I only got 1/3rd of my goal in word for the month and made almost zero progress on any of the projects. I didn’t walk very often, managed to wrack up my rib cage while changing the filter in our furnace, and then got sick for a few days, just as icing on the cake.
Quick recap.
I have covers coming for Troy Harbor and Dark Knight Station: Origins.
Audio for the Shaman Tales will be coming this fall from Podium. I owe
Karen the draft for Troy Harbor tomorrow. I’m going to be late.
I have yet to find the thread on any follow up project which is the root of the problem.
Ishmael and Company started up but I can’t find the handle on them. They’ve all achieved their goals and now they’re just boring.
I’ve toyed with several choices of Shackleford House stories but can’t seem to make any of them gel the way that Butler did.
I’ve explored other “Origins” stories but – as with everything else – nothing grabs me.
One positive note: I got the draft for Hostage back from the co-writer.
So, I’ve got three drafts waiting for me to do something with while I’m fighting a goal (2k a day every day) that feels more and more arbitrary as I go.
Perhaps I’ll be able to turn things around in June.
Well, April flew, anyway. It was not a great month here. First, the numbers.
Month:
43,932
Year:
269,758
WIP:
72,154
Streak:
508,988
Days:
200
Average:
2,542
I tried to write three thousand words a day. I cratered when I finished the draft for Troy Harbor. After six months of writing every day, I’ve had a few – ahem – minimal days. Technically, my streak is intact at 200 days because my average is over 2k a day. This is the first month since last October that I failed to reach my goal.
Status Updates:
After all that work, I’m feeling burned out. I’ve been having a bit of a stay-cation and avoiding the word processor to try to recharge. Sadly, that also means my planner with all the careful notes has gone MIA.
Shaman’s Tales Audio I’ve signed a deal with Podium to produce the Shaman’s Tales for Audible. Jeffrey Kafer will read them. I still have no dates on the releases.
The Wizard’s Butler Released on March 22. I sent out a notice to the list. As usual, the paperback is lagging but there’s no contagion problem with ebooks.
Barbarians: Book 1: Hostage – I finished my edits and passed the manuscript over to my co-writer. She’s still working through it.
Troy Harbor Yes, the last in the line of Shaman’s Tales. First draft done. Cover in the works.
Dark Knight Station: Origins First draft done. Will need a cover artist for this one.
What’s Next:
I’m struggling with this. I’ve started the next Ishmael book. I have a rough plot outline for the next Ishmael trilogy. I’m not happy with it. It feels too much like work.
I want to follow up on the Butler book and Tanyth is calling me.
Reminder: I’ve got plans for Ishmael and Pip, Zoya and Natalya. I’ll be getting back to them. Probably in 2020. I’m not sure what – exactly – they’re going to do, but I didn’t spend five years putting them together only to let them sail off into the Deep Dark.
I’ve been reading a lot of stuff. More Glynn Stewart. More of the Paranormal Women’s Fiction. More Krista D. Ball. I go through them really quickly these days—when I can pull myself out of Fallout 4.
Last Words
I’ve had a bit of a respite for the last couple of weeks. A flood of green on my progress calendar has a line of red x’s on it where I’ve just kind of drawn in on myself and let the world go for a few days.
I’m planning on getting back on the horse today and seeing how far I can ride before it bucks me off again.
In the meantime, stay safe, keep reading, and hug any of your loved ones within reach.
For five grand a month and a million dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn’t care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year.