BOTB2

9/9 - Took some time off but now I'm back in the saddle. Too bad there's no horse beneath it. Giddy up!

Well, I finally did it. I finished the most challenging scene to date in book 2. Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1357.

I wrestled with this one for months. I just couldn't figure out how to get my heroes out of their current predicament without making it cliché, weak, or just plain stupid. I don't know if I was just being my own worst critic as usual, or if it really was that tricky of a scene. Time will tell, I suppose (and readers!).

You might ask, "Why not take your own advice and just skip ahead and keep writing?" I realize now that I need to clarify my position on this.

When stuck, it's good to just keep writing something, anything - assuming you've already taken a brief hiatus. However, I've found that it's better for me to write in a different arc than the one I'm currently stuck in. And if you don't have another arc, start another book! I've decided to write Rayvn's origin story (not a prequel!), mostly to give myself an outlet for writer's block, but also 'cause he's so cool.

The problem I encountered in book 1 was when I finally went back and wrote that earlier scene, it had such a domino effect on the following scenes that I spent a lot of wasted time rewriting. I'm trying to avoid that this time.

Not outlining any of the story beyond book 1 back when I was still writing it was my biggest mistake, which I feel I'm still paying for in some ways, in that I'm hemmed in by what's already been published. I can't go back and change book 1 (well, I can, but it's expensive and unfair to those who've already bought the current version), and my future choices are defined by what's been established and therefore limited.

Oh well; live and learn, right? The good news: we're finally moving forward with the heroes. This is particularly exciting, since I've been looking forward to them reaching the city of {spoiler alert} and meeting {spoiler alert} and {spoiler alert}, the latter of whom will eventually {spoiler alert}. Yay!

I resisted the urge to buy another box of Colby cheez-its over the weekend, but barely. I had the box in my hand, man! Just stood there like an idiot, eyes all glassy, being torn down the middle like an old sweater by desire and discipline. It's a miracle I got out of there alive.