Every year’s a challenge, but it’s a productive one.

Regulars to the blog may already know, NaNoWriMo project is a bit of a tradition for me.  The Macro Corp is an old concept for me, a group of super heroes I made in middle school.  Writing the characters is always a joy but like any old project, the success often comes from your ability to adapt.

Today’s post is less about the dangers of nostalgia, but rather revisiting something you’ve written twice before from a series perspective.

I’ve mentioned this before on the blog but a series of three books and a trilogy is not the same thing.  Unlike a trilogy when you write three complete parts that form a larger one you a series simply writes three individual stories in the same world.

The difficulties I had with Mimic’s Dilemma comes from the desire to ‘pick up where I left off’.  That’s not really an option in a series.

Unlike Rise of Chaos and Matter of Time, most of the cast stays offstage.  Joyce (Medica) is the protagonist accompanied with Matt (Bandit) and outside of phone calls with three of the other members; Ray (Macro Man), Russ (Micron), and Kari (Mech).

The problem I had going into the third Macro Corp. book came from mentioning characters that didn’t show up.  Some characters only get mentioned in passing, namely a sandwich making bear.  Others play support and don’t do anything direct in the story.  Some of that will  be fixed by culling back those who are mentioned and those who actually ‘shows up’ in the novel.

The more Macro Corp. novels I write, the harder it is to keep an impartial audience in mind.  After all, a writer’s dream is getting people to come back for more, right?

Mimic’s Dilemma has a different tone than Rise of Chaos and Matter of Time.  Ray and Russ were business people by trade and as such viewed the world in much different lights.   Joyce is a doctor specializing in Adrenaline—the body’s natural superpower.

Back in Rise of Chaos, Joyce joined the Macro Corp. under different circumstances than many of the others.  Upon the discovery of her own powers, she went to her brother to consult with him, only to find he’d been changed as well.

In Matter of Time, Joyce spearheaded the research to confirm the stability of their abilities and acted as one of Russ’ few allies when he had to go rogue for the good of the team.

In Mimic’s Dilemma she leaves New Orleans to go to Pittsburgh, PA to follow a lead on a strange man named Krauner.  He runs an amusement park dedicated to fighting—the Battle Zone and uses a strange ability to change into different forms.  To the public, it’s all special effects, to Joyce it’s suspiciously similar to her own super power—the ability to biologically replicate super powers (with proper study).

It’s no secret the plan goes to hell.  The first chapter showcases a fight between Joyce and Krauner, but rather the intrigue comes from how things come to that.   Joyce and Krauner become close friends, closer even than  her rocky relationship with Ray, without it turning into a romance.  She’s not fighting Krauner just to stop him, she’s fighting him to save him.

I’ll be posting a little bit of Macro Corp: Mimic’s Dilemma soon.  When I do, it will be as extra posts on Monday.  When there is no Macro Corp. Chapters, I’ll post an ‘Update’ a shorter post than my usual Wednesday musings with a high chance of babble about things like my cats.  For now, stay tuned for the return of my B.O.S.S. series this Friday.

Thanks for your patience in the month of November.  — Eric

P.S.  Any Talented Artists out there interested in making me a cover for Mimic’s Dilemma (or either of the other Macro Corp. Novels) I’d be forever grateful.