Drawing from the Well
Last time we talked, I gushed over my progress on my platform, website, and newsletter. Next steps were my back blurb, LLC, and publication season.
Well, two outta three ain’t bad (the LLC is still unformed, if you’re wondering).
So what else did I get done? The big things all have to do with cover design. I did (possibly too much) research into book sizes based on a number of factors, settled on the dimensions, determined approximate page length, and established the cover spread size. Additionally, I’ve posted a job to find a cover designer through a local college. I hope it all pans out soon.
I’m making plans for the LLC. I’ve got a name and know the costs. I need to talk to my CPA about it before I dive in, but we’re close, people. While some of these items simmer, I’m going back to the Book 3 Outline. I’m excited to get the creative juices flowing again.
And I DID skip telling you what the publication season of my debut will be. I’m saving that little nugget for the first newsletter. Stay tuned!
Oh! And my wife and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary and eighth dating anniversary this week on top of Valentine’s Day being tomorrow. It’s been a great week!
Filling the Well
My reading cadence has definitely slowed down from my January high. I’m still moving along at a good clip, though, and remain a month ahead of schedule. Since my last post, I finished A Grant of Arms and began A Sky of Spells. A Grant of Arms was a bit disappointing in that it felt like a bridge book. Much of what happened could have been condensed into the opening eighth or quarter of A Sky of Spells and been better for it. I’m still working on Age of Magic and still love it.
I know you like to see more, especially after last week’s volume, but this is where we are. Hopefully I’ll have more for you next week.
19/100 books read for #ProjectBookworm2021
Well Chat
2021 Phrase of the Year
Dream like you’ll live forever, but write like you’ll die tomorrow.
Now, the obvious question is what the heck am I talking about? Isn’t that a contradiction?
When taken at face value, sure. But this is what drives me. I want to have all the ideas, write all the things, and take all the journeys. I have to dream big to even consider embarking on such ambition. It’s a big idea. I’ve written here before about my Stratasphere concept encompassing all my books, past, present, and future. Not only that, I’ve got a big universe-spanning idea for FAR down the line. It’s a lot of books I need to write to do that idea justice.
So, of course, I’ll live forever to get that done.
But if I intend to live forever, how do I have any motivation to write today? That’s where the second half of my Phrase of the Year comes into play. By assuming that this will be the last day I’m able to write, it lights a fire beneath me to get me going. I have to write; it’s a compulsion, a part of who I am. Focusing on a project, though, can be difficult, especially when the project is one so long and involved as a novel, not to mention a series or universe of them. The task can seem daunting to the point that daily effort can seem meaningless because it makes so little difference to the rest of the goal. That saps motivation.
Inspiration and motivation can often be at odds. They certainly are for me. That’s why operating under the assumption that I’ll die tomorrow (perish the thought, please) gets me to keep going. I might not finish my idea, my series, or even the book I’m writing on, but I’ll be able to have at least an ounce of peace that I didn’t waste the time. I’ve wasted a lot of writing time in my life and still do sometimes. And that’s why my focus must remain on trying. As long as I do that, I’m doing my best.
So, I keep my head in the clouds like I have all the time in the universe but I keep my feet grounded like I only have right now. Because, in the end, today is all we’ve got. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. So, let’s make the best of it.
Next week, we’ll talk about my compulsion to track everything with relentless focus on “the numbers.”
Be well!
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG