Step 2: How to speed write a fantasy novel

(this is all part of the One Novel Three-Month challenge. Click here for more info)

Firstly, thank you all for your support, and for subbing, and reading these entries. I've gotten a massive positive response for the project, which warms the cockles. It really does. But promo'ing is in some ways easier than writing, I've so far come to learn. More psychologically taxing for sure, but Jesus, I need to sit down and make words do things eh?

How to speed write a fantasy novel? The last time I did this, I already had a pretty good idea of where it was going. This time…I need to play a board game [link].

Recently I've gotten into, like really gotten into, this board game 'John Company' It's up there with my favorite board game of all time, and I'm a massive nerd for the hobby as it is. In John Company, you play as a wealthy(ish) family with the East India Company, and you win not by making the company money (which might help) but by making the most money for your family and then retiring and marrying rich, which is only possible through rampant corruption and self-interest. It's a board game satire and social commentary on the ravaging of the EIC.
 

In practice, it's very much about trading favors, extortion, coercion and political maneuvering to maximise your power, and it's got a great tension between playing co-operatively, as your family member might be the manager of shipping, while another player's is president of Bengal, while another's is the chairperson, and all of them have to get their own while hoping the whole still functions.

Its rife with conflict and drama and emergent storytelling.

So really, my novel is based on the history of the East India Company, but the drama and interactions are based on the board game- I'm literally going to simulate a game as inspo for the machinations of he various families. That's my mad idea for how to tell a story with twists and turns as quickly as I can. There's likely a term for it- a sort of live play story telling, but writ in much greater detail than say, a single battle in 40k narrated.

I'm also doing research, and have been listening to Empire the podcast, on the EIC's rise and fall- can't recommend it enough, and a friend leant me The Anarchy, which is a massive tome about the company. I feel a personal connection the narrative as a product of post-colonialism and with Indian heritage. I'm cribbing notes y'all. But my world is different, because its fictional, set in a fantasy realm and there is magic.

So other than rewriting the opening chapter (which is quite long) I've been worldbuilding, starting with the nine main families. Nine may have been a bit ambitious. Each one has their 'arcana' (magical speciality), notable family members, notable positions in the company, notable overall traits, their reputations and alignments with other families. The player pieces if you will.

I set up all the pool balls then get them moving and voila, a story cometh. Such is my theory.

I also have this new method of coming up with ideas in the hopes of maximising all the time I have during the day between working and other commitments, which is I use this nifty voice recorder.

I know, smartphones have apps, but it's not the same. You gotta unlock the phone, find the app, open the app, hit the button and repeat every time you have an idea. Not super convenient while walking my dog (which is a good 45 mins of thinking and planning time I can use daily). So I record myself when I have an idea, then every few days or when needed, upload the audio into Otter.ai and it transcribes it for me.

Also when I'm exhausted I can still lay on the sofa and chew the cud until I come up with something. It’s a weird method to be sure but damn does it work. I'm also hurried typing this out before getting smashed for the rest of the day.

In order to pull this off I have to suck the marrow out of each day. But I'm trying to do as much world building as quickly as possible to its easier to write. Set up the pieces first. Let's see if it pays off. If you made it this far, thanks again for reading, as always.

And write on y'all.

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