I have just written the last chapter of 'Gone Away, Gone Ahead'. I've still got several thousand words to go before I reach that ending, and I know that the way I write means there could be a few twists, turns and alterations before I finally get there. I'm not one of those writers who carefully plots every single detail. Most of the stories I write, whatever length they turn out to be, start from a single idea; a concept or a character. 'Gone Away, Gone Ahead' began like that, too.

Just over a year ago, in those heady days when you used to be able to invite people around for a party (imagine that!) a friend was looking though my bookshelves and spotted Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider books. 'Wow,' she said. 'I've never met anyone else who likes these.' So, as it was the middle of winter, I decided to take a short holiday to the world of Pern and re-read those classics all over again, starting with 'Dragonflight', which I first took out of the library aged 13.

Anne McCaffrey spins a good tale; her characters are memorable and her world building full of colourful description. Having read all of the books, I found myself wanting more and began a search for fan fiction online. There's quite a lot of it out there, of varying quality, but I soon found a couple of stories that grabbed me as being very close in tone to the originals. Once I'd finished those, an idea began to germinate. Fanfiction springs up from the parts the author didn't bother to fill in. There's a seven year gap between the end of 'Dragonflight' and the beginning of 'Dragonquest' during which quite a few changes have occurred to Pern and the Dragonriders and that was where I decided I wanted to place my story.

The first scene I thought up takes place off stage, way before 'Gone Away, Gone Ahead' begins. I visualised a young man whose weyrmate has just died, kneeling on the bloody stone floor of the infirmary and wondering if his own life can carry on without the man he loved. From there, the structure began to form. I knew fairly quickly where my story was going to begin - at the stirring moment when Lessa persuades the five Weyrs to journey with her into an unknown future - and I knew (more or less) where it was going to end, although the precise scene wasn't in focus at that point. I knew that it would include romance and adventure, as D'gar, my hero, has to cope with grief and adapting to life in a place that is both similar and changed from what he knew before. I wrote short sketches - mini-stories - for many of the characters so that I knew their backstories. Then I started writing the main narrative.

Usually, I find that writing longhand on an A4 pad is the best way to begin. On a laptop, there's the temptation to delete and edit too much, at least until the thing takes on life of its own. Quite a few stories that have started off on the screen die and wither there as I get bogged down in detail and indecision. Once I'm well underway, I can then take to the keyboard and keep it going (although difficult scenes often get worked out longhand first, then edited as I type them out). With fifteen or so chapters written and a rough outline of what was going to happen in the rest of it, I started posting on a couple of different fan fiction sites, then was asked if I'd like to start posting on this site. 

One of the best things about writing a story is getting feedback from readers; knowing that they are waiting eagerly for another chapter is a very good way of motivating you to sit down and write, especially when you may be getting stuck on a storyline or unsure of which route to take from where you are currently to where you want to be at the end of the chapter. GA has motivated me more than any other site, with its dedicated readers who comment far more freely than anywhere else. I know I'm as guilty as many people of reading a good story and not always taking the time to write - even a couple of words - at the end of each chapter. Sometimes, if I'm reading something that was completed a while ago, this is because it seems a bit pointless now that the 'ride' is over. In many cases it's because I don't want to interrupt the flow of reading as I eagerly wait to devour the next chapter. I do try to leave a review or comments after I've finished though, because I know what it's like to hear that 'ding' and to rush to see what someone has thought of your latest creation. 

Getting chapter comments has definitely improved my writing. People have pointed out mistakes I've overlooked (despite reading it over several times and getting someone else to check, this can be easily done) and come up with theories or plot ideas that had never occurred to me. Posting a chapter each week makes me sit down and work regularly, which I personally find to be the best way to keep my creativity ticking over. If I stop writing a story for a few days, I find I have to read back over a few chapters to get myself into it again, whereas doing even a couple of hundred words a day keeps it fresh in my mind.

I started writing this story in February 2020 and it's been a part of my life for a long time. The characters are real people in my head and often when i'm out for my daily walk I find myself wrangling over a bit of dialogue, or having fresh ideas for a scene. I've not reached the end yet, but I know (roughly) where I have to go to get there. And having finished a few long stories before, I know that when it's finally done I'll feel a little bit sad at leaving those characters behind. I'm trying to keep several chapters ahead of posting right now as I have a house move coming up in around a month and I'm well aware that there will be less time to sit and write (although the possibility of another lockdown due to Covid-19 looms in real life).

I'll carry on posting to this blog, too, as I muse over ideas for this story and the ones I am planning for the future. Any comments or suggestions are always welcome.