Day 83

Spoiler Alert! May contain planning-stage plot/character details or other spoilers!

04 Apr 2016

Contains affiliate links. I’m going to take a leap here, and start planning seriously for a sequel and probably a trilogy plot structure, based mostly on reading two teen Kelley Armstrong series in the space of a couple weeks where she cuts the story very much in action, leaving huge unresolved plot threads dangling. So I think this book will end when Cole makes it out of the Tower, and possibly reunites with Itri.

Unfortunately, that does mean that a number of the best parts of the story aren’t going to make it into this book, which could backfire… Currently, there aren’t any ‘high-stakes’ deaths or significant emotional high points, it’s like a whole book of stage-setting, which shouldn’t work… but if I can get the action quotient high enough, or get readers to cheer for Cole, that should be enough to carry them through to another story.

It’s funny; in the first blush of this story, the ‘monster attacks’ and rescue was a barely-there prequel, a necessary set-up to Cole and Itri’s developing relationship… which has slid so far away that I’m not sure we’ll ever really get there.

Also, I feel like there should be more comedy, to raise the stakes. Like Cole is clumsy or Cadence has a silly or teasing tone or whatever. I also have this feeling that Cole is angry, like simmering-just-below-the-surface rage angry. Maybe that’s not until later or something.

Making slow progress with the coding stuff right now, and reading articles saying to ditch the blog efforts and go with mobile app-based micro-communities based around your audience and subject, which is a significant departure from where my plans were at. So lots of resetting all ‘round.

I’d like to wrap up first drafts over the next two weeks, take the next week off while my parents are out of town as a mental break (up to two weeks maybe?), and then dive into rewrites, strategy, and sharing content. Beta readers come after that, and then hopefully before I leave the continent in July, the first round of query letters. B

ut it’s not like I’ve stayed much on target with any other efforts so far, so that may all be a pipe dream. I can waste time with the best of them, so taking a break doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but it does feel very wrong to stop moving forward with this project and just let it sit for a long enough time that I can come back to it with fresh perspective. And a week or two is probably (absolutely) not what people mean when they say you should do that.

So I guess I’m breaking all the rules. Over and over again.

Here’s to breaking rules, taking chances, and failing spectacularly!

Monday

Start time: 10:00 am

Location: couch/living room

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