Looking forward to November

...in the room where the giant fire puffer works, and the torture never stops...

Time taken for Granted

I'm realizing now how much I took "time" for granted in the years that I could have finished probably my entire series of novels.  While I don't regret waiting (the time in between has let new ideas grow on me, I'm even more mature with my storytelling, etc.), I'm finding that time is a precious commodity that I don't have.

With the added responsibility I've taken on at work, I'm now working voluntary overtime every week without thinking about it.  There is just so much to do.  By the time I get home, I have to either help with dinner or cleaning AND help out with our daughter AND find time to relax with her and my wife.  There is barely any time to write during the week without depriving myself of sleep (or shunning my family).


On weekends, if my wife is working then practically all my time is taken by my daughter.  I have some ideas for how I can squeeze in some writing but without my wife at home to help its really hard to get any quality time in.  And lets not talk about creative moods because usually they don't line up with my free time (and instead they always appear when I walk into the office).

Not a day went by this week that I didn't think about my novel.  I'm close to finishing the edit of the chapter I'd left off on, so I'm making forward progress.  Whether or not I can have this edit plus one more finished by July is still up in the air.  Just trying to squeeze this edit in by April is seeming less and less likely unless I take a vacation day or two.

However it ends up, I am getting the novel done this year.  I just hope its sooner than later.

Still Alive

Last year did not go the way I wanted it to.  I was hoping to have a publishing deal by now, but I'm still on my second edit.

I made a little bit of headway in 2014.  I feel I'm able to ground the story now and the minor details are filling themselves in.  There is still the "oh man this sucks" thought that comes to me every now and then.  The writing/grammar is where I'm feeling the burn, but I think as long as its bearable a publisher/editor will be able to help.

I'd say the biggest change from last year was that it has a new title.  I changed it in part because the original title was part of a series of titles and I don't think I'd be able to make it work for all seven novels.  This new title is also part of a series, but at times I think its a bit corny.  I'm going to withhold the new title for now in case I change my mind.  I don't think I will though.

Anyway, I'd love to finish with this novel before I turn 31.  I think I have a shot, but its going to require a lot of effort.  I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to buy any more video games til this book is done.  Gaming, family time, work... these are all I have time for.  I'm hoping to put gaming on the back burner as long as possible so I can make time for editing.  We'll see.

I'm about 10,000 words into hopefully 80,000+.  The first draft ended somewhere in the 52k realm.  The first edit was hand-written, so I have no idea where the first edit word count ended up.  I'll check back in at the end of the month to gauge how long this will take.

If I can finish by July, I should have enough time to prepare an outline for novel two before Nanowrimo in November :)