The Story So Far...
Fantasy Forest Wallpapers by Brinda
It's exciting times here at the Chronicles. I made it through my first full editorial read through of the Wolfkin rough draft. I laughed. I cried. I gasped. I scratched my head and asked myself, "Wait, what the hell was I trying to say here?" I tripped over accented dialogue consistency. I reread paragraphs and sentences 10-20 times to see if they finally made sense and flowed properly. I sewed up certain loopholes and hammered in plot nails I neglected to lay flush. Ah, the joys of editing.
I'm heading into the weekend ready to kick back and let the editing juices simmer down a bit. Conventional wisdom from some of the big names in writing suggests letting a work sit for six weeks before you go back to reread and edit your material again. To that I say, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"
Admittedly, I see their point. An extended break offers a writer a chance to come back to their work with fresh eyes, a clear perspective, and perhaps a better degree of detachment. Mistakes get made in the heat of the moment. Details get overlooked. Sometimes you realize after the fact that "Ringo the Talking Raccoon" is a waste of narrative space and an unnecessary marketing ploy that needs to be drop kicked back into the underbrush where he crawled out from. It happens. Go ahead and axe that little Disney bastard and move on.
(Do NOT actually punt or axe raccoons. That's not what I'm saying here, you friggin' psychos.)
But seriously, six weeks is a long time for an independent writer to sit on their hands. That's more than a month that your work is sitting untouched when it could be making its way forward to publication. One assumes that you're expected to be working on other projects, waiting for Alpha Reader input, or dealing with other facets of pre-publication preparation in the mean time. That's certainly the logical, unspoken advice that isn't stated in the six week suggestion. But that's also a month of time you're setting yourself up to say "To hell with it." and let your work go unpublished indefinitely. Anybody who writes professionally will tell you (presumptive fallacy on my part, I'm sure) that writing requires a certain degree of momentum. Once you get started, you need to keep moving. If you stop, it gets so much harder to get moving again. (At least that's been my experience. Feel free to discuss it in the comments if you have a different opinion.) My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to take a few days off to recharge and/or work on something else as a palate cleanser, but don't give yourself that full scale opportunity to let outside influences (i.e.- Real Life (tm)) to run rickshaw over your creative process. That's how manuscripts end up collecting dust for 7-10 years without any progress (*cough* raises hand *cough*).
TL;DR: I'll be taking the weekend off, but I fully anticipate a hard run at second round of self-edits next week in addition to prepping for LACE next Saturday.
Speaking of "pre-publication" preparation... Good Lawd Amighty! As I get closer to sending Wolfkin off into the publication process, I find my "To-Do" list getting longer and longer. I still need to draft a localized map for where the story takes place. I need to finalize the details of the cover design. I need to decide if I'm going to write up my own promotional text this go around or give the publisher another crack at it like I did last time. There's promotional efforts to plot and concept art creators to start harassing. I also have a short story to start, books and projects for other authors to read and review (I swear I haven't forgotten about you, folks!), and research avenues to identify and contact for Book 3.
So. Many. Things. To. Do! *hyperventilates into a paper bag*
I also have to decide if I'm going to implement an incentive program to get some more reviews for Ash to Ashes logged. Now that the second book is rounding the bend to publication, it occurs to me that I have leverage that might get some of the fence sitters out there to participate. More on this when I review the Amazon regulations and make a decision, but stay tuned folks!
Reminder:
March 10th, 2018! JUST ONE WEEK AWAY! Little Apple Comic Expo (LACE)! K-State Student Union! Manhattan, KS! 10am to 6pm! Books! Comics! Custom and Original Art! Collectibles! Creator Panels! Cosplay Contests! Everything your inner Geek craves but doesn't dare to hope for, all in one place!
Be there or be...
*whispers scandalously* "normal."
*horrified gasps*
Come on out and see me! I'll be at the table with the grotesquely self-indulgent poster of myself behind the booth *cough*. Get your copy of Ash to Ashes, have me sign your copy of the book, or just stop by to say hello and rap with me about the series! Oh, and you know, check out all the other cool stuff going on at the convention too! It'll be a great time!
