Banadin: Blog

I am going to post the first chapter of Richard Jackson Saga: Tenth Grade today. This story is going to be eighteen chapters long and about 180,000 words. It will take place in September - December 1959.


This chapter is the longest and was the most difficult to write as I had to reread everything I have written to try to keep the storyline continuity straight. I invite and beg for comments, observations or corrections on the time line, as the more I get correct now the less problems in the future.


I have just about completed Chapter 2, so I don't have much depth to work with. I want to be up to Chapter 5 before posting Chapter 2, so don't expect it much before March 2017. I am taking January off from work so will write, but after that will only have one week off a month so it will be slow going.


Consider Chapter 1 as a Christmas present. For those who don't believe in Christmas, take it as a seasonal gift. Those who don't believe in gifts send money.


Enjoy as another school year starts.


Banadin

On occasion I receive emails asking about the next installment of the Richard Jackson Saga. This week I got twenty two of them. So here is an update. Not what you really want to hear.

I am going through some sort of writers block. Not the story. I have that outlined, major events identified, some of those events written. What I can't seem to force myself to do is sit down and type it out.

Now add that to the fact I have been very busy in my work life. Some people can work on airplanes and hotel rooms. I have never been able to do that, except at a survival level (need expense reports submitted to get paid.)

I travel a lot in my job. As a quality auditor to the ISO standards my job is mildly interesting (at least to me.) Last night I got home from California where I was auditing a foreign language translation firm. Next week is Newport News for an ship builder (think air craft carriers.)

So I am having a hard time writing and excuses not to sitting right there. All that said the first chapter which more me is the hardest is almost done. Had to set the since and ensure continuity. I hope to have six chapters done before the end of the year and start posting early 2017.

So there it is, thank you for the interest. This writing venture was started to see if I could do it. Thank you for your validation.

Summer Vacation 1959 ended up over 30,000 words so it is a novella in its own right. It was to be an introductory chapter to Tenth grade, but it really is a stand alone. It works out to 71 type written pages. I will be posting it in 4 Chapters, Today, Wednesday, Sunday, the following Wed, and Sun.

One lesson learned is I will never promise a posting date until the posting is ready. While I appreciate all the fan interest it has been a bit overwhelming the last two weeks with all the questions.

To try to get ahead of the game, Tenth grade will not be posted at all this year. 2017 at the earliest. I have the story blocked out, now to write it.

Enjoy and remember it is all true, give or take a lie or two.

Banadin

Summer Vacation is complete and gone through the first edit, two more passes to go. There will be a little slippage, I owe my Uncle Sam a short piece of fiction. It has a deadline of April 15 so I have been working on that. Sam is very demanding if you happen to know him.

And so life goes on. I have been very busy this spring and have not had the time to write that I thought I would. Since I am averaging a request a day of when the next story will be out I am doing an update of my schedule.


I am close to finishing Summer Vacation 1959. A week at the most should do it. Then it has to be edited. That will take up to two weeks. So we are looking at the last week of March or first week of April at the soonest. The story is around thirty thousand words so it is more of a novella than a chapter, and not quite a novel.


As for Tenth grade, I have plotted out the story, now to write it. I really hope to start posting before the end of the year. I will not post until I have at least ten chapters ahead. I hate to miss postings once it starts.


To give a hint or two on vacation, I still carry the brief case I bought at Harrods in Buenos Ares in the 1980's. The pothole story is absolutely true and was related to me by the Managing Director of the Firestone Rubber Plantation in Liberia, we were sitting on the veranda of the guest house at the time. King Neptune did give me some god awful concoction to drink. I did not learn to Tango in an Argentina whorehouse (my story and I am sticking to it.) I have stayed at the Plaza on the Strand in London.


Other than that it is all true. Give or take a lie or two.