My lull since my last post has not been a quiet time on the writing front – far from it, in fact. I’ve found sometimes that the best way to maximize writing outputs and get to the end of tasks or projects is to go through ‘writing sprints’ – periods where I push hard to finish WIPs in whatever free time the day job, family life, and general domestic duties allow. By taking this approach, I find my brain is always primed for productivity, and when I do pick up the pen (metaphorically speaking) I am able to continue from my last session fairly efficiently (and with minimal risk of writer’s block). The massive caveat here is this approach is not sustainable in the long term and certainly not conducive to good mental health. When working on bigger projects – like starting a new manuscript – I have to think of it in the long term, meaning a marathon that will go on for months or years, not a mad dash that I can push through over a few weeks. That said, my recent writing sprint was aimed at completing my third novel so that I could return to the second and look at the next steps in bringing that to market after its recent review by a group of beta readers (i.e. do I revisit the traditional route or do take the hybrid/indie route again? The answer is a resounding TBC).
Regarding the third novel, I’ve decided to take a different route entirely, in the first instance at least. Reading about the experiences of authors like Andy Weir (The Martian) and Hugh Howey (Silo) who attribute a considerable part of their success to the serialization and free release of their content, I’ve decided to do the same with my third novel. I will start next week, and I’m incredibly excited to share the story with the world using this blog. The whole thing has already been written and edited, but over the course of – however long it takes – I will release the story, bit by bit, each week. Probably on a Thursday. The genre is fantasy comedy, and my hope is the story will entertain, make readers think and ultimately give them a good laugh. At first, it seemed like a frightening prospect to release the story like this, but at this stage, the more I think about it, the more excited I get. Serialization is an interesting prospect – will it work, will anyone read it? I have no idea. But sharing the story will take some time; this is certainly not a task that can be rushed through!
The name of the book is ‘By the Blood of Brethren and Blackguards.’ More information to follow in the coming days, with Part 1 scheduled for release next Thursday, June 1st.
Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash.
