Writing Update

It’s been a while since I’ve updated ya’ll on how my writing is going, and I’m sure you’ve been waiting, wondering–dying to know. Well, wait no more. It’s going okay. I’ll be honest: I can’t seem to write as much these days as I could back before I had a full time job. That’s not likely to surprise anyone, I know, but I still wish it were different. These days, what with work, family, Elders Quorum and house chores, I’m pretty booked each day. What time I have left to myself, I’m pretty drained. Not exactly Prime Writing Conditions. I’ve been getting a half hour in each day, but some days it’s been a pretty pitiful half hour.

That changed this morning. I woke up early so that I could get the writing done first, and I was overjoyed with how well it went. The house was quiet, my brain was rested, and I churned out 650 words that I’m pretty pleased with. Hopefully this is a new approach I can stick to–and hopefully it gets the chapters out of me faster.

What am I working on? It’s the rebooting of Pawn of the Dead, which was itself a fusion of two other books. I’d call it a revision, but the character isn’t even wholly the same, the setting has changed, the villain is different, the magic system is completely overhauled . . . At this point, the only connection between this book and the one it’s “based” on is the fact that some of the characters share the same names. (It’s like the reverse of the old “only the names have changed” concept.) I’m okay with this, mainly because it means I can continue shopping around Pawn of the Dead, but “revise” it at the same time. This version is zanier, or at least that’s what I plan it to be. Sort of like Parker meets some of the whimsy of Buttersby, but with a bit more reality and a lot less alpaca. (That statement only makes sense if you’ve read all my books to date, but . . . it’s the only way I can think of to describe it.)

Every now and then, I’ve considered giving up writing. Taking a long break from it. But in the end, I write because it’s what I enjoy doing. I’m not writing to make thousands of dollars, or to have legions of adoring fans. I’m writing to have fun. As long as I can remember that, it makes everything oh so much more enjoyable.

In any case, that’s what I have for now. Hope you all have an enjoyable weekend. Remember–Groundhog Day is coming, so get those decorations out now, and make sure you’ve written the Groundhog to tell him what you want. 🙂