One step at a time

I’m back on track. This time, The Novice of Thanatos’s first draft is really complete. I added heavily to the original last chapter and then added three more chapters, ending the book in Thanatos under precarious circumstances. I packed on about ten thousand words, bringing the draft to just under 95k.

The book’s frame is there, and it has good bones. Now, I will flesh it out by adjusting the tone and adding details, action, and rich descriptions. Then, I will check for flow (by reading out loud), search for plot holes, and ensure consistency. After, I will get into the weeds of copy editing by reducing overused words, replacing adjectives with active verbs, eliminating adverbs, etc. It’s still a long haul, but tools like Grammarly and Autocrit will help.

I’ve read most of the book once and started the second pass last night. I have about ten or twelve more read-throughs left until I cannot stir the drive to read it again. At that point, I will be utterly sick of the book and will know that it is ready for the world. This may sound terrible, but that eagerness to get this one out will stoke a drive to start something new, and I will jump back into writing Destiny of the Daystar. I’m already chomping at the bit, which is an excellent place to be.

While that’s happening, I’ve jumped back into Amazon marketing for Dawn of the Lightbearer. I know this is essential for success as an independent author, but it has always been a difficult nut for me to crack, and therefore wasted my money. I am not a marketer and have always struggled to sell my art, but I’ve tried to improve my skills by taking some courses. I am still not entirely happy with my progress, but at least I’m seeing progress, and it has given me some data to work with and refine. July started as an extremely slow sales month, but I’ve been able to turn that around this week. This month may be my second highest-grossing month since I started. My rankings are up in my genre, and my book shows on the first few pages for most of my keywords.

Gosh, August is here already, and summer is dying. The academic year will soon begin, and things will get very busy for me. I hope I can complete The Novice of Thanatos before the rush—I pray that Destiny of the Daystar flows onto the page. One step at a time, Scott. The mountain is not going anywhere. The view from the top will make it all worth it!

Cheers!