I wrote out about a dozen things I think should happen in the new book. I wrote out over 40 names of people who will appear in it. I divided them into (a) Main Characters (b) Supporting Characters and (c) Apartment Dwellers & Associates. This way I will have names and such to use and go back to. Believe me, I forget people's names. I was writing the first chapter today for "1211", and I needed to remember the name of a man in "Pinball" so I had to go back into it, and use the FIND feature to look for the last name of the man. I could not remember what I had named him. He's in "Murder Book" and in "Pinball" as a minor type character, but I did not remember his first name. OMG...I need to stop naming the bad guys "Brian". I did that in my latest book too!
I really don't have anything against all the Brians out there. I promise I don't. I just happen to have used a male name generator, and that's what I got. I will be a lot more inclined to pay more attention this time. This particular Brian ended up hanging himself after trying to kill my hero in the last book. He's actually not that bad of a guy, but he got mixed up with the wrong set; it happens.
So, I did finish the book "Bay Sorrel Ranch" yesterday and have sent it up to be published at Ingram Spark. I was going to rest and not write another book but decided that I can't do that; I have to try to get "1211" out before or around mid-January, and THEN I can rest. I am going to study Xactimate which will take all the spare time after work and on the weekends to get done correctly. I'll be able to take certification tests in March and then May, so that by March I'll be at Level 1, and by May I'll be at Level 2. It's an estimator's tool to use to earn a good living, so it takes precedence over the books for now.
Once I get Level 1 out of the way, I'll write another book, and then I'll do another book after I get Level 2 out of the way. If I play my cards correctly, and I'm lucky, and eat all my veggies, I should be able to write my third book in the Summer, and maybe even a 4th or 5th before this time next year. I hope I can. I don't mind doing one chapter a day, which would be about a book a month, but I know I do not want to burn out like that. I like having the creative juices flow when they flow, not on command. They become so much less creative at that point.
Well, Chapter One of "1211" is complete. It's saved. I have explained a little from the last book. You have to do that when you have a sequel. I've managed to get a few nuggets for foreshadowing as well, so I feel pretty good about Chapter One. I'm also critically thinking about each chapter as I write them now, and I'm editing as I go so that my editing process at the end is easier. I'm checking the spelling, I'm checking the spaces. I'm checking the adjectives, and I'm adding fluffy stuff as I go. Maybe I can get the book done in a month, and then start on the Xactimate study. That's the goal.
I won't get the Xactimate access key until Friday, January 22, 2024, so I have over a month to get this book done. I can do the chapter-a-day thing, and I can catch up on the weekends. It can be done by January 10-12, and edited, formated, and sent up before January 22, 2024. I think I can make that happen. I'll at least give it the whole 9-yard effort. I'll do all I can on my end, it's really up to the characters to keep my head filled with the next steps. So far, they've never let me down.
I wrote "Of Kilted Pleasure" in just over 1 month. I wrote "Murder Book" in less than that. It was a joke, to see if I could pour myself into it, and I did. I think it was 24 days or something crazy like that. I wrote "Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book 2" over the course of years, but put it all together in 2 weeks. I then wrote "Edinburgh" in just under a month, and "Pinball" in six weeks. The last book, "Bay Sorrel Ranch" was 32 days", a month and 2 days. Not bad. If I keep that up, I can write a lot more in 2024. We'll have to see how I feel - - after work!!
Photo Credit: Me.
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