Still alive! Another huge gap between
blog posts—not good. However, I have been busy and have a few updates to
report.
Last we left off, I was working on a sci-fi romance
and dreaming about a podcast. And now? I’m working on a sci-fi romance and
dreaming of a podcast. But I’m happy to report that I’ve made progress in both
ventures:
The
Sci-Fi Romance: Sometimes, books love to take their
time, and L is no different. I wanted to
be finished by late November, and here we are in January. But I’m happy to
report that I’m on a polishing draft that, with any luck, will be finished by late February. After that, it’s another quick read-through, then it’s off to
my First Readers. And then I hope this long process will be finished. I’m
looking forward to studying some marketing and working on other projects.
Speaking of which:
The
Podcast: I’m still excited about it, and I’m chomping at the
bit to get started. I’ve been refining the concept, and I hope other people
will become excited about the idea. Its chief focus is the promotion of other
writers, so I think there will be some interest.
That
Very, Very, Very Odd Western: Back in the summer, I
was given the opportunity to house sit. 10 days in a house by
myself. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to a.) test out a nagging
feeling and b.) work on that very, very, very
odd western.
The nagging feeling? That I should’ve been plotting
all these years. From ages 21 until now, I’ve been a solid “Pantser”, that is,
taking the Stephen King and Ray Bradbury route of jumping head first into a
first draft and seeing where it takes me. And there’s nothing wrong with this
method (obviously it works for King and Bradbury!), but after 11 books pantsed
(And Gasher Creek, number 11, being the only one I felt was good enough to
publish), I wanted to try something different. So I decided to plot the very, very, very odd western.
I’m happy to report that not only did I get the first
draft written in a short 14 days, but I think the editing process will be
severely truncated as a result of the plotting. Future books, I hope, will be
finished in months, not years.
And I really like the story, although it is as odd as I’d expected. Even I wonder
where some of this stuff comes from.
An Expanding Universe: Writing the very, very, very odd western has also rekindled my passion for the "western world" that Gasher Creek takes place in. As a result, I've decided to set a whole series of books in the same territory where the town of Gasher Creek is located. The v.v.v. odd western is just the first of many, including the much inquired sequel to Gasher Creek.
Where I belong: Although my current novel is science fiction, I think future projects will take me back in time instead of forward. I enjoy watching and reading sci-fi, but I don't feel as if I belong in that world. As a result, the next few years will be preoccupied with the past. After the v.v.v. odd western is finished, I'll be heading to the early 20th century for a comedic road trip. After that, it's back to a western, and then on to an adventure in Upper Canada.
Anyway, that's it for now. 2015 is shaping up to be a tremendously busy year for me, and I hope some of it will prove fruitful. Although I'm not living in my mansion in Hawaii (yet), my motivation has only increased since GC's release. The dream I caught at age 11 is stronger now than it has ever been before, and that's a good thing. I'll need that tenacity and stubbornness if I want to be a success.
