goals for 2014

2013 was a rather interesting year. As far as writing goes, I didn’t write as much as I would have liked or publish as many books as I wanted to, but I have the best excuse in the world for it: my beautiful baby girl. Between pregnancy hormones, a not-working brain in my last few months, and taking care of a newborn at the end of the year, publishing books just wasn’t in the cards for me.

I did manage to publish one book, the Chroniker City novella Le Theatre Mecanique, in April, a book I started at the end of 2012. That was before the hormones and the pregnancy brain hit. I also worked on the second draft of The Wizard’s Heart and began working on the third draft with my editor, but unfortunately, that revision just couldn’t happen while I was pregnant. My brain wasn’t in the right space. It didn’t work properly. So, I had to step away from The Wizard’s Heart. I had to step away from The Guild Conspiracy, sequel to The Clockwork Giant, for the same reasons. I think I was more disappointed about that than my fans.

writing revelations

I posted this on Google+ and Facebook, but I felt I ought to post it here as well.

I have come to the conclusion that I really ought to write and publish more books.

This seems to be obvious, but it kinda hit me today that if I want to make a career out of this, I need to have more stuff for people to buy. Two books does not a career make.

I also realized that I’ve been holding myself back ever since I published The Clockwork Giant. I managed to publish Le Theatre Mecanique only because I didn't fret over it until I considered it publishable. I went by a schedule. I wrote it. I edited it. I sent it to beta readers. I edited it again. I published it. I haven't looked at it since. It’s out there, and that's good enough for me.

let's do this novel writing thing

So, apparently, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year. I had no plans to, considering I am expecting a baby soon and don't know when I'll sleep, eat, or shower, much less write. But, I have a bad habit of committing to overly ambitious goals, so this is right up my alley.

I'm actually looking forward to it. The story I'm going to be working on is the middle-grade humorous fantasy I've been contemplating for a few weeks now. NaNoWriMo seems like the perfect time to bang out a first draft. My writing muscles need stretching, and if I do it right, I should have a lot of fun working on this one. I'm not plotting or planning anything out, and as I write this post, all I have to go on is a loose premise, some vague scene ideas, and a handful of unnamed characters, and that's all I plan to have come November 1st. If I get stuck while writing, which I undoubtedly will, I have a mantra that I'm going to print out and stick above my computer: think of the most absurd, silliest thing that could possibly happen... and do that.

This is going to be a fun story. It's going to be fun to write, and hopefully fun to read (when the day comes).

update

I really ought to update my blog more often.

Well, in case anyone is still in the dark on this, I've put all writing on hold. I decided that I wasn't in a good brainspace to edit The Wizard's Heart to the best of my ability. This was about two months ago. I don't regret the decision. Trying to work on The Wizard's Heart was needlessly stressing me out to the point that it was affecting my health and overall well-being. So I put the book aside with plans to pick it up again after my baby is born. My brain just wasn't where it needed to be in order to do the book justice.

short update and excerpt

Now that the Chroniker City novella Le Theatre Mecanique is out for the world to enjoy, I’ve turned my attention to other projects: the Persian-inspired fantasy, The Wizard’s Heart, and the second book in the Chroniker City trilogy, The Guild Conspiracy.

My priority right now is finishing the third draft of The Wizard’s Heart, a structured rewrite under the supervision of my editor Rebecca Blain. Hopefully, I’ll be able to finish this draft by the end of July and send it to beta-readers in August, and with their feedback, I should be able to publish the book by the end of September And maybe, in the next month or two, I’ll have a book description and cover up on the website.

As for The Guild Conspiracy, I have been writing a little bit almost every day, but with the need to get The Wizard’s Heart finished as soon as possible in order to maintain a 2013 release, I’m not going to be able to work on it consistently until The Wizard’s Heart is with beta-readers. However, I am making good progress on it. The story has been re-plotted, and I’m excited to continue Petra’s story. I hope to finish the first draft by the end of October, earlier if possible. I have a baby due in November, and I’d like to have the first draft out of the way before the tiny person takes over my life. Even with a baby on the way, I believe I’ll be able to stick to a 2014 release of The Guild Conspiracy, hopefully by next summer. I know it’s been a long wait since The Clockwork Giant released, but I promise that I am making progress, however slowly.

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