I had big plans yesterday, which I outlined in my previous Substack post talking about what I needed to do to get Book III - Swords Against Bastards finished. The problem, was that I was pretty overwhelmed by it and it took me a relatively long time to get the flow going. Although, once I did, shit just flew, and next thing I knew, it was dark outside.
I spent about 16 hours proofing, editing, and writing. Some stuff I planned to edit out, I actually found a way to salvage and make work. That happened because my perspective changed after I went back to the beginning of the book and decided to start proofing and editing it again from the start.
Normally, at this point, I would’ve waited till I completed the main story, as I’m already very damn close. However, there’s so much happening in this book, I just knew that I needed to start at the beginning in an effort to examine the narrative flow, pacing, and how well the various plot threads worked. What I had written was better than I thought and I actually beefed some things up for more context. I like sinking my teeth into tasty, bloody meat, even in my slim, trim, narrow pulp paperbacks. So, I seasoned that f’n meat, threw some garlic butter on top, tossed in some thyme, and gave it a nice sear.
I am now exactly where I need to be before taking a day and a half break for family because it’s Christmas Eve, tonight’s our big family party, and tomorrow I have to cook Christmas breakfast for a lot of people, and then return to my cousin’s house later on for his wife’s always stellar brisket.
I should have gone to bed after all the writing and editing yesterday, but I went on a livestream because you should always promote your stuff and interact with other similarly-minded creatives. Anyway, I’ll link the show at the bottom. I don’t come in till around the 56 minute mark, but watch the whole thing. It might be apparent that I am exhausted. Plus, an edible was starting to hit me pretty hard.
Anyway, come Monday morning, when I am back to working on the book for the rest of my lengthy vacation, I am in a really good spot. The first two acts of the book are essentially done. Now, I just need to reorganize and fine tune the third act, and then write that last 5-10 percent. I also need to write the short story for the end of the book, but I think I’ll bust that out relatively quickly.
That’s it for now. I want to get a few things done before I head over to my family’s house this afternoon.
Merry Christmas or whatever your thing is.