Another month has quickly passed, so it is time for my writing update for July. I am more confident with this post, mostly because I am viewing this more as an exercise in self-motivation rather than as a communication with anonymous readers. If you are out there, feel free to drop a comment down below so I know you exist!
For starters – I am still sifting through the first draft of the book I finished earlier this year. There are a lot things that need to be cleaned up, from simple typos and uncaught grammatical errors to some continuity and clarity issues that happen when you are focused more on finishing and less on making it sparkle the first time through. (More on this, sort of, in an upcoming blog post.) I am re-writing whole scenes and moving some pieces around. Some of this is also to take into consideration my long-term plans for this book. If you read my last writing update, you know that I am developing this into a 5-book series, so I need to make sure that I am keeping track of the hints and clues I drop in this story so there are no (or relatively few) loose threads later. It is a fun but time-consuming task.
We Suck at Comics Volume One (I am adding that last bit now) has officially been released. You can find it on the Wayward Raven Media website and – gasp – on Amazon! That I am a part of an anthology which is available through such a global outlet is humbling and exciting.
They are also planning Volume Two, and I am just beginning to brainstorm about a possible story to submit, I have only the smallest inkling of what I might do for my entry. I am hopeful that by the time my August update comes to be, I will have a clearer idea of what I want to write for this submission, and maybe even have a draft completed.
I also finished my first draft of a high fantasy story for submission to a different anthology. It need a massive amount of rewriting – not just because it is 500 words too long – and tightening, but I am happy with the story. It contains many of the tropes and elements of older fantasy writing, but I tried not to overemphasize that style so my own voice would still come through. I also tried to inject some humor into the tale, because those writers also had a wonderful sense of humor that they did not often let shine in their high fantasy work. I’ve decided to hold off sharing the title until after I submit it to the publisher, which means most likely in the September update. I also tried something different with this piece – I did very little planning and wrote it very spontaneously, so it has a different feel than some other things I have done. Hopefully, that turns out to be a good thing!
That’s all for now. I’ll be doing an abundance of editing in August, along with planning more of the YA series I have in mind and (if my seed of an idea grows into a story) my submission for Volume Two. Until then, I will endeavor to do something write, and I hope you will too.