Book Progress: The Mage and the Living Scroll

Occasionally, I'm going to share my book progress for whatever book I'm writing. For behind-the-scenes for books I'm writing, subscribe to my mailer.

In this post, the book is The Mage and the Living Scroll. My goal is always 50K-60K or more, but I don't always achieve that goal. That's because I stop when the story is told. I don't push it to make it longer than it wants to be. I give my characters full control over the story. So when they're done, they are done. When I edit the story, I do ask myself what I could do to add in more detail or make the scene longer. Sometimes, I add in scenes to make those characters jump through hoops to reach their goals. Once the first draft is finished, they give me back the control so I can do this. I love it when that happens! Right now, I'm still in the first draft mode and the characters have been "speaking" to me, sharing scenes ahead of time. I like it when they do this because it gives me a head's up so I can make adjustments to the story to work. Sometimes I don't like knowing because it does take away from the excitement of not knowing what's around the corner. That is why I write panster style, after all.

Michael is a dreamer. He dreams of being a hero in a world where magic is real. When a sketchpad appears, he learns that magic is real. He's thrown into a cat-mouse chase where he must protect the sketchpad because it is a magical book where anything drawn on the pages can magically appear. To properly protect the book, he must find his magical properties. The ring protects him against magic. The staff focuses his magic when he wields it. The book speaks to him--this part has been fun because it puts Michael in awkward positions.

I'm at the point in the story where he's found the ring, but he must "buy it". He could draw money in the sketchbook or he could ask for it. I think this scene shows morality, either way. Does he have it or not? But before he has the chance to get the ring, he's chased. Without saying how this happens, he winds up at his mother's house. Though they are close and he has a great relationship with her, he doesn't come home very often. He finds his staff.

Now, I know I need Michael to learn about his magic so while he has full control over this story, I will be whispering ideas into his ear and hope he will catch on and give me a few obstacles so he can take a break from being chased long enough to learn what he needs to learn. This is going to be fun. There are limits to his magic, so that's going to be challanging. I'm up for a good challenge!

I'm still early in the story (over 7K) so it's going to be a while before I reach the ending, which I've already been "told" what it generally consists of. I am excited about it because its a beatiful ending right now. That could change as the story unfolds. I am a sucker for happy endings, but I don't always get them. I just hope my characters give me the ending I'm promised.

Would you like to share some ideas for the characters to experience? If I use your idea, I'll send you a copy of the book (ebook) once it's finished. Thank you!!