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Finishing My First Draft and Starting My Second

Villain's Vacation cover

Finishing My First Draft and Starting My Second of my latest book, Secret Supers in Space. What an adventure! Let me tell you about how it all happened.

First, this book is the third in my Secret Supers series. The first is:

First Draft Interesting Links
Secret Supers – click for to get yours

Jeremy Gentle fell flat on his face at therapy. That was normal since he had cerebral palsy. But his new superpower wasn’t normal.

Then things got weirder when his best friend, Dan Elanga, got a different superpower. But Dan was still blind.

Kayla Verdera and Aubrey Wilcosky, two girls in their middle-school special ed class, discovered they too had new superpowers. Kayla was mute and needed a walker. Aubrey lost two legs and used crutches. But they were as powerful as the boys.

What should the four friends do? Jeremy knew if the word got out, it’d be a media circus. Then they started fighting crime, as the Secret Supers. Who knew a disability could be a perfect disguise? No one would ever think of disabled kids as superheroes. Then they ran into problems they never expected.

Secret Supers blurb

Then I wrote the second novel:

First Draft Villain's Vacation cover What is it like?
Villain’s Vacation cover. Click for your copy!

Four disabled seventh-graders with superpowers take a vacation at Coaster World. They need a break from fighting criminals. Ever since the beginning of the school year when they acquired their unusual abilities, they’ve been training and using those powers to fight crime in their town.

Little do they know the arch-villain they recently defeated also loves coasters and is vacationing at Coaster World. Worse, the villain wants revenge. Nothing less than turning these teens to a life of crime will satisfy.

Can Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey withstand the villain’s attacks? Or will they become Super Villains?

You can only find out by reading the adventure ‘Villain’s Vacation’.

Cover blurb

And now, I’ll tell you about my WIP, Secret Supers in Space.

We Interrupt This First Draft to Edit Another Book

I began SSS in November 2021 as my novel for Write a Novel in November Month. But instead of writing fifty thousand words, I wrote 3,940. My stats from my tracking spreadsheet as of November 30, 2021.

Start WordsEnd wordsWordsWords/hour Running total of words Running total of time
3,8373,97313670.343,97321:29:00
from my writing log spreadsheet

Why so few? I spent more than half my time editing my non-fiction book, The Gospel Medley.

First Draft Gospel Medley Writer's Block: My Experience
The Gospel Medley cover. Click to get

Why did the Gospel Medley get priority? 1) It was almost done and 2) I’d been working on it for forty years.

Everything Takes Longer Than You Think

“Everything” includes editing my non-fiction book. I didn’t finish that until April 2022. By the end of April, my stats were:

Start WordsEnd wordsWordsWords/hour Running total of words Running total of time
6,1016,1292814.006,12942:43:00
from my writing log spreadsheet

Why did I write so little in 42 hours devoted to the book? Research.

I had to research Space Camp. That included its curriculum, the space simulations it runs, and when they occur during the week. I watched Youtube videos and learned a lot.

You see, as I write the first draft if I have a question I must answer it before I can write anything else. You might say, ‘Just guess and check it later.’ But no–I can’t write something factually wrong. It drives me nuts.

Some might say I’m already nuts.

First Draft
Nut expert.

Why Did It Take Five Months to Write 30,000 Words?

You’re right. It’s odd it took me that long. One excuse is I had several book conventions–ten from March to September. I love them, but each takes up three to four days of my time: preparation, travel, selling, and documentation, where I record my sales.

Here are my final stats:

Start WordsEnd wordsWordsWords/hour Running total of words Running total of time
35,38936,7961,407686.3436,796149:10:00
from my writing log spreadsheet

You ask me, “Andy, what took you one hundred hours to write 30,000 words?” The answer is more research. I studied SpaceX, the Dragon capsule, the International Space Station, the docking procedure, the undocking procedure, the landing procedure, and where the Dragon capsule lands. I studied the map of Florida, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico for hiding places for my villains.

That’s where my time went. Ask me a question and I’ll send you a free book. Or, just click here to get seven free audiobooks.

What’s next? My second draft. Look for another blog post on that.

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Science Stories That Fuel Science Fiction

2021 Best Videos Science Stories

Science Stories That Fuel Science Fiction – Let me give you my ideas for fiction from recent scientific breakthroughs. Then you can tell me your ideas–and get free books for them.

Ready? Let’s go!

Here’s a great new image of Jupiter, taken with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST for short). How would I use this for fiction?

Imagine the infrared light revealing cities or satellites around the planet, inhabited by aliens. This would lead to a great story. What would you do? Let me know, and I’ll send you a free book. Just click here.

If you can’t think of anything to say, just click and join my newsletter and you’ll get free audiobooks.

This’d make a great cover for that book or short story:

2021 Best Videos Science Stories
Jupiter to Earth size comparison

What’s Next in Science Stories?

How about this story?

Here we have a string of satellites visible from earth. I remember when Telstar was visible and used to relay signals from Japan to the US during the 1964 Olympics. I was 8 then.

How would I write this as a sci-fi story? One idea is to increase the size of human space structures until they’re as bright as the moon. What kind of space stations would they be? How would we use them? What would be the side effects, the social implications? This is a rich area of story fuel.

Let me know your ideas. Again, you get a free book for contributing.

More Story Fuel Coming Up!

I already have a zombie turkey apocalypse series. How about a squirrel apocalypse?

This tickles my funny bone: squirrels causing the downfall of civilization. I can think of dozens of scenarios, including leveraging my zombie world that begins below:

Best Science Stories Zombie Turkeys Gift Science Stories
Get your Zombie Turkeys here. You get a bushel of laughter with each book.

How would you handle this? Get your book now, right here. You can also email me at [email protected] or you can write a comment on this blog.

Why do I give books away? Ideas are the most important resource a writer can have. Who knows if your idea will give me a great novel?

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What Is Novel Writing Like? My Experience

What is novel Writing Like

What is Novel Writing Like? Since I’ve written seven of them and I’m busy writing an eighth, it’s high time for me to share my experience with you.

In case you’ve forgotten, here are four of my novels:

Life After Life Chronicles March Fourth What Is Novel Writing Like
Enjoy all four novels in audiobook, paperback, or Kindle format! Click to get yours.

But the one I’m working on is the third one in my disabled superhero series:

What Is Novel Writing Like
Secret Supers cover. Click to get.
Villain's Vacation cover What Is Novel Writing Like
Villain’s Vacation cover. Click to get.

Villain’s Vacation ended on July 4th at a coaster park. What could I possibly do for a third novel? Go to summer camp. But what would make it more interesting? Make it a space camp. The Space Camp.

You’ve never heard of Space Camp? Watch the video.

That’s my first step for any novel. Have a premise, a theme. Here are three examples:

Zombie turkeys: the book writes itself.

My Undead Mother-in-law: what’s it like to have zombies in your family.

Paranormal Privateers: Zombie pirates.

What Is Novel Writing Like? My next step to writing a novel.

My next step is from many years ago: high school English 101: write an outline.

Here’s my outline format. I do this in Excel.

Secret Supers in Space outline What Is Novel Writing Like
Secret Supers in Space outline

I plan out the whole novel, scene by scene. I’m pretty comfortable starting any book. I always introduce my characters. I don’t assume anyone knows anything. My goal is to make any novel readable without the previous novels.

Here’s the opening page:

“What are you doing, Jeremy?”

Startled, Jeremy looked up from his computer. His best friend, Dan Elanga, had slipped silently into their clubhouse, his laboratory, and office, in the basement of his home. His round, brown face smiled from behind him. Dan’s tall, wide frame formed a wall behind Jeremy’s chair. His dark glasses hid his blind eyes.

“I didn’t hear you come down the elevator.”

“I took the stairs. Your mom made cookies, so I came over. I could smell them from my house.”

“You mean, you could smell them from my mom’s thoughts?”

Secret Supers in Space, by Andy Zach

First Page Continued

“What are you doing, Jeremy?”

Startled, Jeremy looked up from his computer. His best friend, Dan Elanga, had slipped silently into their clubhouse, his laboratory, and office, in the basement of his home. His round, brown face smiled from behind him. Dan’s tall, wide frame formed a wall behind Jeremy’s chair. His dark glasses hid his blind eyes.

“I didn’t hear you come down the elevator.”

“I took the stairs. Your mom made cookies, so I came over. I could smell them from my house.”

“You mean, you could smell them from my mom’s thoughts?”

And your’s and your dad’s. You were all excited, so I couldn’t help myself from taking a sniff from your mom’s nose. I didn’t snoop any farther than that.”

“I know you respect everyone’s privacy with your mindreading power.”

“Except maybe yours. You did give me permission to read you anytime. But I haven’t read your mind about what you’re concentrating on. C’mon, tell your old friend Dan.”

“Don’t tell anyone. This is a secret. I want to surprise the Secret Supers.”

“Of course not. Now I’m dying to know!”

“I’m applying to Space Camp.”

“What’s Space Camp? I can hear the capital letters in your voice.”

“What’s Space Camp? It’s the greatest camp there is! We’re all bored out of our minds this August and we want to do something. Space Camp teaches you all about our space program. You learn about astronauts and rockets. You go on a centrifuge, and experience zero-G and moon gravity.

Secret Supers in Space, by Andy Zach

“I’ve got an outline; now what’s next?”

Jeremy Gentle What Is Novel Writing Like
Jeremy, seventh-grade superhero

The first scene, the first page is most important. You must capture the reader’s interest or go home. I assumed most people didn’t know about space camp, so they’d be curious about it.

I also revealed the Secret Supers’ powers in the first chapter. That’s always fun. In case you don’t know:

  • Jeremy Erickson – Telekenesis
  • Dan Elanga – Mind reading
  • Kayla Verdera – Thought and sensory projection into other minds
  • Aubrey Wilcosky – Super Strength

What do I do next?

Write each scene. I try to get as clear of a picture of it as possible. That includes:

  • Location
  • Characters
  • Point of view character
  • Desired effect upon reader

The last is most important. You need a reason for the scene and something you’re going to accomplish. Try to always reveal more about the characters and more about the plot and the conflict. Increase tension and excitement.

You need this clarity so you can concentrate on the important features of the scene.

But there’s more.

What Is Novel Writing Like? What My Biggest Distraction?

First, try to guess. Let me know your guess and win a free ebook from me. Click here to give feedback.

My biggest distraction is also an essential part of the process.

It’s research. I don’t know everything I need to know. I knew very little about space camp. Before I could write, I had to learn a lot. I know more now. And as you learn, you must research more.

I learned about SpaceX, NASA, Cape Canaveral, and details about the ISS, the International Space Station.

Part of my research

We’re Not Done! Look out, Villains Ahead!

What is novel Writing Like
Jeremy is captured by a robot in Villain’s Vacation

I had so much fun creating and writing about my villains in Villain’s Vacation, I decided to use them again in Secret Supers in Space. They’re up to no good and they’re worse than ever.

To be notified when Secret Supers In Space comes out, subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here. Or you can follow me on Amazon.