First Update/Announcement/Plan Change of 2018! (Hopefully the Last…?)
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I am in danger of becoming far too whishy-washy on my entire goal for this year of writing more effectively. I’ll admit it. Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick lately, and therefore my whole brain is a little, er, off, but late last night I began debating what to do about my current WIPs. In the middle of alternating chills and hot flashes. Yup, not the best way to mentally edit…
Anyway, I realized something in the clear of the morning: If it is only January and I am already getting this wigged out over going all-out-perfectionist on my WIPs (that are still in first draft format), then this is not healthy and I need to chill.
So, here’s the first idea that came to mind — Taking something off my present plate. My goal for finishing and releasing up to 5 books in the next 12 months is, well, AAAARRRGGHHGHHGH. Not good. What was I…
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Okay, here’s a new, more sane plan — Aim for 3 books in the next 12 months. That’s one a quarter. Do-able.
And I think I’m going to put my “How To Be A Savage” project on the backburner for now. It’s still a jumble of mess-from-failed-NaNo-project and brief-attempts-at-starting-to-fix-afore-mentioned-mess. While I still really want to pursue this idea, it’s not something that I need to be attacking right now. Not when I’m literally waking up in the middle of the night and thinking, “What if this Hunter/Scholar/Ambassador went to this Annex/country/the fey realm before so-and-so new character shows up/after big mind-blowing incident occurs?!” Yup, my brain is just packed full of Twelve Tribes stuff at the moment.
So this is a bad time to be trying to totally switch gears in terms of genre, characters, and themes. And a very good time to be immersing myself in what my brain definitely wants to concentrate on.
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Also, lately I’ve had some feedback about certain storylines and characters that readers would like to see more of. Now, while I can’t make any promises — as there is ALREADY Volumes 3 and 4, the field guide, and my collaboration with White Fang on the table — I may look into the possibility of expanding previous short stories or giving particular people their own novella. PERHAPS. Nothing is set in stone yet, folks.
Next, I’m considering putting up a few snippets posts. Anyone interested in that? I haven’t done that before, so at the moment I remain undecided and slightly wibbly-wobbly on the matter. Let me know.
Okay, onto the pressing issue of possible release dates for Volumes 3 and 4:
Certainly high on my list of priority goals for 2018. Obviously Volume 3 has to come first, and my initial hope was to do so before spring. Well, that’s still the hope. But I will be flexible and not owl-mail myself a Howler if I don’t submit my proofs by March 31st. In the interest of maintaining self-discipline (and not encouraging my readers to riot at my front door — don’t, by the way, my front yard has a very steep bank and a dying tree and old rabbit holes, it’s not a fun place to be), I shall make sure that I submit my proofs by no later than mid-April, though.
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With regards to Volume 4 — be patient, grasshoppers. My sincere hope is to have it out in the world by the end of July at the latest. (Remember, those other projects to complete as well.) However, as we’ve all experienced, something may happen to alter that time frame. (As the most recent 3 days of monitoring my temperature and not being able to walk faster than a turtle on caffeine proves.)
God willing, I’ll be up and running again by the end of this week. There’s been nothing for this thing but a lot of rest. I was even too ill to feel guilty about not working on anything for 72-plus hours straight.
(The moral of the story — indie authors, don’t let yourselves be coerced into taking on too much! Take care of yourselves and your families first! Your readers love your work for what it is, and are just happy when you release more. Most of them don’t mind waiting a little, and some of them are even so kind as to send delivery llamas to your door with packages of soup and tea and cats. So don’t worry that you’re letting them down by needing to delay your next publication for 2 weeks or even 2 months.)
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