Breathing Space

I started writing the sequel to Web of the Dark Weaver today. It has a working title of Betrayer’s Moon but that could change. I just wanted to call it something other than ‘sequel’. I’ve been planning and outlining for a while and simply letting story ideas stew until I found something I think will work as the main plotline (as well as several sub-plots) and now I’ve actually put the first thousand words down. It feels good to work on something new after spending quite some time polishing and editing Web of the Dark Weaver. It will give me something to focus on instead of my fingernails as I wait to hear back from queries.

It feels good to be working with some familiar characters as well as learning all about some new ones. I wrote Web of the Dark Weaver as a stand-alone, but where that story ended a whole lot of possibilities opened up, and I realised I wasn’t done with the characters yet. They have more stories to tell. And even as I planned this second novel, the idea for a third began to nudge and wink at me so perhaps this will become a trilogy, or rather three separate-but-connected stories.  We shall see.

Did I mention how good it feels to be working on something new? Ah yes, I see I did. Oh well, it feels so good it’s worth saying twice.

Six Sentence Sunday

I thought I would move the Six Sentence Sunday part of the blog to here. I forgot all about entering this week, so I’m ‘unofficial’. Here’s a descriptive passage from Web of the Dark Weaver, that also reveals a little about the world itself.

 

Their plate armor gleamed rosy gold in the setting sun, along with the gilded handles of their pikes. Feathers of red and yellow crowned their helms, and eagles embroidered in gold thread adorned the front of their crimson tabards. A smile tugged at the corners of Kestrel’s mouth as she compared them to the black-clad guards on the gates of Delthis. This city boasted of riches beyond imagining, while Delthis spoke of power and intimidation. Some said Rhodal was the true capital of Alronen but Kestrel disagreed; Rhodal was the treasury. Delthis was where the Varic Empire closed its fist around Alronen and squeezed.

Some Feedback and a Sequel

I’m starting to get feedback from my beta readers and so far it’s good news! One reader said she stayed up until one in the morning because she couldn’t put it down and another finished it at work, while she was supposed to be working. Of course, I should add a disclaimer here that one is my daughter and the other is a long-time friend. However, knowing both as well as I do, if they hadn’t liked it so much then they would have said something polite, like ‘It’s fine,’ or ‘I liked it.’  Instead, one wanted to know whether I had started the sequel and the other said it was ‘fantastic’.

I really appreciate the reader viewpoint as opposed to the writer viewpoint. Don’t get me wrong, feedback and critique from other writers has helped me grow as a writer and has certainly helped me polish this novel. But readers read differently. I do. When I’m reading a book for pleasure I turn off my inner editor unless something pulls me out of the story. So it’s been good so far to see that it was well received by two discerning readers of fantasy and I am looking forward to seeing what else comes back.

As for the sequel, yes there will be one. I wrote Web of the Dark Weaver as a stand-alone story, but while writing it I opened up a world that I would like to spend more time in, and the characters have more stories to tell, I think. So now, while I wrestle with the synopsis and wait for the rest of the feedback to come in, I am mulling over the possibilities and drawing up possible outlines for the next story.

Finally

I’m quite excited. Today I finished my novel, Web of the Dark Weaver.  After several editing passes and a few added and cut scenes, I think it might finally be ready for querying agents. Of course, first I have to find out what people think of it. My writer’s group has given me some valuable feedback on the first three chapters and my critique partner has read the first four. But I haven’t let anyone see the whole thing yet. So, before I send it out to my list of agents who represent fantasy, I’ve sent it out to people who like to read fantasy.

It’s kind of scary. Oh, I’ve let people see my work before. I submit short stories all over the place and I’ve workshopped parts of novels I’ve attempted. But this is the first time I’ve actually been happy with a full-length work and now I’m going through all the angst and trepidation I did the first time I showed anyone one of my short stories. What if they hate it? What if I’m no good at writing novels? What if…you get the picture.

I’m not usually this self-conscious. I can usually tell all by myself when a story is or isn’t working and I wouldn’t dream of sharing those I think don’t work. Of course I think this one works, otherwise I wouldn’t have come this far, but what if I’m wrong? I think I’m just too close to it to be objective now. It has been my obsession since February when I first drafted the outline. I was exhilarated when I finished the first draft, but I knew I had a lot of work still to do. Now I’m both ecstatic and terrified.

While I wait for the feedback to come in, I’m going to busy myself writing a synopsis – something I’ve been dreading. How do you encapsulate a 104,000 word novel into a page or two? I guess I’m going to find out! Then I suppose I’d better start outlining the next one. I have some ideas for other novels set in the same world and using some of the same characters. Sequels? Yes, but this isn’t a series. The first novel stands alone, but I can see stories that continue where that one leaves off.

Look What the Cat Dragged in

This blog will focus on my writing, and my other blog http://ofwithefairies.blogspot.com will be more for general writing chit-chat and anything else I happen to find interesting.