I have good news to report! On Tuesday night (with about fifteen minutes to spare) I finished the first draft of Outcast (Flawed, book 2), thus meeting my goal. And there was much rejoicing! Next comes a very important phase for the novel: it must sit. For the next 4 – 6 weeks (possibly longer), I will not read it, edit it or touch it in any way. Instead, I will focus my energies on other things so that Outcast and I become strangers once again (or as much as that’s possible). This is necessary so that when I go back to do the first round of edits, the manuscript is unfamiliar and I can read it with fresh eyes.
I know what you’re wondering…now that the book is finished, what will I be doing? Sitting in front of the television every night, twiddling my thumbs? (Maybe a little, but only if you replace “thumbs” with “knitting needles.” It would be great to catch up on my knitting.)
The Ever-Growing To-Do List
While I will probably allow some down time, I have plenty scheduled to keep me busy. And a good deal of it involves projects within the Consortium. Here is a peek at my to-do list:
- Finish reading the In the Woods by Tana French for book club
- Read Expectation by Aaron Pogue in preparation for book three of the Ghost Targets series
- Read Restraint (book three) by Aaron Pogue (coming 8/16) and coordinate efforts for cover design
- Read Shadows after Midnight by Courtney Cantrell (coming 10/11) and coordinate efforts for cover design
- Do another review/edit of the opening chapters of Empath (book 1 in the Flawed series)
- Finish the first draft of Foreign Identity
- Prewriting for Flawed, book 3
- Keep up the blog
So I have plenty to keep me busy. I’m sure if I need a break between ongoing projects I’ll do some knitting and painting as well. I don’t plan on starting my next novel until National Novel Writing Month in November. But I have a feeling the next four months will fly by. Until then, I hope to absorb as much creative energy as I can.
Coming Soon on Inspiration for Creation
Very soon I will be doing a series of posts here analyzing the design of the spaces where you create. Before I quit work to homeschool my children, I was a Certified Interior Designer with a degree and seven years of experience in the field. Using my expertise, I’ll look at the various aspects of interior design and how they affect where you work and live. I’ll also offer tips for fixing areas that might be negatively affecting your productivity. If you ever have creative block (or if you want to learn some free tips on interior design), you’ll want to read this series. Stay tuned!
Congrats on the goal! Well done and I can’t wait to read it!
Sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy. When will you be handing out drafts to read? I’m reading one of Aaron’s now but I can start on yours after.
No one gets to read the first draft. (It’s just not worthy of that.) Therefore, it will probably be late summer or early fall before I hand it off to beta readers.
I said it on Twitter, but I’ll say it again here: Congrats on finishing Draft 1 of Outcast, Becca! I’m excited to be part of several of your new projects over the next few months. : ) Oh, and I’m really looking forward to your spaces-design posts as I move into my own new living space!