So if you’ve been following how Argentum has been developing, you’ve probably read a post or two where I describe a little bit about my writing process. Well, this past weekend at OddCon, there were a lot of conversations that I had with other writers about their writing process. When I mentioned I was offering my first draft for all the world to see, I raised a few eyebrows because often a “first draft” is somewhat scary to reveal, because it’s part of a larger process before a reader sees the story in print.

My process for writing is often an odd thing to describe, partially because I obsess not over the meanings of words but over the sounds of them. I hear the way certain words sound and it becomes my favorite word-of-choice for a while, then I cast it aside and choose another one.

Argentum started as an idea that I had a few years ago, inspired by a painting. In this painting, the Alchemist would literally “boil” their skin to get ready for their ritual. I kept hearing how the words “boiled” and “skin” might fit together, and I grossed myself out. At the same time, I was asking myself question about anti-heroes: Can a murderous character be forgiven? What if the main character is not the hero, but a victim? A villain? When I didn’t write anything down, another question arose in my mind: What if all the magic we’ve ever described through mythology was actually real?

Needless to say, I didn’t answer that one either and more questions popped into my head to the point where I started to respond to them by building a functional setting that all started with the image of a man in a bath of boiling water. This setting became my playground to tell a very “big” story that will hopefully one day entertain you.

So what is my writing process now? Well, I sit down at my computer. I write a chapter, however long it needs to be, and then I post it online. I usually don’t re-read it, and rely on the red, squiggly lines to tell me if I switched my letters around again. In part two, I go through and read it after it’s been posted a while, read any of your comments or emails, and then fit it into my plot matrix. (Which is pretty much a fancy way of saying that I’m tracking characters and plot threads as they appear in the story.)

There is a third, fourth and fifth part to that process that I haven’t gotten to yet, but much of it will depend on the feedback I receive. Truthfully, I hate writing in first person but I feel it’s necessary for this story to be told for many reasons. One, Serafina has a broken mind which is integral to the plot. Two, this world I built is so big I didn’t want to spend chapter after chapter describing what the world is like. The list of reasons goes on and on and on…

Offering a first draft is unusual, because this is literally from my mind to your screen. If you have any comments to share, good or bad, feel free to share them. I don’t take those comments personally because this is not a finished work and I understand my story may not be entertaining for everyone.

However, if you do have something negative to say that isn’t related to proofreading, pacing or continuity, tell me why. There are many things that will be fixed in the final, but if there’s something you truly enjoy about it (or truly hate) that feedback will ensure you’re going to get a great story, wherever (and however) that might be published.