RoW80 Update: May 23rd.

”         Taluin gave him a wan, indulgent smile. ‘That is how they are best known, yes. Such an act truly leads on to infamy. But they are also the First Six of Humankind, and they are also the Six Who Shall Return. It’s the latter part that concerns us so; it is a prophesy. And the Codex is the only key we have to crack through the Ancient language and lead us on the right path to finding the reincarnated Asyentai to bring Aryneth to the glory of the Gods once again.’
         ‘Is that something we want to even mess with?’ Jaxson asked, though there seemed to be genuine curiosity underneath the sarcasm. ‘Maybe the Asyentai sealed the Gods for a reason.'”

So, I’ve been taking it a little easy lately, and I think that’s been a fairly good idea. The last few days have been great for reconnecting with my work and my writing and setting me on the right track. I’m not exactly sure what set things off-kilter; it might not have been anything at all, but merely the fact that sometimes, even the straightest courses will curve a little bit. I skipped Sunday’s Round of Words in 80 Days check-in, and so I’m making sure I get today’s up. As usual, it’s probably not the most exciting check-in, as things are just continuing along at a steady, somewhat leisurely pace, but things are still moving along.

Let’s have a look:

Bowlful of Bunnies: I’m sort of sitting on this one for a little bit, and I think that was what set things off for me. Ideally, I wanted to release this sucker on May 31st, but I haven’t heard back from two beta readers yet, though I know they’re working on them. I considered just asking for what they’ve finished so far, but then I thought, no. Let’s not rush this. If I can make improvements and make it just a little bit better by waiting an extra week or so, I want to do that. As much as I want to get this ball rolling, I definitely want it to be the best it can be before I give it that nudge into the actual world, so I’m going to be patient and wait. Then one more revision, chatting with my cover artist, and then the fun world of formatting. A week or so into June, it should definitely be ready. I don’t mind waiting a little longer, especially if some valuable information might come out of it, but, if you are one of my betas, if you can get that to me soon, that would be awesome. I’m going to wait a little bit longer before I start pestering you all by email. Thankfully, I have other projects that are keeping me delightfully distracted.

Serpent in a Cage: Continues to go along nicely into the CHAPTER OF EXPOSITION. I think I’m doing well with it and not making it so much of a big fat INFODUMP. I’ve missed a few days of writing the page before bed like I’m supposed to, but I keep kicking myself back into gear with it, too. I’m not writing as much on it as I used to, as I’m giving other projects precedence for a little bit, but anyone who reads this will know I always love working on SiaC. Page count: 80/141.

Soulless: Most of my writing attention has been channeled into Soulless, which is shaping up really nicely. The plot seems to blossom more and more by day, and I think it’s a really strong contender for the second book to publish this year, so I’m trying to just fly through a rough draft. It’s been really great so far, and I’ve even started thinking a little bit about the second and third books, since I definitely want this to be a trilogy. It just has a trilogy feel, and I could do something like Heartless or Mindless or Whateverless in the titles, though part of me wonders if that’s too contrite. But, like Elliot pointed out last week, I do like my titles….I don’t think I can work on a book for too long without needing to have a title for it. Usually, the titles even come first.

The 100 Books Project: I’m nearing the end of at least two books and making progress on others, though at the moment I don’t have anything finished. I definitely feel like I’m dragging my butt on reading this year, but hopefully, that just means I’ve been doing much more writing instead. Books read: 16/100. (5/38 for this round)

Other Books: When I say my writing has really picked up, I definitely mean it. I’ve been also picking at To Cross a River of Blood and I’ve dug up my circus book, too, so things are continuing with those pieces. I’m working on typing up my modern Orpheus myth, too, so that’ll be ready to be posted by SUnday and then after that, I’m brushing it up for submission, and onto another short story. I want to try to do a new short story a week. I’ve tried in the past and failed, so let’s see how this more recent attempt goes.

There you have it! Like I said, a lot of writing being done, I’m out of my funk and back into the groove and it’s lovely. I think it was just the distress I had over Bowlful of Bunnies, and that’s been alleviated once I let myself be okay if it takes just a week or two longer. Flexibility is the key to these sorts of things, I think. Most people might tout the importance of a hard and fast deadline, but it if means something will be better in the long run, is it really so bad giving it a little bit of an extension? I think not.

And, on a completely unrelated note, Ben and Jerry’s Volun-tiramisu ice cream? Amazing. I got it because it was on sale at Target and I am in looooooove.