W.I.P. = Weary, Impossible, Provoked

It’s no surprise I am still working on Rise of the Draman, though I REALLY want to get it finished! Why does every project take longer than I estimate?? Can’t I just write and ignore everything else? It’s not all doom and gloom, as I am making significant progress – even squeezing in the holidays and tax preparation. Speaking of taxes, my book income went way down this year and I overspent on promotions. I’ll have to be even more careful – it’s going to be tough.

Anyway, back to my WIP. I completed story five in late November, so what have I been doing for the last eleven weeks? When I started the project, it was supposed to be a series of short stories, released one at a time over several months. Those goals were jettisoned when I realized:

  1. I’m no good at writing short stories. I do just fine with flash fiction or novels, but short story writing is a special ability I don’t seem to have! A bit discouraging, but a good learning experience.
  2. Publishing and promoting five separate titles is WAY more than I can afford at the present time.

By the time I got to the last one (Dragon Rescue), the decision was made to combine all five into one volume. By doing so, it freed me from word count restrictions – and set me up for a lot more work. In the end, the word count went from 80,485 to 108,543 – a 26% increase!

Adding new material isn’t the only reason I’m behind,  of course, as there are now internal consistency issues to address and small but important changes which affect all the stories. Oh, and don’t forget a thorough round of editing and another beta read for each one. At some point I also have to create character lists, maps, a terrific blurb, and apply for the copyright. The joys of self-publishing are on full display here, and I haven’t even reached the promotions stage! Whoopee!

Yes, I’m very eager to get the book finished and launched, but I won’t cut corners – even though it’s taking MUCH longer than I thought it would. I’m tired and want to reach the finish line right now, but the race isn’t over. Giving up isn’t an option, no, no, no. I’m going to birth this baby if it kills me, and then promptly forget about the pain as I start on the next one. Yep, writers are weird.


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6 responses to “W.I.P. = Weary, Impossible, Provoked”

  1. Darius Marley Avatar

    Very insightful stuff here! I think combining shorts into one volume is a great idea. I finished writing my first book last year, and it actually started out as a collection of short stories that I thought would never go anywhere.

    1. Alexander Elliott Avatar
      Alexander Elliott

      When handed lemons, you make lemonade! I still wish I could have done it the other way. Perhaps another time. How’s your book doing?

      1. Darius Marley Avatar

        I decided to give my first book away, one chapter at a time, every week this year. So far it’s getting about 200 downloads per episode, which is encouraging. If enough people show interest by the time I’ve released the whole book, then I’ll try selling future books directly from my site. I’m hoping to not only make lemonade, but to sell it from my own little lemonade stand. Time will tell if it works out, or if I end up using one of the indie platforms.

      2. Alexander Elliott Avatar
        Alexander Elliott

        Whatever you decide, all the best!

  2. H.R.R. Gorman Avatar

    Good luck! Sounds like a lot of work!

    1. Alexander Elliott Avatar
      Alexander Elliott

      Yes, but it will be worth the effort when I finally publish!

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