Crash Landing on A Pirate Planet · 7:36pm April 25th
Hey folks, it’s time for the Friday News update! So, let’s drop some news on all of y’all!
The big one, of course, is progress on A Pirate Planet, aka The Adventures of Kel Quarine: Interstellar Ranger. This one has been largely flying from my fingertips: We’re 26,000 words in after only two weeks, and that’s not including me cutting another 6,000 words when I restarted the opening (the first opening was largely exploratory to get the mood and character pinned down). Our heroine has arrived on the titular Pirate Planet as of the latest chapter, though she might have left a bit of an impact crater …
Point is, the story is flying along from my fingers, and it’s one of those where I’m genuinely quite excited to work on it each day. I think it’ll be as fun to read as it is to write, so I’m hoping that a legion of you will enjoy it. Actually, several legions. I could use the money.
Now, some of you who’ve only been around for Being a Better Writer might be wondering what this Pirate Planet is. It’s the current book project (and if you’re coming around for Being a Better Writer but not checking out that Books tab, you’re missing the point). A YA Sci-Fi Adventure homage to Metroid, A Pirate Planet tells the tale of Kel Quarine, a young woman from the planet Belatine determined to become an Interstellar Ranger like her grandfather. Having won the periodic Contest of Cadets for Belatine (which, if I were stuck with a Trad Pub, would be transformed into a Hunger Games-esque knockoff the entire book would revolve around), Kel is on her way to the Ranger Academy when the passenger liner she’s on is hijacked by pirates. After an adventurous escape, Kel finds herself, along with some of the crew, marooned on an abandoned mining world the pirates use as their home base.
Adventure ensues. Of the type “Get some gear, fight the pirates, save the day.”
It’s fun. I’m having a great time writing it.
But that’s not the only project to report on. I’ll be looking at Alpha Reader feedback on Blood Less Vile and The Phoenix today, doing the first few chapters of each after I write Monday’s Being a Better Writer. Alpha Readers, take note! If you’ve slowed or put off reading lately, I catch up fast.
And … well, that’s it for today. There’s not really a lot going on. Oh, and I’ll post the cut exploratory Pirate Planet intro over on Patreon for supporters. If you want to see what sort of ideas I was playing with before starting the proper opening, it might be a fun read, though it obviously wasn’t up to my standards.
All right, I’ve got BaBW to write. See you Monday!
