Time is unforgiving. We always like to say that we have time, but I don’t think that’s true. I think time lends itself to us, giving us the opportunity to use it to our benefit or squander it. Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: Goal – Time = Pressure!”
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Good news, everyone! All of my alpha readers are officially (finally) finished! I just met with a friend of mine last night to discuss the major themes and ideas that stuck out to him during his read of The Warden of Everfeld: Memento. It. Was. Fantastic.
It’s been entertaining, in a way, to hear these four friends/family members apologize profusely for how they’re about to eviscerate my novel before my eyes. Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: The Revision Plan”
This week has been… interesting. I will spare you all my political ramblings in the wake of the US election, but suffice it to say that I have been wholly distracted from writing this week. I do not feel bad about it; elections are important. This election i particular is important, and I will be following President-elect Donald Trump’s policies closely. Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: NaNo Marches On”
I’ve finally finished my first read-through of Manuscript: Alpha. I should have finished weeks ago, but the last 40 or so pages were difficult to get through. I rushed writing the ending simply because I wanted to finish the first draft, and boy does it show. There are probably more spelling errors in those sections than in the entire rest of the book, not to mention several glaring plot-holes. I’d like to apologize publicly to my alpha readers for that. Just know that it was infinitely more tortuous for me because I wrote it 🙂 Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: NaNo Prep Begins in Earnest!”
Well, a lot has happened in the last 10 days. First of all, Future Wife finally became Present Wife. The wedding was amazing and the honeymoon was awesome. That photo above is a taste of what we experienced (and tasted) in the Big Easy Continue reading “October Update: Beefing Up after a Much-Needed Hiatus”
I’ve been discussing the revision process for Manuscript: Alpha of The Warden of Everfeld: Memento since completing the first draft way back in July. (That really does feel so much longer ago than two months…)
Since my alpha readers are nearly finished with their reviews, and I am (basically) finished with my own first read-through, I thought I would share the actual questions I typed up for my alpha readers to answer. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Questions to Ask Your Alpha Readers”
My read-through progress slowed considerably over the last week or two, and not for any reason I can readily identify. With the past three days off from work in the run-up to wedding weekend, I have been able to make considerable progress, getting through about 220 of 275 pages.
Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: Revisions and Putting Yourself Out There”
Now that The Warden of Everfeld: Memento is officially past the stage of being just a collection of ideas and dreams locked away in my brain and/or on a flash drive, it’s time to start thinking about it in terms other than its qualitative worth. Yes, I am of course talking about money and its necessary attendants: marketing and business — the collective bane of artistry, creativity, and human-made beauty in the world.
Because when we talk about publishing, that’s really what we mean: the promotion and sale of a piece of work. As writers, we tend to lean on the adage that the writing of a novel is its own reward, and that any material gain that comes of it is a bonus. Luckily, most of us are telling the truth when we say this. Continue reading “What is that Novel Really Worth?”
Well, it is actually finished now, at least for the current moment. Manuscript: Alpha has been revised, printed, bound, and sent off to my four lovely, devoted, selfless alpha readers. 176,000 words, plus a glossary, and a crudely drawn map to guide their mental wanderings as they read. Continue reading “Manuscript: Alpha is a Go – and it has a title!”
173,920 words.
That is where my completed first draft sits in its current, non-revised form. I’m spending the entirety of my day off on Tuesday revising and finalizing the draft for Manuscript: Alpha, but damn it this feels good.
Much more work to come, but “Jaed and Aston” now has a beginning, middle, and end. I might be too excited to sleep tonight.
Steve D
Evening Satellite Publishing 