You know, I wanted to do an obligatory New Year’s post, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write one. I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions as a rule; I tend to believe if you want to change something in your life, you shouldn’t wait until the new year to do it. So that being said, nothing has really changed for me 😀
I’m still charging forward with all the writing I can manage, and just a few days ago finished my fourth novel (rough draft only). This is the one I alluded to in my last post (see: Lightning Has Struck My Brain) and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I did more prep for this one than any other book I’ve written and I feel like it definitely helped. I was able to finish the rough in approximately six and a half weeks, and I more or less stuck to my initial outline, with only a few major changes.
This was also the first time I followed a true structure in terms of beats for the book, incorporating things like: Point of No Return, Re-dedication, and Darkest Night. Incorporating these elements has really made a difference in how I structure the story, and I believe it makes for an overall stronger presentation. I will definitely be using these in the future.
So now it is back to editing for a while and preparing for Conference Season. It looks like I may only make it to one out-of-town con this year, but you never know. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is never try to predict the future.
