Progress!

Of Titles and Structural Partitions

The “Fall of Acre” project now has a title! I’m one of those writers who has trouble moving forward unless I have my title set in stone. I need to know what it’s called, how long it is, how it’s partitioned, how it begins, and how it ends. Only then can I start drafting prose in earnest.

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So, what’s it called?

A Pestilence of Faith: A Novel of the Fall of Acre

I think the title ties in well with the overarching themes of disease, absolution, and the effects of violence. My goal is approximately 100,000 words — making it about as long as A Gathering of Ravens. It’ll further be divided into four sections, four books, each in the vicinity of 25,000 words. These partitions make it easier for me to keep the story on track; a goal of 25K in a month is better than thinking in terms of the whole.

Each section will bear a title, as well:

Book One: The Beast of Lordemer

Book Two: Cast Among the Dead

Book Three: A Pestilence of Faith

Book Four: Prisoners of Overwhelming Sorrow

And that carries us from midsummer of 1290 AD to the evening of 18 May 1291. Once I decide on titles and structure, a lot of unanswered questions begin to gel. More than theme or purpose, snippets of dialogue begin to form. Scenes start to play out; lesser characters take shape and arcs begin their rise and fall. The title — the right title — acts as the mortar for a collection of random plot elements and characters. It creates a purpose in its own right.

A Pestilence of Faith will no doubt be among the dialogue uttered by our protagonist, Enrico Caravallo.

For now . . . onward!