Volume

Lately something odd has been happening. I have been feeling more confident in my writing. I think my word choices are getting better, more conscious in my sentences. I'm eliminating more of the extraneous words I normally use. And yes, carefully considering adverbs. But I still use them!

Another thing I do is I just write. I don't think about grammar or punctuation, I write what I want how I want to which I believe helps the voice of anything.

I owe a great debt to the R.F.N. which I spent two years working on. I'm having some doubts that it will ever be finished now. Poor Ambriel may hang in limbo for a long time. But I owe that unfinished book a great deal. It showed me that I write something very long. It's sheer volume- at 400+ handwritten pages was a great training ground.

The second thing I owe for my increasing skill is beta reading on AW. I don't volunteer often or lightly. And I always worry a great deal that I will eventually really piss someone off when I send back their manuscript. BUT it has made me more conscious of how I write so I make better word choices at the outset.

Tea Times Three, from the beginning to now- near complete will by the time all is said and done, have taken one year to write. And in that time too I have gotten better. I know the improvement will serve me during editing too.

But you know what? I still can't spell.

Almost done

The halfway mark has passed and the end is in sight! I can hardly believe it. I haven't finished a novel since I got out of college. I wrote three very mediocre middle grade fantasies that while creative weren't that great.That was my first SERIOUS ATTEMPT at being an author. Life detoured at time horribly sometimes for the better, like when I got three comics published.

So here it is. My last best hope. I have no back up plan. I have no other career. I have to succeed at something before I die.

So here it is. Tea Times Three, nearly done with draft the first. Perhaps two more to follow. I will not fall into the edit for eternity trap. I won't.

In the meantime I'm going a couple short stories.

Something good has to happen at some point.