Lessons Learned

I think I might have finally learned the lesson that my college Computer Science professor was trying to teach. His mantra was

"Design, Design, Design!"

He proposed to us that an elegant design leads to an elegant solution, and a much easier time of implementing the solution. After "hacking out a solution" to the problem of what to write, I realized that I was trying to maintain story elements that had no bearing on the core plot. I also realized that the core plot didn't need to reveal all the details in the first few chapters, but cohesiveness could be gained throughout the book, by spreading details through the entirety of the text.

To make a long story short (not the book--just this post), I wrote an outline, and I've begun re-writing the book. I backtracked to what happened before the present text begins, and I'll integrate the existing text as necessary to complete my book.

I feel like this is going to be a much longer journey than I expected when I started.

Strike that... Reverse it!

I came to a realization a few days ago, partially as a result of the feedback I've received to date--precious little I might add-- and my own approach to the edge of the proverbial cliff of Writer's Block.

In no way do I feel like the story line is complete. I know I have more to write; however, I've been trying to maintain a few "precious" ideas as core to the story, when they clearly interrupt the reader's attention with the question of how they might possibly have any bearing on the outcome of the plot.

That being said,  I've stopped writing the actual text, and have taken to compiling an outline. I'm also going to let go of a few of "my precioussssssss" and focus on three core ideas or concepts that will be integrated to make Mendel's journey interesting.

1. Near-instantaneous Interstellar Travel: I plan to rework this to eliminate much of the technical details and expand on the broader concepts to better integrate with Mendel's individual character traits and adventures.
   
2. Genetic Longevity: I plan to expand on this idea, again eliminating much of the technical jargon in favor of integrating it into the character traits of both Cassie and Vela to make it important to their traits and adventures to the extent it integrates with Mendel's adventures.
   
3. Medical Technologies: A key component of many science fiction endeavors, advanced medical care lends a sense of "fiction" to the story that takes the reader on the adventure, and causes them to invoke their imaginations to visualize what the author is speaking of. I'm going to keep Mendel's suit as part of his person.

I also would like to briefly incorporate a few smaller, non-invasive concepts on an ad hoc basis to enhance Mendel's search for answers. One such idea is indexing.Here's something you might interesting: Handbook of Indexing Techniques: A Guide for Beginning Indexers. Strictly speaking, indexing that I am referencing is the process of extracting vital statistics from old records that have not been digitized in a format that is searchable by computers.

Grandpa Thompson has been indexing records in this manner for many years, and my wife and I recently got involved when our Stake Indexing Coordinator taught a class on it for the third hour of church. Indexing can be done by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or those who are not members. Anyone can do it! Just go to Family Search Indexing and follow the simple instructions to sign up, learn the basic steps to indexing, and get started.

My wife and I have been indexing for seven days now, and between the two of us, we've indexed nearly 2,000 records from several dozen batches of old images, including WWII (here is an EXCELLENT book) draft records, and 1930 Federal Census records. Indexing these records provides key information to computer search engines to use when a user of sites like Family Search and Ancestry searches for information about their ancestors. Put in a name like John Doe, and now, these sites can display the draft records or Federal census sheets where John was recorded. BINGO!

By the way, THIS is a flipping awesome show!! Check it out!

Anyway, tah, for now! I'll be back soon with an updated manuscript as I rework The Mendel Chronicles in a way that I think will be sure to please readers.

I'd like your feedback on whether or not you're interested in actually reading the text or not.

Drop me a line, and let me know what you think. I'd appreciate it.