Autumn Time and the Writing is Easy

Besides reading a shed ton of books over the course of this summer's months, amount exaggerated for comic effect, I've also been taking time to think about my novels as well.

The last eighteen months of writing has been a bit struggle.  There were points when I was pretty sick and tired of working on my Bad Dog trilogy, which given how much time I've spent on them is to be expected.  But it has also felt very disheartening because writing had become a bit of a slog.  This is mostly around realizing what needs to be done to lick my novels into shape.

Over on Dean Wesley Smith's website I read an interesting piece called, A Matter of Perspective (here's a snippet with my comments in italics):

• Author spent years wanting to be a writer.  Me, so me.
• Author rewrote that “special snowflake novel,” following all guidelines, to agent’s and editor’s requests, taking years of time.  Mostly me too.
• Author ignores all warnings because they want to be taken care of by an editor and their cherished agent.  Not me.
• Author has no belief in their own work.  Sadly true for me.
• Author signed an all-rights contract for the life of the copyright, selling everything to do with the book with no chance of getting it back. The author celebrated the signing as if it was a good thing.  More complicated than this makes it look.
• Author a year or more later is excited that the book is coming out. Does launch parties or other such foolishness, all for the ego of showing friends and family it was worth it.  Not applicable.
• A year later, since the sales were flat as all are in this new world, author can’t sell another book. Agent will no longer answer author’s phone calls. Author gets bitter and goes and does something else with their life.  Seen this happen to author friends of mine.

Some of these observations about writing fit me like a glove, especially the not believing in my own work, but fortunately not the rest.  Unfortunately, I can see authors whose writing careers are perfectly described by Dean Wesley Smith.  But, there are no easy answers.

Currently, I'm in the process of revising my third book, getting it ready to go out to Beta readers.  My second novel has been revised to reflect my Beta readers feedback, and It's currently going through a second round of being read by a friend who is a journalist.

So I have found myself thinking about the next book to write.

It will probably be another in the series, because I've been having ideas about the next stories.  The cybertank novel that I also want to write is proving difficult to formulate.  The problem being how to write about an AI becoming intelligent from fighting a war, whilst making an it sympathetic to the reader from the start.

Also, I'm still digesting the lessons from the Self-Publishing Masterclass, which I shall no doubt write about too.