On Reasonable Expectations

My goal for the past two weeks has been to write about 15,000 new words on Kingsley, along with work and the other chores associated with my life. This goal was made so that I could finish the first draft of the story by the end of April and perhaps start something new by May in order to get the number of books and drafts up at an accelerated pace.

After the events of the last couple of weeks, I've come to adjust those expectations a little. Even when I was unemployed, I only achieved about 20,000 new words a week. Expecting three quarters of that while working a full time job with an hour long commute was likely a little optimistic. Having a baby right in the middle of that time did not help my productivity very much either. Free time, which translates into writing time, tends to vanish when you have a newborn around the house.

In light of those facts I've needed to adjust my goals a bit downward. I have managed about 10,000 words on both weeks, though it has required a little sleep deprivation and a couple of light days at work to manage it. That puts my current word count at around 50,000 words, which would be more than halfway for a 100,000 word book. I think I can continue to put out that same amount in the next few weeks, however, and so I hope to be able to finish off the story more or less on schedule. The story might actually turn out to be a bit shorter than 100k in any case, which would be fine with me. All I need now is to focus on keeping the same amount of work output, and I should be on track.

Here's hoping that nothing new pops up to stick in the gears... See you around!

On Fake Governments

So I’ve been working on the background for the next revision of Wolfhound, and my struggle to come up with a government that makes sense has given me reason to have a new appreciation for the U.S. Constitution.

I know that at least part of my problem is my own fault, since I am trying to blend two different sources from two different time periods, values and traditions as I work. The occasional clash between the two main inspirations for Wolfhound’s background manages to give me quite a big headache.

Another part of the problem is the scale of the government required. Our world can barely conceive of a government able to provide structure for the entirety of one planet; the concept of a government that could watch over multiple ones is a little mind-boggling. The models I’ve been relying on have come from much simpler situations, and simplicity would keep that government from growing too nebulous and obscure for my readers. That simplicity is hard to come by, though, without creating a structure that obviously would not work, which would break the readers’ suspension of disbelief.

Speaking of which, dividing responsibilities and creating a system of checks and balances is freaking hard. I have to create a blend of executive, judicial and legislative powers that doesn’t sound too horribly out of whack, while being fairly unique and adaptable to the situation in the Wolfhound universe. Trying to find that balance, even for a simple, fictional background, has given me a healthy respect for what the founders of our nation accomplished. I’m fairly sure that what I create would have so many holes and loopholes that it would never sustain itself, whereas they managed to form a system of government that has lasted for two centuries and counting. How cool is that?

In any case, I’m sure I’ll muddle through eventually. Hopefully by the time I’m done, the Celostian Union will make some kind of sense. Any suggestions will, of course, be appreciated as I try to come up with something workable. See you around!