Howdy, Internet! I've been recording my vlog for a few days without a focus. I realized this would be of most use to you if I talk about writing.
I worked a lot on writing today... not the actual writing, but some admin work. I have already written a rough draft of my novel. No one told me that the first draft of a novel is not very good. So, rather than start working on my second in the series, I am going back through my first novel and editing. Of course, I could really use a professional editor. That would get the job done faster. It would likely be better, too. But, then, editors are expensive. Unless somebody wants to do an edit for the share of the profits... yeah, it's all me for now.
I heard an interview with a writer who said that if she could tell her young self something, it would be to write and release the whole series at once. We live in a culture that likes to devour entire seasons at one time. As soon as they are done with book one, they want book two. If book two takes a year to complete, those fans will either be angry or find another bright, shiny--Hey! A squirrel! I love squirrels.
My book was intended to be a trilogy, and it has a pretty major cliff-hanger at the end of book one. It might take me three years, but I plan on working on it every day. We'll see how fast it goes.
I created an editing spreadsheet. This is not procrastination! I really think this will help me on the edit.
Chapter. With 42 chapters, I need to keep track of what I'm working on.
Main Point. Each chapter should have a least one "thing" that happens. That "thing" cannot be flashback (those don't move a story forward). If a chapter does not have a "thing," then it has no point. It can be cut. OFF WITH IT'S HEAD! (I always wanted to say that).
Too Short? I want to find chapters that are too short. Since I am going to be adding some new scenes, I would like to find places they would fit. I can also combine short chapters. My end goal is to have one average length for each chapter.
Edited. This is just a reference row to see if something is done or not. Move along. Nothing more to see here.
Addition. If I find a perfect place to add scene Q, I want to mark it.
That's about it. Of course, I will let you know how the editing goes.
I also started to set up MailChimp for my newsletter.
I'm outtie (actually, I'm an innie... sorry for the TMI).