Greetings Travelers,
On December 4th, I finished the second draft of Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass. I'm happy about that, since that means I can move onto the third draft. And I have a lot of plans for the third draft.
In comparison to the first draft, the second draft was much longer. I felt as if I knew the characters better. Hopefully I can carry that forward into the 3rd draft.
Synopsis
Matilda Moore was found dead at the castle, her brother, Felix, is missing. No trace of him was found except an eyeless wax doll made in his likeness. What happened at the castle is unknown, but it is as if something evil is lurking within it...something evil is causing these terrible events to happen.
What's Next For Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass?
My plan, given that the writing style seemed somewhat modern, is to try to make it sound more like a 19th century novel. This seems important, because both the narrators are from that time period.
The novels I'm using as an inspiration for the style are Jane Eyre and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the second draft the characters sometimes (accidentally) use modern words, which I didn't realize until much later. I want the reader to feel as if they are reading a book from the past that someone happened to uncover, rather than a book by someone attempting to write about the past.
I did write about the journey to the haunted castle in the second draft, but I feel I didn't write as much about it as I could. In the third draft, I will likely take inspiration from the characters' journeys through the country side in Dracula and Jane Eyre, since the landscape in my novel, is very important in representing how the characters are feeling.
The characters, Matilda and Felix, have changed a lot since the first draft. And I feel like I have a better understanding of them as characters, than I did in the first draft. However, outside of my novel this does mean I will have to update their profile pages on my blog. They are rather outdated and don't really reflect their characters as they are now.
Another thing I am going to do is research the Spiritualist Movement, because Matilda is a part of it. It is important to how she views certain situations, so I want to make sure I get some of those details right.
There are also stylistic choices I made in Felix's telling, that I wish to keep in the new draft, but want to make sure make sense to the reader as they read. Those choices show his state of mind, and that he may be unreliable. So, I am going to try and figure out how to do that better in the third draft.
These are my plans for the third draft ahead.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What's your favorite 19th century novel? Do you like to write or read historical fiction?
-Quinley
This sounds really interesting. I hope it goes well and you can keep us posted :-D I always liked how Poe wrote :-D
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
Delete-Quinley
As you know, I read a lot of Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier) fanfiction and there is a real historical fiction aspect to their youth spent during the Depression and World War II eras. You should see some of the gawdawful anachronisms that feature in some fics! The boys watching TV (!), using modern slang, and "backdating" modern attitudes into those previous eras. And you wouldn't believe how many authors write that the USA entered WWII in 1939 (really, it was 1942 -- America only got off the fence after being attacked at Pearl Harbour). I was just reading a fic the other day which mentioned how Bucky, in the style of that era, used to "palmade" his hair. POMADE, people, POMADE! Sheesh. Using the correct historical references and spellings shows that an author is serious about accuracy and verisimilitude in their writing, so I congratulate you for your concern about this area.
ReplyDeleteThat's really intriguing. Even in writing the fanfics you mentioned, it seems like getting the historical facts and words correct takes a lot of work, and that's really interesting that a lot of them got things wrong (spellings of words and/or historical events).
DeleteThank you, I hope I can do to my best to get it right. :)
-Quinley
Wow! Congratulations! That is a huge accomplishment. I like that you said you felt you knew the characters better as you wrote that draft. That makes a lot of sense. You are very accomplished!
ReplyDeletethe creation of beauty is art.
Thank you so much. 💙
Delete-Quinley
Glad you are getting along so well. The books of Dickens are always my faves, but I like most of the 19th century authors. Valerie
ReplyDeleteThank you, Valerie. :) Dickens is one of my favorite 19th century authors too.
Delete-Quinley
It's so cool that you finishd your second draft - that's a big, big thing!! I'm so glad you now resonate with your characters more; and I love the vibe of your story (from what I can tell :) I hope you get to publish it someday <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maya. :) I hope I get to publish it someday as well.
Delete-Quinley
That looks so cool!
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you seen the new Rings of Power?? Like, I thought I would not like that but it actually surprised me!
Thank you, Elena. :)
DeleteI have seen Rings of Power . However, I have so many thoughts about it, that I can't fit into a comment. So, I will likely write a review of it in the future. :D Did you have a favorite character from the show?
-Quinley
Yay that's awesome! I always like it when a book feels like it's been "uncovered", I was always partial too to the pulp style stories where they "found" a lost manuscript or whatever :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Greg. :) I like it, too, when people write stories where they imagine it as a manuscript that has been uncovered.
Delete-Quinley