What I Learned Writing Chalcedony

So… Chalcedony Everleaf Book 2 is off for its last major edit. If all goes well, I’m hoping for a May release. Fingers Crossed.  Once again, I’m thinking about what worked and what didn’t work in my writing/drafting process.

A Clean First Draft

I don’t like editing, so I decided to make the first draft of Chalcedony as clean as possible. For the first half, Chalcedony was nice, clean, and full of descriptive writing. I got anxious towards the end, and the writing was a lot rougher to edit. For Book 3: Jade, the goal is not to get too excited and make sure the end is as clean as the first half.

Quality over Quantity

To be a successful writer (traditional or published) an author has to get as many books published as possible as quickly as possible. I tried to rush in order to meet a January deadline for Chalcedony.  Obviously, that didn’t work. I can’t write fast while working full time and balancing my home life.

I’m gonna have to change my publishing schedule. I officially started working on Chalcedony in November.  The 1st draft 4 months to draft.  If Chalcedony is released in May. Jade will have a November 2016 release.

Random

Metaphors and similes. I used to think they were a waste of time. Just tell the damn story. As I read as a published author.  I have learned how much similes, metaphors, descriptions and the all enhances the story. Descriptive writing immerses the reader and evokes emotions. I want to evoke lots of emotions. The art of writing can be very manipulative. I want to manipulate the world. I wish I would have paid much more attention to descriptive writing in high school now.

–PS. If you’re interested in an advanced review copy of Chalcedony, let me know and leave a comment. A chance for a review copy is increased if you have reviewed the first book.