The. End.
I got to type those two words this week. As you can imagine, I danced in the moonlight, sacrificed a few fictional virgins in gratitude, bowed to the empress of typing then turned back to page one to begin the editing process.
This was an ending a long time in the making. It’s a story that first saw life as a scene for a book “to be determined later.” Then I squirreled it away and left it there. It’s now a full fledged novella and will be my first foray into the world of self-publishing. It’s also book one of a series with five more planned. Oy. I’m determined to be done by the end of January with book two ready for editing by the end of March. We’ll see.
I will confess I’ve not been a fan or proponent of self-publishing. It wasn’t until nationals in 2015 that I even first considered it a viable alternative for “real” writers. I apologize for how snotty that sounds. I’ve always prided myself for having an open mind and in most aspects of my life that’s true. But not with publication. I valued the vindication or accreditation that having a publisher give their stamp of approval to a work provided. The world of publication has changed and I must change with it. We’ll see.
I’m going to do the logical thing and reach out to smarter people who’ve made the journey. I’d like to think I’m smart enough to learn from them. We’ll see.
I look forward to the new year. I’m going to try some new tactics with my writing to keep me on point better than 2016. I’m a visual learner and I used to incorporate a white board into my writing. It showed the story development using colored post it notes (I love post it notes!). Blue – hero GMC. Pink – heroine GMC. Green – setting. Red – romance. Yellow – plot points. Orange – villain/external conflict. I’m going to switch to a trifold poster board to separate the story into the three acts of the stage play. It’s a device I’ve studied and coupled with some other things I use (The W plot, hero’s journey, 12 steps of intimacy) I’m going to try and put my right brain to work for my left brain. We’ll see.
There’s lots to see about in the new year apparently. So I wish everyone the happiest of new years. May it bring you success, solace and sustenance!