Reading as a Writer: The Great Transition

I read a blurb for this book and got worried. I'm currenly writing a book about what happens after a climate-change induced apocalypse, which is essentially the premise of Nick Fuller Googin's The Great Transition. I snapped it up from the library as soon a sit appeared on the shelf, and then stared at it for weeks, afraid to learn whether it would be a perfect comp for Predacide, or would be so similar that I should just give up now.

Turns out, neither was true. The Great Transition was an interesting look at the equivalent of an elder millennial who survived the world's worst, only to learn that change is never over. This was a marriage story, a parenting story, and a look at whether we can save our world before it's too late.

I loved it. The author did a great job of merging character-based framing with a commercial plot, all while asking literary questions.

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Fall writing update - 2

When I last wrote in September I was working on a zero draft of the Wedding Crown, getting my Monster Girls ready for Pitchwars, and trying to find any sort of enthusiasm for my Brigadoon re-write. I ended up giving up on Brigadoon. At least for now, the story just wasn't sitting well with me. Maybe I tried to push too many drafts too soon. Instead, I focused on the Monster Girls. I did one full pass of the manuscript, cleaning up the emotional details, making sure the tone was as consistent as I could get it. I felt pretty good about it going into the Pitchwars submission. Then I spent a weekend hard-core workshopping the first chapter and query with my writing group. And the effort was worth it! I ended up getting one request for a partial, which I was thrilled by. That was my goal this year--if I could get at least a request, I would be happy. That ended up being as far as I went--and for good reason. After the extensive workshopping, I re-read my next few chapters before...

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The baby steps do matter

Last week I posted about finishing my first draft of Beekeeper. Over 79 days, I wrote 57,00 words. What I didn't say was that drafting Beekeeper was the first time in nearly a year where I was drafting something completely new. I'd spent so long revising Predacide that even last year's full draft was largely cobbled together from old scenes, with a handful of new ones scattered in; and unlike in years past I hadn't managed to draft my August short-story. And surprising no one, writing is hard. When I first started drafting in January, it felt like pulling teeth to write 100 words. I'd push myself to write 100, then 200, and wonder at how I ever managed a whole month of Nano sessions. And as much as I hate to say it, every day it got a little easier. Each morning I wrote a little bit more than I did the day before. There were some stops and starts, of course. We went to Vegas to see the Killers, and then certain executive orders began sending shockwaves through m...

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