Author: jongraylang

Forward movement!  Progression!  What is that?

I just got some feedback from the latest version of Black Matilda and it was favorable!  Some weak spots were pointed out that I was mostly aware of and some that I wasn’t.  There were some weird formatting issues that I think we’re all caught but I’ll double-check it again.   On the horizon is a list of corrections from the editors that are still in the works.  And now I am even more excited to get this one completed!

I have a lot of notes for fixes and additions to book three but they are all mixed up with notes for book four.  On top of that, I’ve been hitting a wall in Waltzing Matilda though it’s mostly an issue of what the place the characters are in is like (new place, new rules, new characters… oy).  Once I get the big ole edit report, I’ll need my notes.

I know what you’re thinking, “Don’t you have a story bible?”

Well, yes I do but this story has grown exponentially with characters, locations, and motivations since its inception.  This is why my notes are such a jumble and things keep slipping through the cracks.  And now I realize I need to add even more notes and information for this book and the next one.

Do I know what to do, you say?

Clean ‘em up!  Get them all together for each book!  Bring that story bible closer to where it should be!  So that’s what I did!  Well, except maybe the full bible part though it is better.

Is it staring at me again?

Anyway, I am doing all the things to make it better!  And I can feel the finish line!

Image by Daniel Friesenecker from Pixabay

Is it secret?  Is it safe?

Is everyone staying indoors and only going out for the random grocery run?  That’s what we’re doing here in the bunker.  It’s kind of surprising how quickly we go through milk when we only use it for coffee.  Like, why so much?

But I digress…

Before all this excitement kicked in, I had to order a new laptop.  The old workhorse was struggling daily and its OS is a thing of the past.  She’s still a great machine and kicking right along.  But I’ve read enough horror stories of authors and artists losing all of their work when the machine bricks.  I had a couple scares last year with the old one struggling to boot up and she held a lot of invested time, thoughts, ideas and all manner of other things.

So how is the new one?  She is pretty solid though many of my external accoutrements are umm… old.  Let’s just say I’m glad deliveries are still coming in with the odds and ends I’ve had to pick up to keep close to the same setup.

But it’s all together!  Everything works!  Well except some apps I’ve been using for virtual write-ins and author collaborations.  I’m still poking my toes into that bizarreness and crossing my fingers for a solution.

All in all, a mostly painless switch.  Mostly…

Image by aytuguluturk from Pixabay

COVID-19 pandemic has definitely put a damper on everyday life.  I hope everyone is being safe, careful and not touching their faces (it’s a daily struggle, I swear).

But I have good news!

Black Matilda is off to the editors!  Now I get to look forward to all the red ink!

Was it really two years ago that I posted an update on this book?  It definitely feels like an eternity since I last made any headway on it.  I didn’t realize how much time book four had swallowed up.  Never mind getting book two to print.  You know what they say, “Small wins lead to victory in the long run.”

Overall, I am pretty happy with it.  There are still some weak spots but at this point, I need another set of eyes to tell me why (and even where).  It’s been a hard journey for the crew of the Matilda and this book doesn’t make it any easier.  But soon this part of their story will be out and that’s pretty incredible.  A monstrous thank you to my editors and beta readers!  I can’t thank you enough!

Now to change gears and write some poetry, update some backstory ideas for another project and look over a few outlines on a couple of other projects… maybe three.  And, if you’re looking for some reading material, you can find my works here.

Stay safe everyone and stick to reliable sources on how to get through this!

Image by Lorenzo Cafaro from Pixabay