Friday, July 09, 2010

The Hundreds and Thousands Sons, or Prospero: the clean-up

As I said, I have at last finished the unfeasibly ferocious epic that is Prospero Burns, the latest Horus Heresy novel. The book itself didn't give me any problems, per se, but regular readers will know that it has been badly delayed because, during the course of writing, I was set back by the sudden occurence of late-onset epilepsy. Such larks!

I had to work my way through the initial episodes and the subsequent diagnosis. In re-arranging my life around the condition (and the medication that came with it), I sort of had to learn how to write a novel again - and remember what the sacred feth I'd been trying to do with the one that was already underway.

Anyway, you know all this. I'm done now. PB is finished. I've got back on the horse, and I think I've delivered a bit of monster. I mean, of course, monster in the good sense of the word.

I thought you might be amused by these scene-of-crime pictures. This is how the monkey forge looked in the immediate aftermath of the ritual typing of the final full stop. I took a few snaps for posterity before clearing the decks.






This is the Primary Clone POV shot. Post-It plot-point mosaic City.









Here we have the right hand side of the desk spread (a view that was too big for one shot). Of particular note, the big "Master Book of Prospero Burns Ideas".





To the left of the Big Desk, the box-loads and stacks of ref.













And to desk-right, more notes, notebooks and ref (some physical items, as you can see).

On Monday, I'll be posting a short taster of the novel, the promised extract to whet your appetites and your axes. Monday at noon, UK time. Don't be late.

36 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is a hand axe in the last photo. I of all the items, this gives me a moment's pause.

-- Richard

10:30 am  
Blogger Dju said...

— I love this Mac keyboard. Doesn't produce more than a hush under your fingers ; Sylvia bought it for me when she was finally fed up of hearing me plonking away on the one I had before, typewriter-style.
— I wouldn't keep an axe so close to my computer, fearing that I might hack it/the book I'm translating/myself to bits out of frustration sometimes.
— A guitar ? Should we expect some moments of epic guitar playing around the fire camp ? I bet Bjorn the Fell-Handed could pull out a good riff.
— This master book of ideas is huuuuge !
— Close but no zing.

10:37 am  
Blogger Allandaros said...

I say, Dan, is that a copy of the IllumiFNORDnatus! trilogy I see peeking out there in your reference materials?

11:46 am  
Anonymous Matthew Churchill said...

Ooh... a peek into the inner sanctum! I like. 'How to Win on the Battlefield' sounds interesting...
M

12:20 pm  
Blogger Chief - said...

Thanks for taking the time to keep us up to date. Love the pict feeds. I'm quite happy knowing I'm not the only one still using post-its.

12:27 pm  
OpenID haikujaguar said...

The photos are very cool! I love "artist's workspace" shots. :)

1:01 pm  
Anonymous Matthew Churchill said...

... Heironymous Bosch paper-weights? What else have we here...

1:09 pm  
Anonymous Matthew Churchill said...

... two dinosaur bones in a dishcloth seller's carryall?! A map of the Middle East... and a reference to 'The All-Seeing Eye Singularity'. Hmmm...

1:14 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The "epicness" of the book seems to be in proportion to the work-space it was created in - love those pics! Can't wait for the extract.

I could never use that keyboard for long though, because of the size/angle. Whatever works :)

- Jon

2:14 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The axe is my favorite bit, just what one needs for some inspirational waving about.

6:05 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I bought that very same National Geographic to help me paint wolf pelts for my pre heresy Space Wolf army!

6:24 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dan,

I'm intrigued to know what authors do once they have finished a book. Do you jump up and down in the air for joy, crack open a beer, or sit back with an exhausted look on your face.

Tom

6:55 pm  
Anonymous James said...

OMG I can't wait to read it!!

4:05 am  
Anonymous sredni vashtar said...

fuckin' A, sir. congratulations on an epic victory.



(...upping contrast on photos in feverish search for Ultimate Secrets of the Galaxy)

7:04 am  
Blogger Xhalax said...

It's almost gratifying to know that I'm not the messiest person in the world while at work.

And rock on January!

11:47 am  
Blogger Astro-Thumps said...

Congrats on finishing up the book and thanks for the insight into your workspace.

Can't wait to buy it

12:58 am  
Anonymous sredni vashtar said...

not sure about the penis enlargement pills subplot, Anonymous. I'd have saved that for the World Eaters novel.

7:42 am  
Anonymous Big said...

The Countdown is on......cant bloody wait!
GGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

12:05 pm  
Anonymous Big said...

What is Smrtici Naklad?
Warhammer book by Dan Abnett?

8:53 am  
Blogger Frank said...

Nice pictures! They give quite an impression what pile of work really stands behind a well written BL novel.
Actually I was really astonished that you use that much secondary literature and sources in the course of writing.
In my petty imagination I always thought you and the other BL authors would simply sit down in front of their notebook and start writing, checking their ideas from time to time, whether they are in accordance with some mysterious arcane warhammer almanach which contains all the official background, and all that wonderful plots and the story depth are just created by mere will and writing skill.

Very encouraging!

11:53 am  
Blogger Jim Johnston said...

Glad to hear the news. I read a ton of books, historical fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and mystery as well as Ancient History. NOBODY writes as well as you in your genre and I will never be able to get enough. There!, I've said it! I feel so much better now. Cheers from the US.

11:16 pm  
Blogger brendenc said...

How was the book "The Sagas of Icelanders"? I saw it and really wanted to get it. I'm really into Vikings and Space Wolves and am always looking for a good book of both. (Hence why I am very much anticipating your book.)

2:57 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I dont know if its been said before
did you know that John Gramatticus is also a character in Ian Mcewans Saturday.
love your work btw

3:29 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HELP! I’m currently being held prisoner by the Russian mafia xyzrxyz [url=http://www.buypenisenlargement.com]penis enlargement[/url] xyzrxyz and being forced to post spam comments on blogs and forum! If you don’t approve this they will kill me. xyzrxyz [url=http://www.buypenisenlargement.com]penis enlargement[/url] xyzrxyz They’re coming back now. xyzrxyz [url=http:/pills.buypenisenlargement.com]vimax[/url] xyzrxyz Please send help!

1:30 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work. general health Read a useful article about tramadol tramadol

9:35 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

chelsea handler and 50 cent dating http://loveepicentre.com/advice.php india online dating

4:50 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

virtual mode ebook http://audiobookscollection.co.uk/Change-Your-Brain-Change-Your-Life/p19510/ chi power plus ebook [url=http://audiobookscollection.co.uk/es/Mac-OS-X-Panther-QuickSteps/p105253/]marketing strategy ebook download porter warez[/url] never eat alone free ebook

2:21 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

xml in a nutshell ebook http://audiobookscollection.co.uk/Multiple-streams-of-internet-income/p132828/ marly and me free ebook [url=http://audiobookscollection.co.uk/it/Encyclopedia-of-Juvenile-Violence/p136357/]free agi32 ebook[/url] hillary clinton ebook

12:04 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

driverts hp scanning software 4300c http://buyoem.co.uk/it/category-3/Grafica-e-Editoria best dvd cd editing burning software [url=http://buyoem.co.uk/it/category-12/Multimediale-e-Divertimenti]what a file compression software[/url] telephone messaging software
[url=http://buyoem.co.uk/product-34189/Unified-Color-32-Float-1-0-for-Adobe-Photoshop-CS3-x32]Unified Color 32 Float 1.0 for Adobe Photoshop CS3 x32 - Software Store[/url] wk8 software release
[url=http://buyoem.co.uk/es/category-200-214/Otros?page=2][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/3.gif[/img][/url]

6:39 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

breathe audio serial computer software http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/it/product-37392/Easy-MPEG-AVI-DIVX-WMV-RM-to-DVD-2-0 biostar ta770 a2 software disk [url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-10093/Native-Instruments-Kontakt-2-1]bill sutter computer software[/url] shopping cart software and ecommerce carts
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-34594/Adobe-Creative-Suite-5-5-Design-Premium]Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium - Software Store[/url] wiki software for law firms
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-31397/Excel-Extract-Data-and-Text-7-0][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/7.gif[/img][/url]

5:01 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wmp54gs 802.11g software install http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-35804/Steinberg-Hypersonic-2 genealogy search software [url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-14139/Geniesoft-Overture-4-1]computer software engineering work australia[/url] workflow software small business
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/category-100-108/Office-Tools?page=5]Office Tools - Software Store[/url] gnu backup software
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-34002/Taggtool-3-2-Server-Edition][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/5.gif[/img][/url]

9:20 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

[url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/vantin.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/1.jpg[/img][/url]
cetirizine online pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/products/noroxin.htm pictures of pharmacy layouts [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/sustiva.htm]university at buffalo pharmacy school[/url]
us pharmacy officer http://onlinemedistore.com/products/diamox.htm pre pharmacy schooling [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/cymbalta.htm]cymbalta[/url]
university at buffalo pharmacy school http://onlinemedistore.com/products/capoten.htm sunshine pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/brahmi.htm]nuclear pharmacy authorized user training colorado school[/url]
online pharmacy diethylstilbestrol http://onlinemedistore.com/products/ophthacare.htm tennessee board of laws for pharmacy technicians [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/propranolol.htm]propranolol[/url]

3:27 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that's both equally educative and amusing,
and let me tell you, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy that I stumbled across this during my
hunt for something regarding this.

Feel free to surf to my webpage diet plans that work for women

8:11 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

[url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/remeron.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/7.jpg[/img][/url]
pharmacy clerk jobs http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/lopid.htm pharmacy network [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/categories/stop-smoking.htm]etsu pharmacy school[/url]
pharmacy recommendations drug allergies http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/periactin.htm three sisters pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/prandin.htm]prandin[/url]
my canadian pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/noroxin.htm better life pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/metformin.htm]medicine man pharmacy houston texas employement[/url]
massachusetts college of pharmacy and health http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/indinavir.htm biodiversity and pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/innopran-xl.htm]innopran xl[/url]

5:05 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Qbxxlo [url=http://hermeskelly.finniwolf.com][b]hermes purses[/b][/url] hermes trench http://hermeskelly.finniwolf.com Ykwyrc Syspta hermes kelly

4:30 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ι'm really enjoying the design and layout of your website. It's
a very easу оn thе eyes which makes іt muсh more enjoyable fοг mе tο come here
and visit mоrе often. Diԁ yоu hігe
οut a devеloper to creаte youг theme?

Superb work! garcinia cambogia - garcinia cambogia - garcinia cambogia
garcinia cambogia extract pure powder - garcinia cambogia - garcinia cambogia extract pure with potassium and calcium

My weblog; garcinia cambogia weight loss testimonials

7:28 am  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home