The Editing Process has Begun
A while ago we found and contacted an editor to work on professionally editing the Apprentice. The goal is to have the novel edited by someone other than myself, someone who better understands what they are doing and has a certain amount of distance from the story (it is incredibly difficult to actually read and edit something that you wrote). I am happy to announce that on February 28, the book was sent to the editor. Our expected time frame for editing is about 8-12 weeks, meaning that we can expect to receive a finished product no later than the end of May, barring unforeseen calamities. I look forward to seeing how the book changes as it is edited.
The Cover Art for Book 1 is in Progress
This is really exciting because the cover art is what makes or breaks a book. This is what will show readers a glimpse of my world and draw them into it. I cannot wait to be able to see what my characters will look like when drawn. I am working with the artist on the details and helping to explain what I want, but I have very little idea as to what the final product will look like. I will provide updates when possible.
Book 2 has Begun
I have begun outlining the story for the second book in the series. I already had a vague idea of what might happen in book two, but now I am beginning to define the story and determine the best way for the story to progress. As a writer, I almost always have a clear ending for the story. The challenge is how to get there. I often plan out a story and then think to myself: "It would be really cool if this happened instead!" It starts to get problematic because I have many diverging possibilities for the storyline, all of which lead to the same ending. In the end though, there can only be one great storyline (though I will always remember what could have been). I do not expect to be finished with outlining for a while, as my plan is to create a general outline and then get hyper-specific until I have the details of each chapter planned out.
Updates will be forthcoming.
Book 1 is Finished!
Book 1 (don't even ask what draft number it is) is finally finished. The last chapter has been written and the story is complete. Revisions were made adding to the story so that it flowed well, and spell-check says that almost everything is correct. The key phrase is almost, because spell-check is a broken tool that is often wrong and hates made-up words.
Having finished the first book of the series, I feel very accomplished. At the same time, I know that there is a daunting amount of work to be done (this is problematic because if I have a fault, it is sloth). I now face the challenge of editing my novel myself (for content and continuity) and finding an editor who will professionally edit my book. I also face the task of outlining and writing the rest of the series, but that is a much more enjoyable task than editing a book that I would like to call finished.