NaWriNoMo Bust and Future Plans

As the title says, this year's NaWriNoMo is a bust.

I couldn't get the writing traction I needed to write those 50,000 words. I went in with only a half-formed story idea, one or two sentences for the first dozen chapters, and little else. It's not the story idea was bad --- it's just I didn't do enough groundwork before NaWriNoMo to make it a successful month, and that's my fault. I also had a couple of days when I didn't feel well enough to write, so that was an additional hurdle in my way.

Still, it wasn't a total bust -- I did writing 31K worth of words and I did work out a nice chunk of the story's background. But that should have been done beforehand. I need to let it marinate a little more, but I think I can go back in a couple of months and do the groundwork and resurrect the novel. If I have my say, the novel, Operation Skyfire will see the light of day sometime in the future.

So, now what?

Now, it's back to plotting The Assassin Prince, and writing short stories. I need to firm up the background of the novel, make sure the story holds together at the outline stage and maybe expand the chapter details out a little more. As for the short stories, I have several I need to revise, plus another I just started, so I can relieve my writing itch with them while I work on The Assassin Prince. I'm aiming to have the outline finished by the end of the year. 

Still, I haven't forgotten about the two Outcast Ops novels I co-wrote. Red Ice has been ding well, staying above the 100,000 rank level, and has a couple of reviews --- 5/5 Stars. African Firestorm has been bouncing up and down, but it has a reviewer's rating of 4.7/5 Stars. So, while they're not megahits, I am happy that people like the novels.

African Firestorm is on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm on Amazon! For those over the pond in the UK, click here! If you want to read Red Ice, it is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, It's here!

That's all for now -- back to writing!

Craig

Red Ice and NaWriNoMo

I should have posted this last week, but I got caught up in NaWriNoMo.....

Anyway, Outcast Ops: Red Ice is out and available for you to wither buy (or to borrow) at Amazon. The link is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice.

It's great seeing Red Ice finally out. It was more of a challenge to write. It's longer, more involved and a lot more action than African Firestorm. I hope that you read it and enjoy it. If you do, I have done my part as a writer, Rick has done his part and everyone wins. It's off to a great start, steady in the mid-40K ranking, but I really want to see it go higher. So please do your part to get it up there.

I mentioned NaWriNoMo earlier, and I'm doing it again -- 5th year in a row. So far, I'm only 2 for 4, and I really want to push my average up to .600.

The problem is that I had planned to use October as my planning time -- outline, detailed synopsis, the works. But reviewing Red Ice took up so much of my time, I had only time to create a general outline for the first several chapters, the basics for a series like Outcast Ops, and away I went. I'm making it up as i go along folks, and I'm behind the 8-ball and about 5,000 words behind the word target. I have only a vague idea of the protagonists, a little firmer concept for the bad guys and a general direction to take the story in.

Now, I have surprised myself -- I found myself writing a chapter I didn't have in the first scribbled notes, but I think would look great on the film screen, something that sets the tone for what I want to see. The back-story on the main organization is coming in bits and pieces that are finding homes in the words I write.

That's it for now. I will expand a little more on the story once I actually know where these characters are taking me on this NaWriNoMo ride.

If you want to read African Firestorm, it's on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the UK, click here! Again, Red Ice is here:  Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, It's here!

Later!

Craig