Going back

So, I have returned to the novel I began over ten years ago. My opus. The story that began this journey into writing. I have completed the novel twice. Rewritten it 12 or more times. And here I am, beginning anew. Well, not beginning anew now. I began anew about a year and a half ago. However, I am still brainstorming. Seems crazy to spend so much time working on a story, rewriting it, tossing it, starting over, repeat, repeat, repeat. At this rate, it might never see publication. (I'm an optimist who sometimes becomes dramatic, so I do not really believe I will not complete it.) Then why the continuous rewriting? Well, I have never been satisfied with previous versions. The story didn't feel complete. Always something out of sync with the plot, characters, or various devices thrown in. See, in the beginning, I set out to simply have a planet that manufactured the coolest damn tech. No real reason. However, this past year as I have grown as a storyteller, I realized things like technology need to reflect the culture and the people. It's not fulfilling or complete for it to simply be there. It needs a purpose. I realized the same with the environment. The clothing. The work. The attitude. I had to completely rebuild this culture, which is necessary for a space opera. Well, a good space opera. I look back and try to imagine the difficult work and effort Frank Herbert put into Dune. The series has been a huge inspiration.

The story is beginning to develop in ways I could never had dreamed ten years ago. Five years ago. Three years ago. The characters have new life, greater depth. The planet is more dense. The plot smoother. I had to cut out so many pointless subplots.

I figure the remaining bit of brainstorming will take a month or two (I was able to salvage a great deal of the main plot--just a lot of tweaks--a shit load of tweaks). I will write some shorts and perhaps finish Jeremiah during these two months.

That's kind of all for tonight.