Title, Title, Burning Bright

I'm so pleased with myself.

I know, that's probably not the most exciting information for someone else. But I've come up with an amazingly good title (if I do say so myself...which I do) for my novel. My first novel!

I've done more than just come up with a title in the almost two months since I last blogged. (Yes, yes, I'm sorry. And for those who sent me private little messages kindly reminding me that I'd been remiss, I have only this to say -- who are you and why won't you leave me alone?) I've solidified my general outline (so to speak) and story flow. I'm not much of an outliner by nature, but I wanted to be sure I had a clear idea of what's going on, who my main character really is as a person, and what the general outcome is going to be.

I've also been doing some research, including reacquainting myself with certain horror classics, including but not limited to Dracula by the great Bram Stoker. I don't actually plan to write in the Victorian mode, but my novel is starting in that era and has strong Victorian influence throughout, so I want to be sure I capture the details correctly.

I haven't actually started the novel itself. Yet. I'm about ready to. But since this is virgin territory for me, I want to ensure that I'm all mapped out, in that sense, so my novel idea doesn't turn into merely a longer short story. The more I do, the more confident I get, which is a good thing, no matter what.

Now, back to it. There's more research to finish and the decision of whether or not to do a prologue (which is dependent upon how long it would be so I must actually write it first and then decide) and generally keep things rolling. (And I have to figure out how to block those kindly messages reminding me that I'm supposed to be blogging. The ones arriving via bat-express in the middle of the night are, I have to admit, the most annoying.)

Watching you from behind a dusty tome,
J.C. Koch