Author J. R. DuBois: Unfiltered

Heavens to Betsy, is Book Two's progress slowing down because I know I'm getting near the end, getting overwhelmed with all the stuff I need to make happen before the end -- which is fast approaching -- or is it because I want to tweak the end of Book One so Book Two essentially becomes Part Two of Book One, thus making Book 1 and 2 only one book? *grabs head and screams* Yesterday, I was certain that this (the latter) was what I thought I should do. But now... Eeeeuuughhh... As I've tried to plot and draft such a thing, I realize... well. Maybe yes and maybe no. I really could make this thing a trilogy, but I also want to try very hard to make it a duology with trilogy, prequel, and sequel potential, so either way, the stories are connected, but do I finish book two, finesse it as much as I have Book One, and then ram the two together with the neat little sections of "Part One" and "Part Two," and then leave the prologue of Book Two and some of the vill...

"Cat Sunbathes by Excessively Overgrown Pond" One of my writing views this morning. Kota insists on drinking and sun-bathing by our overgrown pond, but it's been a beautiful morning, and she's so cute. Hubs keeps expecting her to fall-in (she's blind), but she's cautious and nimble, and I'm quite sure my heart is Kota-shaped. That's just conjecture, though... Hey Conduits! This week, I didn't write as many hours as I intended (life got in the way), but I spent the same amount of time thinking through issues/plot structures, and still made some very important strides. Since I'm writing Book Two, all those pesky questions I created in Book One need to be answered. Two of the biggest ones are now effectively answered, with another to be answered soon, and I'm proud to say it's not answered via an info-dump (which is hard to do!). As it stands, I am either smack-dab in the middle of Book Two, or much closer to the climax than I realize (isn...

So here's a thing I've learned about myself during this year, "the year of 2020," "the year of COVID:" once I set a schedule, I am loathe to stray from it, and when I do, it can derail my creative process. And yet, ironically, I claim to celebrate spontaneity -- which I do. Sometimes. So long as I don't have plans. (...) (*Note, upon re-reading this entry, I wish to point out that this blog will include all the ranting and railing and celebrating that comes with writing a book, which includes what is forthcoming, and doesn't always seem obviously linked to the creative process. But if you, reader, are a fellow creative, perhaps you can empathize with how much scheduling can, in fact, impede or enhance the creative process and either stimulate or depress the Muse.*) I am blessed to have the opportunity to work for myself and create my own schedule. It is a luxury I experienced while dabbling with a multi-level marketing business years ago, then shifti...