Pharaoh Novel Update - 8/8/2013

I'm excited.

I'm at 74,000 '74k' words on my novel already, but I'm only on Chapter 12 of my original 20 chapters.  I am aiming for about 95k words in total for the book, which is standard length. I'll probably write about 130K and then I'll have an editor to help me pare it down.  The story is also very top heavy, and the second half is already moving much faster than the first half of the story, since you don't have to explain everything.

I'm very much enjoying the experience of writing this novel.  Turning a screenplay that I have worked on since 2008 -- five years and counting -- into a novel, fleshing out the story completely on the page, explaining everything in detail, in hopefully enjoyable prose and subtly wonderful humor and emotion as possible, using many perspectives so the story can be more complete in the picture it creates and the interpersonal relationships and how they underpin the events better seen, has actually been very creatively challenging and highly intellectually stimulating.

It's a pretty big story, and I wanted it to be informative and well researched.  I want the story based in fact, grounded in reality, so that it can explore the "too fantastic to be true" science fiction and 'modern day fairytale' fantasy and what the unknown secrets of history tell us.  The basic premise is:

What if there was a modern day Pharaoh?  If there was a secret "king of the world", what would he and  his family be like?

What happens when machines become as smart as people?  Will people merge with machines and what does that mean?  How does Artificial Intelligence come to be?

'Pharaoh' is Shakespearean high drama -- Hellenic and romantic, Machiavellian characters, with the highest stakes, power, control, betrayal, family drama and the greatest moral and ethical questions of man, mind and God -- a detailed story set up around factual events, and historical characters like Alexander the Great (a Pharaoh) to make the story be more grounded, feel more 'plausible' and be more engaging and intriguing.  It's a science fiction story that resonates stronger because it feels like it could be true.  I explore the grey area between fact and fiction, the "Top Secret" world of science fiction that is actually fact or could one day actually be fact, in fact.  I researched many elements of the story extensively, for years, I wanted to incorporate actual history and useful information, and interesting philosophical and topical discussions about the future of technology, Supercomputers and cyber war, spying, Artificial Intelligence, human intelligence, and the wonders of nature, true love and the human soul.  I wanted to make the story "neoreal" or incorporating a new sense of "neorealism" that incorporates cutting edge theories about history and the future.

I excited to have written a novel.  It's an amazing feeling.  I can see it completed.

I hope it's good.  I think you'll like it.

I think it's a cool story, otherwise I wouldn't be so interested in developing it for so many years.  I wanted it to at least be fun and interesting for me to read since I will have to read it over and over again.  I have little patients for poorly conceived stories and I wanted mine to be really deep and make you think.  I want it to be entertaining, interesting and fun to read.

I've really enjoyed writing it, so hopefully people will enjoy reading it!