I wrote Trespassing over the course of several years. Because of that it needed a lot of help by the time I was ready for an editor. So I decided to write the first draft of Linchpin as fast as possible. Taking advantage of the delirious thrill that is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) I knocked it out in 30 days.
Tip: In case you were wondering, yes, the faster you get your first draft done the better. Just get it all on the page, the good, the bad, the ugly. Just let it all out.
Through an outline and plotting class with Savvy Authors I was able to cut out some unneeded events and really streamline the plot.
Then I walked away. Again.
In January I joined a workshop group. Over the last nine months I have run the gauntlet of their feedback to hone and refine my prose and plot. They have been invaluable to me. Sometimes truth hurts but if you can work your way through the pain it’s totally worth it.
More recently, I have been working with a mentor. Once I am done with going through the 300+ comments I will hand my story over to a group of beta readers and then I wait. If all goes well and once I address any issues brought up by the beta readers THEN I will be ready for an editor.
While the beta readers read, that will be another kind of walking away. Not as long as the previous breaks but I will not work on the story in anyway until I get the feedback. That will give me a month to dive into something total new. Never stop creating.
The plan is to get the editing and proofreading completed by January so that I can get the text ready for the ebook version and print layout in time to debut book two for the Emerald City ComicCon in Seattle at the end of March. (I already have my team assembled.) I am also contemplating New York ComicCon in October.
I will also need to get a cover design for Linchpin as well as make some new bookmarks and postcards to promote it. Lot’s to do and March will be here a lot sooner than I think. So there you go, that’s how it’s going. Thanks for asking. If you are interested in being a beta reader let me know. You do not have to have read the first book to considered. Cheers.