The Plan for A Novel of America

My plan for A Novel of America is to follow the strategy James Michener and I used in crafting our books, with a key difference of letting these multilayered tasks unfold on the Web.

1. Reading and Research (current, see remarks on "Notes" in the guide)
   
2. Plotting a rough outline (the next stage, which should be complete by March 2009. (See examples of the plotting for The Covenant and Brazil. )
   
3. Manuscript (draft, to be posted serially on line, two or three times a week. Readers’ comments invited. The complete working draft will be available on line, with interactive images, maps and web links. See, Kindle Illustrated Guide to Brazil.)
   

Like Brazil where my saga spans six book sections, I plan a similar structure for A Novel of America.

Each completed section will be published on Kindle and initially made available via Print on Demand. The final manuscript with all sections will be offered in a traditional book form.

I’ve launched A Novel of America as an independent writing project. A traditional publisher could come aboard along the way, but if not I’m ready to go it alone, one of the true empowering features for the serious writer of the Digital Age.

Monetization is the challenge, of course, as others have pointed out. The first step will be to build a subscriber base with a loyal following who have an eye on the future and an appreciation of good writing that both entertains and educates.

A prospect as vital as when the first story-teller sat beside the glowing embers and began, "Once upon a time, when the sky was new..."

A Simple Guide to A Novel of America

At the suggestion of a reader unfamiliar with blogs, here’s a simple site map for the main portal to A Novel of America:

Column One

Regular posts appear here. Items tagged as “Notes” derive from current research and reading.

When I begin writing the novel, my “Drafts” will be posted here.

The latest post or instalment is always at the top.

Posts can be commented on or bookmarked and shared.

All posts can be found via The Archives (see Column Two).


Column Two

About the Project gives a brief overview, plus an invitation To All Readers to jump in and comment.

The Archives lists Posts (see Column One.) – These appear chronologically, which will make it easier to follow the story when the writing begins. – I will provide a link to a web page with the complete Draft.

Web Research Links cover the many areas I’m investigating. These are updated weekly.

Images provides an image bank collected as I go along. Maps are selected for relevance to locales and themes of the novel.

Books I’m Reading are exactly that rather than a core bibliography.

The Boston Pages comprise my earlier American research, as discussed in this post [Timing is Everything.] They give a good idea of how A Novel of America will unfold on this blog: The Outline, The Family Trees, Research Links and Notes, Clipping File. The Library and Notebooks are made public via Google


Column Three

About the Writer provides links to my home page and published works.

THE BRIDGE is the companion blog to A Novel of America, where I discusss the nuts and bolts of the project.

Signature Posts are key items that take you behind the scenes.

Subscribe by email is free and offered by Feedburner, where your privacy is protected, your email address never revealed. You can unsubscribe at any time. – Subscription via news reader is also available. [Of course, if you choose not to subscribe, simply bookmark the site and check in whenever you wish.]

Topics is a list of subjects covered in the posts - clicking on an item of interest will take you to the relevant post.

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