So there I was, sitting at my desk, Gaunting busily away, aware that BL is awaiting delivery, and I had this idea. After weeks - months, maybe - of background thinking, I suddenly and unexpectedly got the plot structure of my next Horus book, in full detail, ping!
I knew roughly what I wanted to do, but - when I wasn't looking, as it were - it suddenly popped into sharp focus.
Thanks, brain. What am I going to do with that? It's pushing all the Gaunt stuff out of my ear, and the Gaunt stuff is good. AND ON A DEADLINE!
Next time on Whiney Writers And Their Pathetic Problems, Dan loses his pen.
23 comments:
Ack, that sounds really frustrating. It's nice to read that you're full of ideas, but I don't think that helps now... ;)
Well atleast you finally have the plot for the next Horus book. I can't wait for the next installment. Can you give us any hint as to the subject matter? Like maybe a title...
If you weren't so lazy you'd have learned to type with your feet so you could write too novels at once. ;)
I want the new Gaunt book yesterday already!
If it wasn't for the risk of electrocution, I'd install a keyboard in the shower where I get all my best ideas.
Glad to hear about your Horus epiphany, Mr. Abnett, and my sympathies for the timing. I'm trying my own sci-fi story and I hate it when I get ideas for other stories that I can't incorporate into it.
So...can I persuade you that killing Gaunt is not moderately low temperature at all? It'd be a dark day in my sci-fi life.
I had a good idea just before I got shot in the head at paintballing the other week, it was like,
'Yeah, that rules!' *BLAT* 'What was I thinking about?'
I'm going again this weekend, I'm hoping the effect will reverse and I'll remember what it was.
So there you go, rule number one - never have good ideas while paintballing.
On another note...
A new Horus Heresy book eh? Interesting, thats the only problem wih opening up a new story arc or vein, too many new things to explore or do or think about etc, etc...
I'd love to take a moment to shower you with praise for writing such amazing arcs that I cannot wait to get me mits on. I've bothered the hell outta the local bookshop asking if the new Gaunts Ghost book is out, or the next installment in the Horus Heresy series. In short thanks fer writing.
when you get a moment, please draw me a sketch of what a manhound looks like. I feel that i may have to convert an entire army of them for 40K
Oh hell, yeah, I am eager to know what a manhound exactly is since you mentioned Fylfank, Dan...
Damn Right Gaunt stuff is good. i cant wait till the next book comes out, shame Caff had to die thought. any clues on what the latest book is going to be called?
Caff isn't dead yet! we just saw him bleeding to death. That doesn't mean anything. Hell, Bonin fell off the spike in necropolis and lived...so caff isn't dead until Dan's well and truly confirmed it.
And if he has in another comments area, then I'm an idiot and deserve to be shot at dawn.
Oh, forgot to say rory...next book is called "Only in Death". which sounds ominous yet intruiging.
Stay on track dan! Surely you can download your ideas for your next Heresy book into a clone someway and still be able to work on gaunt...or something.
But that's what's so brilliant about brains. They never ever work they way you want to them to.
They always throw up things and questions you just can't answer until three weeks late....when the answer comes to you all of a sudden.
And then, you agonise over something you want/know for ages and get squat (as in nothing rather than extinct Space Dwarves)....then when you least expect it, like a fork in the eye....you get EVERYTHING. And usually when you don't want it.
In truth, your brain is actually all sorts of shades of bloody typical. Working only when it wants to and never when you need it.
Come on - you can't just leave us hanging like that? (well, I suppose you could, but it wouldn't be nice).
What's the great idea? I know Grahem McNeill's already blagged Fulgrim, which I can't wait to read (because Slaanesh are cool), but I'm sure you can provide an equally entertaining read.
Ravener Rouge was awesome btw. I enjoyed it far more than either of the other books out last week.
Ah, gotta love an ADD muse. Maybe, what you should do since you need to write some Gaunt is try to work on the next Horus Heresy book, thereby tricking your inner voice into THINKING its working off topic when it starts writing Gaunt, but really, its playing right into your clever trap.
Of course, do be sure to write down all your Horus Heresy ideas as well, since you probably want to save those since eventually THAT will be the big deadline....
Ah, aren't deadlines wonderful things. You should probably start forsaking sleep, or eating, or bathing.
I can sympathise though, as I usually get the urge to write or get amazing ideas when I'm nowhere near a pen, paper or computer. Funny how they sleet away when I manage to have a way to write them down.
By the by, Ravenor Rogue was a cracking read. Enough to have me sitting up most of the night reading it, after spending a good three hours working through Sam and Max ~ Abe Lincoln Must Die.
Joking aside, destro53, that actually works.
I'll spill the beans on my Heresy book once the theme and 'main players' are approved.
I know what a manhound looks like. Do you? Brief descriptions, please. I might award a prize for the best one.
Manhounds are a mix of human and canines. They tend to be tall and well muscled, with fur covering their entire bodies. They've got canine faces with humanlike eyes.
lordy.....isn't that just your average description of a werewolf?
@Xhalax
Werewolves are generally considered to be shapehifters - as in turning from wolf to man and back again. Manhounds are permanently in that form.
Born that way, die that way.
Ah, I thought of something similar. Houndlike, humanoid. Maybe lesser fur/hair than a Lycanthropus Lupus, but something like that. Fyflank behaved like a canine, but he helped Ravenor's team with their preparations better than most humans, so a manhound (or Flyflank only, maybe) seems to have intelligence worth a try.
Backward jointed legs I consider. In the end I think of Len Wiseman's Lycans from Underworld I - only leaner, a bit more human, and... well, more civilized ;)
Do I win a price? :)
Good Point Stephen.. he better not be dead. he was a great character. i was like "No way?! he cant die dammit!" i bet the saint will come and bring him back to life.. now that would be cool. "only in Death" eh? i hope this isnt the last book. Gaunt should continue forever, my favorite series of all time i would say =]
Im torn, ive got every Gaunt book and i cherish them all dearly, but the Horus books are so damned good. Now if only a certain main character from your initial HH book magicly survives the orbitial bombardment in book 3... *cough*
Post a Comment