Camp NaNoWriMo 2015

Tomorrow begins Camp NaNoWriMo, a second month full of writing for those of us who can’t get enough punishment in November! The goal is once again to push through 50,000 words over the course of the month, getting each writer who participates that much closer to finishing their work.

I’m excited to get started on Dawnbringer 2 once again. I’ve been so lost in getting Dawnbringer ready for the publisher, I really haven’t messed with the work on D2 since last November. I will probably give it a quick reread tonight before midnight to get myself reacquainted. The plan is to knock out my first two thousand words right out of the gate, while my energy is high!

To any aspiring writers who have never given NaNoWriMo a try, I couldn’t recommend it more. If you’re willing to hold your own feet to the fire and be self-motivated, it is an excellent way to move your story forward. The focus is not on editing; just write, write, write!

For those of you who are already a part of the crazy train that is Camp NaNo, I will see you all in a few hours; the fate of Cestre hangs in the balance!

www.campnanowrimo.org

Counting the Days

The final round of edits concludes today, with the exception of my last rewrite. It is still in process, and will undergo one last bout of edits before the book goes out for the query process. I’m excited as I reread the manuscript, because I think I’m truly on to something good.

I’m working with a local artist on getting a map set up and drawn out to accompany the manuscript, and for the first time in quite a while I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Each time I’ve thought that I was rolling into the station, I’ve found another tunnel that must be endured on the long march to publication.

Still, I know that there is a good chance the publisher at the far end will put my manuscript back on the train for a little bit longer of a ride. There is always the chance that they won’t like what I’ve written, or that they will feel another rewrite is in order. Patience is the name of the game at this point, and I’m desperately trying to keep that in perspective.

The book is almost ready!

Knowing When to Stop

I’m a perfectionist. I know that many writers will fall into that camp by nature, but I can only speak for myself. I constantly criticize my own work, looking at it over and over to see what more I can squeeze out of it to make it better.

I’ve really been experiencing this with my Dawnbringer series. I planned to have it ready for submission to agents by the beginning of this year, yet here I am working through one more edit. I’ve added a new set of characters, been through three edits, and listened to a series of “alpha readers” and made some adjustments based on their feedback. I’m now completely rewriting one of the story arcs, and trying desperately to finish one last round of proofreading.

In short, I’m calling an end to the madness! You must know when your work is good enough, and for now, I’ve reached that point. I’m completing this last batch of edits, and then the project is going out to a set of agents for consideration. I could dwell at this stage forever, given my perfectionist tendencies. I simply must set my foot down, take a chance, and send it out.

I may forever wonder if I misspelled a word somewhere in the text I submit, but it has no chance sitting on my desk. Wish me luck; before March is out, I will begin the submissions process!

Poem – Thaw

With all the crazy weather in my area recently, it seems appropriate that my mind is stuck on cold weather. I’ve also been in a moody place recently, reflecting on the nature of man and how we come to be so distrustful and cynical. I decided to roll the two together, as I was watching the last of the snows melt.

Thaw

The virgin white drifts all around

Cascade of perfect flakes

I know I must trod purest field

Though a step, the perfect breaks

Such beauty in this world I see

Moonlight off unstained glass

The path is lost in powdered sheet

Until cold travelers pass

Like nature’s beauty, soul shines clean

Despite inherent flaw

Yet rises sun, as trials come

And purest clothing thaws.

Randall Madden

February 27, 2015