when a plan comes together

I used to struggle with writer’s block.

It’s the malady of modern writers—not knowing what to put on the page. If you’re not a writer, imagine having to give a speech in front of a class or school assembly. You’ve practiced for days, but when you open your mouth, nothing comes out. Everyone gets to watch you flail and flounder for words, all to no avail.

Trade spectators for pixels on a screen—that’s writer’s block.

Thankfully, my writer’s block all but disappeared when I focused on two things: the outline and the routine.

When I knew what I needed to write, in any level of detail, I could sit down with something to say.

And when I started writing before work on a regular basis, even setting my alarm to write, my productivity shot up.

For my upcoming book, Marrow and Soul, I spent about twenty months on the first 20,000 words. Once I figured out my routine, I wrote the last 80,000 words in four months.

Not only that—I wrote the entire second book in five months. More on that later.

The result? I get to take pictures like this:

Three years of writing, planning, and executing leads to stacks of paperbacks sitting in my office, waiting to be distributed to my Kickstarter backers.

Did you miss the Kickstarter? No worries! More opportunities coming soon; keep your eyes on these emails for ARC signups and giveaways.

Marrow and Soul is off the board until Kickstarter fulfillment ends. It’ll be back for the publication countdown in January!

SPOOKY SEQUEL // Just waiting on one more slice of the alpha feedback pie. Once that’s in, my editor gets next dibs on tearing my manuscript to shreds (or…not?).

If you’re new here, SPOOKY SEQUEL is the codename for Marrow and Soul’s sequel until I can figure out what to call it decide to reveal the title to the public.

SPOOKY THREEQUEL // As soon as SPOOKY SEQUEL’s manuscript goes to the editor, I’ll start drafting book 3. We’ll start with an gorgeous sequence of intrigue, suspense, horror, and heat-pounding action set in a mountainous city. And that’s just the appetizer.

VESPER // With the outline done, VESPER gets to slumber for a while until SPOOKY THREEQUEL’s first draft is done. D’ya think it’s uncouth to say I’m even more excited to draft VESPER than my current series?

Again, if you’re new here—imagine The Witcher, but with a YA protagonist who wants to save endangered species instead of slaying them. That’s what I have in the pipeline.

See ya next time,
Addison