I had really hoped to be able to write this yesterday, because I could then tell myself it was still July. But, it’s not July, it’s the beginning of August. When I went to Australia, War was at 340k words. I thought it would be 30k words to the end. Where in this case, thought probably means “prayed”. This is not, as you know from the last blog post, what happened. Today, I have typed the figurative “THE END” on War. It is, as it currently stands, 430k words. This is too long. Not necessarily for readers, but my poor, poor editor. And publisher. So while I have typed “THE END”, my part in that book is not yet over. I have to revise, fix the eight … Continue reading
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Category Archives: Essalieyan
Posted in DAW, Essalieyan, writing.
Well. I wrote over 30,000 words while in Australia, and War is not yet finished. There was much teeth gnashing and hair pulling and I am back in Toronto, still working on War. This means: I have not yet finished the (two) short stories that I have booked from the pixel project fundraiser, either =/. War had ‘two chapters plus epilogue to go’ when I landed in Brisbane. And… it still has two chapters plus epilogue to go, even with the addition of two and a half chapters. Alpha reader thinks that West readers will actually like the book, as written, which is a bonus, because the book isn’t finished yet. Ahem. I promise I have been writing, and will continue to write — but I so very much wanted to be … Continue reading
Posted in Elantra, Essalieyan, writing.
This is a bit late. Again. But at least it’s in the right month… The first half of May was Michelle revising first draft of Cast in Deception (as noted below, I messed up the title because, umm, it’s not War >.<). so it could become submission draft. This took a bit longer than I had originally planned. The second half of May was War and the start of the as yet unnamed Severn story. But mostly, it was War. Which is not finished yet. I’ve mentioned that I work on two different books simultaneously until I reach the end of one of them, at which point, I don’t have the mental space for anything but the book that is ending. It’s just that the ending of War is longer … Continue reading
Posted in DAW, Elantra, Essalieyan, writing.
March was eventful for me, since I usually stay at home and hide under large rocks. I participated in the pixelproject fundraiser. As of this morning, I have mailed or hand-delivered two of the three books that donors chose in that auction (the third is not finished, not published, and promised to the third donor when both of those things occur); I have had the absolute pleasure of speaking with the readers who chose the 30 minute hangouts. During the month, however, I continued my normal writing schedule, with a brief break of two days to attend a convention. So, this is where the writing currently stands. Cast in Deception, as it is currently called, is due in April; it is most of the way there, although … Continue reading
Posted in DAW, Essalieyan, covers, Jody Lee.
When I returned from Australia, where I finally finished the final revision of Grave, I felt a little burned out. I went back to work on War, but progress there was slow. This happens sometimes when I haven’t quite emerged from a state-of-anxiety with regards to writing — and Grave was definitely that. As I’ve said before: when things are hard, I feel incompetent. When I feel incompetent, I tend to withdraw. The internet is full of bright, shiny, entertaining things — none of which I am at that particular moment. I am always at my most gregarious when the writing is going well. Something arrived at my doorstep, literally, that really helped. In the mess of deadlines, more deadlines, emergency deadlines, page proofs, it actually made me very happy — but I had forgotten entirely that it was coming. (I … Continue reading
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