ChattaCon

I am here at ChattaCon and I’m quite pleased so far. I was unsure how things would go since I received no communication back from emails, but apparently there were server issues. Still a problem, but stuff happens.

I’ll give a complete report about how things go next week.

For now, I want to update my plans. I had intended, even promised, to have the next novel to my editor this week. I, in fact, got a draft to her, but only about half-done. This is a much more complex book, with a much larger structure and many different threads, and is the start of a trilogy.

I like much of what I have written. There characters are coming along. The story is growing and working. My skill at weaving the threads is lacking, though, and it’s not in a form that works yet. I’m setting it down to do some foundational work while Kellie takes a look at what I’ve done so far to give me her opinions and suggestions.

This means I’m only going to publish two books this year, and I had only planned on two next year. I don’t know if the stories will wait, though, and I’m going to start writing some short stories in Shijuren to bridge the gap and also start building up a Wiki, which I will publish fairly soon. It will be incomplete, but that is the nature of Wikis 🙂

I know I need to get more things published, but I also know that the work has to be good.

For now, it’s time to get back to ChattaCon.

Two Months

OK, that’s ridiculous. I should not take two months to update this blog. I do apologize.

However, here’s what I’ve done the past two months. I published The Eyes of a Doll, I’ve had some sadness with my family, I survived the holidays, took charge of my health, and wrote most of I Am a Wondrous Thing, the first of a trilogy starring Irina, the former Velikomat, or Great Mother of Periaslavl.

My writing processes are improving, and I’m getting faster, meaning I have no excuse not to update more frequently. In fact, next week, I will pick a day where I always update the blog each week. Probably Tuesday.

I’m starting to really like the way the Irina story is shaping up, after having a number of, not false starts, but incomplete starts. This is my first attempt at writing a trilogy, and also a larger epic fantasy novel.

With the first person Edward novels, there aren’t as many threads I need to weave into the story. Part of my incomplete starts was my lack of realization that I need to include more people. This is a 300k plus word story. Irina isn’t the only major figure, and I realized I needed more protagonists. Plus, I want to write what the bad guys are doing too.

Oh, and if you’re interested in the workings of the magic, you’ll understand completely how Love Magic works by the end of these, plus quite a bit with Line Magic. If it’s any consolation, I will too. I’m a pantser and while I have been planning the physics behind the magic system for 20 years, I am discovering that the magic is just like another character, it tells me how much more it wants to be involved.

Anyway plan is to finish the first draft of I Am a Wondrous Thing next week, and then go to ChattaCon while Kellie tells me exactly where I screwed up 🙂 I’m still aiming for April 1st release date so I can have some when I go to Ad Astra in Toronto.

I’ve also started laying out in my mind some of the challenges and faced with the next novel, which will center around the Readers and lore magic.

In the meantime, back to the grindstone.