Sitting on a Manuscript

Welcome back to unprocessed thoughts, this is the first installment
of 2019. 2018 offered many exciting growth opportunities, and 2019 is shaping
up to be of a similar caliber. Last year I was sitting on a manuscript that I
wrote in the spring, because it had some flaws that I did not know how to
address. I took some time away from it to write the Rutherford Manor novel,
that I am sure you have heard lots about through social media. Now, with the
Rutherford Manor novel nearing completion, I revisited the old manuscript with
a fresh pair of eyes. Man, does that make a difference.

Welcome to another edition of unprocessed thoughts

I’d like to elaborate more on what I mean by sitting on a
manuscript. Last year I had mentioned a slasher novel that was in the works,
and by August it was finished. The manuscript went to some beta readers and
they gave me their initial feedback. During the time that they were reading the
manuscript, I kept trying to figure out what was wrong with it in the back of
my mind.

Benefits of Sitting on a Manuscript

It took about four months away from the manuscript for
that aha moment to happen. Before I
took the break, I knew something was wrong with the book, but I did not know
how to identify it. I spent many hours reviewing the chapter outlines, the
character sheets, the subplot notes, and the manuscript itself. Yet I could not
find what was wrong with it. It turns out that I underestimated the power of
putting a manuscript away and revisiting it after working on another project. The
time away allowed me to study more about the power of storytelling, and let the
manuscript itself sizzle in the back of my mind without stress of trying to
figure it out right away.

In addition, working on the Rutherford Manor novel gave me a
chance to sink my teeth into a new concept. Writing a historical thriller is a
very different process from a horror novel. Especially a horror novel that
takes place in a particular time. I had to interview a number of people to
clarify facts, which was a lot of fun, very similar to what I did with the YEGman.
Through this sitting process, a working title has surfaced for the slasher
novel as well. More on the slasher novel will come in the future, for now I
will be shifting gears back to the Rutherford Manor novel.

The White Hand Cover Reveal and Synopsis

last week the cover and synopsis for my upcoming historical thriller novel was released. Woo hoo! You can click on this link to read the full synopsis and see the cover in larger detail. The exact release date is to be announced, but it will be this spring. More tidbits and goodies are sure to come in the following months, I am very excited to get this novel out and share with you all. This year, the white hand novel, will be the primary focus. This will give me time to reflect on the slasher novel, mental damnation, and other writing projects I have on the go.

New Tools

I am also learning to use new technologies to enhance my
writing. Upon completing NaNoWriMo 2018, I got a coupon for purchasing
scrivener. I have yet to use the software, as I have always use Microsoft Word
and kept various documents for all the research and pieces that go into the
novel. For future work, I will be trying to use scrivener to see the different
features it has. In addition to scrivener, I will be practicing speech to text
software to see if I can increase my word count. This blog post you are reading
is my first demo of exploring speech to text. So far it is quite enjoyable and
I am seeing an increase in word count. It is a bit of a learning curve to get
formatting and syntax down. Customer names for characters and places is also
going to be tricky, but it’s all part of the learning curve.

As the study into new software and tools continues, I will
be sure to share the progress. Always learn always grow.

Beer Note: Abdij Averbode

Brewed in the Norbertine abbey of Averbode, this Belgian strong
ale. I have reviewed Belgian beers before and I’m always giving them a positive
rating. This one is no different. It’s a lighter beer with a strong taste, and
supposedly it is from Japan, so of course I had to try it. It is pretty acidic
though and having more than one would be too much. With my hoppy taste buds in
mind; I’d give this a 4/5.

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