Although it is slow, I am pleased with the progress of the manuscript revisions of the Draft Zero (which started at 50,000 words). While the story line of the historical fiction short story Retribution actually comes after Sic Parvis Magna, it was released before.

Lots of depth was added to the characters and settings, including Drake. You can read the character sketches of the villains Reynard and Guichenot.

Readers of Retribution may recall Trelawney’s vivid memory of the injuries he suffered in a sea battle. That same battle plays a pivotal role in Sic Parvis Magna. As I revisited the manuscript, it became clear that the original version from Draft Zero didn’t quite hold up—technical details of a 16th century ship’s architecture were off. I’ve since reworked it to make the action more plausible and true to the naval realities of the period.

It is my hope that if you love richly researched seafaring tales and character-driven plots, Sic Parvis Magna might just earn its place among your collection.

Journey From NaNoWriMo to Historical Fiction Novel

For those that are unaware, Sic Parvis Magna started as a NanoWriMo project in 2020, which I “won” by crossing 50k words in a month. That was hard, but I think that it is even harder to make that “Draft Zero” into a real story that actually fits together.

One of the more intriguing angles for fans of nautical historical fiction is that our most beloved heroes—Horatio Hornblower, Jack Aubrey, and the like—begin their tales at sea. But Sic Parvis Magna is a little different.

Ironically, Sic Parvis Magna wasn’t even planned—it was an accidental byproduct of a problem I needed to solve. I painted myself into a plot corner with my “intended debut,” novel First Blood, and I sought to “solve” it with a better sketch of my protagonist. The intention was to write a short story (with a hope of perhaps finishing NaNoWriMo and then editing the story down to the final version).

It wound up as an exploration of a rarely imagined chapter: how a young Francis Drake became the man whose sheer boldness caused fear on the Spanish Main and on the continent. The relative absence of detailed records about his early life gave me both the challenge and the creative freedom to construct a believable path—from farm boy to privateer—grounded in Tudor-era realities.

In revising key scenes, I’ve worked hard to make key details plausible: escapes, vessels, and battle strategies have all been tightened to reflect the gritty, dangerous world of 16th-century seafaring while trying to preserve the best of the genre that is captured by so many other wonderful stories.

While the writing is still rough and definitely “Draft Almost 1,” it is really starting to feel more like a real story.

Read the first scene from the upcoming historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna by Paul Jariabek.

The changes that are being written into the story are really exciting. I just wish it would be faster!