(I love this fun little text I sent to Vira)
Sometimes it is very difficult writing a series with someone. Just as it is to do anything with someone else. You get in arguments, you think the other person is wrong, or is being to pushy, or is unjustly criticising your work, or your mad because they ignored you. Whatever it is, it happens, and it’s something to work and grow through. But no matter how difficult it could be at times, I would never chose to write this series alone. The Sordian Chronicles is both of us, together. If I tried to write it alone it just wouldn’t be right. Add honestly it wouldn’t be half as amazing. Vira has created so much of what makes Sordia so wonderful that is just wouldn’t be without her.
I’m not sure why I decided to tell y'all that. I think it’s because I feel guilty for ignoring Vira a few times when she had book questions.
The real reason I’m posting it because NaNoWriMo has been very hectic for me. I used the last two weeks of October to prep my novel for November by outlining, fleshing out my characters, and kinda sorta not world building (oops). But two weeks in (after I only had written barely 2,000 words) I decided to write a spin off prequel to the book I was writing instead because I was bursting with ideas and thought (mistakenly) that it would be easier. Yep. I feel for the shiny new idea. *sign* Unfortunately it gets worst. After writing 1,000 words one day and another the next, I got stuck because I just jumped into the book, I barely had names and ages for my main cast of characters, a very vague plot with a ending and beginning and not much middle. I did come up with a lot of really good ideas for it and developed some of the characters quite a bit for having only worked on it for like all of three days. And I definitely write both of those books someday. But after almost a week of just blatantly ignoring the mostly blank page, I was frustrated and confused. After a long drive home to math class just talking to God about what I’m confused about my life and writing and my future and then the long drive home (20 min both ways so I’m not sure it will justify as a “long drive” but I’m rolling with it) thinking about the story I thought I could write on the fly and I think bragged to Vira about how well it was going (ooopies) I just got home and ignored the document more.
Finally, after reading about a dozen blog posts that has been piling up in my inbox, watching a Phoenix Fiction Writers livestream, looking at a much of book merch websites (ask me about them and I can give ya some links, there's some super cool stuff out here.) and eating ice cream, I finally opened my laptop. And, right after I clicked on my WIP tab, I deleted it before it could load and scrambled to find my document for my former WIP for The Sordian Chronicles and vomited out almost 2,000 words is just over and hour. And it felt amazing. Like I had been bottling up the ideas for so long and looking the other way because I told myself I should write something else first.
But why?
This was the book I had been wanting, needing to write since forever. This was the one I needed to get out and share with the world. And not writing it was killing all my motivation and inspiration and love for writing. The words flowed once again. My goodness, the words actually flowed. And worked. Writing those other stories? My writing was not very good. A lot of dialogue (a problem I know I have but I thought I had gotten better at) and very very very poor description (A skill I have been working really hard at for a while ever since I realized it was one of my biggest weaknesses in writing). But writing The Penance of Time? I described a lot of things on the fly and without much thought (except to look up that perfect word really quick on thesaures.com am I right?) and I’m not very good at that. If I want to describe something even half well it normally takes me three times as long as a conversation takes for me. Dialogue flows, but even in my other NaNo attempts, the dialogue wasn’t even working. And that’s a bad sign.
So yeah. I’m back at it for The Penance of Time. I I’m going to continue it as my NaNoWriMo book, but no promises. Maybe this is just another fluke. But I did tell Vira to get very angry at me if I didn’t get another 10,000 by next Friday, at least. Because I know I’m not good at self imposed deadlines, and that’s what NaNoWriMo feels like to me. So here I go again, wish me luck.
Also, I re-did my The Sordian Chronicles page on my site, so check that out. There are new covers for all my future books (and some changed titles, like The Penance of Time), and a few of Vira's. Also, check at her TSC page on her site because it is also totally redone and it's amazing. I am so excited for all of you to get to read Septor of Blood someday. It is going to be so epic. So so so so epic.
Much love,
Thane