Honestly, I had full intentions of having a new blog ready (by April 2nd)to be posted on Tuesday, April 6th. So, this is what happened that got in the way.
I have mentioned before that I am writing a series of books entitled The Millerville Mysteries. I realized a few months ago that to maintain continuity from one book to the next I had to at least complete the rough draft and a couple of fleshing out, continuity revisions on my books before the previous one was sent to the printer.
My next book has a release date of mid to late July 2010. It’s entitled The Mystery of the Ugly Bottle, the second in the series. On March 23, just two and a half weeks ago, I began writing The Mystery of the Haunted Lighthouse, the third book in the series. A week ago this past Tuesday, I finished the first draft. It was truly what can be called a “rough” draft. I immediately jumped into the second draft—the one I view as fleshing things out and watching vigilantly for any discontinuities. I hate discontinuities. There is no faster way to ruin an otherwise good movie, or book.
Less than an hour ago I finished the second draft and am feeling high and quite pleased with the results. Until this morning I didn’t know what was going to happen after the climax. If you have read any of my books, you know that I like to have something poignant or clever at the end. I deleted about 3,000 unnecessary words during the second draft. And, the book ended up progressing smoothly to a satisfying conclusion.
By the way, this book, written for children ages eight to twelve, is about 32,000 words long. I expect I may lose some of those words as I tighten things during the third draft but sometimes I add as many words as I cut, thus improving the pace of the book while deepening the plot.
So, I will cease making excuses and stop this interruption. I shouldn’t call it an interruption. It, to me, is what makes writing fulfilling. It’s what turns drudgery into fun. What a joy to be blessed with the interest and ability to write. I send each of you, who read this blog, my best wishes as you refine the process of creative writing.
Now, as for my penance regarding not following through on the blog subject matter I had originally committed to for the past two blogs. I will do my very best to post blogs on Tuesday, April 13th and 20th dealing with traditional publishing.
In the mean time, don’t lose sight of the fact that one needs to be actively involved in marketing ones books. I prefer the hands-on approach—meeting people and autographing my books. But even if marketing to you is nothing beyond searching for an agent who knows the right publisher, give the process your utmost.
Author: David R Christensen
