Writing Update 2-16-19

Hello. It’s me. Post-Deadline-Meg. I’m a little fried around the edges, a little overdone. Soft in the middle. But I’m here. I’m doing adult things like writing this blog post and TAXES. Y’all, it doesn’t get more adult than taxes. Holy shit. It’s sobering.

But this is an update not my eulogy. So lemme update ya.

Draft two-ish of Bless His Cursed Soul is off to my editor for round one or copyedits. I do my own content/developmental edits (for better or worse). Unfortunately for this book, my deadline was so tight that most of my content edits were crammed into the weekend before the book was due on Monday. Thankfully with this being the second book in the series (and having written the first book so recently), content edits didn’t require a ton of passes on my end before the book ever sees an editor. But they were still time consuming. I started on Friday, slept a few hours early Saturday morning, worked twelve hours Saturday, and about fourteen or more on Sunday. I cut probably 10k words and added in 25k. But honestly, I tried not to watch word count too much. It would’ve freaked me out and there was no time for panicking.

So for copyedits, my editor does a lot of line by line adjusting of grammar, sentence structure, repetition callouts (like, you used this word already on this page, or this sentence layout is similar to another spot, or you’ve already given this information three pages before). It gives me a headache and I hate this part of the writing process, but my editor is fantastic and she makes it relatively painless. I just go in and accept her changes, read her comments, and make my own adjustments.

After copyedits, I have the book back few a few days to a week, and I’ll read through it a few more times myself to clean up words, fiddle with sentences until I like them, or adjust any last minute plot things (hopefully not too much of this). And then it’s off for proofreading, back to me for a final pass or two, and then formatting with the lovely team at Qamber Designs. And all of this has to happen before March 17, the book’s release.

That’s the general update for book two! Thankfully, I don’t think this book is going to fall into the second book syndrome of being a weird tie-in between books one and three. Actually, I think this book might be more exciting and better than book one. Fingers crossed!

There’s a lot happening with that book, but I’ve already set might sights on book three (so far unnamed, although I’m tossing around ideas …). I’ve started outlining and playing around in a possible third character’s POV (can you guess who?!). This book is due to my editor in May.  I like to have lower daily word count goals so that the pressure feels off. I can approach my writing each day like someone might approach a skittish stray cat. Real slow and gentle, and possibly with a can of open tuna.

Okay, I don’t like tuna but you get my drift.

Aside from The Righteous series stuff, I’ve also started a fun side project. I don’t want to give too much away about this one right now because, to be honest, I don’t know how I feel about it. I might scrap it completely. But so far, it feels right, and I’m enjoying writing it. We’ll see what comes of it. What do you think it is? Or, what do you hope it is? Comment below and let me know!

 That’s it for the writing update. If it looks like a lot, that’s because it is. I’ve got a lot of ground to make up after last year’s slow release schedule.

For a more personal update, here’s a picture of my dog. This is also a solid representation of me after my deadline: I’m alive, but I don’t look it.

I’m dealing with a couple injuries, so my training has slowed down a bit. For those new, I row and race competitively. My big race this coming summer is in July. So I have time to rehab my knee and get back into the swing of things. I’m taking it one day at a time and trying to find the balance between a hustling career and staying active.  Here’s a picture of me from last spring in my single (a one person sculling boat).

And that’s it for this update! Leave me a comment below and say hi. I would love to hear your thoughts on my secret project or what you want to see (or what new character’s pov you want) for book three in The Righteous series!

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Pre-order Bless His Cursed Soul now. It’s $2.99 during pre-order but will go up to $3.99 post release. It’s also in Kindle Unlimited.

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Lick your face,

Meg