Skipping Along the Path I have Chosen

Tags

choices, deciding, doubt, frustration, thoughts, writing, writing paths

In the world of writing and publishing, there are so many choices, so many paths to take.

Get an agent and try traditional publishing with the big houses or small presses.

Don’t get an agent and query small presses or self-publish.

And one is no better or worse than the others.

Choose the path that speaks to you, the road that is a right fit. Only you can know which way to go. And there is nothing wrong with changing your mind and carving a new path.

As you travel your road, find friends to support you, because each way is full of waiting and doubt and frustration and excitement…a roller coaster of emotion. Find people who will stand by you, cheering you on as you go, people who will never add to the frustration and doubt, people who will be there to remind you that you are doing what you want, doing what feels right.

Listen to your heart. Follow it.

I chose to sub to small presses. No agent, just me and my words. I signed with a small press, the one I wanted, the one that clicked with my wants, the one that spoke to me. The publishing process has been long, a lot of waiting. Some frustration. It’s been a ride, but every choice has its ups and downs. Never have I regretted signing with them. Never. This is right for me and my ms.

Through all my waiting, I have had to defend my decision. I have had people tell me I was wrong. I have had people warn me of impending doom, that I would be lost, forgotten. They did it because they care (I think)…they want the best for me and my words. I would smile and nod, and on the inside SCREAM. Scream at how I have chosen my path and am happy with my decision. So you aren’t happy with my decision…I DON’T CARE WHY MUST I EXPLAIN MYSELF I AM AN ADULT AND AM OKAY!

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I am happy with my choice therefore everything will be fine, it will be better than fine. IT WILL BE AWESOME!

No matter your intention, no matter how much you care, continuing to tell people what they should have chosen, how their choice will lead to bad things will hurt that person.

Be there with a smile. There is already doubt and frustration, adding to that will not help.

You would choose a different path? Go choose it…for you and not anyone else.

If they face the choice and are looking for help, tell your story, tell why you chose what you did, explain the positives and negatives that you have experienced along the way. Then let them take the information and do what they will.

When a decision is made, it’s made for a reason, a valid and perfectly acceptable reason, one that makes sense to that person. This is always the right decision, no defending or explaining is required. If doubt surfaces, encourage the exploration of other roads, not how to fix it. (seriously, that is my hubs, I want to strangle him)

There is no right or wrong in a personal decision.

In writing and in life, when someone has chosen a path, support them and we will be a stronger community, stronger people.

Much Sand in the Sandbox!

Tags

first draft, revisions, thoughts, writing, writing a series

So, just stopping by to say hi…

AND I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF DOORS, BOOK 3: THE DARK TRAVELER!

That’s all.

No big deal.

HAHAHAAAAA! Such a big deal.

25 chapters.

One epilogue.

99,404 words. A bit more than I thought it would be, but it turns out tying everything up the way I wanted, wrapping up a series needed a few more words…that’s fine!

And 99K? That’s a lot of sand in the box. A friend of mine told me that first drafts were all about words, about shoveling sand in the sandbox, a foundation on which you can sculpt your castle. Without material to work with, your idea means nothing.

So I have a big heaping pile of sand. A couple piles.

Because this also means that I have written a trilogy. My first finished series. I talked about my struggle with writing a series in my last post.

I did not know that Doors would lead me into a series. When the characters came back to me, telling me they weren’t done yet, I went with it. I had an idea where the story was going, but it changed as I wrote it. Now, even if I had a plan for it to be a series, I can guarantee that the story would have evolved and morphed away from any plan I would have had, because that’s how my brain works.

So having the entire series written before any are published is super good.

So, I will now gather my wits and revise book one. Hopefully it won’t need much, though I will have to resist my LET’S REVISE EVERYTHING attitude my brain will latch onto. But it will need help before my editor gets her hands on it. She doesn’t need to edit a book around my WELL ALL THIS IS DIFFERENT NOW stuff. I need to fix the continuity, to match it to what happens later, to add little things to link to book two and three, to tweak things. Maybe go a bit darker…

Okay, probably go a bit darker.

DARKER!

Make it a super tight series. One that when you get to book three, you can see all the bits I added in book one.

BUT LET’S JUST FOR A SECOND FLAIL AND SCREAM BECAUSE THE FIRST DRAFT IS DONE!

Seriously. Drafting is hell. Knowing you have to fill the empty white with words is overwhelming. But one word at a time I did it, we all do it.

A Series of Unfortunate Lessons

Tags

continuity, fantasy, notes, publishing, series, thoughts, What I learned from writing a series, writing

Book series are so much a thing…the thing? Something. People want characters’ stories to continue, they want to live in a world longer than the span of one book.

We love series! LOVE THEM!

I mean…Harry Potter…

So, many authors are writing them.

When I wrote DOORS, oh so many years ago, I wrote it as a stand alone. I wrote it because at the time being a new author meant the chances of having a series published was zero to none.

“At the time” means before self-publishing was a choice, before the big publishers closed to unagented queries, before small presses had grabbed their piece of the novel pie, before Twitter, and back when querying meant a letter on a piece of paper (ah, snail mail) and a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope, for those who don’t speak the language of long ago).

I began my writing journey with a series, one that had been rolling around in my head for years.

I wrote three out of four books. I queried the first book (way too soon, but a mistake so many make, so many need to make) and as I waited, I researched this whole getting published thing (without the Internet help that exists now, without writer friends on Twitter, without a writing group…ugh, seriously the stone age). I read publishing books and took classes. First time authors were less likely to be signed with a series, publishers were not willing to risk that much on an unknown. Funny how different the publishing world is now…

So I wrote a stand alone.

But it wasn’t. The story wasn’t done. I had told the very beginning.

Book two is drafted and book three is very close to being drafted…like two or three chapters close! OH MY GOOD GRACIOUS PLEASE LET IT END SOON!

Book one is signed with Reuts Publishing and is waiting for its turn in the edit cave. Books two and three? We’ll see if Reuts wants them. Why write them if I don’t know? Because I needed to.

However, writing a series has been taxing. Frustrating. An adventure. Pure insanity. Writing this series has been one mighty big mess.

Because I didn’t have a series in mind when I wrote book one, I had no idea where the whole story was headed. As I scribbled notes and began writing book two, I had an idea of where the series would go.

But…well…I was wrong. I’m not sure when I realized this…somewhere in book two…somewhere in book three? Both? Yeah.

The story evolved into a beast. A beast with wonderful backstory, a lot of history. A massive tangle of emotions. A web of people and actions. When the Darkness showed up…it all went awry. In a good way! But awry. As I talked to characters, as I delved into the worldbuilding and the past…the story came to life.

And wow, I am exhausted. I am ready to have this thing drafted so it can go sit in a corner.

But I am wiser.

What I have learned from writing a series:

1. Paging through books one and two searching for what you previously wrote is fun. Not incredibly tedious and frustrating. Nope. OKAY YES IT IS
2. Continuity. Is. Hard.
3. Be prepared to go back and change everything in book one to match what ended up happening. Be prepared to add things to book one for the same reason. (Sorry, Kisa…well, not change everything. BOOK ONE WILL BE FINE I SWEAR…IT WILL BE BETTER!)
4. Get really good at making notes that say things like, “DID HE EVEN SAY THAT?” “WHAT DID HAPPEN THEN?” “WHAT DID THIS PLANET LOOK LIKE?” “GO BACK AND CHECK THIS CHECK THAT CHECK EVERYTHING.”
5. The end is going to be quite different than I thought. THIS IS FINE. Go with the flow. Go with the story. To be honest, my story is much better now than it would have been.
6. CONTINUITY. IS. IMPOSSIBLE. Did I say that already? Did I? This is my main struggle BECAUSE MY NOTES ARE A BIG MESSY PILE OF MESS.
7. Never do this again. Okay, that’s a lie. I will do this again. What I hope to not do again is start a series without knowing, though controlling the voices in my head is not something I can…or even want…to do. The next project will be a series BUT I KNOW IT WILL BE. Knowing is half the battle. *gets my sword*

 

I cannot guarantee that my next series will be easier to write. I’ll still have a mess of notes, cause that’s how I roll. I’ll still open myself up to the possibility that I don’t know how it ends and will have to tweak the beginning to fit the surprise ending. Though this next series won’t take place on a million different worlds. So there’s that.

I learned so much. The best thing I discovered, was that I can do it. All the things that have to be changed, tweaked, or added will be done. Revisions are where the miracles happen. First, I need a break to untangle my brain from the web of everything.

Want to write a series? Do it. Scared? Don’t be. Let the story talk to you. Let it evolve into everything it is supposed to be. And fix all the things in revisions.

With my entire series drafted it will be easier to fix. Because I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NOW! OH GLORIOUS KNOWLEDGE!

 

 

#Magicday…Sometimes Nope is the Correct Answer

Tags

calm, expectations, happy, live, magic, Magicday, peace, say no, simply be, stress, thoughts

The magic for today is to decide not to…

I didn’t blog last week. I let a few days go without my workout. I just said nope.

For me, learning I’ll be okay when I let the routine go, when I deviate from what I think I should do is a big deal. I get wrapped up in the list I have in my head, the list that makes up the perfect me. When I start to obsess about what I have to do, the magic of stepping back can refocus me, it can remind me what is important. I am important. My calm happiness is important. The stress caused by the pursuit if perfection isn’t worth compromising that peace.

So, sometimes I have to not. Just run away from the stuff.

I have to remember that I will be okay if I don’t, to prove that I won’t end up like…

I get more done when I’m not trying to check all the perfect boxes on my perfect list. I feel more accomplished when I don’t have the things I didn’t do staring at me, accusing me of failing.

I didn’t blog last week.

The world didn’t end.

I missed some workouts.

The sun rose.

I didn’t panic. I didn’t stress. I let it all go.

I can like me for me and not because I lived up to my impossible expectations, but because I allowed myself to simply be.

Don’t forget you in all the things. Don’t forget to live in all the doing. Step back to remember what makes you happy and let go of all the stress.

Not doing can be magic.