This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #541, on the subject of Characters React.
With permission of Valdron Inc I have previously completed publishing my first twelve Multiverser novels,
- Verse Three, Chapter One: The First Multiverser Novel,
- Old Verses New,
- For Better or Verse,
- Spy Verses,
- Garden of Versers,
- Versers Versus Versers,
- Re Verse All,
- In Verse Proportion,
- Con Verse Lea,
- In Version, in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley, and
- Con Version, in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley,
- A Dozen Verses, in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley,
in serialized form on the web (those links will take you to the table of contents for each book). Along with each book there was also a series of web log posts looking at the writing process, the decisions and choices that delivered the final product; those posts are indexed with the chapters in the tables of contents pages. Now as I am posting the thirteenth, Multiverser: The Thirteenth Story, again written in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley, I am again offering a set of “behind the writings” insights. This “behind the writings” look may contain spoilers because it sometimes talks about my expectations for the futures of the characters and stories–although it sometimes raises ideas that were never pursued, as being written partially concurrently with the story it sometimes discusses where I thought it was headed. You might want to read the referenced chapters before reading this look at them. Links below (the section headings) will take you to the specific individual chapters being discussed, and there are (or will soon be) links on those pages to bring you back hopefully to the same point here.
This is the third post for this novel, covering chapters 23 through 33. The first post, covering chapters 1 through 11, was web log post #538: New Adventures, and the second, chapters 12 through 22, #539: Adventures Begin. There is also a section of the site, Multiverser Novel Support Pages, in which I have begun to place materials related to the novels beginning with character papers for the major characters, giving them at different stages as they move through the books.
History of the series, including the reason it started, the origins of character names and details, and many of the ideas, are in earlier posts, and won’t be repeated here.
Quick links to discussions in this page:
Chapter 23, Takano 164
Chapter 24, Brown 372
Chapter 25, Beam 204
Chapter 26, Takano 165
Chapter 27, Brown 373
Chapter 28, Beam 205
Chapter 29, Takano 166
Chapter 30, Brown 374
Chapter 31, Beam 206
Chapter 32, Takano 167
Chapter 33, Brown 375
I had the impression Eric wanted me to write this, so I did. I felt like the heroes just weren t up to speed, but I needed the villains to accomplish something so I made Tommy hesitate.
I ve already decided that Aceydeecy in his secret identity works for Wells Fargo.
Eric said he had other things he wanted to include on the journey, so I left this for him.
We had some discussion about starting the Model T. Eric envisioned it as a two-man job, that one person had to sit behind the wheel while the other worked the crank. My father had driven a Model T when he was in college, and had talked about it occasionally, so I had some understanding of how it worked despite never having seen it done. Eventually we got it to fit.
I skipped Beam with a note that I wasn t sure whether Shatner would take Beam outside and what that would mean, or whether he would take him to security to report his criminal activities, and waited for Eric s response. Eric suggested that Shatner would try to take him outside but security would catch them, but I didn t see that working. I also had the problem that Bob would know what Shatner was thinking, but I resolved that simply by having Shatner himself all jumbled with indecision, not sure whether to break the law by taking them out or risk taking them to law enforcement. I decided that the decision would be made at the last minute, so that Beam would have to confront the security.
I m not sure whether there s going to be a bloodbath here. After all, Beam isn t a nice guy, and the indigs are not going to understand him in the least.
I wrote this to move forward into an investigation that would uncover the mole at Wells Fargo.
For what it s worth, Eric picked Hilton, and said that it could be Marriot if Hilton didn t work. I commented that when I was in college I met the Hilton heir, Ron Hilton, who perhaps appropriately was handling housing for Gordon College. I didn t figure it made much difference, but while I was writing this chapter I decided to make sure that the Hilton didn t have some considerably older history or something. Turns out it was actually launched in 1925 in Texas, but I m fine with that. Maybe this was another hotel in the new chain.
I made up all the prices and meals. I also decided to give them sandwiches, mostly because I was worried about what they were going to eat even if I found a good reason for Derek not to.
Eric wrote most of this, up to the point where the guard who was not shot is explaining to Beam that he s been shot and has to lie down now. I added the last paragraphs in which Beam shoots the other guard.
I had left a note that I had an idea for this chapter, so Eric skipped it while I was sleeping, and I returned later after reading what he had done overnight.
I wrote this in pieces, and it kept getting pushed into more. I wanted to start with Tommy leaving work early Monday to try to identify Aceydeecy, but I realized that she already had two things she had to do on Sunday, first talk to the pastor about what happened to Brian and then have lunch with Robbie. Then as I was thinking about her walk to Robbie s it struck me that she should break up a robbery on the way, which delayed her arrival to the next Takano chapter.
Eric wrote this. He left a note to the effect that he d read about drivers running pedestrians into a ditch in another book, and so included it here for color.
When I was reading over Eric s work in the middle of the night (don t ask) I decided to write an opening for this chapter and see where it went. I came back the next day and added more to it, and then he took over right after Beam shot two officers and threatened to shoot another.
I had left a space for the title of the leader, and Eric filled it with vibgyor . Eventually I asked if the word had an etymology, and he affirmed that it was the reverse of the mnemonic for the colors of the rainbow, Roy G. Biv. We had not decided whether to make anything of that.
I started this as soon as I had finished Takano 166, but again interrupted just as they were starting to talk about God, because I wasn t feeling all that well. I finished it in several spurts.
Eric wrote this, continuing the road adventures of the Browns. This was not at all the story I planned for this world, which was supposed to bring Derek into New Orleans so I could bring Johnny Angel back, but as long as they were still headed that direction and the story was interesting we had time to get there.
We got into a discussion over the price of the meal. Eric wrote that it was ten cents for a plate and a quarter for all you could eat, and that they spent fifty cents for all you can eat. I thought that was overpriced in two ways, first more than such a situation would charge and second more than they would dare pay. I reduced it to a nickel for a plate and twelve cents for all you can eat, and said they paid the quarter. We then got into some discussion, and I tackled a bit of research to get a sense of what things ought to cost. I came up with $1 in 1920 equals $15.26 in 2023, and that the average urban negro wage in Chicago was just under fifty cents per hour, with rural wages presumably lower.
This has been the third behind-the-writings look at Multiverser: The Thirteenth Story. If there is interest and continued support from readers we will endeavor to continue with more behind-the-writings posts and another novel.