What's Up With Me...

So, it's occurred to me that I haven't really posted anything lately. Other than the usual SFFSat snippets, which are always fun!

To be perfectly honest, I've retreated back to myself. Okay, that sounds odd, right? Hehe, what I mean is, I've dived back into writing after a few months (well, on and off since the beginning of the year, really) where I've been in been tying up loose ends (the roll over stuff from last year) on various writing projects. It's been a bog-down of getting short story anthologies ready, Marlin shorts edited and lined up for release, and various other things that involve writing including offering the Saturday snippets.

But now, I have to switch it off and jump back into finalizing, once and for all, Bengaria's War. Looking at the original file, I started this book in 2011. It has gone through four betas in all, four drafts, multiple changes to the beginning, reverting back to the original, going back to the changed version, many head-scratching and screeching moments from me, and two short stories spawning off it that, honestly, have been very satisfying in allowing me to see which direction the beginning should go. Actually getting that done is the main problem.

Phew. And I'm still not happy with the beginning and may even brutally hack it to pieces and start wham-bam in the middle of an action scene and work my way backwards in short recollections (without it being an info dump). The rest of the story is fine...just that irritating beginning bit. I somehow see a 5th draft emerging from this all.

The idea of splitting this book into two also looms before me. Of course, I really did not want to do that but already, it spreads way past the 110K mark. Oiy! I'd thought my long rambling tales had ended with the Lancaster Trilogy...but, I guess not. For now, I've decided not to even think of the word count, and just finalize it and get it to a satisfactory point.

Anyways, moving along... I've many more Marlin shorts to write, they are still only exist in note form and in my head in brief flashes of scenes. Meanwhile, a brand new story about a generation ship has also spawned but I've had to set that aside to tidy up Bengaria's War. Also set aside, is Time Fracture, something I'm working on with my brother, and a spin-off from the Lancaster world, The Grosjean Chronicles. For the moment, those two are way, way back on the burner.

And now we get to personal stuff. Starting the year out with the plague is not the most conducive way to do it. The ick left me drained both mentally and physically and took me well over three weeks to fully recover (I'm positive a new germ warfare virus has been developed!) So, my entire January went down with the snot rags and phlegm. Lovely, right? But with looming writing deadlines and commitments, it's hard to loll back and chill and be 100%. So, bring on February where I sorted out my projects in chronological order.

Aside from the ick-plague, family issues (MIL had a tumble and for a while, things were suspended as we rallied around her), day-job, dog issues (he needed a behavioural adjustment in the form of a de-balling operation), then social activities that could not be avoided if one still wants to be part of the human race and maintain friends, there finally came a much needed lull. And my thoughts and brain could finally get back into proper gear and get back into the writing groove.

So, that's it. I'm trotting along in the writing saddle right now. Keeping my head down, listening to my writing tunes, and getting this effing Bengaria's War done! 

Cheers!