This story starts many years ago when I was living in Provo and working at the Provo Library. I had just found a BYU magazine called Leading Edge that I had fun reading. It was/is a science fiction and fantasy short story magazine that is published twice a year, and after reading a couple of issues, I had decided that I wanted to publish a story with them.
The trick was coming up with a story unique and interesting, like all the stories already published were. I brainstormed for a while, thinking of everything I could do, and I finally settled on doing something that I knew about: Libraries. I worked more on that, fleshing out what it was about libraries that was so special, until I came up with the idea that every book or series had it's own reality, and sometimes holes appeared in the fabric between our Reality and the fictional realities. And there were people who fixed these holes.
I liked the idea, but never got around to writing it, so it sort of sat in the back of my mind,fermenting. Jump ahead a few years (but still not the present). I was looking for something to write when I stumbled upon the paper that had the original idea. It had been sitting around long enough that as soon as I finished reading the idea and character beginnings, I began having more ideas about what to do with it. I decided that it was to good to be wasted on a short story for such a small magazine, so I began developing the character some more, and came up with a whole list of interesting things that could happen.
But again I didn't do anything, and it returned to the back of my mind. Skip head to July 2009, when I was living in Provo again. I was going through my writing stuff when I, again, stumbled upon the file with all the ideas I'd had. Again, I'd had enough time that I started thinking of new ideas, and decided that I really wanted to write it.
So I got out the list of things that could happen and began plotting out an eight book series on my bedroom door using post-it notes. And I really liked it. There was action, romance, devastation, happiness, and characters that I could like.
But I got so busy with other things that it got accidentally shelved for a couple of months. When I got it back out again, I decided to just start writing it, and I wrote about three chapters of the first book before losing interest. The characters weren't turning out how I pictured them, and the plot just wasn't as excited as it could have been. So it got shelved again.
Jump ahead another few months, and it's 2010. The series came out again, and this time I decided to revamp the whole thing. So I went back over and made a list of everything that could happen, explained what the main character really does a little more, and developed the girl some more. (Hereafter known as Nikelle)
It got set aside once more (happens way too often) when I started working on another story that I was excited about, and when I went back I spent an entire day just mapping out the plots so that they were done. And I liked them a lot better. They were more jam packed, and there was an overall story arch that carried through the first four books, and allowed for a second story arch through the next four.
Now, through out this entire process, Nikelle, the main character, has been the only character that didn't change from version to version. Originally, when it was just a short story, there wasn't a romantic interest. Then the first version had a romantic interest named Jesse who was a college student. Then he got kicked out of the story and the next romantic interest appeared, named Harry. He has stuck around through the rest of the versions, but Jesse came in and out, unable to make up his mind about whether or not he wanted a part of the story.
In the latest version, however, Jesse made it clear he was there to stay, and that he had been Nikelle's boyfriend previously. Two other men have forced themselves into the story, demanding to have a part of Nikelle's romantic history, one an FBI agent named Price who she dated steadily for a while, and the other her boss's assistant named Ethan who she only dated a few times and never got serious with, but is good friends with.
So then Nikelle had four men vying for her attention. This shouldn't have been too much of a problem because I should have been sure that she would end up with Harry, since he is the main romantic interest, but as I developed the other men I liked them all the same and finally couldn't make up my mind.
One character, made my mind up for me. I sat down on Friday and finally outlined all of book one so that I can sit down and write it, and by the end of the book Ethan had made it clear that while he was in love with Nikelle, he couldn't stand by and watch while I gave her to someone else. So he forced me to kill him.
That was NOT on the menu, and he didn't tell me it was going to happen until I wrote the outline for that scene. It was very distressing, since I really liked him. But he made a logical argument, and it gave the story more dynamic.
So I've finally started writing this project long in the works, and I like this version the best, despite Ethan getting killed. The character is much more likable, and there is enough action to fill the book. And this time I am determined to finish writing it.
This WILL be my first published novel, if it's the last thing I do.
You have been tuned in to Noble's memories, thank you for reading, and sorry for there being so much.
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