Welcome to my very first blog post. I will be posting new content here every other Sunday. Sign up for my newsletter to get regular updates. A part of this is going to be me figuring this whole blogging thing out, but I do actually have a post planned for today.
I want to tell you all a little bit about me. If you’re here, you’ve probably been to my website and seen my fancy author-bio, so I won’t bore you with that. Instead, let me give you a little glimpse into my personal writing history.
Book 1 – Masked Impact – This was the first book I ever completed. I wrote it as a teenager and it was a whopping 150,000 words long. Heavily influenced by Final Fantasy, it was a science fantasy that took me roughly 6 years to write. I very briefly queried it while learning about how the publishing process works, but ultimately shelved it as it wasn’t strong enough to compete in the publishing industry.
Book 2 – To Seek a Sique – This was a 70,000-word young adult fantasy. I wrote it in 6 months right out of high school but never edited it or queried it. I simply didn’t like it, so it was shelved before it really ever had a chance.
Book 3 – Fire Master Marley – Fast forward ten years, and I wrote this 60,000-word upper middle-grade fantasy. It took about five months. This book received upwards of 70 rejections before finally being offered a publication deal from a small press. The press went belly up before the book ever saw the light of day. It’s now shelved as I feel I have gone as far as I can with it, but I learned a lot along the way.
Book 4 – Ternary (alternate title: A Unique Trinary System) – This was my first sci-fi book. I wrote it as a guilty pleasure, knowing it might not sell but loving every minute of it. It is 80,000 words long, features a polyamorous LGBT romance, and took about three months to write and another two to edit. It has drummed up a little interest, and its publication journey is still underway.
I enjoyed writing this book so much it made me sell my soul to sci-fi.
Book 5 – How To Kill For Love – This one was mostly just a writing exercise for myself. It was a rewrite of To Seek a Sique. Still at about 70,000 words, it consisted of a thorough overhaul of the entire original manuscript from story to writing quality. I have never queried it and don’t plan to. But it gave me some excellent editing experience.
Book 6 – Recalled – This 90,000-word young adult sci-fi took four months to write the first draft and six months to fully edit. I consider it to be my best work to date and has had the highest request rate of any of my queried manuscripts.
Book 7 – The Bonded Pair – This 14,000-word sci-fi novelette was written so I’d have something to show people who asked to see my writing. It’s free for newsletter subscribers.
Of course, this history doesn’t take into account the dozens of stories I’ve started and not finished. And there will be more to come!
Anyhow, thanks for reading. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and my writing.
Questions here.
That is a pretty impressive history you have there. I feel that even though you’re just trudging on through the writing process every day, you’re actually learning a lot book after book.
What would you say your biggest lessons are from each book that you’ve finished?
Glad to have stumbled across your site as you’re starting blogging. Looking forward to more of your posts!
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Hi, Stuart! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have learned a lot from every book I’ve written. My first book was sort of “breaking the seal.” I needed to write it to know I could write a book.
My second book taught me that I should write what I love, and not just what I think I’ll be able to sell (because not only will it still not sell, but it won’t be any fun).
My third book helped me navigate the querying process. I learned how to write queries, find agents, track queries, etc. I also learned not to jump into bed with the first “yes” I get, tempting though it may be.
And all of my books since then have taught me how to make my writing stronger.
It’s been a long road, and I’m not sure where I’m headed yet, but I’ll get there.
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I love this. Not only does this benefit me, but the other readers visiting your blog too, so thanks again for sharing!
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