The Catalysts Series – Book III

by with No Comment CatalystWriting
Book III First VERY Rough Draft

The first draft of Book III in The Catalysts series is done! Over 97,000 words – 340 pages. I’m actually through with the first editing pass thanks to input from the editorial staff at Brown Books. Revising is sooooo much easier than writing from scratch; at least for me. Once I have my world and story built, I can move around in it and make changes. But not right away. I need a second set of eyes to look at it and tell me areas that need work. I just can’t see it right away as I’m too close to the project. Once I get the feedback, though, it becomes obvious to me what I need to do and I’m off to the races. Thank you to Sterling for her stellar input! It’s such a gift to have the support of my team at Brown Books!

Book III is different from the previous two as it’s from both Marcie and Eric’s perspectives. The two storylines are separate but concurrent and connect at points throughout the book. It’s almost like writing two novels. So at about page 310 I realized I was nowhere near being done. I could have gone on for another 300 pages. That means Book III ends in a cliff hanger for both storylines and ideas for Book IV are already percolating in my mind. I’d hoped to get a bit of a break from writing, but the muse is working in my subconscious! I’ll be back at writing on Book IV as soon as revisions on Book III are complete.

Writing for me is a lot like tapping into the flow of consciousness that my characters experience. It’s as though the story is already there and I’m uncovering it like an archaeologist. Not to compare myself to Michaelangelo, but I think he said the statues he created were already present in the marble and he was simply revealing them. I totally understand that.

I also sometimes feel like I’m getting assistance from my mom, who’s on the other side. She was a lover of words and a writer in her own right. Maybe she’s my ‘ghost-writer’? 🙂

Here’s the first page so far – revisions will still happen as the manuscript will go through three or four more editorial passes before it’s complete. What do you think?

I have a couple of ideas for the title but I’m not ready to reveal them just yet. Maybe I’ll do a reader poll.

We’re looking at a Spring 2023 pub date. Fingers crossed!

Writer’s Block and Beer

by with No Comment Writing

A friend recently sent me this picture –

writers block beer

I can see sharing a beer with Mr. Shakespeare to help alleviate writer’s block! Or several beers! 😉 At least we’d have a good time. ***I just realized this is Pinot Noir, NOT beer. Oh, well, it has the same effect.

Fortunately, I’ve never suffered from true writer’s block. There have been times when I’m not sure how a scene will unfold or what direction the plot will go, but I find that if I approach it from another direction, the way will become clear. Usually that means working on another part of the novel where I’m sure of the way, or reviewing what I’ve already written to get a sense of what comes next.

My subconscious or higher self is where my ideas germinate. Thinking about the plot doesn’t generally produce great insights. I find that if I mull it over and spend some time brainstorming, researching and writing down ideas and go off to do something else – or go to sleep – and let things percolate, at some point ideas will start popping into my head. I always have a notebook with me so I can jot them down, but once the path of the plot unfolds, it becomes ‘real’ and I don’t forget it.

Many writers will tell you the book ‘writes itself’ or characters will do things that surprise you and change the trajectory of the plot. I find that’s true for me. When I get into the creative writing ‘zone’, it just flows out of me. I know what’s going to happen next and what the characters are going to do and say. Sometimes it’s not what I’d planned or expected, but it’s almost always better.

Right now I am revising Indian Summer, the first novel chronologically of the three companion books, which will be published after The Field as a prequel. I’m getting good feedback from my writers’ group and I can see how much I’ve progressed as a fiction writer since I started writing it about 13 years ago. I’m excited about the new, polished result.

I’m also starting to get ideas for the fourth novel of the quartet, which will provide what I hope is a satisfactory conclusion. More to come on that later!

Keep being creative!