Okay, bad news first.
Book three is still not done.
The good news is, I did spend most of the month working on it, adding about 20k words and moving it up so that it's very, very near the climax. The rest shouldn't take more than 10k-15k to write. So. I'm aiming to have that done in the next couple of weeks.
The second half of this month, I am really going to try to dive back into Druid Wars and at least get the dev edits done. I'm getting antsy to get that out. I'd really like to start querying this year, if at all possible, and I'm running out of months. They say most agents don't read much in December, even if they don't close, and I'm planning to focus solely on writing something new in November for NaNo. So that leaves August, September, and October to clean it up and query.
I think it'll be easier to shift focus to editing Druid Wars once book three is done. It's taking up a lot of my creative space right now, and I'm just so, so close to done that I can't think about anything else, even though some days I wish I could.
Hard to believe I started this journey seven years ago. It'll probably be eight years, all told, once I get edits and stuff done. Three books, start to finish, in eight years. That's not bad.
I would like to get more consistent though. I'm in a weird limbo where I'm working on old projects, trying to get them where they need to be. Once I settle into a write, edit, query routine, I'll be able to better put a timeline on books. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I'll always be all over the place.
I still need to write one more Sally Prescott novelette this year, too. I got the alien one written (although it needs a really big edit in the middle), and the opening to the forest one. It should only take a month to crank it out. It'll be hard without Camp to help me through it, though. Hell, maybe I'll spend NaNo proper writing two SPs. Or even three! That math checks out. I need 15k more on 2.2 and two more would be 35k.
I'll consider it. I think I'll be pissed at myself if I do that, but it would put me back on track. I really would like to do three a year. Hell, I'd like to do five a year, but that's probably too much. They're supposed to be fun and laid back. I can't be that silly on command that much.
No, I really think I need something brand new. Although I tried that last year, and it didn't work. I love the world and story I created, and I really want to go back and find out what happens, but not for a NaNo.
I have to admit that the last month, I've been teetering on the edge of, do I really want to keep doing this? And I know I doubt myself from time to time and always come back to writing. But I think once I finish writing Mystwatch book three and editing Druid Wars book one, I may take a break for awhile. Maybe I'll do the SP adventure, but I have promised myself the freedom to not work on anything once all my projects for this year are done.
We'll see when I get there. I might not get there this year. I may drag these lingering projects into the next year. I hope not. I'd like to wrap up this "chapter" so to speak.
I want to switch gears for awhile. Maybe just a month. But I want to buy a new camera and take some pictures. I want to switch mediums and spend my free time photowandering rather than thinking so much about writing and editing. I want to tell stories with light rather than words. Probably not forever. Just for a bit. Until I get tired of it. Until I get antsy again.
I've written consistently for the last three and a half years (or at least written a writing blog once a month since then), so I think it would be okay for me to take some time away from it. I'm strangely not worried about losing momentum or anything. I'm already so behind on all my goals. I'm ready to throw my timeline out the window. If anything, I think a break might help recharge me. Give me some new stories and some new perspectives.
This is all tentative right now. When the time comes, I may not take a break. I may not actually know how to do that, anymore. But I will take pictures, either way. When I finish writing book three, I am going to reward myself with a new camera.
I'm dragging my feet, though. In part because once it's done, that's it. The end of something huge. In part because in my mind, I already know how it ends. I've imagined the final scenes over and over since the very first chapter I wrote. But I owe it to a lot of people--my friends, my brother and sister, my main character, and even myself--to put those images to paper. The end of the end. Diana's closure.
I'll be sad to say goodbye.
But the good news is, I'm already seeing Diana and the rest of the cast of characters through Eden's eyes, so I know it's only "see you later" not "goodbye." I'm not done writing in the MystWatch world. I'm just going away for a little while. I know I can always go back to visit.
Anyway. I digress.
Goodbyes are hard. I've lost a lot of coworkers at the day job the last several months, and that's been really sad. So many of them are off to better places, so in a way, I am jealous that I'm being left behind at this weird job that isn't really editing in the strictest sense. It's hard because I'm not even looking for another job. My plan has always been to work this job until I can make a living with my writing. I'm starting to worry it won't last that long.
Case in point, I just made $50 on a short story. Which, hey, someone wanted to buy one of my stories, paying me for a story that took me two days to write! But that was after sending it out seven times, and all the rest of the stories I've sent out have been rejected (or are in limbo).
It's so hard being a writer. It's demoralizing sometimes. As is the day job sometimes. I don't want to look for something new. But I might have to, out of fear for my job security.
Anyway. Life is chaotic and I have no idea what I'm doing. And I'm not even the one who just had a baby and moved into a new house (my sister), or got a new job and am moving to a new state (my coworker).
This turned into more of a look into my personal life than just my writing life. But sometimes it's hard to pull the two apart.
Anyway. This isn't goodbye for this blog. Not now. Not yet. But if I do finish my projects and decide I need a break, I may take a hiatus from posting here. Or hey, maybe I'll just post pictures. They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
I guess we'll see when the time comes.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Thursday, July 5, 2018
July Update: Setbacks
Nothing like finding a pattern, accepting that it changes, then having the whole thing go out the window.
At the end of May, I had the first in a long line in some health issues. Then friends and family had health issues. And, not surprisingly, all of that really sucks creativity dry. I barely had the energy to do my normal day-to-day stuff, so there wasn't anything left for writing.
Don't get me wrong. I love writing. It's a great escape. But it takes up a lot of space, both time-wise and mentally. Especially when trying to write on the level that I am.
So, when I hit the last week of June and hadn't done much at all, I adjusted my goals to be more modest. I still didn't make those goals, so now I'm just calling June my mid-year break. I think sometimes I need a slower month. Especially when life happens beyond its normal scope.
I did get a Cafe story written, and wrote a few thousand on book three, so I managed to pull out just under 6k words written for the month, with about 10 hours of editing various things (mostly my Cafe story and some tweaks to book three as I was re-familiarizing myself with characters and tone). Not too shabby, all things considered.
This month, I had originally planned on writing the next SP adventure, but at the last minute, I decided I was in the mood to keep working on book three. So now my goal is to finish it up this month. That way I can keep my Camp continuity like I wanted in April. I just broke 100k for the book, and the rest of the scenes should be fairly straightforward. We're rushing toward the climax now. I know all the scenes that need to happen to get me there. And right now, when I do sit down to write, the words come easily. So I'm optimistic I can get this done this month.
That means I might not get to Druid Wars edits. Which means I might be ruining the one agent like I got on Twitter for #SFFpit. But I don't mind too much. A like is a like, so even if I don't get around to submitting it to her until, like, October, she'd still be interested, right?
Anyway. Because of this little snag in my writing progress, I'm having to revamp my project timeline. MystWatch and Druid Wars are my big projects now. I want to get both of those done this year. Which means that, yet again, Pandemonium book one is getting pushed back. I'll work on it next year.
And that shifts everything else back almost a year. So. I might be waiting until 2021 to publish MystWatch. And that's okay. Looking that far ahead is fun, but making definite plans for the future is silly, because it's so easy to get off track and really berate myself for that. I'd rather focus on the progress I've actually made than the goals I've failed to meet.
The most important thing I think I've realized after deciding to push all my goals back is that I have all the time in the world right now. I can take two years to write a book. I can take a full year to edit a book. I don't have fans or contracts or deadlines. And right now, I really like that. I can read books and watch shows and take time off. Just because I can write 15k a month doesn't mean I have to do it every month.
I know I've realized that before, but I'm trying to remind myself of that frequently. There's no rush. I've got time. The longer I wait, the more material I'll have built up, which means the less I'll have to push myself in the future. I need lots of space and time.
I do want to query Druid Wars this year. I do. But I want to finish book three first, so I can focus on it better.
And then for NaNo, I want to write something new! I don't know what yet. But I also don't really want to think about it yet, because I got tired of my NaNo idea last year before I'd even really started. I'd love to do a real NaNo this year. Really push myself to write a crazy novel in a month. Participate in events and stuff. Not worry about markets or agents or editing or messing up continuity in a given series. I hope I can pull that off.
But I have to get everything else done this year first.
So. For July, I will aim to finish book three. That's it. In August, I'll edit Druid Wars, then once that's ready to start submitting, I'll write the SP adventure I didn't write this month. September, I'll start editing book three, maybe write Shane's short. In October, I'll finish editing book three and maybe write another SP adventure. Then, I'll be ready for NaNo in November. Then in December, I'll tie up any loose ends. If there are no loose ends, I will rest.
And that's as far as I'm planning. A year at a time, Sara. Baby steps will still get me there, in the end.
At the end of May, I had the first in a long line in some health issues. Then friends and family had health issues. And, not surprisingly, all of that really sucks creativity dry. I barely had the energy to do my normal day-to-day stuff, so there wasn't anything left for writing.
Don't get me wrong. I love writing. It's a great escape. But it takes up a lot of space, both time-wise and mentally. Especially when trying to write on the level that I am.
So, when I hit the last week of June and hadn't done much at all, I adjusted my goals to be more modest. I still didn't make those goals, so now I'm just calling June my mid-year break. I think sometimes I need a slower month. Especially when life happens beyond its normal scope.
I did get a Cafe story written, and wrote a few thousand on book three, so I managed to pull out just under 6k words written for the month, with about 10 hours of editing various things (mostly my Cafe story and some tweaks to book three as I was re-familiarizing myself with characters and tone). Not too shabby, all things considered.
This month, I had originally planned on writing the next SP adventure, but at the last minute, I decided I was in the mood to keep working on book three. So now my goal is to finish it up this month. That way I can keep my Camp continuity like I wanted in April. I just broke 100k for the book, and the rest of the scenes should be fairly straightforward. We're rushing toward the climax now. I know all the scenes that need to happen to get me there. And right now, when I do sit down to write, the words come easily. So I'm optimistic I can get this done this month.
That means I might not get to Druid Wars edits. Which means I might be ruining the one agent like I got on Twitter for #SFFpit. But I don't mind too much. A like is a like, so even if I don't get around to submitting it to her until, like, October, she'd still be interested, right?
Anyway. Because of this little snag in my writing progress, I'm having to revamp my project timeline. MystWatch and Druid Wars are my big projects now. I want to get both of those done this year. Which means that, yet again, Pandemonium book one is getting pushed back. I'll work on it next year.
And that shifts everything else back almost a year. So. I might be waiting until 2021 to publish MystWatch. And that's okay. Looking that far ahead is fun, but making definite plans for the future is silly, because it's so easy to get off track and really berate myself for that. I'd rather focus on the progress I've actually made than the goals I've failed to meet.
The most important thing I think I've realized after deciding to push all my goals back is that I have all the time in the world right now. I can take two years to write a book. I can take a full year to edit a book. I don't have fans or contracts or deadlines. And right now, I really like that. I can read books and watch shows and take time off. Just because I can write 15k a month doesn't mean I have to do it every month.
I know I've realized that before, but I'm trying to remind myself of that frequently. There's no rush. I've got time. The longer I wait, the more material I'll have built up, which means the less I'll have to push myself in the future. I need lots of space and time.
I do want to query Druid Wars this year. I do. But I want to finish book three first, so I can focus on it better.
And then for NaNo, I want to write something new! I don't know what yet. But I also don't really want to think about it yet, because I got tired of my NaNo idea last year before I'd even really started. I'd love to do a real NaNo this year. Really push myself to write a crazy novel in a month. Participate in events and stuff. Not worry about markets or agents or editing or messing up continuity in a given series. I hope I can pull that off.
But I have to get everything else done this year first.
So. For July, I will aim to finish book three. That's it. In August, I'll edit Druid Wars, then once that's ready to start submitting, I'll write the SP adventure I didn't write this month. September, I'll start editing book three, maybe write Shane's short. In October, I'll finish editing book three and maybe write another SP adventure. Then, I'll be ready for NaNo in November. Then in December, I'll tie up any loose ends. If there are no loose ends, I will rest.
And that's as far as I'm planning. A year at a time, Sara. Baby steps will still get me there, in the end.
Friday, June 1, 2018
June Update: Same Old Story
Nothing like finding a pattern in something and then have it go completely sideways on you.
My productive half of the month flip-flopped on me, so I wrote almost my entire word count goal's worth of words by the 19th. So yeah. I guess the pattern to recognize isn't that certain halves of the month are more productive, or that the moon has anything to do with it, but rather that I will sometimes hit a groove during the month and sometimes I will hit a slump. Who knows when those will come, but I'm still writing consistently each month, so that's the biggest thing to keep in mind.
I easily wrote 15k words. I even ended up at about 17k words, after throwing some words at a Cafe story and participating in ConQuesT's Story-in-a-Bag contest.
I still haven't edited Druid Wars. I edited some SP shorts instead. Those are at a point where I think they just need one more line edit each, and then proofread by someone not me. And I've actually found someone to proofread for me. So that's coming along. Now I just need to write a bunch more, and I can maybe actually start monetizing them. Probably will still be a couple years yet, but that's solidifying nicely. I'm happy with things so far. I had a friend read the first couple, and she says they are a lot of fun. That's all they're really meant to be, so she's given me the confidence to go ahead with my publishing plan for them.
I'm still writing words on book three, and I'm at a point where I know all the rest of the scenes and am excited to write it. I'm aiming to write another 15-20k in June. If all goes well, I'll be able to wrap it up before July so I can spend July doing another SP Camp NaNo.
I still haven't gotten any bites as far as short story submission. I think I have one more market in mind for my time travel flash, and then I'm relegating it to the Cafe. The others I have out I am not optimistic for. I may throw one more story out there when a specific market opens up in August, but for now, I'm done with all that. It was a distraction. It's taking energy I don't really have. It was fun at first, but the rejections are starting to bother me. I know I could always try unpaid markets, but half the reason I decided to do it was to make a few bucks. I'm at a point where I don't want to write for free anymore. So I need to let the short story thing go. I'm not a short story writer. I write them for fun. I can't expect to make money on them. If I do, great. But if not, ah well.
One thing I did do last month that I hadn't planned for was submit book one to one last publisher. Maybe they'll take a chance on me. It would be so, so nice not to have to do everything myself. So fingers crossed for that. I should hear back in a couple months.
So yeah. That's where I'm at right now. Almost done writing book three. Ready to write SP 2.2 next month. Hoping against hope I might get book one picked up. And very behind on editing Druid Wars.
For June, as I mentioned, I'd like to throw enough words at book three to finish it up. And I'd like to get Druid Wars fixed up by the time #SFFpit happens on the 28th. Same old stuff. But. I'm trudging right along. Maybe I'll have more exciting things to say for next month's update!
My productive half of the month flip-flopped on me, so I wrote almost my entire word count goal's worth of words by the 19th. So yeah. I guess the pattern to recognize isn't that certain halves of the month are more productive, or that the moon has anything to do with it, but rather that I will sometimes hit a groove during the month and sometimes I will hit a slump. Who knows when those will come, but I'm still writing consistently each month, so that's the biggest thing to keep in mind.
I easily wrote 15k words. I even ended up at about 17k words, after throwing some words at a Cafe story and participating in ConQuesT's Story-in-a-Bag contest.
I still haven't edited Druid Wars. I edited some SP shorts instead. Those are at a point where I think they just need one more line edit each, and then proofread by someone not me. And I've actually found someone to proofread for me. So that's coming along. Now I just need to write a bunch more, and I can maybe actually start monetizing them. Probably will still be a couple years yet, but that's solidifying nicely. I'm happy with things so far. I had a friend read the first couple, and she says they are a lot of fun. That's all they're really meant to be, so she's given me the confidence to go ahead with my publishing plan for them.
I'm still writing words on book three, and I'm at a point where I know all the rest of the scenes and am excited to write it. I'm aiming to write another 15-20k in June. If all goes well, I'll be able to wrap it up before July so I can spend July doing another SP Camp NaNo.
I still haven't gotten any bites as far as short story submission. I think I have one more market in mind for my time travel flash, and then I'm relegating it to the Cafe. The others I have out I am not optimistic for. I may throw one more story out there when a specific market opens up in August, but for now, I'm done with all that. It was a distraction. It's taking energy I don't really have. It was fun at first, but the rejections are starting to bother me. I know I could always try unpaid markets, but half the reason I decided to do it was to make a few bucks. I'm at a point where I don't want to write for free anymore. So I need to let the short story thing go. I'm not a short story writer. I write them for fun. I can't expect to make money on them. If I do, great. But if not, ah well.
One thing I did do last month that I hadn't planned for was submit book one to one last publisher. Maybe they'll take a chance on me. It would be so, so nice not to have to do everything myself. So fingers crossed for that. I should hear back in a couple months.
So yeah. That's where I'm at right now. Almost done writing book three. Ready to write SP 2.2 next month. Hoping against hope I might get book one picked up. And very behind on editing Druid Wars.
For June, as I mentioned, I'd like to throw enough words at book three to finish it up. And I'd like to get Druid Wars fixed up by the time #SFFpit happens on the 28th. Same old stuff. But. I'm trudging right along. Maybe I'll have more exciting things to say for next month's update!
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