The Prime – Three-Quarter Report

I have been writing my current novel, The Prime, for four and a half months, and I’m three-quarters finished. Time for another report.

Unlike my last book, The Plainsrunner, this one isn’t being shared in a serialization as I write it. Serialization was good and I enjoyed it, but it was a lot of work, and the effort didn’t result in much return. Not many sales, no reviews, and I was left feeling, “What’s the point?”

I’m enjoying writing The Prime, but it still feels strange to not be sharing it as we go. The first one, Green Comet, was released whole and complete, but the second one, Parasite Puppeteers, was released as eight extensions, and the third one, The Francesians, as four. I discovered as I went that there’s a lot of work involved in proofing and formatting and releasing and announcing several different versions of a story, and four is easier than eight. Now, with The Prime, it looks as if I’ve brought it down to zero. Right back to the first one.

So, what am I enjoying about writing The Prime? What I always enjoy about writing. Thinking every day about the growing story and watching it develop as I write it, seeing what happens next. Learning more about my characters as I get to know them better. Showing them where we’re going, and following along as they take us there. And sometimes reining them in as they head off in directions of their own. It’s a bit lonelier this time, writing the whole thing without sharing it as we go, but a writer’s life is supposed to be a lonely one, isn’t it?

Three-quarters done. So far, so good. Another couple of months of writing, then the proofing, preparing it for publication and recording it. Oh yeah, and deciding if this image is right for it.

rjb