A Tardy April Recap

Marinus was a constant companion during Camp NaNoWriMo. Sometimes, he would even contribute to my manuscript.

Largely trapped at home, save for work, thanks to COVID-19 self-isolation, I did manage to get a lot of writing done during the month of April. I fell short of my 30,000 word count goal for Camp NaNoWriMo; however, I did come close to completing Descent‘s  rough draft. I am down to four chapters, according to the outline. So despite not hitting my marker, I will count April as a win because I can finally see the light at the end of the tower.

I reached some scenes I had been looking forward to for quite some time. I also got to write some new characters who I adore. I like to think I crafted some really great lines and scenes, but I’ve also had a lot of dark spirals into doubt and impostor syndrome. I try not to entertain such feelings, but it did latch in fairly hard, using the roughness of my draft to mock me. But as always, I know that sensation will pass. It only takes time.Continue reading “A Tardy April Recap”

Advertisement

Into The Heritage Verse: A is Agoranomi

“Yep, I’m getting a promotion and my own ship. The esteemed members of the Agoranomi and the Magistrate Brass themselves see me as invaluable. Of course, this is something we already knew.”

“Quite the ego.” Akakios exhaled and shifted in his chair. “But congratulations are in store. May your ship serve you well.”

“I’m sure it will. It’s called the Aletheia.” She slanted her head toward Amyntas and Sotiris. “We should be quite content on her. After all, the Magistrate calls, and we answer . . . always answering.”

Kallistrate and Akakios discourse, Heritage Lost

In Heritage Lost, one member of the Oneiroi’s Agoranomi–Kyros Anagnos–is introduced. The Oneiroi, who will be receiving their own entry once we reach “O,” are based loosely off Greek mythology, and so the Agoranomi also have their roots in Greece.  They were namely magistrates of the market where they maintained order and policy. Among their duties, they settled disputes, examined of the quality of the articles exposed for sale, inspected weights and measures, collected harbor dues, and enforced the shipping regulations.

Continue reading “Into The Heritage Verse: A is Agoranomi”

Of Francis de Sales, Chaos, Insanity, And Series Bibles

Full disclosure: I’m not Catholic, but I could really use the divine intervention of saint Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers and journalists — I am both — to sort out the mess my series notes have become for the Heritage Verse, thus saving me from a madness of my own making.

When I wrote my fantasy series, I meticulously plotted out a series bible for it (a paper binder at the time). However, with my sci-fi novel, I have engaged in rather opprobrious cataloging efforts. I will have people remark when I’m explaining world-building elements that it’s pretty incredible the amount of information I have and they always ask how I keep it all straight. The answer? Very poorly. I’m trusting my brain too much to remember it all, and now as I’m diving into the sequel novel, I am finding that some information is slipping, meaning lost writing time as I have to pause and refresh.

And that is where a thorough series bible would come in handy. For those who are diving into series, series bibles really are essential. When you are world-building, there are so many details to keep track of, and without a series bible, some of those details are going to fall through the cracks. In my own experience recently, I am finding myself going back through my published book more than I thought I would need, and it would just be so much easier and quicker to have a document that tracks everything I need for continuity as it pertains to characters, plot, and world-building elements.Continue reading “Of Francis de Sales, Chaos, Insanity, And Series Bibles”

Live reading tomorrow and Saturday

Don’t forget tomorrow, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, I will be doing live readings at 7 p.m. on my author Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/smwrightauthor. Friday will be chapter one with chapter two to follow on Saturday. If you miss Friday, don’t worry. I will do a brief recap.

Saturday, I will be probably myself a nice glad of wine in honor if my birthday. Bring your own glass.

It should be a fun relaxing night. If you have any questions, ask them as I read and I’ll answer them.

March Recap: Live readings and more

In an attempt to be a more consistent blogger, I plan to start writing recaps at the end of each month on just my general writing progress, release information, and general life things.

The Writing

At the end of 2019, I’d created a five-year business plan of goals I want to accomplish from 2020-2025. For the opening months of 2020, I was overzealous in my planning as I was unable to finish the rough draft of Descent by the end of February. While I have been more consistent in writing almost daily, I’ve had some off weeks, especially in March when I experienced a relapse of abdominal pain, which is stoked by anxiety and stress. I had been doing better at managing my stress and anxiety, but with the time change, some stressors at work, and now the pandemic, my coping techniques failed me.

However, I have Descent within shooting distance of 80K words. My aim is for it to be longer than Heritage Lost as it is a larger-scale work with more moving pieces as the galaxy teeters on the edge. I have it all outlined; however, I’ve had to split a few chapters in two, so the outline is adapting to that and some other minor changes. Some characters are throwing surprises at me.

I had wanted to focus on my historical fiction novel during Camp NaNoWriMo this April, but since I’m on more of a deadline with Descent, it will be my project for April. I estimate that I have about 30,000-40,000 words left on it, which means it should be done during that writing event. With my birthday being April 4 and having nowhere to go except sheltering at home, I think I should be to start Camp NaNoWriMo on a strong footing.Continue reading “March Recap: Live readings and more”

So I self-published: What that journey was like

I self-published my first full-length novel, Heritage Lost, Dec. 6, 2019. Technically, the paperback on Amazon went live in late November after I was overzealous with my clicking . . . oops. It has definitely been a learning experience that was a lot different from my experience of publishing short stories via KDP — for one thing, you’re dealing with twice the formatting. For writers interested in self-publishing, I thought I’d share a bit about my experience and the pathway I took. In the future, I’ll probably also share a post about what I would do differently if I had the opportunity. There are quite a few things.

KDP and Ingram Spark Combo

For this release, a KDP and Ingram Spark combination was used.

I took the saying about never putting all of your eggs in one basket very seriously. Platforms can shut down, rules can change, and accounts can be locked — fairly or unjustifiably. If you only have your stories on one platform and one of those three things happens, poof! you’re gone. Your readers can no longer find your works and you are missing out on profit while facing the challenge of rebuilding. Having a secondary source for your book’s printing prevents it from disappearing.

With that said, I’m still a part of KDP’s Kindle Unlimited program, which means while my paperback is available at different retailers, my e-book is exclusively available on Amazon. I did this because I’m building my readership and KU allows me to cast a wider net; some of these readers might never had picked up my book otherwise. The program has also been highly recommended by other indie authors.Continue reading “So I self-published: What that journey was like”

Obligatory 2019 Recap & Here’s To 2020

Well, we’re already a month into 2020, so this blog is off to a terrific start in the new year. But I still wanted to get this post of reflection done.

Part of me believes I was an incredibly lazy year, but then I sit and really think about all that I accomplished during it. It was A LOT. So I’m not entirely sure why I feel I didn’t do enough. For one thing, I finally realized my dream of publishing a full-length novel. “Heritage Lost” went through its final edits. I formatted that sucker (both e-book and paperback) myself, and I hit publish on Dec. 6.

I also actually wrote more than I had in years, including almost 19K on “The Promise,” and reaching the halfway marker on both “Descent” (Heritage Lost Book 2) and my historical fiction novel. Periodically, I also wrote scenes as they came to mind — something I’m striving to do more often. One must strike while the iron is still hot.

I like to think I’m on more solid grounding as I enter 2020 and embark on the first leg of my ambitious five-year writing business plan. By the end of 2020, I hope to have “Descent” wrapped up for a Spring 2021 release; a companion Heritage Verse novel, featuring Akakios and his crew, largely done for a Fall 2021 release; and get the historical fiction novel ready for querying. I’m also whipping myself into gear to finish story No. 2 in The Augur’s Rose Series, which should be available by Fall 2020 — trouble is brewing and you can’t keep a good necromancer down. Ba-da-dump!

I’ve missed one of my rough timeline goals in my five-year plan by not wrapping up “Descent” at the end of January, but there is wiggle room allowed in my planning. I’m also very proud to have reached the 67K marker — so over halfway there. Here’s hoping that I will have it wrapped up by the end of February, especially since I’m starting to see my daily word counts grow again. Maybe not to the level of my high school days, but I work a full-time job so I need to cut myself slack. I give myself too little slack as it is.

With any luck, the blog will be more active in 2020, but I suggest not holding your breath. I’m certainly not holding mine.

Meet Heritage Lost’s Cast: Mina

Mina’s aesthetic (pictures from PixaBay)

Mina, 16, may or may not have been named after a popular Reznic singer — she’ll never tell (think of the embarrassing band your parents adore). Truthfully, she won’t say much about her early life before she came into Katya’s orbit. Her parents are a topic strictly off the table.

Having been born on the highly populated and industrialized planet Reznic, she puts up a bubbly exterior while being incredibly cautious, both of which served her well when sneaking onto a Magistrate military base. It was during these escapades that she met Katya and became her ward. She views her both as a sort of mother-figure and mentor.

When Katya received her posting on The Maelstrom, Mina joined her and began learning the ins and outs of life as a pilot. She relishes being able to see the galaxy, collecting an assortment of weird odds and ends. One of her most prized possessions is a pair of retro wired earbuds.

She loves music and bright colors, choosing to dye her hair a vast array of colors. In her free time, she is an avid cook. There is no ingredient she wouldn’t try to prepare in a dish, with Katya somewhat afraid that one day the teen will kill them all by unknowingly poisoning them. One of Mina’s favorite dishes is a comfort food from her homeworld called bok. This dish is described as consisting of noodles, a special sauce, and ground meat. Here is a link to a similar Earth dish: https://drivemehungry.com/yaki-udon-stir-fried-udon-noodles/.

Heritage Lost’s final cover by MissChibiArtist.

Heritage Lost is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book retailers. You can also read it for free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.

Heritage Lost Release Week

Get your copy Dec. 6!

Heritage Lost officially arrives this Friday, Dec. 6.  And running up to its release, a lot of fun activities are planned, including the conclusion of my ongoing prequel short story, The Promise; a few e-book giveaways; and a release day party on my author Facebook page.

The e-book version is still available for preorder on Amazon and will be automatically delivered to your Kindle come Dec. 6. If you have a Kindle Unlimited account, you’ll also be able to read Heritage Lost for free while it is enrolled in that program.

The paperback version of Heritage Lost is actually live on Amazon . . . What can I say? I got a little overzealous with my button-pushing. If you prefer Barnes & Noble, the paperback is available for preorder. You’ll also likely find it available at a variety of other booksellers thanks to the IngramSpark distribution network. You can’t go wrong with either the copy available through Amazon (the KDP print job) or the one available elsewhere (the IngramSpark print job). Both proofs were phenomenal when they arrived.

Now that all the links are out of the way, let’s get into what to expect this week.Continue reading “Heritage Lost Release Week”

December 1: NaNoWriMo Recap

Hello, Dec. 1, you arrived pretty fast there. Like seriously. Way too fast.

Needless to say, I didn’t hit the 50K marker, but I kind of figured I wouldn’t. November is a horrible month for me personally with a ton of life events packed into it, from my dad’s birthday to hosting a GIFF event for the library. This particular November also saw the unexpected passing of my direct supervisor at work, which added in a lot of stress and left me in a state of shock.

Despite this, I did achieve my ultimate goal of at least writing a little bit each day. In total, I typed out 13,360 words and brought my WIP to a total of 50,023 words. That’s about the halfway marker!

I plan to continue work on Descent through the month of December, though I likely won’t be able to write every day since the month is crazier than November.

So how did NaNoWriMo go for you this year?

I made a heart rhythm with my daily writing counts.

%d bloggers like this: