new week, new book

It’s a new week and a new book. I finished the first draft of The Wizard’s Heart last week, coming in around 96,000 words. And so! I have a new project to start this week, the Chroniker City novella. Still brainstorming for titles, so hopefully, I’ll come up with something between now and finishing the first draft.

There are a few things I have to do before I can write the first word, however. I have to write an outline, which is really more like a long synopsis than a numbered or bulleted outline. That seems to work a lot better for me (the outline for The Wizard’s Heart actually ended up over 5000 words). Since this is a novella, there will probably be one subplot in addition to the main plot, maybe two subplots—one major, one minor. I don’t expect this to be longer than 40,000 words, so I need to rein in the number of plots to something manageable and easily understood. As well as plotting, I have some research to do, studying up on some clockwork and steam technologies as well as the inner workings of Theatre. I was never a drama student, so I don’t know much about the behind-the-scenes stuff—rehearsal, auditions, costuming, makeup, props, etc. I also need to figure out a play that I want the theater to perform. I can’t decide if I want them to perform an oldie (think Shakespeare), or something actually written and performed shortly before 1881. Totally up for suggestions!

Once I’ve done the outline and all the proper research, then I can start writing. As I said before, I don’t think it’ll pass 40,000 words, which would take it into short novel territory. It will probably be around 30,000 words, taking me roughly three weeks to write it, if I can stick to my 2,000 words a day schedule. But more realistically, it will probably take me four weeks. Assuming I can start sometime next week, I should finish the first draft mid-November. This looks very good for a mid-December release.

But before I can do anything, I have to catch up on reading Hogglepot submissions, read and crit a short story for a friend, and brainstorm some ideas for an RPG that I’m going to start writing once this novella is complete (as well as help with the Kickstarter pitch for it), but more on that last bit later. ;)

Hopefully, I can start plotting and researching tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on how long it takes me to get through everything else I’ve put aside these last few weeks. But… one last thing: now that I’ve finished The Wizard’s Heart, and I’m looking at a second project right in front of me, this whole writing gig feels real. Like I feel like a totally legit author now. You would think that publishing The Clockwork Giant would have given me that feeling, but to be honest, I felt like a total fraud until this weekend, when I finished The Wizard’s Heart. Can’t really explain it, but now I feel like a proper writer. I’m weird like that.

Here, have some Deadmau5 for your Monday.