Another successful NaNoWriMo behind me. My goal was 100k or a completed draft by the 20th. I wrote 5k words a day until the 18th when I finished the draft for my half of the Barbarian book that I’m co-writing with my elder child. I also picked up my new habit of writing 2k new words a day and I’m 30k words into my next book – The Wizard’s Butler (h/t to Chris Weible for the title and idea).
Onward to status reports:
Writing:
Cape Grace:
At the editor. Karen was booked solid last month and is still fighting free. I still haven’t seen the new covers yet. Time to rattle his cage again.
Hostage: Barbarian at the Gate – Book 1
Waiting on the second half from my co-writer
The Wizard’s Butler
30k into it and enjoying it more every day.
Next Project:
I have a list of about 60 ideas. My next task is going to be organizing them to see if any of them have legs. Some top contenders at the moment:
- I need to get back to Ishmael. I don’t know what that story looks like yet.
- One of the recurring ideas from my newsletter readers was a series of Toe-Hold/CPJCT stories about the stations and life there.
- Back stories on all the characters in that universe – notably Lois McKendrick, and the Carstairs clan.
- Tanyth Fairport adventure. I don’t know what that might be yet.
Audio:
Suicide Run
Podium sent me the official release date – 24 Dec 2019. It should be available for pre-order soon if it’s not already.
Home Run
Still on the calendar for Feb 2020.
Tanyth Fairport
I contacted the production company and gave them a nudge. Fingers crossed.
What I’m Reading
Newsletter readers get to see my reading list. Seems only fair blog readers should, too.
Some of you know I read a lot of litRPG. Right now I’m into Desert Runner by Dawn Chapman. Dawn’s one of the comparatively few women writing in this space and I really like her touch with it. I’m about a third of the way through book one and I’m hooked even though it’s a novella length.
You can find the three book set here: https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Sequence-Puatera-Online-1-3-ebook/dp/B079QTHJMY
Looking ahead
My goal is to write 2k new words every day to keep books in the pipeline. I’ve tried it before but 4thewords has been really helpful over the last 48 days (over 150k words) It’s keeping me on track with the gamification. I can satisfy my ADHD by trying new quests and fighting new monsters. I’m not saying I’ll succeed at this goal of over 700k words in 2020 but one day at a time, one month at a time, I’m going to give it a shot.
December’s goals:
- 62k words. That should see me through The Wizard’s Butler
- Publish Cape Grace – although much of this is out of my hands at the moment.
- Line up the next project
Bottom line: I’m ending December with 122k words and a new sense of purpose.
That’s it for now.
Safe voyage.
In audio you said Milk Run for Feb 2020, you mean Home Run, correct?
Yes. Fixed it. Thanks! 🙂
Yay,
just pre-ordered Suicide Run on Audible !
Keep up the great work Nathan, Fingers crossed that you can keep up your current streak. Sometimes when you get knocked out of it, it can take a long time to get back into your groove. Glad you seem to have found your way back !
Suicide Run dropped overnight onto my phone. Thanks!
I love all the stories, and I look very much forward to more Ish. In fact, I’m on my new re-read since I’m on holidays and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was my 10th re-read of the earlier books. That being said, there are some details that are very hazy and will remain so until I re-read the newer books… but.. and forgive me if this comes off as too negative, because I really am just giving my subjective opinion – I’m usually not a fan of prequel works, and if you could work in backstory into moving the story forward, I’d appreciate that more. That being said, I can see how it would be difficult to tell Lois’s story in that way.
But I’d love to see more of Alys, and her people, and more of the Carstairs crew. Pip’s sister seemed interested in Ish, and that could be a direction further into their backstory?
I really have to re-read the newest stories, but I remember Pip saying he was backing out of the family business, he didn’t like keeping Ishmael in the dark, and he wasn’t entirely in it from what I recall – he was acting like someone who knew it, and was partly excluded but working around with a finger in all pies? It’d be interesting to see where they got to next, and how Margaret Newmar, and the Carstairs and others in the world use them, and how they react to being used, or work within the games… especially as Ish adapts more to the Toe Holds, and hopefully the Toe Hold members of his crew open up to him, his family across the worlds hopefully starts keeping in touch with him some more.
‘A History of the Carstairs Shipping Company’ could work as a series of short stories, if you don’t feel like digging into it extensively, or have a series of mental vignettes. I’d buy it!
Happy holidays!
Definitely a HUGE fan of the Solar Clipper universe and will pretty much buy and read anything set there (eagerly awaiting more Ishmael and Nats!)
If you enjoy GameLit, and haven’t tried it yet, take a gander at the Otherlife series from William D. Arand. Loads of good times there.
Again, thank you for your imagination and ability to translate that to engaging story telling!
Merry Christmas (Or happy holidays)!