Progress on LOD2

Another belated post that Earthpillar subscribers received in October.

I've been fixated on my next novel, the direct sequel to Lords of Deception. Let's start calling it LOD2, since I haven't revealed the title. I've drafted more than 30 chapters since mid-August, so probably one-third completed. Really excited about it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOD!

LOD1 was published on 12 October last year. My debut is officially 1 year old! The coronavirus cancelled some book launch events and book festivals I had lined up this year, so LOD has gotten a slower start than I'd hoped.

But the reviews have been great so I don't mind the gradual growth of readership as long as people are enjoying it. If you are, please tell a friend!

Icing on the cake: LOD just got a great review from Lindsey Roberts, book blogger at A Rambling Reviewer, who called it "a gripping and suspenseful read."

Lindsey said it took her some time to get into the book due to its complexity and the idea that you're dropped into it without a full understanding of what's going on. "However, once I’d figured out who was who, I was drawn in," she said.

Lindsey described LOD as an "engaging and intricate novel, with multiple threads weaving together to form complex relationships and intertwining plot-lines."

You can read Lindsey's full review here.

PANTSERS & PLANNERS

Ever wonder how writers write? If you're a writer yourself, you know everyone has their own process. But readers may find it interesting that writers can be lumped into two camps: pantsers and planners.

A pantser sits down with a blank page and just starts writing. They wing it, often without having more than a vague idea of the direction they're going. These writers sometimes view themselves as purists, unencumbered and free.

A planner sits down with a blank page too, but they have a plan written down first. It may be a basic outline or an extensive story arc, or even chapter summaries. They also often do lots of research first, including for fiction.

I'm solidly, maybe obsessively, a planner. I spent several months getting ready for LOD2 by re-reading LOD1 to get familiar with all the details again, taking lots of notes, and structuring chapter flow based on scene ideas I've been sketching out for the past few years.

And because that wasn't enough, a basically wrote an encyclopedia of the Earthpillar world to get it straight, as described in a prior newsletter, just for writing LOD2.

Since my novels are detailed and complex, I want to be sure everything in the Earthpillar world stays consistent from novel to novel. But my plan is more of a scaffold, and I often change the direction as I write just like a pantser would.

So I'm a detailed but flexible planner. And that's how my books come together!

Subscribe to get Earthpillar news and discount codes straight to your inbox.