Big thanks to Streetlight Graphics for another fantastic cover!
Judgment will be coming out on May 14th but you can preorder your copy now! Or, if you want to know how it all got started, Book One: Revelations is on sale for just 99 cents (US) or equivalent in local currency.
Another 0 word week but I'm nearly done the editing for Judgment. 42 of 45 chapters done.
After careful consideration, I"m basically rewriting the last five chapters to make a much more streamlined and fast-paced ending. Some stuff has been moved from the epilogue to the final chapters and other stuff has been reworked.
This is probably the most exhausting and demoralizing part of my writing process. It's the part where I doubt myself the most and question everything. I am absolutely savage in ripping apart my drafts and I demand the same from my editors. But it's hard on my ego and self-faith.
However, I think what I'm going to end up with is a pretty awesome book that I can feel proud about.
Edits are due on Thursday next week and then I can get on with writing Deadly Potential as well as deal with some of the other things I need to take care of: like getting the pre-orders up for Judgment and organizing my cover reveal.
There is lots of stuff to keep me busy over the next few months but it's going to be exciting to finally get to share all of it with you.
35 of 46 chapters edited, 11 days until the deadline.
No words written this week, at least not on my WIP. I've done a fair amount of rewriting on Judgment to tighten up the ending. It's coming together nicely and if I can keep up the pace, then I should not have a problem making my deadline.
It's been a very stressful week personally, with some challenges with my son's school. I find it's really hard to keep my focus when I'm stressed. Most of the time, I can compartmentalize but this week I found myself realizing that I'd spent the last twenty minutes brooding instead of editing. I've had to up my musical accompaniment playlist to keep myself on track. (More upbeat instead of smooth melodies.)
I've also been a little disappointed in the reach of my latest Facebook boost. Usually I get a distribution of a couple hundred people and at least triple the usual numbers viewing the post. This time, the numbers are a lot lower and I'm not getting the post views. I'm not sure if Facebook has changed something or if its because I'm running the giveaway. I'll have to do some experimenting to be sure.
It's March Break this week and I'm going to take advantage of the fact that camp runs longer than school to get extra writing time. I've cleared my schedule and it's full speed ahead.
Weekly word count: 6730
Start of the editing countdown: Prologue + 3 Chapters, out of 45 (or so I thought)
Let's start with the unpleasantness. I'm in the middle of some computer upgrades and migrations. And as a result, I've had to switch around all the folders.
I got my content edit back this week and have now begun going through chapter by chapter to prepare for my line edit. I started 3 days ago with a very intensive process that takes 2-3 hours to edit each chapter, assuming there are no major changes. Anything involving a more substantial rewrite will take longer. I'd done the first three chapters plus the prologue in 3 days and was feeling pretty good.
Until I realized I was editing the wrong version of the manuscript. I label my manuscripts by drafts, starting with A. This was the C draft and I should have been editing the D one.
Oh, that's discouraging.
But there is good news. I'd looked at what needed to be done and I'd asked for an extra 3 weeks to prepare, which the editor was kindly able to accommodate. So rather than being under an incredibly tight schedule, I have the wiggle room to recover from this.
I'm still furious at myself, but it's a lesson in paying attention to the details.
Even more good news, ORWA's social media workshop this weekend was fascinating and incredibly useful. And, as always, it was great hanging out with my friends.
I'm taking Sunday night to dust myself off, get a good night's sleep and accept that I screwed up. Monday, we start again to do it right.
Weekly word count: 0
Editing countdown: 38 of 45 chapters
It's not hard to see the lack of writing progress this week, but that's what happens when I decide to rip out the back third of Judgment with a week to go before my editing deadline. I've been working frantically to get it all back together. I've probably written close to 12 000 words this week, but not on Deadly Potential, so the official count for this week is still 0.
I had a great ORWA meeting this weekend. It was an informal brainstorming and plotting session and I got some good feedback on my plot ideas for Deadly Potential as well as helping me to firm up my main plot for book 5 of the lalassu. (Still need a title, but now that I have a firmer grasp on what the story will be about, I can work on that.)
I can't wait to get the manuscript for Judgment off to the editor next week so that I can start more work on Deadly Potential. And start the steps for broad distribution. I'm feeling pretty excited about both.
Weekly word count: 67oo words
After last week's writing success, I knew I couldn't go back to hit or miss sessions at home. Trying to write between supper and the kids' bedtime just wasn't working. There was always something ready to interrupt. So I've switched to writing from 9 until 11 in the evening. There's a definite downside to this: less sleep, since I need at least 30 minutes to unwind after shutting down the computer (and usually it's more like an hour). There have also been a few days when I looked at the previous day's work and realized it was completely incoherent towards the end. But I'm having fewer non-productive days.
I'm also pleased to report that my Nanowrimo account is up and running. I don't find the website to be very intuitive but it is gratifying to watch my little total creep up. (Or at least it is now that I figured out that I have to enter a cumulative total since November 1st rather than a daily total in the update section.) Anyone who wants to buddy up can find me under Jennifer Carole Lewis (not imaginative, but direct).
I've been debating whether or not I want to enter Inquisition in a contest. It's not too expensive to enter, but I have to send signed physical copies for the entry. It's tempting since I still would really like to be able to add "Award Winning" to my name, but I did a lot of contests in 2016 and there wasn't much of a return.
This month's ORWA workshop with Susanna Kearsley was amazing. Her explanation of the techniques for weaving multiple storylines was invaluable and brought me a lot of clarity on things that I've done intuitively.
November is going to be nose to the grindstone month. Fingers crossed that I can begin the editing process by December 4th. I'm in the mid-twenties of a planned forty-five chapter outline and getting to explore a lot of fascinating themes, like the dark side of Peter Pan and interspecies fertility. This is the part of writing that I love: the chance to story-splore.
Weekly word count: 3700
For a week where my kids decided that Mommy on the computer meant "this is a good time to ask for a snack/screentime/to go outside/etc." I think I did pretty well.
There are only 8 days left until the most wonderful time of the year. Then I will have peace and quiet again in which to write. Which probably means I'll spend some time staring at the wall and wondering where everyone is.
On the excitement front, we got a new kitten this week. She is two months old and adorable and will be featured heavily on my Twitter feed at @jclewisupdate. I am officially the kitten's grandmother, since she is my son's pet. He's doing a very good job at taking care of her, which gives me both surprise and a great deal of pride.
Work continues on Judgment. I had an insight which will strengthen the central conflict of the book, so I'm pretty excited about it. Usually I have the first chapter in the previous book, which locks me into certain things, but this time I've got some more freedom, which is nice.
It's been a difficult summer for me. Lots of good things, but also more challenges than I expected. If I'd known how it was all going to go, I would have done some things differently. But I'm trying not to be too hard on myself because I couldn't have known and I made the best decisions I could with the information I had. Since expecting perfection from myself is usually a trigger to deep depression, I have to be gentle.
Weekly word count: 4100
I'm getting close to the halfway point for Judgment, which is exciting but I still find myself a little frustrated because normally at this time of year I'd be getting ready to do the final polish before sending the book to the editor.
But I tell myself that I'm making progress and hopefully I'll have it ready by the end of November and then I can have it ready for Ad Astra next year.
There's only two weeks left of summer and then school starts up again. I may have a rough start to the year as we were having some trouble with my older son's school last year and I don't know if it will be resolved for this one. Either way, I'm still looking forward to having some more peace and quiet to concentrate on writing.
Weekly word count: 4550
It's been a difficult week and I am not ashamed to say that life kicked my butt over the last seven days. But I still managed to get my writing totals done.
Unfortunately, I'm still looking at a 3 page to-do list that needs to happen in the next few weeks before our family goes through some big changes. But I'm confident I will get it all done. I might not sleep but I will get it all done.
The ORWA meeting this weekend was really helpful. I'd always dismissed Wattpad as a forum for fanfiction but from Linda Poitevin's workshop, it looks like it might be a good marketing tool. I'd need to do some thinking, but since I'm planning to go broad base to release Judgment once it's ready, maybe doing a serialized release on Wattpad might not be a bad idea.
I'm loving how Judgment is coming together and I am so excited to get to share Inquisition with everyone this week.
