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DATE: Thu 16 Dec 2021 22:32 By: HexDSL@Posteo.net

Hunter's Garden. Behind the scenes.

"Hunter's Garden" is the name of the first work of fiction that I posted here on this website. It was posted in chapters as I wrote it. I learned that this was a terrible way to write and share a book. I will not be doing it this way again. A book is formed slowly and lots of changes happen. The early, mad ramblings don’t really line up with the final edited and considered story in any way that makes sense, not in the end. Not really.

If you are interested in my novel, it is available on Amazon (and only amazon at the moment)

Get it on Amazon.

It is DRM free on amazon and as "open" as the platform allows it to be. It may appear on other platforms eventually but right now Amazon is the home of it.

Now for the topic...

The words below are segments of emails, plan document bits and a general mix of things and thoughts I had regarding HG while working on it. I suggest that you skip it all, but if someone actually really loved the book, they may find this interesting. After all, I try to be as open as humanly possible with the "process" and this seems like a good final footnote in the Hunters Garden evolution from idea to finished work. I'll stop rabbiting now. Here you are...

Be aware if you have not read HG then there ARE Spoilers below! Anything in between stars (italic) like this line is my own CURRENT comments*

Notes to Drew.

The below is a segment of the original email I sent to Drew who was to be my editor, sadly we never found time to make it happen and I had to muddle through myself. This outlined his mandate and scope, as well as some concerns that I had. Mostly concerns... really.*

As discussed,

Rip, tear, re-arrange and edit as much as you want. I have my original text saved safe for future reference. I'm not precious about it.

With this in mind, your edit can be as brutal as you think is required. If there are sections that you think are required additional and it's more than a little tweak or one-liner let me know and I'll write additional to your requirements.

*Continuity.**

I'm pretty sure that Sophia's/The Gardener's 'origin monologue' is bollocks and some of the things that are said about her are inconsistent as I literally re-wrote her origin about 4 times (and am still not entirely happy with it.)
The Big 'V' and the Little 'V': I wanted to refer to vampires with a little 'v' whenever the story is within the Garden. Then transition to a big 'V' when they are in the city or Daemon realm. In my head, it's about empowerment. In the Garden they have no power so they are no threat, in the city, they are a real danger so they get that big 'V' - I'm not sure it works and I am sure I was not consistent with it. Feel free to reject the idea and switch to consistent casing.
In the original edit of this (first pass) for some reason (I assume I was possessed by a wraith) Mike used Sai as his weapon of choice. I changed this to his Blood Daggers as I re-wrote on the second pass but it's possible, I have the daggers described inconsistently at times, you may want to watch out for that. Daggers *are* better... right?
Howard has his revolver, which he doesn't use very often for """reasons""" which is a sketchy plot point (I know, but it looked cool and fit the character.) He also doesn't seem to have a "signature" weapon until I gave him a sword flurry in my second pass. With this in mind, his introduction may need tidying up and there's this moment when he breaks Mikes door with a pick/long-dagger that doesn't really fit his brutality which we see later in the story. It's more of a tone based consistency issue than it is a continuity one but it bothers me a lot and I think it may bother you too.

*Plot.**

Not really continuity problems but things that I think may need attention, things related to plot flow.

Sophia is supposed to come across as a weapons master so I avoided giving her a 'signature-weapon' but I think this may just come over as sloppy writing.
Tom is supposed to come across as a fucking prick but only *after* his initial appearance. I want the reader to distrust him. Because of this, I mustn't go too far because ultimately, he **is** an effective leader.
Mike needs to transition from crappy human to 'hunter' in a believable way that I don't think I really nailed. I may need to work on that. Also, when he transitions from Hunter to wraith-powered-guy it should intentionally seem fantastical.
Once Sophia's name is revealed I alternate between "Gardener" and "Sophia" intentionally to embed her name while not confusing the reader. I tried to make it explicit and clear but I think I failed, hard.
I have little in the way of character diversity. This is something I need to think about?
Some of the foreshadowing of the connection between Mike and Sophia seems forced. Feel free to stamp on it.
Sophia and Mike don't explicitly fuck. Should they fuck? - I like not making them fuck. I have no desire to write about throbbing members.
I only Have the supply warehouse appear once in a (larger?) scene at the start. Then it's a big deal at the end. Should it be introduced earlier, or appear more? I think it's enough to make it memorable and not give it away as a plot point later. Maybe when the boys find the daemon supply line in The Under-Loft, they could draw comparisons? Didn't want to hand-hold the reader with that one.
I really want the reader to fucking love Sophia. Do I nail that? I think I do but I worry because if the reader isn't invested in her then the rescue will seem stupid. I mean, it *IS* stupid. I just don't want the reader to notice until it's time to notice!
The Rescue itself - I want the reader to care about the rescue. It's a major plot point but at the same time, I don't want to rob Sophia of her agency. It's important to me that I make clear that needing to be saved isn't normal for her.
Howard should have an 'old cowboy vibe. I'll settle for 'veteran' but I worry he seems like 'a nut job' at times. Maybe he *is* a nut job. I don't know! I'm not his dad.
Mike. Even **I** don't know what tone I want for Mike. He starts as a loser, then he embraces the Hunter life. Then he becomes someone else. I'm not sure who that is, I don't think I'm supposed to be sure. That's the point maybe? I'll tell people it's the point if they ask and try to sound deep.
Charles. His entire personality is generic-wise-man from the start. I did a bad job with him. But He's also supposed to be 'generic' he is generic because he’s not a human. He's a Pretend human.

*Final version.**

Getting ahead of myself here, I know

I worried about this a lot*

*Title.**

The working title all the way to the end of the process was “A Hunters Garden” and was often abbreviated to AHG. The final title is “Hinter’s Garden” which is VERY different as you now...*

While I personally like the title I have to admit, it seems pretentious. But titling something like this is hard. It's always going to be either pretentious, nonsense or unrelated. Finding something that relates to the work without spoiling it, while still emoting the sense of the work is hard.

With this in mind - Possible alternate Titles I have considered at one point or another were...

Cruor Sunshine.
Cruor-Intentions. *(joke, but I really DO like it)*
Hunter Born.
Forever Ending.
Mike-has-an-adventure-and-stuff. *(joke, relax)*
Gardens Edge.
Endless Garden.

I may use one of those for the follow up if I start typing it*

Other titles ideas are not only welcome but desired. If I don't find one that makes me go "OOOOOO YEAH" I'll just pick the one I hate the least and call it done. Or just stick with 'A Hunters Garden' I guess.

Notes to self.

There was a point in writing where I felt like the literal explosion of events, I had planned was way waaaaaaay above and beyond my actual writing skill (and it was, if I'm honest). The below ramblings were some notes and thoughts I made (to myself) to help me make sure it flowed in a sensible way. Some of this changed a LOT between planning and writing so I'm not even sure how worthwhile it is to share it here, but here it is...*

*Ending.**

The Hunters formulate a plan and try to make it happen, things go very wrong and we have to deal with problems.

*How does it go down?**: Tom orders all the remaining Hunters to go into the Warehouse to evacuate, as Anne tells the daemons (that double crossing git!)

Tom goes to the Deamon Realm with Howard to guard his exit and Charles as 'cover'

The daemons from Earth invade the warehouse as they can't get in via the daemon realm (because " B O O M " ?) they plan to take down all of the hunters at the same time, with the reduced numbers AND a surprise attack its more than doable.

Our scrappy heroes chase Anne out of the realm back to the garden, a fight ensues and she exits to earth, where Howard is waiting in the daemon night club to cover Toms exit.

Mike and Sophia don't chase her because she is on Earth. From their perspective they have infinite time to catch her so they decide to deal with her later. That's when shit stops working as expected in the Garden. Manifests as rain. this needs attention so they try break into Toms office to find the "controls" that Sophia always assumed exist.

Anne starts trying to open a portal back to daemon world. Howard sees that her soul is on the way out and coupled with her opening a portal to daemon world he realizes that there's something wrong and then she is suddenly in a lot of trouble.

Tom fights her, she opens the portal at the last second, the same moment Tom opens a portal to her Warehouse. She is killed in the blast.

The tom then rips a hole from the daemon realm back into the Warehouse. Causing both the Warehouse and the Daemon realm to explode. Killing the hunters AND daemons and taking down the hunters realm. Tom and Charles Die in the process. Howard is on Earth and lives.

The fallout causes earth quakes in the garden but no lasting damage. When they go to the door to the warehouse it's not there. Literally missing. They try over and over to open a portal to it but nothing works. The house begins to change.

The fallout leaves the Garden intact but every hunter (other than our heroes) from the garden are dead. Tom sacrificed them all, himself included to ensure that the "job" was done. A lot of good people died. It was not a good call but I was an effective one.

The Gardener says that there are other sects of Hunters out there and vows to rebuild and wait for the next darkness.

Howard is convinced that there must be more vampires like him and thinks that it's how the first hunters were so powerful. He wants to make an army of them to be ready for when the daemons return. He doesn't forgive Charles but he does accept the sacrifice he made.

Mike knows that wraiths cannot be destroyed and thinks he will see Charles again.

Sophia is filled with bliss at things actually changing again. Hoping that this new chapter will be brighter for everyone as each time the garden changes things get better. From the darkness of the original hunters to the lights of the new ones and now to something different.

Sophia tells Mike he is the new Tom and to use his Wraith wisdom to be a better leader than Tom was. Mike accepts as long as she stands with him.

The team begin to rebuild in wait for the next war.

The end, I guess.

It's going to be a pain in the arse to accomplish all this from Mikes point of view. How will he both know what's happening in the warehouse and in the Daemon realms.

I had always had a plan to shift perspective during the story. I planned on doing it early on and decided I had left it too long. When I realised that my ending was dependent on multiple POV's I was pissed off with myself but didn't want to betray the momentum I had built. So, I went back to my original plan of moving to an overview POV for the ending.*

I think I need to have the perspective of the story change from Mike to Howard or Tom at some point (fulfilling the promise of the opening) but it's going to be a hard old slog to write in a way that work properly.

Sticking points. How am I going to get Mike to actually "have" a Voice recording device? - retcon it into the apartment scene? (go back and edit it for final draft.) - IDEA! - have Tom give all the hunters empty gems to imprint on. As Mike can't use charms any more, he hands him an old tape Dictaphone. The kind with the little tapes, I love that visual. Like, you can't record your soul for future generations to hear... here's a Dictaphone. Now I have the plan, when do I shift perspective? hummm...... Maybe Howard gave it to him. Or Maybe I just give the fucker a pen.

No way! I DID just give the fucker a pen in a shameless ret-con! good for me!*"

PORTAL SCIENCE:

I knew I had to justify the actions of the team. In my head I knew why they couldn't open a portal from one place to another directly. I had intended to explain the mechanics of it when Charles was first introduced. I never did. I had to get it totally fixed in my own head and THEN explain it to the reader. This was how I made sure I was getting it correct*

Locale | Locale | Validate | Result

-------------|--------------|------------------|--------

Earth | Garden | Neutral to light | :+1:

Earth | Daemon Realm | Neutral to Dark | :+1:

Garden | Warehouse | light to light | :+1:

Daemon Realm | Garden | Light to Dark | :-1:

Daemon Realm | Warehouse | Dark to Light | :-1:

Shit me. how am I going to dialogue all this into the story?

Post Writing Thoughts.

Well there you go. some my notes, thoughts and neurotic ramblings. There was also a LOT of paper notes and half written ideas. Unsaved works and failed chapters. Everything I publicly posted was essentially the raw first draft and I the final version is not as far away from that as I thought it would be. I think all-in-all I'm happy with my work and the motivation I get from the raw posting helped me get to the end.

Future.

A few people have asked if I have any more plans for the world and characters, I have created in HG. Honestly, I'm not sure; if people do like it and do want more, I have had some half-baked ideas for a sequel that I'm keeping some notes on, it may form into a full story.

The file name those ideas are in is "A_Hunters_Forest.md". Though it is just a place holder. The basic most vague idea is that it will be a more character focused story where my characters face off against a serial killer while at the same time have to deal with the reality of encountering hunters who come from other 'Gardens'.

I also have a short story idea for Sophia's earlier years. The events that led her to make the decisions she made in HG. Also maybe I tie in a Howard story. Why did Howard embrace Hunters the life so desperately? It's really a collection of moments right now.

But I'm not actually sure if I *want* to write these things. The decision to write and share is something that takes months, and a lot of effort. I have to be sure its wanted before I get into it given all the things I could write instead.

When I think of it, I find that my fingers twitch. Maybe there's some more gas in that tank.

Thanks for reading, and please do remember. Your feedback is MOST welcome. (HexDSL@Posteo.net)