I alluded to this in my post about enjoying summer break, but this summer I am working on two projects at the same time – or trying to. As it turns out, it isn’t easy.
I’ve blogged about the fiction project, so I’ll briefly mention the other one here. Again, it isn’t under contract (yet), so I will need to be vague, but it is a non-fiction work designed to be a “companion” for people who want to read the Bible cover to cover but are intimidated by the prospect of doing so. I’ll leave it at that for now.
Anyway, my plan was to go out each morning to write, spend the first 45 minutes to an hour working on this project, then shift gears for the remainder of the morning to work on my fiction project. Things started out fine, but increasingly, it’s been harder and harder to tear myself away from the non-fiction project in order to dive back into my new novel.
In a way, it’s the same problem I’ve always had, just a different manifestation. Ideas come more quickly than I can execute them, so there’s always a tension between persevering with the idea at hand and the next one coming down the line. The difference this time is that my ‘current project’ – the new series – isn’t under contract either, so the bonds holding me to persevere are weaker. I’ve rationalized working on both projects this summer because neither have been sold, and while I believe both are marketable, I have no idea which might might be bought first. It will be interesting to see which one does get picked up first, and what then happens to my time-sharing. If neither of them is picked up before the new school year starts and my writing time is reduced, I’ll have some interesting choices to make.
I hope both projects get bought soon, but I have to admit that I look forward to the fiction project. I want some more great characters and some more great surprises. Give us some hints!
If you want us to sign a petition to get these books made into movies, I’m sure we’ll find enough fans to convince people. We all know worse books in the fantasy genre get made. This series is easily in the top three series ever written.
In the Christian fantasy genre only Lord of the Rings compares with BotB and I would have to say your books were much more enjoyable. Big call I know. I hope it won’t take as long to make yours into movies as LotR.
Thanks again for these books. All the best with the new ones and we look forward to it immensely. (Feel free to edit before posting)
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the books, but unless a powerful movie maker – like a director or producer with real clout, gets interested, a book like mine that doesn’t have big sales won’t get any movie studio’s attention. I’m sure whatever books you have in mind that you think aren’t as good, had much bigger sales, so there was an audience already out there to support the movie.
Also on the movie note. A lot of fantasy movies don’t require a huge budget, or the fan base makes a large budget worth while. These books would make great movies in my opinion, but unless they had a very substantial budget (which seems unlikely), they could be rather disappointing. I can also see that people that are not as in to the books as we are would think they are just takeoffs of LOTR. Not that they are, but people might mistake them to be.
Anyways, happy writing, LB!
I have to agree with Dan, I personally would much prefer you work on the fiction project. We need more stories from you as soon as possible!
Well i am really into making movies 🙂 and ever since i read your books i thought ‘this would make a really great movie’ and that has been my dream ever since, to make them into movies.
So when i graduate from high school and then from film school i hope to make them into a set of movies
And L.B. do you think that you would write a screenplay for the movie? Or would you want someone else to write it?
We’ll cross the “who does the screenwriting” bridge when we come to it. 🙂
Congrats on getting into the Fantasy Fiction Tour, Mr. Graham.
Thanks – where’d you hear about that?
Bryan Davis’s forum. He started a thread on it. Unfortunately I won’t get to meet you though. I live on the east coast. I’ll be looking forward to the video journals though.
I think the books would make good movies. As long as they don’t mess it up like they did Eragon. Those movies didn’t follows the books at all.