Work In Progress
Posts about my current work in progress. I’m aiming for spoiler-free information to let you know about my progress.
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Picking apart a reasonably popular book to learn from the pieces.
I promised this a little while back, so it’s time to deliver. I’m going to review a book. Really most of a series, but I’m not going to read the last one. Why? Because I want to start picking apart books from a writer’s POV. It’s an exercise to learn what works and what doesn’t.…
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How Wendy made money and saved a town
With the big set piece finally done, I can write smaller chunks of the story. One of them is the fallout from regional TV featuring Wendy as the face of Noisy Creek, a town like some many others, which is being left unplugged in our increasingly connected world. Anyway, without giving spoilers the attention made…
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Finally wrote the set piece I planned for months. AND IT WORKS.
The chapter (? we’ll see. Still not to the point of arranging the book) will mark a turning point in Wendy’s relationship with the town. As I may have mentioned last time (https://ryan-publishing.com/one-tv-interview-to-change-hearts-and-minds/) the lost Cub Scout and the search is going to link Wendy and her new community to the outside world. I’m drawing…
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One TV Interview to Change Hearts and Minds
No, you won’t see it on the news. It’s in my book. But our heroine gets interviewed while everyone else is out searching for a lost child (she’s running the radio and keeping a lid on the rest of the Cub Scouts, she’s not slacking) and what she says is going to change some hearts.…
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Still Around, Still Writing. Life does get in the way, though.
It’s been a while since I posted anything. Spring means yard work, we’ve had graduations, big family dinners, all sorts of life that is, honestly, more important than jumping on social media. But I am still getting some writing time in. Currently at 91,946 words. This isn’t going to wrap up in 8k words. And…
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Fallout time. Not the radioactive kind, the emotional kind
Our last update was about an unfortunate killing. Our hero won’t get in legal trouble, but pack trouble is a different story. And she doesn’t even know that exists. I made the choice to not (yet) view the fallout from her POV. Instead, she’s still in shock, holed up in her RV/van. I’m examining what…
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It was a rough day in Noisy Creek. Had to kill a kid.
It was rough to write. It’s necessary, I think, and the teenager put himself in the situation and it was self-defense on our hero’s part. But still, it was a bit tough. It’ll also mean I need to work the kid into the story earlier, for more emotional impact. Hey, we’re trying to affect the…
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I did a bad, bad thing. Also, Thai spam this time.
I’ve been a bad, bad, boy. No, I wasn’t careless with a delicate girl. (IYKYK) I committed a writing sin. Instead of writing on my draft (currently at 83,448 words), I wrote a scene sketch from a future book in the series. I know, I’m sorry. But the scene came to me and if I…
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What’s it like to be a werewolf? They’re people, too, right?
I wrote a couple of short scenes today, including one where the werewolves shift. Get furry? Mmmm, no. This isn’t a monster movie where the cursed protagonist endures pain as their body reshapes itself into a mindless beast, doomed to hunt and kill. This is a community where everyone happens to share a specific trait.…
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The prep really worked – flew through a scene today.
I’ve been posting about how I had to stop and do some prep work – get the timeline straight, create minor characters and backstories, etc. Today that prep time paid off. I knocked out a full scene in about an hour. 1663 words. I knew where it came from and I knew where it was…