My BIG writing project

For my assessment for the module “Sources and Transformations” this semester I’ve been working on a story set in the Viking Age. When I started writing it I thought it would be a short story – then I realized it would be a novel – and now it seems to be turning into a series of books.

The Norwegian publisher Schibstedforlagene/Bladkompaniet has launched a competition with deadline on 16 April 2007. The challenge is to write a novel set in Trøndelag, with a female main character and the book is to be the first book of several. Together with the manuscript for the book they also want a short synopsis for how you imagine that the story will continue after the first book. The winner of the competition wins NOK 100 000 and the possibility to have the series published.

Now I’m trying to get my Viking book finished, it will only be a first draft of course, but I will just have to explain about my lack of time to the publisher and hope that they will first of all focus on the story and not so much on the language. I have also today sat down and made a very brief synopsis of a series of 12 books. The first book starts in 791 and the last one ends in 1073, the title for the series so far is simply “Vikings”.

I have to admit I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish a first draft of the first novel before 16 April, but I am going to do my best. Fortunately I have pretty much written the stuff I need to hand in for workshops on Mondays and Wednesdays so that shouldn’t take time away from writing on the Viking story, but even though the story seems very clear in my head now I might still run into a wall somewhere where I can’t find the words to go on.

I’ll let you know closer to the 16th how this is going.