Now that my current novel in progress (NIP) is off to the beta readers, you might be wondering what I’m doing while I wait to hear back from them. Well, first of all, one novel is never all I am working on at one time.
While I’ve been working on my current NIP, I’ve also been honing my writing skills through copious amounts of instructional reading. I’ve been reading everything from how-to books, to magazine articles, to blog posts, and I’ve been practicing and applying those tips and techniques I’ve found useful. Many of these sources include exercises which I follow as well.
One particular area I’ve been focusing on is the craft of writing serialized fiction. I’m focusing on this because I have plans to write a serial novella which ties in with my NIP, but isn’t part of the main plot. I’m planning to publish the serial shortly before publishing my current NIP. Fans who read the serial will have the advantage of a sneak peak into an “off-screen” portion of the current NIP.
In addition to this, I am working on a few short stories and articles which I hope to find a publishing home for in the near future.
Of course, all of this is being done in addition to the hunt for my next novel idea. I have a few seedling ideas germinating, but nothing decided yet. I am still knee deep in my favorite hobby: historical research. I could slush around in that glorious world for ages, but never fear, I’m keeping focused on the goal and will emerge soon with my new plot in hand. On to the next one!
