Okay, so this update is a few days late. But I could not resist using a little reference to Tolkien in the title. I am a bit behind schedule right now. A lot of things happening all around me, mostly good though one obnoxious, distracting and time-consuming issue is taking away from the time I would usually spend writing. But I have that under control now, so with summer beginning so is my time to do some heavy writing.
As I mentioned last month, the focus for June was fixing one longer section of book two in Gideon’s series (hey, I can call it that now, since I am using it as the working title) because I had made some adjustments to the timeline and wanted to avoid any continuity errors or repetition. I am also a little worried that it might have slowed down the story somewhat, but I also feel that it works well within the narrative since the characters are also getting a little respite from the hectic events of the story. I am content to leave it for now and see how it works once the book is completed.
That is still my summer goal – finish this book. I have a huge chunk of dialogue written so I should get off to a fast start. That will start around the 7th of July (author’s note: that’s the day I posted this update as well; I’m supposed to be writing now!) when my free time increases dramatically for a few weeks. I know where in the story I want to be by the end of the month. I’ll let you know if I made it.
I also took a little time – around an hour – to churn out a short story for my writing group. I was not really sure about it, but they all seemed to like it. It needs a little better description but the dialogue really worked. It was done without my typical research and attention to detail, so in those moments when I need a change of pace it will be something that I work on to keep those juices flowing.
I have another short story in the planning phase as well. This one will be a bit longer and I am still deciding on perspective and tone. But I have lots of ideas, including a formatting decision that (if it works) will add to the narrative in an interesting way. I think. Maybe. I’ll let my wife decide if it works.
And now, publishing news. You know by now that We Suck at Comics Volume 2 has been released. And I know that you got your copy already right? If you are still waiting for it to arrive, let me say once more that it is well worth the wait. It’s a beautiful book that we are so excited to be a part of. And if you did not get a copy yet, just click on the link. Go on. It’s right there. Just click it. What are you waiting for?
Some disappointing news. I have gotten two rejections from prospective literary agents. This was expected so I am not discouraged. It takes a lot, including a bit of luck, to hit upon the right person at the right time with the right story. I still have five open queries – I am keeping it consistently at that number – so hopefully the next update will bring some different news.
I also decided to get some assistance on the synopsis for the book. I was having a lot of trouble making decisions on what to include and exclude, how much detail is needed, and how long it should be. I was fortunate to find a wonderful gentleman on Reedsy who has already given me a lot of advice and suggestions. He is doing two rounds of editing for me (and at an unbelievably reasonable price) so I know that in a few days I will have a synopsis that will do a great job of standing up for my book.
So there is a lot to look forward to in the next update. I hope you will come back and see how things are progressing. On to the goal review for the month.
1 – I want finish editing book one of my YA series to the point that I consider it good enough for publication (it probably won’t be, but I want to get it as far as I can take it). Even though I am sending this out into the world now, I am still working on tweaking this book and trimming it down a little.
2 – I want to begin querying agents to see if I can publish that book, and its sequels, traditionally. Queries are out. Two rejections so far. But just taking the step was big for me. Hopefully, I will get positive movement soon.
3 – I want to finish the first draft of book 2 in that series and go through at least 1 round of edits. July is here, so a chunk of writing is forthcoming. Let’s see how far I get!
4 – I want to have a completed outline for book 3 with an aim at starting the writing process this year as well. I made some real progress on this in May and I have a list of things to research and prep. I am feeling good about this one.
5 – I want to have at least two short stories accepted for publication. Rejection sucks but I still have a lot of pieces completed that I feel could find a home. It’s just about finding the proper place for them.
6 – I want to extend my visibility as far as social interactions and publicity goes. Don’t even read this one. Seriously. I just can’t get this one off the ground. I’m just not a social media person. I need to find my happy place with this.