Editorial Rampage
It’s been some time since new FP material, since my life kept getting knocked for a loop again and again. But I’ve complained about that before, no need to repeat. Instead, I’m doing something about it.
This week I’m taking time off my dayjob to work on Floating Point… to revise all the chapters of book two. They’ve been in draft mode waaay too long, and need more than a mere spellcheck. I need to go through your comments and revise the text where you found issues, where things didn’t make sense, where they were clunkily worded. Tune up, improve, augment. Correct continuity errors. Once that’s done I pass it off to my professional editor who takes another pass at it to ensure it’s nice and solid before publication.
In the process, it’ll help me get re-familiar with the work… and maybe re-ignite the fire so I can launch into the big finale, chapter 2.6. I’ve got plans, folks, plans that have been in the works since this book started. The revelation of Netwerk is at hand. But… first things first.
I’ll keep this blog post edited with notes on which chapters have been finalized and what, if anything, has changed that you should know about. And we’ll come out the other side ready to go.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
FP 2.1: In Verity’s notes, I changed a reference to “wars over ancient Apps that could create new servers.” That’s just not how things worked. Instead, that paragraph references primordial servers, the first ones to exist. This is pretty critical for some book three stuff.
FP 2.2: Filled a few plot holes here. I cite seven apostles, but only listed six. So I’ve added Geras, “bringing the wisdom and balance of old age.” He’s not actually important, but fills out the ranks to eight holy figures total, which is important. Also, Nyx doesn’t directly promise Nemesis that she’ll completely remove the rule of Defaults, and Uniq specifically says she’s working on a way to record the One (by hacking any recording devices to plant false data).
FP 2.3: When talking about what happened to the old apostles, I added a note that some simply vanished. Otherwise it implies all of them were active, which isn’t true.
FP 2.4: Added a line explaining that the backup facility storing Nemesis fixed the error that caused her to exist; otherwise when the same thing happens in 2.5, we’d get yet another Nemesis. Also, expanded on the mention of “hacking recording devices during sermons” to link back to the changes in 2.2.
FP 2.5: Tracer suggests that Beta work with him at Iteration to improve it, at the very end; it felt like a good capstone to Beta’s problems with the company.
On Malware
“Oh god, not another post explaining story delays.”
No worries, I’ll keep it quick.
I am a sick bastard, as in “impressively virulent.” As noted in my MagFest post, I thought I caught a “cold.” Yeah, no, it’s some insane pneumonia-like thing which antibiotics are having a hard time destroying and my doctor is scratching her head trying to figure out. So needless to say until the ‘ol brain is firing on all cylinders and my lungs aren’t soaked in mucus, story’s gettin’ delayed.
It’s probably not a huge deal, given I have a massive back catalog of books you can read in the meanwhile, and folks have sworn to stick by me even in the hard times. Just figured you should know what’s what.
Floating Point 2.5 Update: February 12th
FP 2.5 :: Code
Draft Continues
It’s like a casino heist, only you’re stealing survival instead of money.
Next week I’m going to MAGFest, so I’m not sure if I can set my site up to post the finale while I’m out of town or not. We’ll see. 2.6 will definitely not follow the week after, as I need time to outline it and this week is megabusy.
If anybody wants to say Hi! to me at MAGFest, look for the short dude on the scooter.
Let’s Discuss Delays
UPDATE: Chapter 2.5 has begun! What I’ve written below holds, I’m not out of the woods, but it’s a good sign.
I’d love to not have to write this post, given how many very similar posts I’ve issued over the last few months. But here we are. I figure this post beats no communication whatsoever, right?
As much as I want to commit to weekly Floating Point updates, I’m struggling like hell here with motivation, energy, and mood. All the emotional troubles from 2015 didn’t just vanish at midnight on 1/1/2016, apparently. The fact that I’m easily distracted by shiny, easy to play video games compared to challenging and draining creative work is not helping.
Everything I’ve read about producing content online says that irregular updates and delays cause you to lose momentum. That’s my primary worry. So at risk of looking weak, this is me requesting you guys hang around and hang in there while I work through this stuff. I WILL be finishing this book, will be finishing this trilogy for that matter. I just don’t know how long it’ll take yet.
Here’s what you can do, meanwhile.
- Sign up to the mailing list or the RSS feed or follow me on social media to get updated when things update. Easier than revisiting bookmarks!
- Talk the series up to your friends; there’s plenty of content here to read already. Or slip them links to my other complete novels, like anachronauts and City of Angles.
- Consider joining the Patreon. I don’t charge by the month, I charge by the update, which means droughts like this won’t cost you anything. I can honestly say the Patreon’s really, really helping; the money I make goes into editing and publishing fees.
- Be understanding of delays, as noted. Life is rough and bumpy, and your support helps me get through things like this.
I’m working on chapter 2.5 right now, and it’s actually coming along well, but I’m not entirely satisfied and won’t be releasing anything until I’m sure it’s on the right track. I prefer to publish the best content I can right out of the gate, with minimal editing after the fact. Once it’s ready, Patreon backers will always get it before anyone else, so there’s that.
Thanks, guys. It’s tough to tough it out, but knowing you’re here helps a lot.
Floating Point Returns December 18th
The hiatus is over. Tune in one week from now for new content! As always, Patreon backers get it earlier.
And don’t forget, the Welcome to Floating Point book is also on sale, with bonus content you won’t find on the website!
Welcome to Floating Point
I’m pleased to announce that Welcome to Floating Point, the first novel in the Floating Point science fiction series, is now available on sale in print and eBook formats.
You can find it on sale at the Stefan Gagne’s Fiction Factory Store, which also offers deluxe versions of City of Angles, Anachronauts, and Unreal Estate.
Included in this volume are all the chapters from the online version, plus a previously Patreon-only bonus chapter detailing the origins of Netwerk and of Floating Point itself, PLUS extensive author’s notes on how I developed the story concept including early rejected ideas and different variations on the plot.
Thank you so much for supporting me along the way, through the early rush of writing and my current hiatus. Speaking of which, I’ll be ending it next week and resuming writing, with an eye to releasing new chapters in December. If you’d like an early look at them be sure to join my Patreon, which always gets early draft copies.
Also if you do buy the book, please leave a review on Amazon.com, which will help me TREMENDOUSLY. It’s very hard for indie authors to get exposure, and having a few star ratings and written reviews up will improve my search results and hopefully lead to more exposure.
Enjoy the book, and I’ll see you back here soon for more.
Second Thoughts
I don’t know why the idea of “having second thoughts” is generally seen as negative. It’s good to think about things twice, to study the thinking about your thinking. People who blaze forward with all speed without giving a second thought, without being willing to consider other viewpoints or ingest new facts which may change their conclusions… those are the ones you need to be afraid of.
So, I’m having second thoughts about Floating Point, in light of the blog post I just made. Let’s study them together, shall we.
Bolstered by the encouragement of my readers, I rolled up my sleeves and took another crack at the print book. Mew’s emoji speech was difficult to sort out, but in the end I sorted it out. I’m not sure how well it’ll read in black and white, but it’ll be as good as it can be, I suppose. In the end I had a 377 page book, ready to go. I’ll be sorting out some final issues with the eBook version and submitting it to Amazon’s publishing services soon, with the intent of having it on sale in November. It may take some time to squeeze it past all the steps of the publishing process given this is a weird book, sure to trip some automatic warnings about images and formatting, but hey.
As for book two… again, your words have helped guide me. It does seem appropriate that if book one is about culture wars and book three is about the apocalypse, having book two be “a breather” where we see our characters in transition is appropriate. Two full chapters about who they are, what they want, where they’re going… these comparatively quiet moments of introspection are needed before and after the Michael Bay action setpieces. So yes, I do seem to be on the right track. Especially as I’ve decided to add a character to book three to give it some much needed balance, something I can establish here. I may have some additional revamps and edits to 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 coming in the future to set things up.
However, we’re headed right into a strange corridor of time… Fallout 4 will be releasing soon, and I’m actually taking time off work to play it, that’s how much I love that game series. Then Desert Bus For Hope rolls out and that’ll have a lot of my focus. And then it’s Thanksgiving…
So, don’t expect new FP material until December. Instead I’ll focus on getting the Welcome to Floating Point book out the door in November, and get a hype train rolling for that. You guys can be of TREMENDOUS help there by getting the word out once the book is released… tell your friends, tell your family, tell your frenemies, tie people up and make them read it at gunpoint, maybe not that last one. I lack the zealous fandom following of my youth when the passion of anime otaku carried me to lofty heights; if you’re reading these words right now, you’re in deep enough to make a serious difference.
Good times ahead, I feel. We’re still not at full speed but we’re getting there. I’m ready to move on from personal tragedy and illness and wobbly technology, ready to establish a new level of stability in my life. Ready to write. Will you join me?
The Paper Chase
It’s been over a month. Let’s talk.
I’m still not feeling entirely into anything right now. I don’t know how much of that is grief and how much of that is laziness; I’m VERY content to be lazy even at the best of times. But I am facing two pretty huge tasks in terms of Floating Point, and the life situation sure ain’t helping me want to tackle them.
First: The Welcome to Floating Point print book. The eBook is actually finished thanks to the god-tier editing prowess of Lawrence Chu. But the print version is a formatting nightmare, thanks to all the sidebar boxes, file info tabs, and that freakin’ emoji kitty. I’m only a chapter into formatting it and I’m fuzzy on how I’ll tackle some of its deeper visual trickery.
I’m tempted to just say ‘screw it’ and release this as eBook only. I make barely any sales off these books, honestly. My ongoing Patreon is ten times more profitable for me and has allowed this book to pay for itself for art contracts and editing work and so on. Buuut, I know I like seeing a real book on my shelf to prove I’m not a failure and I have created something that actually exists, and I know that some of my fans like collecting the books.
What I’m saying is: if you want a print book of FP, post in the comments or email me or whatever, just make yourself heard. I want to gauge the interest in this. It takes a lot of effort to put together and generally yields little to no return given how few copies sell… but if there is support for it, if there is a call for it, I WILL do it. I don’t know how soon I can promise it arriving on shelves but I’ll know for sure it’s worth doing.
Second: The Revelation of Floating Point book is a bit wobbly, maybe? I have a complete story arc, end to end, and I know everything that’s gonna happen in this book. It’s not like I have writer’s block. I just don’t know if it’s a story worth telling anymore. The first book was, and let’s be frank and lay it on the table, my reaction to various online culture clashes like GamerGate and I felt I had a lot to say through my narrative about the binary nature of pointless conflict. The second book has… I don’t know, something to say about religion? but is generally more of a story of the characters involved and what they want out of life. Is that enough? It has no grand statement to make. It’s got no parable to modern day conflicts. It’s just what it is. is that enough? I don’t even know anymore.
I think the third book, Exodus From Floating Point, that’ll be back in the territory of examining online culture and disastrous conflict… but this middle book has a different flavor. Is it tasty? Is it plain? Is it gross? Is it even worth reading? I dunno. I could use some feedback here; I’ve gotten very little since the book started out beyond typo fixes, which are great, but at this point I’m doubting my path. And if it IS boring, well… I dunno. It is what it has to be, this middle chapter. I’d need to do some serious revamping to make it into something else entirely if it’s not working.
So, yeah. That’s where I’m at. It’s not a fun place. Still not sure when I’m going off “hiatus,” it’ll depend on if I can sort this out and either get back on track or realize my existing track is correct. And I’d welcome your input. Thank you.
A Uniq Problem
Long time no blog. Let’s blog.
At this point, my previously mentioned personal life problems are still around, but they’re wrapped up in the issue of the latest book in the Floating Point saga just not working the way I want it to. So yesterday, in an effort to dip my toe back in those waters, I took on one of the problems I’m facing… Uniq.
As a character, Uniq is a pretty obvious antagonist. A little TOO obvious, too cackling with mad glee of all the evil things she wants to do. To put it in 80s kid terms, she’s Starscream when she really needs to be Soundwave. Starscream’s a difficult character because while he causes strife within our Bad Guys, he also ultimately has to either betray and dethrone the primary antagonist or has to be effortlessly put down by the primary antagonist, neither of which are what I wanted for Uniq.
So, I went back into chapters 2.1 through 2.3 and revised her dialogue considerably. This closed up a few plot holes, refined her character as a willing participant rather than a manipulator biding her time for a takeover, and sets things up for her ultimate fate without supplanting Nyx as our primary antagonist.
In the interest of transparency and to keep you guys involved in the writing process, I’ll now detail all the changes I made with excerpts from the story.
If you haven’t read 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3, stop here because spoilers are coming.