Sword of the Boar, (sequel to Legionaries of the Boar) passed a small milestone earlier this week. Twenty thousand words. Measured a different way, to march a step for every word would take the Twentieth legion over 12 Roman miles - over 11 for the rest of us modern types. What's that in kilometres? Sorry, I don't do kilometres. Too far then to stop and yet not far enough.
The principle tool I use, apart from the laptop, is a version of the movie-maker's "storyboard." My version is a plot-board and it is never intended - or even possible in my experience - to plot out any story entirely from start to finish. It just doesn't work like that. You have an idea and the beginnings and it compels you sit down and write. It's the first plot-board. My idea and beginnings have taken me to the end of that one. Now is the interesting bit as the subconscious ideas begin to emerge and the characters step onto a new and blank board. As yet I don't know where they will take me now.
When I wrote "Legionaries," the very last scene came to me quite early on. It got developed and polished up a bit but I had it in mind for several months. It never actually influenced or drove the storyline but it did make a neat ending, in my opinion.
I already have an idea for the final scene of Sword of the Boar but it may not work out that way. Time will tell. One or two of the early reviewers made interesting comments about the friendship of Marcus and Velio. It did get me thinking, albeit too late to do anything about it, that maybe I missed a trick there. If you have read the book you will understand what I mean. So, partly to remedy that I will fill in some of those "gaps" in this sequel.
So that's the first twenty thousand steps. Swords and shields at the ready, we are in hostile enemy lands. Time to dig in and set the evening watch. There will many more steps to be taken before we are safely back in barracks.
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