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Wednesday 17 December 2014

What's Up Wednesday





















It's time for What's Up Wednesday, a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow. Here's what I've been up to this past week!


What I'm reading


I started Red Rising. The style's really unique, and the story's totally gripping! I've had quite a lot of freelance work so reading for fun has taken a back seat, for now! (Apart from rereading Harry Potter, obviously.)

What I'm writing

Still working on Book 4/planning/outlining/writing/editing/poking bits of the other books in the series because I've pretty much given up trying to keep my brain focused on one book. :P I passed the 20K mark of Book 4, though, so progress is happening!

My writing goal this week: Write more of Book 4. Try not to emotionally destroy self in the process. 

What works for me

I'm still getting that question about writing productivity. Apparently, "I'm a cyborg" isn't a real answer. :P So...
  1. I've written a lot of books. My first took ten years (!!!), my second took a year, my third took eight months. Now I'm on my 18th first draft, and while my method might not be perfect, I know enough about my own writing habits to be able to finish a draft in 2-3 months. My drafts aren't super-long, either (I used to write insanely short drafts of around 50K, whereas now they're more like 75-80K).
  2. The part that takes longest is actually the planning/worldbuilding. It can take anywhere from a month to several years. But I tend to do it in my spare time when working on other projects. I got the idea for the Alliance series back in June, and worked on the planning for 2 months before I started drafting.
  3. I fast-draft, then edit like hell. That book I drafted in 24 days? I've been editing it for 3 months, and it's now on Draft #8.I write/edit more than one book at once (in the same series). It actually takes me about 4-6 months to write, edit and polish each book, but they overlap. Now, I'm proofreading Book 1 in my series, I've just finished self-edits on Book 2, Book 3's first draft is now finished and I'm on to Book 4. As the series is pre-planned, it means I can move from one draft to the next without having to stop for long between books.
  4. I'm a single-minded, obsessive workaholic (in case you couldn't tell :P). 

What else is new

I announced my self-publishing plans! Next year is going to be EPIC, and I'm super-excited! And nervous. Because, y'know, I'm a neurotic anxiety-suffering author with a morbid tendency to expect the worst. ;) But this is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I can't wait to share the Alliance series with the world! *bounces*

30 comments:

  1. Ha ha! Love the "I'm a cyborg" answer! Hope you get lots of work done on your series over the holidays, but remember to take a breath in there somewhere! :)

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  2. I'm planning on starting Red Rising soon, too - it looks interesting!

    Best of luck with Book 4! :)

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  3. Good for you! Finding what writing process works for you and going with it is key. :)

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  4. I thought "I'm a cyborg" was a pretty good answer :)

    Happy writing!

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  5. Congrats on the choice to self publish!

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  6. Thank you, thank you for sharing your methods for being super productive! I love it! And congratulations on deciding to self-publish. You will rock the self-publishing world. Happy holidays!

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  7. I keep hearing about RED RISING. I might have to check it out!

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  8. You are super productive, as always, and it's definitely working in your favour. So impressed.

    I need to check out Red Rising... when my TBR pile looks a little less crazy :P

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  9. I think you've touched on something super important here: that you know enough about your writing habits to accelerate the drafting process. That's half the battle right there, isn't it? Knowing when you work best, what triggers inspiration, what pitfalls to avoid...that's huge. I think working on multiple projects at the same time, particularly in the same series is smart too because you're less likely to lose interest/momentum and you can catch inconsistencies. So, yeah. This is awesome! Also awesome: that you're planning to self-publish. Good for you! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Emma! :D

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    1. It does help to understand your own methods, though I admit I still fall into the mid-draft swamp every single time. I think that might be part of the process, too!

      Thanks! You, too! :)

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  10. Good luck with all your self-publishing endevors. So far, I haven't been regretted opting to self-publish at all. I definitely think the rise of the ebook and POD technology has made it the most practical option.

    Have a great week and a great holiday season!

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    1. Thanks! :) I decided it was the best move for this series, and I'm glad I did!

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  11. I stilll suspect you are a cyborg, but thanks for sharing your hard earned knowledge! I find that it is taking me longer and longer to draft instead of the opposite. I hope that means that I am producing better stuff? Maybe?? I don't know...

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    1. That can sometimes happen, too. I wouldn't worry about it! :)

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  12. Emma, you are my hero! You are such an inspiration! You work so hard and tirelessly and deserve all the success you've earned. I hope one day I can be as prolific!

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  13. Hah! "Im a cyborg"...I'll accept that.

    Good luck with all the drafting mayhem, but yes, please try not to destroy yourself emotionally. The literary world would mourn.

    Hope you have a very Happy Holiday! :)

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  14. That's awesome you're going to publish your series!
    And I plan my books to death as well. Planning the outline takes much longer than actually writing it.

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    1. I don't outline every detail, but it seems to be the research/worldbuilding that takes the longest!

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  15. As I said on my WUW post, we're all different and have different ways of working. I don't think I could ever write on your schedule, but that's okay. We have different demands on our time and different ways of prioritizing our time. It's great you've found a rhythm that works for you and allows you to be so productive. All the best to you with this and your self-pubbing adventure. May you find a lot of success with it. :)

    Merry Christmas to you, Emma!

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    1. Very true! You have to do what works for you. :) Thanks, you too!

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