Sam Sullivan's Blog - Posts Tagged "new"
At work on the third novel, eating some hardtack
I'm excited to announce I've begun working on my third novel. I have no idea when I will be finished with it or the venue in which it will be released, but I'll be more open with details/plot/process as the journey continues on it. My method is to usually gather all the information on the particular subject I'm writing around and to try and build the accurate world before setting my characters and plot to run amok in it. Since this new novel is largely set with the American Civil War as the backdrop, I've bought about a dozen books on the subject, accessed hundreds of articles and prepared at least one Moleskin notebook just filled with all the interesting tidbits I could find to help create a 100% authentic world. Just because my characters are fictional doesn't mean their times are. I even printed some recipes for the time and prepared them to better put myself in the headspace of that era (hardtack is as awful as the soldiers said, I can personally assure). So I'll keep you informed on the progress of the novel as I sit and work on it surrounded by stacks of books and a horrifying pile of period-authentic hardtack. Thank you all!
-Sam
-Sam
On "20th Century"
20th Century
Seven years ago, while a freshman in college and with no real goals for myself, I set out to write a novel that would eventually be entitled "20th Century". The book was first presumed to run about 300 pages; two weeks later of writing and I bumped up the estimate to 400. Several weeks later and I revised this upward. At page 500 for the end I gave up on length estimates and let the book more or less write itself. Three months of heavy writing followed by 3 more months of softer writing to wrap up finished the first draft of the book. It clocked in at over 1,000 pages and was unwieldy, long past any realistic schedule or time budget for completion. Thus the editing process began. Over the course of several years I took various editing passes on the entire manuscript, adding a few things, removing much else, rephrasing and articulating better in others. It became more and more functional as time went on, but it always sat in a drawer of mine, going nowhere while I pursued other projects like "Phantasmagoria" or "The Fire Mountains", or prepared my Civil War novel, which is forthcoming. "20th Century" was a hard book to make work. I only recently reedited and completed it for release because of the old adage that a work of art is never really finished, but merely abandoned. I could change and tweak the novel for years to come, not really making substantive changes but more like rearranging the furniture. Whether the novel works with people or not I will be fascinated to see; it isn't how I write a novel anymore, and in my own way I've come to accept what it is, limitations and all. It's important to revisit these things from our past, and surprisingly cathartic to make them available for public consumption. I've had success with my latest novels, which makes me wonder if there might be a market for something like this, though it is still considerably longer than the others, even after years of almost violent cutting. Seven years in the making for this release, and whether or not the fruits of those labors were worth it will be up to each individual reader to decide. For my part, I wouldn't have published it if I didn't believe it possessed suitable merit. Expression is worth the money. If you get a chance to read it, I hope you find the journey meaningful.
Seven years ago, while a freshman in college and with no real goals for myself, I set out to write a novel that would eventually be entitled "20th Century". The book was first presumed to run about 300 pages; two weeks later of writing and I bumped up the estimate to 400. Several weeks later and I revised this upward. At page 500 for the end I gave up on length estimates and let the book more or less write itself. Three months of heavy writing followed by 3 more months of softer writing to wrap up finished the first draft of the book. It clocked in at over 1,000 pages and was unwieldy, long past any realistic schedule or time budget for completion. Thus the editing process began. Over the course of several years I took various editing passes on the entire manuscript, adding a few things, removing much else, rephrasing and articulating better in others. It became more and more functional as time went on, but it always sat in a drawer of mine, going nowhere while I pursued other projects like "Phantasmagoria" or "The Fire Mountains", or prepared my Civil War novel, which is forthcoming. "20th Century" was a hard book to make work. I only recently reedited and completed it for release because of the old adage that a work of art is never really finished, but merely abandoned. I could change and tweak the novel for years to come, not really making substantive changes but more like rearranging the furniture. Whether the novel works with people or not I will be fascinated to see; it isn't how I write a novel anymore, and in my own way I've come to accept what it is, limitations and all. It's important to revisit these things from our past, and surprisingly cathartic to make them available for public consumption. I've had success with my latest novels, which makes me wonder if there might be a market for something like this, though it is still considerably longer than the others, even after years of almost violent cutting. Seven years in the making for this release, and whether or not the fruits of those labors were worth it will be up to each individual reader to decide. For my part, I wouldn't have published it if I didn't believe it possessed suitable merit. Expression is worth the money. If you get a chance to read it, I hope you find the journey meaningful.
New book!
Hello everyone. My new novel, "The Father of Waters", is now available on Amazon, and other online retailers. Enjoy!
