July Celebrations

Around this time last year, I was celebrating the fact that I had recently completed the first (rough) draft of my debut novel, The Stewards of Reed, Volume 1: The Rise of Fallon.  I had pulled it off. I had actually written a full-length novel. It was the first time I had ever taken an idea for a novel (and I've had a few over the years) to completion. Being laid-off earlier in the year had helped, as I no longer had the excuse of being too busy (or too mentally drained) to focus on my writing. Regardless, I had a reason to celebrate.

I had hoped to be in a similar position this year - with the July 4th fireworks coinciding with the completion of the rough draft of the sequel - but my writing has not been as productive this year. It seems I've been too easily distracted (see earlier blog posts). However, I hate waiting for sequels as much as the next person (HINT, HINT, MR. GRRM!), so I have taken steps to correct this.

I'm currently about 60,000 words into the sequel: The Stewards of Reed, Volume 2: The Dungeons of Cetahl.  Assuming this book ends up being a similar word count to the first book, this means I am not quite two-thirds done.  With luck, I should be done with the first draft by the end of the summer and out to publish by the end of the year.

When I was writing The Rise of Fallon, I would jump from storyline to storyline based on the general chronology of events. It was a nice way to write as it gave me a chance to leave each storyline for a short period of time and come back to it again with fresh eyes.  Unfortunately, the sequel does not lend itself to the same approach. In the Dungeons of Cetahl, there is a major storyline involving Lady Delia (Lady Dinah's mother), which takes place in the past.

I had not originally intended for Lady Delia to be such a major character in the sequel (much like I had not intended for Gentry to play such an important role in the first novel), but sometimes you just have to go where the story takes you. The good news is that Lady Delia's storyline has nearly come to a close. It is time for me to refocus my attention on Fallon, Zeke and the other characters. I can't wait to find out what happens next!