And so it begins. The haunting, daunting blank page of book number two in the HACKERS series! How many endings will this new story have? Will all the same quirky characters from Book One return in Book Two? Is there a title yet? Lots of unknowns in this early stage, and many surprises yet to discover. I do have the title, but that’s a secret. =)
Two questions I’m frequently asked about writing an interactive choose-your-own-path / choose-your-own-adventure style book series are: “How do you come up with all of the endings?” and “How do you keep the story lines straight?” The answer: “My brain’s a little weird sometimes.” Lol
All joking aside, there are many methods writers of interactive stories use for piling together the spaghetti mess of a multi-ending book. I may talk more about this in future updates, but for starters, it begins with a choice. No surprise, right? That first choice is what every choice thereafter hinges upon. The first domino, so to speak. It deserves the utmost consideration.
I’m absolutely excited to start the next book. It’s exhilarating and frightening at the same time. The blank page, daring you to enter a world with a cast of characters waiting to come alive. That’s the exhilarating part.
And then there’s the hard work ahead of writing and illustrating. The weekends. The late nights—yes, I have a day job, among other things. The editz…the edts…teh edits…the edits. And the sacrificing of the ‘ings: binge-watching, video-gaming, saxophone-playing, outdoor-adventuring, family-chilling, book-reading…doing-nothing. That’s the frightening part. And exhausting. The demanding. All the ‘ings.
But I love it.
Like Frodo and Sam, I know where this story begins. I have an idea of the initial plot line. But where will it end? Where will they end…the endings, that is? How many endings? I have no idea. That’ll be up to the characters, as soon as I get out of their way. That’s when it gets good, and fun. 🙂
(Cue the Led Zeppelin song “Ramble On“)
Leaves are fallin’ all around
It’s time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I’m much obliged
For such a pleasant stay
But now it’s time for me to go
The autumn moon lights my way…
Onward, mighty pen!
-bsh
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