Rewrites of drafts

I have been reading many interesting writer's suggestions about penning the novel.  In fact, some people who have been kind enough to share their own experiences with me have helped me to understand more and more all the technical aspects of writing that is not ever discussed at any of the writer's groups that I have attended.  Frankly, that bothers me to think that most groups are designed to be self promotional more than to really help and assist other writers.

One of the first things that one must consider before beginning to develop a novel is the overall time, cost, and tools necessary to writing the book.  It is not enough to just sit down and write the book, but the fact that it takes a certain kind of format, a certain type of presentation, that in today's publishing world, the first chapter itself seals the success or failure of the book. That notion is repeated over and over, that the first sentence, the first paragraphs, and the first chapters must create the interest in the book.

Most authors who write for the first time just want their book to be read and appreciated, to know that some reader shares in understanding all that one has written.  At this point, I am a bit sorry that I shared my first draft with a few, but at the time that I sent it out to a good friend who had been sharing her short stories with me, I honestly was being kind in having her read it.  She did give me back satisfaction in her comprehension of my intent.  She demonstrated to me that she understood my purpose in the authoring of this tale.

Granted, since then I have since revised many parts of it in my mind, but not yet on paper. I do not intend to over revise and rewrite this book, even if just to correct a grammatical error or spelling word.  I intend to let it sit and rest, then revise according to content that I wish to replace or to add.

Since my book is directed towards the average man, the person of sixth grade reading skills, I want the book to be read by many people for its purpose, that of introducing the reader to the life of Alexander as a child whose environment developed his character and personality. I want the world to know Alexander as the person who became the man that challenges caused him to become.

I do not intend to become didactic in any way.  I am writing this just to remind myself of all that lies ahead as I have been thinking about Philip a lot in regards to this book.  I am still on that first chapter, and while I am either using the burning of the Temple of Artemis or the person of Philip, I am still debating which would be the most effective chapter opener.  The prologue  will be that of the gods.

In my opinion, there can never be too many books on a particular subject, but each will be dependent upon the author's voice.  So far, I have not yet read a book that has appealed to me to make me understand or like Alexander at all. I don't find many authors who can truly turn Alexander into a character who I would want to bother to read again.

So I hope that I can correct that.  I know that people are drawn to Alexander but never for the right reasons.  I wonder whether Moses or Abraham as subjects are not also so difficult to develop but it appears that few authors want to tackle either one.  Most are drawn to Alexander for his military history.  He had other qualities than just military that made him so revered at the time of his life.

Those are too often lost. I do intend to cover those in my ongoing series of his life.  This is all a reminder to me of what is yet to come.  I usually write journals for my own personal needs, and this is one of those exercises.