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As you all probably know I am currently writing What Milsy Did, but along with that there are of course many other projects on the back burner, not all of which are Anmar related. In addition I have to balance writing with Real Life, Health and my recently increased family. (I'm off on Friday to help my son build two wardrobes to replace the temporary ones that the Twins have destroyed.)
Although Somewhere Else Entirely seems like a good story - good enough that I see people reading it every single day - as the author I am aware of many shortcomings and just plain goofs. Like most stories it evolved during the creation process and so various parts don't quite gel. It is my intention to slowly go through it from one end to the other correcting the worst of the problems.
This will take me some little time; if I do one chapter a day it will take me five months, if I do one per week it will take me a year and a half! Of course, not all chapters will need detailed attention but some need significant thought. These will appear at random intervals until the job is done.
What I plan to do is to release them in batches accompanied by a blog titled like this one but appended by the chapter numbers. The blog will summarize the changes, which in most cases will be simple typos, goofs and British/American difference related. Very occasionally I'll need to go deeper and make an actual plot change; there are at least two distinct plot holes that I have noticed and there are probably more.
Once I have most of the text cleaned up then I will certainly consider publishing SEE. This will probably be in three parts, Books 1+2, Books 3+4 and Books 5+6+7. There is also the possibility of adding in Armsman of Joth somewhere there in which case it would be four parts. I have not yet had thoughts on how or where these might be published or in what format.
It has occurred to me that I can take the opportunity to describe my thought processes as I wrote SEE. Naturally such a beast evolved greatly over the writing period, originally I thought it might stretch to 40 chapters! The British word is mug, I'm sure there is an American equivalent. I'm doing this as a service to the authorship here. Most of you already know how to write stuff but it seems we all have different ways to achieve that. I'd just like to add my thoughts as they were at the time of writing (although this could be difficult - I began posting SEE in December 2010). This may help prevent others ending up with something that started off good but just dribbled away through want of imagination.
That means that the "SEE Commentaries" will likely contain plot spoilers for those who haven't read the original. They may also contain material related to other aspects of Anmar and the other stories that both I and Julia have set there. I'll try to keep them clean so that future plotlines aren't jeopardized.
Penny
Comments
Incurable Romantic
For me, the story was all about Garia and Keren full stop. There is no fault to your story, but my feelings are a product of my own inner need. So, for me I would most certainly like to know what happened when Garia returned, even if she returned as a sort of super being.
Being who I am, an avid student of religious history who reads lots of science fiction, I suspicion that if parts of the Bible are true, then what we see as God and various characters in the book most certainly must have used a method of apparent travel that lies outside the bounds of what we would suspect.
I love your writing and felt that you developed a charming and believable story, one that I think is true at times on various levels, whether that be human relational, or how humans will eventually travel in space, if ever. I'll likely purchase your books when you get them out. The work is obviously as good or better than that of McCaffery or others.
Gwen
You're right
This was always about Garia and Keren. I set out to write a romance and I think I managed that. It was always about those two and that meant I had to find ways of minimizing other aspects of the tale. I'm not sure I totally succeeded.
As I will probably explain in a later blog I discovered that it was necessary to provide a reason why she was there and thus had to introduce the "Beings". There was also the "time limit" of her existence on Anmar, which was never fully explained until right at the end. I didn't want the "Sci-Fi" aspects of the story to swamp the main plotline because I was afraid it would alter the whole tone of the story.
Since I, too, would like to find out what happened when Garia returns, it is likely that she will appear at the end of Eriana's story. I've begun that but it has a very low priority at the moment after Milsy. Eriana, if you remember, is going to take Wallesan and Maralin back upriver to Joth and then continue further upriver, probably at least as far as Faralmark. What can possibly go wrong?
Thank you for commenting, Gwen.
Penny
Never ever....
Never ever ask what could possibly go wrong! That is a clear invitation for Murphy, all his attendants, antecedents, attaches, et al to come camp in your life! Or at least in the life of your protagonist!
You do yourself down m'dear.
SEE may well be a romance story (which no-one can deny) but it is also one of the better sci-fi stories I have ever read. I didn't know how it would turn out when I sort of barged my way into your Universe, but I was enthused enough to feel driven to contribute. It remains one of my favourite stories ever. And I am fully prepared to be of assistance in any capacity I can. Thanks for creating this environment.
Julia.
And the SEE universe is that much richer
... for your aggressive articulation cubiti.
Kim
I will always look forward to your work
Seriously, I am glad i didn't stumble into it a year ago but rather over the summer, i believe, cause now I tend to go back and reread it frequently to find things that I missed, and aren't in the wonderful timeline, for example in SEE 116 Milsy talks about working on an RS NOR latch.
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I'm just finishing my fourth (or fifth?) read of SEE and ALL of the side stories (a few of which are still active ... yeah!).
It takes a while. Thank you Penny. And thank you Julia and Diana.
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For me, SEE is a great military adventure with a very strong (and very good) romantic side story.
The best military adventures, IMO, almost always have a romantic side story. Both here are so good that neither story line would be more than merely good without the other. But of course the readers would not realize this.
Talk about synergy ! !
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Like mhalpern, I also enjoy finding things I missed before. In the 3rd chapter of the Epilogue (on my third read, I think ;-) I found a reference to point dimensions. So far as I can tell none of the multi-dimensional theories that mankind has talked about out in the physical world mention something like this. They always speak in terms of the extra dimensions being "curled-up" so that we cannot perceive them.
It is possible that Penny has produced a seminal concept. And it occurs to me that, mathematically, a point does not have to have a radius of zero. This opens the (remote) possibility of actual physical point dimensions that might have some of the properties she mentions in her story.
Hmm, maybe one day we will speak of Lane Dimensions, or Penny Points, as we *use them to* explore the galaxies.
T
(*edits marked with asterisk pairs*)
Hmmm - some reply is required
Thanks for the comment.
I think I should just clear up a possible point - forgive me if I have jumped to a wrong conclusion - but as far as I am aware, ALL stories are still active. Some have been cut a little short to allow a reader to populate the scenes with their imaginations.
Julina is still going on - several chapters are now ready to post, but have been held back because of possible 'cross-interactionary' spoilers, the major one of which has now been declared in VotV.
My tales of Forguland and Upper Fanir have been cut off at their points because they could be, but at the same time leave open (maybe) the possibilities of adding to the characters' tales.
Other things are going on in the background too, about which I deem you shall be pleased. Poor Penny has just got SO much to do right now.
It's the enthusiasm of readers like you that makes it all worthwhile.
Thanks
Joolz
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So, I just noticed that your reply to my comment was posted two hours and one minute before my comment was posted.
You guys are already using Lane Dimensions, aren't you?
Cool,
T
Tee hee
I suggest that my comment was posted with a UK timestamp, yours with maybe a transatlantic one?
But I like the fact that the Beings told me to answer you before you had posted.
Have a great day, and keep yourself (and others around you) well.
Joolz.
Spoiler block
Yes I suspected that was why JoB has had a hiatus, just means I have to reread the last few chapters at least big one i suspect is Ursula and discussion thereof, which would have to include her traveling with the Visund.
Clarify the clarification?
I could let this rumble on but there are a couple of points that do need to be mentioned.
Julia said that all stories are still in play. That's not quite true: Somewhere Else Entirely (SEE) and Armsman of Joth (AoJ) are definitely completed, but of course characters from those can and do appear elsewhere. I'll not make any judgments about Julia's contributions, although I would suggest some of those would probably have sequels rather than continuations.
You suggest that SEE is a military novel. I think I have to disagree with that assessment. Primarily it is of course a romance, set in a kind of sword-tunic-and-tights scenario, which will probably rapidy become steampunk for a while before we get on to the gleaming structures of 200 years later. Yes, there are battles, but the primary focus is on Garia's development and acceptance of her new destiny, with various actors attempting to prevent that.
Now there are two stories which are out and out military: AoJ and Warrior Princess (WP). Both are intended to fill in holes in the overall history, but we could probably have managed if neither had been written. In my case, it was just scratching an itch and a chance to write something different for a while.
There is an overall arc of intended narrative, but given how long it seems to take me to write anything these days I'm not certain that we'll ever get to the end. For that reason, and because I don't want to unduly raise expectations, I am not going to detail what might appear in the future. Sorry.
Penny
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Penny,
I deem your apology to be completely unnecessary. However, it reflects great credit upon your character and upbringing.
I guess I must not be so much of a romantic as you. But I have to say that the romantic side of SEE is great. And as with most of your efforts, both sides are very well crafted.
(Did I mention synergy? ; - )
Perhaps I will come around to your point of view in time? I actually do sense a recent small drift in my world-view.
As long as we can expect to see some expansion of some of these stories, your fans will be ready to cheer you on and sing your praises. Julia and Diana, I include you as well.
T