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Books by the Author

#515: Verser Troubles

January 19, 2025 M.J. Leave a comment

This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #515, on the subject of Verser Troubles.

With permission of Valdron Inc I have previously completed publishing my first ten 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, and
In Version, 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 eleventh, Con Version, 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 eleventh post for this novel, covering chapters 121 through 132. Previous mark Joseph “young” behind-the-writings web log posts for this book include:

#498: Characters Restart covering chapters 1 through 12;
#501: Characters Orienting, covering chapters 13 through 24;
#502: Verser Setbacks, chapters 25 through 36;
#503: Versers Progress, chapters 37 through 48;
#505: Versers Advance, chapters 49 through 60;
#506: Characters Involved, chapters 61 through 72;
#509: Character Challenges, chapters 73 through 84;
#510: Versers Debate, chapters 85 through 96;
#511: Characters Change, chapters 87 through 108; and
#512: Versers Work, chapters 109 through 120.

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. This is also the longest book to date, and has quite a few long chapters in it, so there will be quite a few of these background articles.

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 121 Cooper 39
Chapter 122 Takano 122
Chapter 123 Brown 326
Chapter 124, Cooper 40
Chapter 125, Takano 123
Chapter 126, Brown 327
Chapter 127, Cooper 41
Chapter 128, Brown 328
Chapter 129, Takano 124
Chapter 130, Cooper 42
Chapter 131, Brown 329
Chapter 132, Takano 125

Chapter 121, Cooper 39

A lot of disconnected details merged here. I had noted that Brian had no way to transport the sword without it showing, and suggested that a duffelbag would be the solution, but then forgot; however, I noticed that Brian s clothing selection was quite sparse and had nothing appropriate for 1950s office work. Also, Eric had earlier attempted to send Tommy clothes shopping, until I pointed out that she had purchased several period-appropriate outfits in the suburbia world and that chapter was redirected to laundry. So I suggested that Eric put together a shopping trip here, and gave him some tips on what people wore to the office in the 1950s.

The suggestions that Cooper wanted to acquire some camping gear. that he was worrying about depleting his money, and that he decided to go on patrol were Eric s. I made a side list of exactly what was purchased, along with prices, to get the total in the text.

Chapter 122, Takano 122

I tackled this, trying to think of ideas that would make sense to researchers in the 1950s that Tommy and Brian could bring to the table.

Chapter 123, Brown 326

Eric had made some suggestions concerning the direction for Derek s story, and before I managed to respond he had drafted most of this chapter. I was intending for there to be two things before anything else happened, one that Derek would share information about the vampires with the band, the other that there would be news that suggested a vampire attack. However, the rat attack was going to be the next step, so I wrote a new opening for the chapter and then went with what Eric had created.

Chapter 124, Cooper 40

Eric suggested that Cooper should join up with Tell and face a supervillain. I suggested Blue Ray, and they discussed his identity and powers. I then drafted this, bringing Tommy into it as well.

Chapter 125, Takano 123

Eric had given a couple ideas for this fight, and I had tossed out a few more, and then returned after dinner to put it together.

Chapter 126, Brown 327

Eric drafted this entry in which one of the Mardi Gras black tribes becomes integrated, joined by a group of liberal Whites calling themselves the Club of the Blind Men, and supported by the music of the Living Colors Dixieland Gospel Band.

Chapter 127, Cooper 41

I drafted this, realizing that we had done nothing about Cooper looking for a church, which is something that would matter to him. As I started I had forgotten the encounter at the bank and so was thinking Tommy had done better than he had, but it came back to mind so I included it. I also remembered the difficulties of the early days when banks closed at three and people got paid by check late on Thursday or sometimes Friday morning.

Chapter 128, Brown 328

Stuck on what to do with Tommy, I changed the heading here to Brown. We had discussed the notion of Derek locating the mausoleum by aerial recon, and I decided to introduce it at this point.

Chapter 129, Takano 124

I started this but was called away; Eric picked it up and finished it, but there were a lot of issues with amounts of money, 1950s pay rates and prices, so I did a bit of tweaking.

Chapter 130, Cooper 42

Eric wrote this, introducing a retired superhero and setting up a disaster. I decided that would be a good cliffhanger, but went back and backwrote what Cooper would have taken with him on the hike so that he would have the duffel with him.

Chapter 131, Brown 329

I drafted this. I wanted it to take a while to find the mausoleum, but didn t want a lot of boring chapters about it.

Chapter 132, Takano 125

I wasn t sure what to do with Tommy, so I did the mundane things. Eric expanded it to include the near death experience and the encounter with Robinette, and left it for me to resolve.

This has been the eleventh behind-the-writings look at Con Version. If there is interest and continued support from readers we will endeavor to continue with more behind-the-writings posts and another novel.

Books by the Author

#511: Characters Change

December 8, 2024 M.J. 4 Comments

This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #511, on the subject of Characters Change.

With permission of Valdron Inc I have previously completed publishing my first ten 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, and
In Version, in collaboration with Eric R. Ashley,

2 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 eleventh, Con Version, 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 ninth post for this novel, covering chapters 97 through 108. Previous mark Joseph “young” behind-the-writings web log posts for this book include:

#498: Characters Restart covering chapters 1 through 12;
#501: Characters Orienting, covering chapters 13 through 24;
#502: Verser Setbacks, chapters 25 through 36;
#503: Versers Progress, chapters 37 through 48;
#505: Versers Advance, chapters 49 through 60;
#506: Characters Involved, chapters 61 through 72;
#509: Character Challenges, chapters 73 through 84; and
#510: Versers Debate, chapters 85 through 96.

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. This is also the longest book to date, and has quite a few long chapters in it, so there will be quite a few of these background articles.

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 97 Takano 115
Chapter 98 Brown 316
Chapter 99 Cooper 32
Chapter 100, Brown 317
Chapter 101, Takano 116
Chapter 102, Brown 318
Chapter 103, Cooper 33
Chapter 104, Brown 319
Chapter 105, Cooper 34
Chapter 106, Brown 320
Chapter 107, Takano 117
Chapter 108, Brown 321

Chapter 97, Takano 115

Eric wrote this, covering a month and reducing Varlax’ absence to a single chapter.

Chapter 98, Brown 316

Eric wrote a massive chapter with a huge confusing dream or vision sequence here, and although I was uncomfortable with a lot of it, I decided to keep it, but to break it into shorter chapters and to make a few minor tweaks. I wound up with six chapters, not all of them actually short, but the first one covers all that precedes the vision.

Chapter 99, Cooper 32

Eric had set up the bank robbery, so I tackled the scene itself. We had discussed the powers to go with the names Major Pain and Private Problem. Having written as far as drawing the sword, I decided to make that the cliffhanger and return to the scene in the next Cooper chapter.

Chapter 100, Brown 317

Eric’s dream sequence begins here, and I made a chapter of what seemed the first natural chunk, an introduction to the vision within a vision.

Chapter 101, Takano 116

Eric drafted this as Tommy’s exit. We had agreed on the framework that she would be trying to rescue a child from copperheads and would be bitten, but we had some difficulty with the execution. Eric had envisioned a terrain that might exist in the mountains at the north end of the state, but not in the Cohansey Aquifer of this setting. I made a lot of tweaks to get it to fit the setting.

Chapter 102, Brown 318

Eric’s dream sequence at this point shifted into its first major scene, which I cut into its own chapter.

Chapter 103, Cooper 33

When I had left the scene hanging, I was not certain what I was going to do with it. I returned perhaps an hour later to finish the encounter. The Hebrews quote is in the language of Young’s Literal Translation, the preferred translation of the player on whom the character is based.

Chapter 104, Brown 319

The second major scene of Eric’s dream sequence was shorter, but still formed a coherent chapter.

Chapter 105, Cooper 34

This chapter was originally Takano 117, but when Eric wrote Takano 117 he brought it to a confrontation with Cooper, and when I was catching up I was unaware that this had been continued in Cooper 34 two chapters later, and thought Eric was asking me to finish it. I wrote the rest, and then when I got to Cooper 34 realized that there was overlap. Being uncomfortable with a chapter that took Cooper back to the bank preceding one that had him across town meeting Tommy, I swapped them and did a bit of editing to make them work.

Chapter 106, Brown 320

The vision shifts into a history lesson badly skewed toward what the south believed caused the war, and I included the suggestion that this was not necessarily the actual history of anything, and his vision was not something from the King but an explanation by the Spirit of New Orleans.

Chapter 107, Takano 117

This had been chapter 105, but there was some confusing temporal overlap between the Cooper 34 chapter Eric had written here and the Takano 117 chapter he had written there, so I swapped them, completed this one, and tweaked them to fit.

Chapter 108, Brown 321

This was the final chapter of the vision Eric had written, which I sliced into a conclusion with its denouement.

This has been the ninth behind-the-writings look at Con Version. If there is interest and continued support from readers we will endeavor to continue with more behind-the-writings posts and another novel.

A generalist: learning less and less about more and more, one day to know nothing about everything.