Last night I finished the “Escape Into Winter,” the latest Thule story. The first draft thundered in at nearly 8,000 words, which is just too long. Today I edit that draft with an eye toward trimming it down a bit, as well as dealing with the normal things one does in editing a raw draft. Also I will check to see if the ending still makes sense this morning. (Midnight Carolyn is sometimes a genius but she sometimes writes things that Daytime Carolyn thinks came from the mind of a babbling idiot.)
The story goes to Mia today after that one round of editing. This story has been reworked so many times (changes to tense, point of view, names and ethnicity of the characters and so forth) that I am certain she will catch consistency issues I missed. I’m glad it is finished. I’m ready to think about something other than Vikings.
I have a fantastic idea for a space opera story that I can’t wait to write. After I send Mia “Escape Into Winter,” I’ll make some notes for it. And I’ll add two more chapters to Peak Love. I also have two other short stories I want to write. I’ll be brainstorming those as well this week.
Secret Project #2 (gaming supplement) came back from the editor with 24 pages of recommendations and notes. Most are formatting and consistency issues which means that they are things I will fix. Our editor had virtually no serious content issues, which is a relief. Nor did he complain that it came in a bit longer than we contracted for. So fixing those issues and sending it back for playtesting is on our plates. I look forward to announcing the name of this project. Perhaps after playtesting is complete the publisher will allow us to do that. (If you would like to playtest this RPG supplement with us via Discord, let me know.)
Steve finished his book this week also and sent it off to the publisher. So it has been a week of accomplishments. We will be drinking Champagne, eating fancy vegan cheeses, and having a special tasting (to be revealed later) on Friday night.
After Labor Day and the weekend’s fattening celebrations, I’ll be focusing tightly on improving my fitness and losing weight. Steve wants to do adventure racing. If I want to crew for him, I’ll need to be able to keep up with those challenges. The plan is to start a couch to 5K program and to adopt a healthier way of eating. I may train for a virtual race.
That’s where I am. I’m looking forward to an exciting end of this year. If all goes well I will have finished two books (Lightning Scarred and Other Stories and Peak Love), and one gaming supplement. I will have a strong start on the next two books: Journey to the Bears (more Thule) and my space opera novel. And I will be fitter.
We start our planning for 2021 in mid-September, so just a few more weeks before we start our process of blocking out next year and updating our five year plan. I’m excited!I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings. I hope it brings medical and scientific advances as well as some great stories from my friends and favorite writers.
Be well, friends!