Howdy folks, just a quick post this morning.
A plus side to getting up early each day for work is I was up before 6am and had almost a 1000 words written on Penal Earth 2 by 7am, and then I worked through about 1300 words on War Child because the first draft of Penal Earth 2 is done!
I’m gonna stick it in a draw for a bit while I work on this next draft of War Child and then get back into it and sorted.
Right, I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Howdy folks!
Work has been manic this week and hasn’t left a lot of mental capacity to write, but I’ve been poodling along with a short story and things will ease back a little next week so I can get back into Penal Earth 2.
Busy day tomorrow so I’m off to bed. Have an awesome one, folks! 🙂
Howdy Folks, how are we all doing?
Another slower day, but got 721 in two sittings that added up to about 45 minutes worth of writing. I’m getting well into what should be the endgame for this story.
I’m really looking forward to getting this draft done, and I can put it down for a few weeks, probably go back to War Child and then into Penal Earth 2 again. That’ll give it a little time to simmer before starting the edit, which is where I think can be quite hard work. Which is what I’ll be doing with War Child.
Right, I need to get some sleep. So I’m going to get my head down. I’d like to be touching the 1000 word mark if I can. Today was a solid effort but I know I’ve got a few gears I can climb and pick the pace up more.
Howdy folks, how are we all doing today?
This is gonna be a bit of a random post today, so bear with me!
I went to Wales last week. This was something that was booked last November when I was with Alice so it was a little weird I suppose going by myself. In part because it was meant to be something I was doing with someone but also going away by myself again. In the end it was really good. I visited some dear friends and spent a few hours with them and that was just what the soul needed. I also did some random driving around Anglesea including a stop at Holyhead that was literally, jabbed my finger on the map, but when I got home my Mum mentioned that was where my late great uncle was from. It was either some cosmic energy that pushed me to go there or it was that it had been mentioned at some point and was wedged in the dark reaches of my brain. Either way I quite enjoyed just mooching around the coast line there.
While I was away I did do some writing, making good progress with Penal Earth 2. I’ve pretty much gone through and done that editing pass and am now gearing up to write what will (hopefully) be quite an ending.
The writing slump I’ve been in has been quite brutal, but I’m trying to break out of it. I’ve got all these stories to tell and they’re all screaming for attention. Something that is helping is the response I’ve had to Penal Earth Book One. I’ve only had a little feedback from folks who have read it but it’s gone down very well with those individuals and one I saw yesterday on Goodreads had me grinning like a doughnut! Mmm now I fancy a doughnut!
Speaking of pulling me finger out, I’m off to get some word wrangled. I’ve seen Armand has been doing the Mando Method again (writing in short sprints) so I’m going to do a little of that today.
Have an awesome day folks!
Howdy folks, I’m still creeping along with Penal Earth book 2. I am nearing the end of where I’d gotten with it though. I’ve got a lot to add in, in addition to writing the ending.
Book one is out now. I’m still in the infancy of my publishing career, and still at that point where I’m checking the sales every few hours. One weird thing is knowing someones reading it like now. I checked a few hours ago and the Kindle Unlimited numbers have gone up in that time. I’m not really bothered about how much I’m going to get in regards to cash. I know I’m a long way off earning a decent amount from my writing, the early books I publish aren’t likely to break even and I’m very cool with that. For me it’s not about the money, I write because I need to. I have stories to tell and I really want to get them out into the world.
I’ve talked occasionally about my mental health. As a rule it’s pretty steady, but it’s my biggest hindrance. It can stop me from doing a lot and that includes getting my work out there. It took me a long time to get my arse into gear and publish that first novella last year. It’s one thing having a story in an anthology, there’s a stack of other writers to hide amongst, but when it’s just your name on the book. That’s when it’s on you. Yes beta readers look it over, editors do their thing, but at the end of the day it’s still your story. Good, bad, or just meh; the buck stops with you. I know I should be ‘I don’t care what people think’ but I do. I’ve bled into these tales and they have a sliver of my soul in them. I’ve been lucky, no bad reviews yet but they will come, but so will the good ones. All I can do is strengthen my skin, take constructive criticism, and write the next one.
Right folks, I’m gonna stop rambling now and have some cheesecake!
Have an awesome weekend!
Howdy folks, how are we all? I’ve got a random Youtube playlist going which is loaded up with Lesbian Bed Death Tracks that I love writing too. Music I love and that often fits into what I’m writing tonally.
I’ve slept well and need to get some words wrangled. My household has a busy couple of days coming up. In addition to taking Max the doggo to the vets for a checkup we’ve got a lot of work to do in the garden. So writing time will be limited but I’m aiming to get up and get some words worked before we start the physical part of the two days.
My mental health hasn’t been great recently. I’ve felt like I’m very much in autopilot for most of it and have had a real lack of energy to do anything productive during my free time. Today though, I’ve woken up and I’m feeling pretty darn good. Yesterdays write-in has helped and I think the anxiety of a new release has seeped away a little. There’s the odd element in my personal life which maybe has settled somewhat as well.
So, lets see if this is a one off or a start to getting fully back on track.
I will pimp out my new book, Penal Earth. Please check it out. This book is one I’ve got a lot of affection for. I learnt from the first word to when I hit publish. It’s been a fun, challenging, sometimes stressful journey with this one.
Good evening, folks! 4955 words edited today. All at this evening’s write-in. I got there early and had a bit of a stuttering start and it never really felt like the smoothest of processes tonight but I managed to get a decent shift in.
I was worried beforehand about how I’d be in that environment. I really wasn’t sure who or how many people would be there but it was most of what used to be our monthly Wednesday night crew. I was feeling a little anxious. I’ve not been great in anything close to social settings for a while and I was worried it’ll start hitting me, and it did a little. I didn’t stay till it was meant to end. I was a little mentally wiped from editing as well, but it was also eating away at my anxiety being in A open coffee shop in a shopping centre. Thankfully it was quiet and not that noisy but it was still bubbling under a little.
I enjoyed it a lot though. It was great being back with writers again and just getting some words wrangled. Even though I ddi have that touch of anxiety I think it’ll be something that’s going to be a positive.
Right, I’m going to watch Nightmare on Elm Street and then get to bed. I’ve got a busy few days coming up and want a good start in the morning. Have a good one, folks!
Howdy folks, am I ready for the day? Hell no! In mind, heart, and spirit I’m still at home, in bed, with the dog laying alongside my bed. Sleeping soundly, not sitting in my car at work waiting to go in to start the day. That’s just my body who’s somewhat ready for that.
(Expect typos!)
Anyway……
The paperback for Penal Earth will be live any time now. I got the proof yesterday and am super happy with it. I’m super happy with the whole thing to be honest.
This book has been one of the challenges of my writing life. It started off as a NaNo novel years ago and has evolved over different drafts to what it is now.
The handful of people who read it before it was published have raved about it and I feel for a first novel it’s a strong one to begin with. Obviously I’m biased, but I think it is also that pride at knowing how much work has gone into it.
Peter at RedCape Publishing did a great job with the editing and formatting. And Dave Davies knocked it into orbit with the cover art.
Book two is well underway but still a long way off completion. This is somewhat of a trilogy (at the moment) but in an open ended universe.
I’m excited to be playing in this world, it’s got limitless possibilities and I’m looking forward to sharing with you all what a nightmare in paradise these first few books will be.
Howdy folks, my day has already got off to a bad start as I massively overlaid and am only just getting cracking with my day. But I’ve had some crappy sleep this last week so I needed the extra hours. I’m off today as well so it’s not like I was late for work.
What I was planning to do this morning was a couple of hours writing then tidying, so I’ll do less writing now and then later after I’ve done the non-writing bits that need doing I might do a little more.
Despite loosing the moment I’ve had since the start of the year I am still trying to rebuild it and have been making slow progress. I’ve just passed the 60k mark on Penal Earth 2, with two characters in particular getting a lot of growth this last week.
Right, I’m going to go and do half an hours writing and then get on with the other tasks of the day. Have a great weekend, folks!
Howdy folks, how are we all doing?
I’m at the end of a week off from work that started off really well writing wise but petered off in the middle fo the week and finally today it has picked up again. Even though I had a couple of days where I haven’t done any writing work I still feel like I’ve got a lot of work done. I received editors notes back on Penal Earth and have got those done and sent off to be formatted. That one is getting close, folks.
Work on Penal Earth: Book Two is progressing, I cannibalised a few sections of an earlier draft of book one at the start of the week and added maybe twelve thousand words to the draft. This has led to me doing an edit pass. I’m going through making adjustments to how story elements have changed as I’ve being writing. Finding continuity problems. One example of that is one of the new characters for this second book had two different back stories. I’ve decided to use the one that came to life more recently as I think it gives a new element to this world and the surrounding universe. I also need to integrate the words I’ve pulled from the earlier draft to not only bring it into this story, but to also bring it to the level of writing where I am at now. I’ve grown a lot since I originally wrote what I’ve pulled, but the core of it, I really like. What I’ve pulled fits into this book better than they would have done if I’d tried to force them into book one. They would have been out of place there and in book two they’re not only (I hope) fun and entertaining but also build the story along with the universe. It’s just going to take a bit of work to bring it up to where it needs to be with continuity and quality.
I’ve done a little work on Black Blood this last week too. Not much, I took to a note pad and wrote down a dialogue sequence that has been working it’s way around my head the last few weeks, and last night I just had to get it out. I know where it’s going to go when I get back to working on Black Blood, and I’m kinda itching to get back to it. But I’ve got Penal Earth book two first draft to finish before that, and War Child is holding its hand up as well.
I need to learn how to organise myself a little. I’ve got a lot of stories that I’m balancing at the moment and I need to find a way to maximise my writing time to get each one of these projects moving in an order to get them completed.
This coming week I’m back to work, which I’m looking forward to, and I’m hoping I can get back to where I was where I’m getting writing work done each day regardless of what’s going on.
Right folks, have an awesome week ahead.
Peter Germany's World 