Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro is my favorite place to write. Yeah, sure, lots of people go to bookstores to buy books. Not me, I go there to write books. Just the kind of crazy hoot ‘n nanny that I am all about. The right amount of distraction, endless supply of coffee and snacks combined with some of the nicest folks you will ever meet.
Easter Egg Alert – I have written Next Chapter into the epilogue of the West Wind.
And I finished a scene (3 scenes to a chapter… 1 & 1/3 to go!)
It’s 1 and 2/3 chapters from being done,
we got a MacBook with a full charge,
the family is out of town,
it’s dark…. and I am wearing sunglasses (ok, not really. But I am wearing my writing glasses).
Hit it.
Welcome to those of you who are visiting for the first time through the efforts of my shameless self promotion. I am planning on carpeting Gen Con with “The West Wind” business cards just to bring in more visitors. With that in mind, I am planning a bit of a content blitz starting 8/1 and leading up to Gen Con itself.
What you are likely to see:
So welcome first time visitors, welcome back others that have been here before – lets get out the brass goggles and feed the firebox… it is going to be a fun ride.
I was introduced to a new writers group tonight – some really great folks and a couple of old friends from writing class. I enjoyed attending and hope that I get to spend more time with them in the future.
Quick progress update…. I have 1 & 2/3 chapter to complete the first draft. I have to get it done before heading off to Gen Con next week. Have to keep it under a year!
Badges bought, hotel booked, almost ready to go.
I had hoped to have first draft done and a full revision before going to Gen Con. Pretty good for a year of work it would have been. Having never written a book before, I can see that I was suffering from unsubstantiated optimism.
I did finish a chapter this last week. So the “two and a half” that I have been repeating for a while now is down to “two more.” It was a long chapter and I blew something up.
Two more.
As I said in my opening of the blog, writing a book was something I had always wanted to do. And I am doing it. I have been printing chapters as I complete them, a tip I had picked up early on from Micheal Stackpole’s podcast, to help ensure you have a backup and to prevent co-mingling writing and editing. Holding the fat binder also has the benefit of making you feel like you are accomplishing something. Hard to deny when you see the stack of paper growing.
I took Stackpole’s seminar at Gen Con Indy last year. I had decided to finally take my writing seriously. Since then I have taken two writing classes, won NaNoWriMo and have over 106k words on the West Wind complete. My hope is to wrap it up and head down to Gen Con this year with a sense of accomplishment. No great expectations of course other than doing some networking. But it does have a sense of bringing things full circle.
Just finished an Eli chapter, two more of his POV to go and only one more Rachel chapter until I am done. Can I do it this long weekend?
After last week’s major milestone (well it was at least for me…) of crossing the 100k word count, this weekend’s milestone is equally exciting (well it is at least for me…).
Roland, one of my main POV characters, storyline is complete!
That leaves me with one more chapter of Rachel and three chapters, maybe only two and a half, of Eli until I am done.
I was hoping to have a re-write done by the end of July in time for Gen-Con Indy. I started my writing there last year by attending several writing track seminars. This year I was planning on taking cards and synopsis to do a little networking.
Nope. Haven’t finished the first draft but have reached what I believe to be a meaningful milestone.
I crossed the 100,000 word mark!
When I finish the current scene I will be completely finished with Roland’s story line. That leaves me only one more Rachel chapter and a couple more for Eli. I think I have to be in the right (or wrong) mood to write Eli. He just has so many problems…
Not much longer now.
I can’t believe how close I am to completing the first draft of The West Wind. I have 3 chapters and a couple more scenes to complete. Finishing the chapter I am working on now will complete Roland’s story. Sloop close!
It looks like I have fallen into a habit of writing almost exclusively on the weekends. Heading down to my favorite bookshop and bistro has also become part of my habit (see ‘appearances’ in the side bar). I have heard that writing is a solitary activity, and I think there is truth in that. I find myself in the world of my own creation. That doesn’t mean that I need to isolate myself. Whether it is sitting at the bookstore or at home, I can write while in the middle of others and the hubbub of activity.
Proof being – over 7,500 words this weekend. A little more than 5 chapters to finish my first draft. Too bad I cannot find one of those status bar widgets.
D.W. Beyer 