Week One

I’m almost at the end of the first week of this whole book-writing thing, and it has not gone according to plan.

First, I am working on a book. It’s just not the book I planned to write. For some reason, things fell flat on The Thorn Garden immediately. The book is still waiting to be written, but now isn’t the time to write it, since I found myself pulling my hair out trying to locate the two books I actually need to proceed.

So, I’m working on the follow up to Shadows May Fall. Progress has been slow, filled with mini “Ah-ha!” moments. An intro I didn’t know was needed until I was utterly stumped come Chapter Two. A sub-plot that gets darker every time I revisit it. Having to break the no-research rule to stop and look something up several times because I can’t proceed without some minor detail. It takes place in a fictional town, which one would think would be easier to manage since I can just make things up, but ultimately turned into a project that involved stitching several real-life towns together, none of which have half the historical sources as Halifax did for Shadows May Fall. Then there’s the main character, whose arrogance I have to constantly keep in check.

It’s moving, and for the first time in about a year, but it’s not moving at the breakneck speed required for this challenge. I’d say the ETA looks closer to 60 days than 30. While I’d love to have the high of having finished a book in 30 days and being done with it, I’d rather have one that is readable, and the 50K/30 days method isn’t exactly the right method for getting me a readable book.

Bring on week two!