About
Who am I?
Hello everyone! My name is W.M. Wassmann and as you may have gathered, I'm a writer! I'm currently working on publishing my very first manuscript titled The Shaper's Timepiece, a thrilling tale about Colleen Carlyle born into a powerful family of super-powered Protoborn. It is in the final stages of 7 years worth of developing, countless beta sessions, and professional edits.
What's the book about?
The Shaper's Timepiece is a science fiction, thriller, that aims to redefine the saturated "superhero" genre and deconstruct existing tropes. It falls into the New Adult genre, featuring an eighteen-year-old protagonist dealing with my interpretation of the struggles of real-life translated into fiction. The main focus of my writing has always been interesting characters and a keen eye for dramatic plot structure. I put my characters first in every situation giving them ample time to shine and for their motivations to either be crystal clear or a complete mystery.
Below you will find a Summary of The Shaper's Timepiece. I hope you enjoy what you find. Thank you!
Colleen Roslyn Carlyle, a brilliant but troubled high schooler who struggles with her own identity finds a way to sneak into a concert featuring her favorite band, Electronia - headed by world famous Emily Pidgeon, at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.
At the event she witnesses a terrorist attack, killing dozens of her classmates. Unable to cope with such a tragedy, she runs away from school and her home in Wallingford to find clarity, but instead, she winds up in middle of a plot forged by the evil Unifiers, who plan to reignite The Forgotten War of 2019 ten years prior.
Their target, super-powered Protoborn - like Colleen. Instantly, Colleen's life takes drastic twists and turns where chaos reigns supreme. Colleen makes allies with the Liberty faction and reunites with old friends and foes alike, including a dangerous chemical mastermind...
What are your goals as a writer?
First and foremost, I want to entertain you, my reader.
But I am also attempting to deconstruct the saturated superhero genre and revitalize it into something both thought-provoking, and highly relateable. My protagonist, Colleen Carlyle is designed to embody the "real" average human teenager. I have spent a lot of time working with young adults and teenagers from my numerous teaching gigs and community theater shows, so I have a pretty good idea how they think and act. (Not to mention I was one not all that long ago)
With that in mind, I aim to mix the transition from a life as a teenager to adulthood, and the open ocean that comes with it, with my already deconstructed superhero narrative. There are no capes, there are no masks, and there is no celebration for the hero that saves the day. Colleen's journey is rough and chaotic. The events that happen in her life are meant to represent different periods of growth.
How will I know if I will like The Shaper's Timepiece?
That's a wonderful question! Head on over to my website here where you can read the first chapter for, get this - FREE! :D This chapter is still in development, so nothing you see is final, but it is close enough to get the job done. Once I've sent this to my copy-editor, I'll be calling it a final draft. The word count is approximately 110,000, but I'd like to drop that down to around 95k.
This is my first manuscript so I'm always learning, but storytelling has always been my passion. I've been acting since I was 15, and I absolutely love studying the human mind, and what makes us tick. Check out my blog to learn more!
What are your goals as a writer?
First and foremost, I want to entertain you, my reader.
But I am also attempting to deconstruct the saturated superhero genre and revitalize it into something both thought-provoking, and highly relatable. My protagonist, Colleen Carlyle is designed to embody the "real" average human teenager. I have spent a lot of time working with young adults and teenagers from my numerous teaching gigs and community theater shows, so I have a pretty good idea how they think and act. (Not to mention I was one not all that long ago)
With that in mind, I aim to mix the transition from a life as a teenager to adulthood, and the open ocean that comes with it, with my already deconstructed superhero narrative. There are no capes, there are no masks, and there is no celebration for the hero that saves the day. Colleen's journey is rough and chaotic. The events that happen in her life are meant to represent different periods of growth
If you reach your goal of $2,500.00, what will you do with the money?
With this money, it will drastically help improve the speed at which I am able to produce. Right now I'm paying out of pocket as I go, and I have expenses. This is a self-marketed manuscript, and I need promotional material as well as editors to help take some of the load off of my already overworked brain.
Raised funds reaching $2,500.00 will go to:
- A copy editor or two
- Another round of developmental editing.
- Freshly commissioned cover art
Any remaining funds will go towards promotional material:
- Commissioned Art in the form of scenes, and storyboards
- Commissioned Art in the form of headshots.
If there are any funds left after this - I will be upgrading my recording system to bring you videos of a higher quality.
If there are any funds after that - I'll be paying off whatever debts I have (Which there are a few)
After that - funds go into savings to help me relocate to California.
What is your timeline?
It's rough at best, but this is where I'm at right now.
- March - Have at least one other editor take a look at TST.
- April - Have TST ready for a copy editor
- Mid-April - Deliver new cover art to my viewers
- May - Start querying agencies
- June - Market, Market, Market! Until it's done.
I am incredibly thrilled with where I am today, and I would not be here if it weren't for my amazing beta readers. I'll do everything I can to bring you the most interesting and original story my silly brain can think of - in the meantime, enjoy some of my videos here on my YouTube Channel!
I post new content every Tuesday!
Risks and challenges
I have been an amateur writer for over seven years, and in my twenty-seven years of life, I have only taken two creative writing classes. Most of my knowledge comes from YouTube, where I study up on story-structure, how to create believable character motivations, or how to create and maintain tension in a scene. Naturally, my lack of formal creative writing education has been a difficult obstacle to overcome, but I think I've been doing pretty good thus far.
Another lovely obstacle I've had to overcome is my dyslexia. I don't read fast, and when I do, I have a hard time comprehending the words as they enter into my mind. I often have to take a second to process what I see. Strangely enough, this doesn't hinder me when it comes to my creative flow and output, but merely on my edits. When I read through my work, I often miss little artifacts such as forgetting to add the word "And" or "that," or maybe I'll say a word twice.
The biggest risk I'm taking here specifically has to do with the method I'll be choosing to publish. Right now I am devoting all of my time to marketing this book and building a following. If my marketing fails, and I choose to self-publish, so does the book. If I go the traditional route, I might receive enough of an advance to recuperate my expenses, but I might not have as much creative freedom.
Any and all funds I receive for from this Kickstarter would go towards publishing this manuscript - paying artists and hiring editors.
I've invested a lot of money into artwork, editors, and a website for this book - so if it fails upon release, I lose all of those assets.
The Shaper's Timepiece is still a project, one that will become a reality at any cost. It's in its final edit after seven complete Scratch and Scraps (rewrites), and countless minor edits with over three dozen beta readers who have all provided excellent constructive feedback. I am just about ready to start sending in query letters to agents, which will happen around the end of February (Check out my twitter @wmwassmann to stay updated)
The biggest challenge of all has been spelled out in the text of The Shaper's Timepiece - perseverance against all odds. I was not the kid who people would say, "that kid will publish a book when he's older." But I had a vision, and I have worked hard to make that vision a reality. I see the printing press at the end of the tunnel. I will keep going, and I will make this happen. With your support, it will be that much easier.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
:)
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- (30 days)