Quite an image, huh? To be honest, I admire realism over abstract art. Bu there are times when an abstract piece just shouts out to me.
This one reminds me of water. A beautiful, yet chaotic force. Water can do some impressive things. Sometimes it causes a slow change over time – persistent wearing away of rock or earth – like that of a trickling stream. Then other times it’s a raging storm – powerful and destructive like waves in a hurricane.
Most days my brain feels like churning water, especially in the writing process. It swishes all over the place, splashing against stuff. Bits and pieces – ideas – are pulled from random banks along the way and swirled into a messy, creative eddy.
As the water forms a stream, the ideas, like sediment, begin to line up and float to the surface, gradually drifting to new shores until they wash up on the beach in some semblance of form.
This summer I set out to refine the first novel of my series in progress. As is often the case with a “Pantser” (seat of the pants writer – for you non-writing folk) the structure of meticulous edits was beginning to take its toll. Burnout loomed on the horizon and I knew I needed to get away before my edits proved more destructive than beneficial.
So I let Rise of Betrayal sit to rest for a spell and sought another creative outlet to refresh the worn-out writer within. Earlier in the year I received advice from writing friends that seemed solid. It was good that I was seeking to have my first novel traditionally published. But say that novel resonates with a publisher and I get a contract. What then?
Most publishers like to know you have several irons in the fire. This not only affirms you’re dedicated to your craft, it also insures you both have a future together in the publishing gig.
In the case of a series, it stands to reason that one book will generally chase the other out the gate by the following year. Now to seasoned writers, this is the norm, and they plan their time accordingly to make that process work. For unpublished, like myself, it helps to work yourself up into that routine.
It’s even better if you work ahead. Give yourself a little cushion.
This summer I decided to hit book II so that Lord of Vengeance could take its rightful place in the line-up.
Earlier in the week I told some of you that I had a big work in progress.
Well, it’s finished.
Lord of Vengeance’s outline/summary scenes are complete. Now she’s ready for rough draft. There are some long nights ahead to be filled with character development, research, and scene fleshing.
I am so stoked to get to work!
The best part about this process is that it also provided a fresh perspective on what needs done in book I, and offered further revelations for book III. That’s three birds with one stone.
Booyah!
