by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I’m now wading into figuring out what is “real” in my epic five novel series. It’s a lot of fun, but it ‘s also a huge pain in the ass. The reason is, there comes a point where I run out of things to say about this or that thing and I feel guilty that I’m not writing 25 pages on it.
But I guess everyone is different when it comes to how they develop and write. So, as long as I write or read *some* it’s ok. I’m really hoping to start writing a lot again at some point just after January 1st. I’m going to use the holidays to take a chill pill and just develop and read.
I find myself wanting to get back into writing as soon as possible, however. I’m just about finished a new fleshout outline and the structure of this new draft works well enough for me to throw myself into things. But I want to do things properly.
When I get back to writing, I want everything to be locked down so things go smooth enough that I can “just write.” The thing I notice about published novel, which is so tough, *IS* the level of consistency, of canon. So, that’s why sitting down and writing out what is “real” is so important. Only by having a cheat sheet of sorts can I have the best possible product when my beta readers — however I manage to find them — read the second draft.
Finding beta readers given that I have no friends, no one likes me and I’m flat broke is going to be a real pain in the ass. But you have to believe. You have to keep the faith. I’ve gotten this far, I can figure out somehow, someway to get within shouting distance of getting published in the traditional manner.
