Not sure when I last updated and such. Hence the ambiguous date range in the post title.
I've been working and working on Woven and I think it's finally ready for betas. I've done what I can for the voice and POV edits because I think I'm just too close to the book at this point. I've now gone through 5 drafts of the manuscript. Sigh. Once it's back from betas I'll let it sit some more and then revise further. I'd love to be querying this by mid-summer.
As for other projects, there has been a lot of seesawing in my brain as to which project to work on next. I originally thought I'd go back to my Storymaker Chronicles books that I'd begun writing a month or so ago. This series of two books is set in the same world as Woven and begins around the time of that book's trilogy's end.
Then I went to LDStorymaker's and, well, yeah. I've bounced around from project to project ever since. I might be resurrecting Clockworks and Cogs now re-named Dragon's Steam but at a future date. I say future because I realized something as I sat down to work on the world-building and such for that book.
I need to alternate between fantasy and not-fantasy if I want to keep my sanity. Even if it's just a short story. But my pattern has been that way for years. I find that I am creatively drained after writing a fantasy novel because I've put so much energy into the world building.
However, if I alternate and write even just a contemporary fantasy, one set in our world rather than an entirely created world, it's enough of a break from the mental gymnastics of world-building that I can write. But to try to create another world entirely so shortly after I created the last one is a no-go for me. I can't do it.
So I'm switching gears and resurrecting the action-adventure novel I'd shelved earlier this year. Already it's going great as I launch into the research and history-writing that is required of the story I want to tell. Soon I'll be plotting it and hopefully by the beginning of June I'll be writing the book itself.
How are your WiPs going?
Also, don't forget to enter my 500 posts giveaway! Your odds are really good right now of winning one of the prizes! I'll be drawing winners in early June.
I'm deep-ish in edits right now, and sort of working on a new WIP at the same time. I'm terrible at editing, and terrible at committing to editing, so I set a schedule of at least 1 hour of editing a day. It allows me to make progress without going holey sweatpants and greasy hair mad in the process. I also get "fun" time to work on a new story, even though it sometimes breaks my brain to jump between worlds. How do you go about getting beta readers?
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time working on drafting and editing in the same day. As for betas, it usually consists of me talking incessantly about it being time for my manuscript to go to betas and hoping someone will mention being willing to beta for me. But it's a different process for everyone. Just start making friends with authors and see where things go. One beta I'm friends with and I'd asked her to look over a portion of the manuscript because I needed some help with it. She read it and then mentioned that she'd be interested in reading the whole thing, if I wanted her to. So now she's on the schedule to be a beta. I'm not sure how I'll find anyone else. Thanks for swinging by today!
DeleteOof. And good luck with your edits. Editing can be so tough but also so worth it. Hope they go well for you.
DeleteI like to think I'm nearing the end of my edits and rewrites but I've said that before only to add more edits and rewrites to the list so I'm cautiously optimistic that this time might actually be the time.
ReplyDeleteI mostly write fantasy but I have other non-fantasy projects kicking around that I turn to when I need a bit of a break. You're right... world building really can take it out of you.
Edits and rewrites multiply like rabbits sometimes. Editing something can have the odd tendency to engender more ideas to incorporate which leads to more editing, and the cycle can continue for quite a while sometimes.
DeleteIt's so nice to have those non-fantasy or even non-traditional fantasy ideas floating around to jump to when needed. Thanks for coming by!
Aww, that sounds great about your action adventure! I'm kind of the same way, although I'm dumb and going into this new myth-based fantasy right after Bonded... ack!
ReplyDeleteThanks. It could be a lot of fun. You're not dumb writing A Curse So Deep right after Bonded. You're awesome. And I seriously cannot wait for both books to come out. Thanks for swinging by today!
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