, or even just sat in living room while he played a set.
But you probably didn’t stop by to hear that, and he sure as hell wouldn’t want me telling it. So I’ll just move on.
Back to writing…
So I’ve hit many different issues with wrapping up Discovering Aberration. The interesting thing about this novel is that at first glance it seems like a simple story, but as it progresses there are multiple interweaving plot lines and lots of back story to be woven together.
[slight spoilers] First there was Lumpen’s story, but that was done a while ago. Then came a more recent and much more complex challenge: bringing Lumpen’s, Freddy’s, Old Chap’s, and Olivia’s stories all back together while introducing the first scenes with the newish character of Ms Scarlett Bendwell.
So far this has proven to take a lot of careful story telling, and I hope to God it’s working! To bring us up to speed on Ms Newton, I’ve written a lengthy excerpt from her travel log which is written in a style fitting to that format. It has about 6 entries where she [major spoiler's for the rest of the paragraph] explains how the expedition broke down, and chronicles her part there after. I’m especially proud of the scene where she’s convinced she’s gone insane and how that ties into a previous scene with Lumpen.
After that, we are reunited with Freddy who will narrate the story to completion, as long as all things progress as planned. It’s funny how novels can develop a personality as you write them. He comes in contact with Ms Bendwell who we’ve only heard about in conversation. At first they’re scenes together weren’t to my liking. I felt like we needed to get a sense of their relationship more, so I added another “Brief History of…” chapter where we see Freddy’s and Scarlett’s previous relationship (it’s saucy).
That’s where I’m writing now, the back story. Some of it is coming smoothly, but I feel like I’m forcing the words out. Not sure why that is, but it’s not a good sign. What will likely happen is, I’ll write a 15 page chapter and then cut most of it till it’s down to 5 pages. It feels like a huge waste of time when you know that’s where you’re headed, but I honestly can’t think of another way. I guess I’ll just continue spilling out information, and then trim it down into a digestible chunk later.
Anyway, I’ve actually written even further than that. I’m just adding that chapter in now because it was needed. I’ve written all the way to the point where everyone is just barely reunited, and now I’m spending some time cleaning it up, adding and subtracting.
Kickstarter
I’ve finished creating the backer rewards. Hopefully they turn out to be things you’re interested in. There are a variety of levels ranging from $1, for those of you who want to offer solidarity but aren’t able to offer lots financially, to $5,000 for those of you who want to be a patron figure. And for the rest of you, there’s a backer level for every dollar amount in between with unique rewards including posters, bookmarks, invitation to the novel launch party in Seattle, and even getting a character named after you (character name comes at the $500 level).
I’ve also finalized the amount I am trying to raise, which will be $3,700. The majority of the money will go towards paying my editor, a smaller amount (but still a sizeable chunk) will pay for the designer, and the rest will go towards paying off the backer rewards. I’ve stressed high value, low cost rewards in an attempt to keep the amount I need to raise low.
I’ve shared a preview of it with about 20 people, some I know but mostly strangers, and I’ve received nearly universal approval. If you’re one of those people, thanks so much for taking the time to look the campaign over. Your advice has gone a long way towards making this campaign the success I hope it will become.
The last thing I need to do with the campaign is film my introduction video. I hate seeing myself on camera, but it needs to be done.
What’s next?
Now I just need to film that video. That’s my major goal. It’s going to be awkward, but I’ll do it for the sake of my novel. I’ve been meaning to more video stuff anyway. I did one a while back, but I wasn’t happy with it so I put them on hold.
Also, I just need to finish drafting the novel. There’s one more final plot point I want to hit involving the island’s final secret and the notorious scuttler John-Joseph Heller. Then all that’s left is refining again and again until i raise the money to publish.
Mikhail Bulgakov was a great mind who’s work was stifeled within Soviet Russia. Maybe it’s because he wrote a novel where Satan thought Russia felt like home.
His masterwork, The Master and Margarita, was a novel 12 years in the making, and is on of the greatest examples of literature in the world.
From Wiki: Bulgakov started writing the novel in 1928. He burned the first manuscript of the novel in 1930, seeing no future as a writer in the Soviet Union.[2] The work was restarted in 1931. In 1935 Bulgakov went to Spaso House, the residence of U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union William Bullitt, which was transformed by Bulgakov into the Walpurgis Night ball of the novel.[3] The second draft was completed in 1936, by which point all the major plot lines of the final version were in place. The third draft was finished in 1937. Bulgakov continued to polish the work, aided by his wife, but was forced to stop work on the fourth version four weeks before his death in 1940.
Are you an writer, artist or musician living in the Seattle area? I’m planning a party and I want you to be a major part of it!
In the beginning of July, I’ll be launching a kickstarter campaign to fund the release of my novel, and what better way to start than an open launch party?
I’ll be reading a few passages from my novel, but I don’t want the night to be just about me. So if you play music, write, or are otherwise artistic, I want you to showcase your talents by reading, performing or otherwise displaying your work for all to see.
If you’re interested, please let me know! Email me at scbarrus@awayandaway.com with an example of your work. Spaces are limited, so please email me ASAP!
Details…
The venue is almost secured, but the date has not yet been set. More info on that when I know more.
This is my second time throwing an event like this, and it wont be my last! I love parties, and I love artists, so this is just what I do. Last time went extremely well. We filled up the Issaquah Coffee Company to near bursting, and I aim to do that again.
There are probably enough spots for 2 other writers and 3 musicians, so I will be kind of picky. The event will end with an open mic, so if you weren’t picked to be featured, you still have a chance to perform.
Finally, you won’t need to pay anything, but if you want to buy me a bottle of Hedricks Gin, I won’t complain!
Discovering Aberration now has a fantastic illustrator, Colt Smith, attached to the project as the first stretch goal. If we exceed our funds by only an additional $600, Colt has agreed to illustrate in this art deco style at least 6 scenes from the novel to be featured within throughout the book.
Check out this great example of his work with more details below.
So what’s a stretch goal?
The way Kickstarter works is, a project creator ask for set amount of funding. In the case of this project I’ll be asking for somewhere between $3,500-$4,000. If by the end of the campaign the project raises this amount or more, then I’ll be able to receive the full amount pledged. If additional funds are raised, I’ll be able to utilize that money as well.
If the Discovering Aberration campaign raises $600 above our funding goal, then Colt has agreed to do at least 6 pen and ink illustrations of prominent scenes in a similar style as the image above.
There are more stretch funding goals along the way, each one designed to improve the final product in some way. Check back often for more updates on the July Kickstarter campaign.
About: Discovering Aberration is a steampunk adventure story about two professors who discover a map and the adventure that ensues. Featuring violent gangs, blood thirsty scuttlers, tricky scuttleretes, desperate archaeologists and a mysterious island with a nightmarish secret…
Things Accomplished: After writing a the first chapter of part 5, I decided it wouldn’t quiet work without another Olivia chapter before it. She was completely absent from part 4, so I attempted to fit her story in naturally by writing a series of journol entries. The end result was an intamate and heart wrenching account of her experiance on the island thus far, and perhaps one of the most purely emotional sections of the novel.
The following chapter, we reunite with the Freddy, the story’s narrator. The chapter ended up being so positively dark, I had to go back through and tone it down a notch. Freddy awakens in utter darkness recovering from a fit of hallucinations, feeling so awful that when he finally realizes he’s not dead, it comes as a disapointment. Another character, Scarlett Bendwell, the leader of the group of female con’s called the Scarlets, get’s her debut here. I’ve got a lot to do to develop her character, but I think it will turn out well when all said and done.
Finally, on none narrative news, I’ve been chugging along with setting up my Kickstarter campaign to ensure Discovering Aberration see’s the light of day, and is on par with a traditionally published novel in terms of writing, story telling, design, and editing. With your help, the end result is going to be a beautiful book. But the kickstarter campaign doesn’t start til July, ensuring that the writing will be complete so I can focus on business at that point.
Up next: I am perhaps one chapter away from the novel’s action climax, and two or three chapters away from it’s psychological/existential climax. The thing I really love about Discovering Aberration is that it’s a thinker disguised as an action/adventure/mystery/thriller. There are concepts in the end that will hopefully start discussions. Can’t wait for you to read it!
The world of publishing is actively changing around us. The internet is abuzz with authors favoring self-publishing their works over taking the traditional route to publication. The latest author to follow this emerging trend is debut indie author S.C. Barrus with his upcoming novel, Discovering Aberration.
Discovering Aberration is a new take on the popular steampunk genre, which take place in an alternate Victorian-era setting where steam and clockwork technology have taken hold. “Discovering Aberration is written in a nineteenth-century style similar to Jules Verne’s wit and jargon,” says Barrus. “It’s manic and mad, weaving a multi-threaded story which pushes the characters to the brink of insanity…”
Taking a creative marketing approach, Barrus has been building buzz around this project by releasing the book online for free, chapter-by–chapter, leading up to the novel’s July Kickstarter campaign. And it seems to be gathering momentum.
Using the popular Kickstarter crowd-funding platform, Barrus hopes to follow in the footsteps of successful Kickstarter-funded novels such as The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin, Steampunk Holmes by Richard Monson-Haefel, and Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan.
Barrus is gathering some big names around the project. Already, renowned editor A. Victoria Mixon, author of The Art and Craft of Fiction and The Art and Craft of Story, has been hired as editor. Says Mixon, “Self-publishing, ebooks and the Internet are creating a new age of literature. We’re on the cusp right now. It’s fascinating. It’s electrifying. I can’t wait to see what the future brings.”
Only a few days after announcing the Discovering Aberration July Kickstarter Campaign, I’m very excited to follow up with another major announcement.
The talented editor A. Victoria Mixon, author of “The Art and Craft of Fiction” and “The Art and Craft of Story”, has agreed to become the editor of Discovering Aberration pending successful Kickstarter funding.
Victoria is well known in the literary community as an authoritative voice when it comes to the topics of craft, style and storytelling. She has worked with authors such as Lucia Orth, Bhaichand Patel, Millicent G. Dillon, Scott Warrender, Stuart Wakefield, Ania Vesenny, Terisa Green, Chris Ryan, Judy Lee Dunn, and many more.
I’m looking forward to working with such a well renowned literary figure, and see this as a major step forward for the Discovering Aberration July Kickstarter Campaign and the future of the novel itself.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is a fascinatingly weird tale, taking place in a world populated with unique creatures, determined inventors, insect artists, and a strange scientific magic.
I resisted reading Perdido Street Station for quite a while, turned off by the back of the book and worried it would be another steampunk letdown. But over the course of a year, the novel kept popping up in front of me. It was featured online on lists, friends were talking about it on social networks, and finally, a co-worker gave it such a rave whilst refusing to tell me anything specific about it saying, “You just need to pick it up and discover it for yourself.” After a long while of standing of the fence, I finally gave it and picked it up.
So before I delve into what makes this novel great, I recommend you skip this review and delve into Perdido Street Station with virgin eyes. Let things come on unexpected, and enjoy it as it comes.
But if your the type that want’s to know what you’re getting yourself into, read on!
Setting:
Let’s get something out of the way upfront, this book is weird. But it’s weird in all the right ways. There are unique races other than human living in the setting of New Crobizon, and many of them are not meant to be believable at all, and yet it still works in a strange sort of way. For example, one of the main characters is a female artist with a beetle for a head. Not a beetle’s head, but an entire beetle, feet, head, abdomen everything perched atop a human body.
Things like this cast an eerie feeling about the setting. Everything featured here is wholly unnatural and unnerving, especially the remade; humans who have committed terrible crimes and have been punished by having their bodies altered in often ironic ways via grafting things to their bodies, removing parts, or rearranging them. Like I said, it’s very unnerving at first, but interestingly enough, once you get about halfway through the story, they feel common place. Not by any fault of the author, but because the world is so thoroughly fleshed out that you don’t question them.
Plot:
The plot begins as a fairly complex, character driven piece, and that is where the story truly excels. Even in a book so strange, the characters and their situations are heavy grounded in reality, making even the strangest events relateable.
All this character stuff is maneuvered around some hefty world building which is usually engrossing, but at times can get a little tiresome when it drags on for pages and pages.
Once all the character drama has been established, the book takes a major, unexpected turn and the plot becomes much more traditional. The twist makes sense when looking back, and makes for some compelling scenes.
By the end [not a spoiler] everything is tied up in a satisfying way. When the book ended, I found myself wishing it would go on just a little longer.
Prose:
Perdido Street Station is pretty well written, but it’s prose still remain it’s weakest point. In the beginning, I was too engrossed in the story to notice anything annoyances in the writing style, but as the book went on, I found that there was very little variety in sentence structure making some paragraphs feel a bit like de ja vu.
In fact, there were two chapters in the last 3/4ths of the book that felt like the editor had skipped them. It wasn’t terrible writing at all, Mr Mieville is certainly no Dan Brown, but there were some little annoyances sprinkled throughout. Given that this was his first novel, it’s no surprising and I fully expect his writing to reach the next level in later works (which I haven’t read yet).
Due to the prose, I was considering lowering my rating from 5 to 4 stars, but then I found myself recommending this book to just about everyone I know who reads. In the end, I decided the book deserves the higher score simply because I want everyone to share in the experience that is Perdido Street Station.
Today I am very excited to share some big news. Discovering Aberration, my steampunk adventure novel and passion project of the last two and a half years, is nearly complete! As I finished drafting the final pages, I believe now is finally the appropriate time to look ahead to the next step in DA’s road to publication.
Today, I’m announcing that the Discovering Aberration Kickstarter Campaign will begin early July 2013!
What is Kickstarter? Kickstarter is a platform for crowd funding, meaning people like me can post projects they would like funded and people like you can back them by pledging a small amount of money (usually equivalent to pre-ordering the book). When you back a project, you earn a reward depending on how much you invest.
How much money am I trying to raise? While I haven’t finished calculating my total costs, the range I’ll be shooting for will be in the $3500-5000 range with emphasis on the lower amount.
What the rewards for backers be? Rewards will start with a copy of the ebook at lower level, a copy of the paper back at the low-mid level, a signed copy of the paperback at the mid, a signed copy of the hard cover at the high, and I’ll come up with some creative things to through in for VIP investors. I hope to offer more for every backing point too, suggestions are welcome.
What will you do with the money? Of course backers will want to know that their money will be used responsibly. The money I raise with this campaign will primarily fund two of the most important parts of the publishing process, professional editing and design. It will also go towards some smaller things such as purchasing ISBN #’s, a small amount of promotion for the books release, etc.
Will you have stretch goals? Yes! A stretch goal is a goal beyond the initial dollar amount that will yield a more fleshed out final product. Stretch goals may include an artists rendering of the map featured in the story, a few illustrated scenes, and a bonus short taking place in the universe of the novel.
While you are waiting for the official Discovering Aberration Kickstarter, you can read the novel right now! I’ve been posting a chapter up on Wattpad every week, and now that the novel is nearly complete, I’ll be posting two chapters a week. You can find the first chapter and links to all subsequent chapters here.
