You'll remember that a week or two back, I was talking about my stillborn sword & sorcery comic, Ravenwulf, Swordsman of Tanar'r, and how I was considering turning it into a novel? Well, I'm still considering it, and further, I'm thinking about serializing it online as I write it.Not on this site, though. The resounding silence last time I ran fiction on this blog has made it clear to me that this is not the proper venue for such literary indulgences. If I do follow through with this plan, I'll create a blog/site specifically for the purpose.
I hope to start writing this novel in March or April, and I see it very much as a "practice novel." I've never written anything in prose much over 10,000 words, and I see this as my first attempt at long form fiction. Of course, it won't be all that long, probably. I'll be deliberately trying to keep it at the length of a Sixties or Seventies' fantasy PBO. I don't even really plan on submitting it for publication – at least not to any mainstream publishers – after all, there's not much market for old school barbarian pulp outside of Robert E. Howard reprints. If it turns out well, maybe I'll submit to a small press, but that's still a long shot.
Anyway, I'm mentioning it here, publicly, in an attempt to light a fire under my own butt, and force myself – through threat of public humiliation – to actually follow through on this project and get it done. We'll see how that works.
Before I can get to it though, I have two short stories that I've promised to write (a pulp adventure and a ghost story) and several comic scripts. When and if I start posting chapters of Ravenwulf, Swordsman of Tanar'r online, I'll let you know.
Wish me luck.
I'm there for you, pal! It sounds like a great project and I promise toi read and comment as it goes along.
ReplyDeleteI've been toying with my own pulp project and this might help get me off my butt. Nothing for real publication, but something I've been thinking about doing for the fun of it.
I like the concept a lot and will definitely follow it if you write it. I don't know about writing it essentially online. I've never tried to do something like that. You may find it puts extra constraints on you.
ReplyDeletethis cover looks very cool here, btw.
Count me in, I look forward to reading (and commenting)!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI'd certainly like to see you write this, Chris. You appear to have much of already well-thought out. Frankly, though, I'm more inclined to think that a crime novel would be a better debut novel for you...but what the hell do I know?
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, Sword and Sorcery is a genre which has actually alluded me, both as a professional writer and as a fan. I simply haven't read much of it. In fact, the only Robert E. Howard fiction I've experienced has been a couple of Solomon Kane stories (which I did rather like), but so far--as incredible as it may seem--I've never read an authentic Conan adventure!
Tom Floyd has long been trying to teach me the error of my ways and steer me in the right direction, even recently giving me a beautiful edition of REH's original Conan tales, fabulously illustrated by Mark Schultz.
Since I'm typing this at almost 5am, unable to sleep (again!), I think maybe I'll crack it open and explore.
I like the idea... and the cover is really cool!
ReplyDeleteYou can add one more 'Yeah, Do it!' to your list.
ReplyDeleteyeah, I'll tune in
ReplyDeleteI have read your blog for a year or two now, I found it when i read one of your stories on the thrilling detective web site, I have never been interested in sword and sorcery stories but since you wrote about maybe seralizing a novel, I had to go and buy Howard's "the complete Conan chronicles" and I really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to read your searlized Ravenwolf story.
Tomas/Sweden