Three month milestone. A quarter of a year.: seanan

Three month milestone. A quarter of a year.

Three months ago today, we officially sold the first three October Daye books to DAW. At that time, we'd just finished putting the first book, Rosemary and Rue, through the editorial wringer to end all wringers; I could practically teach a seminar based on the process of revising that book. A month after that, book two, A Local Habitation, was ready to be turned in to my publisher, and I was just getting things underway with book three, An Artificial Night.

Two months ago, I was in New York, meeting my editor and my publisher and -- in a weird, sort of existential way -- my future, because this is what I've wanted my whole life, and it's become basically impossible to say 'but it's never going to happen.' It is going to happen. It's all happening right now.

In the past three months, I've learned more about the publishing world than I had managed to learn in the previous thirty years. In the past nine months, I've learned more about myself as a writer, and the craft of writing in general, than, again, the previous thirty years. I've finally figured out where the pieces go. An Artificial Night is almost ready to be turned in, now. I'm working on Late Eclipses of the Sun, aka, 'book four.' I've finished Newsflesh. I've finished Lycanthropy and Other Personal Issues. I've outlined InCryptid, in all its weird and wonderful glory. I'm moving forward, and I've come so far, and I've got so far to go.

We don't have a publication date for Rosemary and Rue yet (obviously); my new website has yet to launch; all the frantic writing and revision has done a number on my social life and my recording schedule; we haven't even started shopping the next few books. There's going to be a lot of work that has to get done before I can actually start saying 'go buy my book' and praying for an audience. I know that. And it doesn't matter, because three months ago today, we sold my first novel.

I am the happiest blonde there is.

...go 5 levels up... Expand

seanan_mcguire

August 20 2008, 01:41:52 UTC 8 years ago

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And now the best/worst part of the process: the waiting.

talithakalago

August 25 2008, 01:11:46 UTC 8 years ago

I shall busy myself being abused by the three new characters that have bullied their way into my mind. Cool characters, NO idea what to do with them.

August 25 2008, 20:47:23 UTC 8 years ago

I have at least one character per book who wasn't in the outlines. I've learned to just sit back and think of England.

August 28 2008, 00:47:57 UTC 8 years ago

Thankfully I don't outline too much, so there is always room for a few more. I just... trust they're supposed to be there. That's why my characters tend to think I'm rather gullible.

September 4 2008, 00:42:22 UTC 8 years ago

How much I outline really depends on what I'm writing and how many characters I need to move about. Newsflesh was done with bullet-points and Post-Its. I suspect The Mourning Edition will want an outline, it's all more complicated now.

September 6 2008, 00:45:43 UTC 8 years ago

I did quite a lot of outlining for my YA and I found it slowed me down considerably. Clearly I'm a bit more organic than that, though plotting can be a bit of a safety net, I think I get better results if I let it go and just launch myself out there to see what happens.

Very scary to do with the more complex projects.

September 9 2008, 00:19:10 UTC 8 years ago

As long as you're not dropping the metaphorical baby on its head, I think you'll do just fine. Just, y'know. Don't drop the baby.

September 9 2008, 01:02:37 UTC 8 years ago

And if you do, you pick it up really quickly and pretend it never happened. *shifty eyes*

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Three month milestone. A quarter of a year.

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