Once the work is over, the work begins again.

I have to admit that as I get closer to finishing the first draft, I start to feel more uneasy with certain sections of it. I have always known the old adage that you need to show what is happening to your reader and not simply tell them the events. I know I have broken this rule in large swathes of what I have written.

I am very happy with certain scenes, and choosing what to change will be painful. But it also might be liberating.

One goal I had with this work was to not just poop it out and publish it for quick money. Not only would that be a poor showing for my first release, it also probably wouldn’t make much money.

Another thing I am going to do is work on a piece I started the other night. I had been mulling the idea for a bit, and started when I hit a bout of insomnia. My fingers were typing as fast as they could, and I was typing on an iPad, so this was no small fete… for me, at least. This piece is very action-oriented. I love writing action because it grabs me and makes for something very interesting to read. This piece is genre fiction- science fiction to be exact. Sci-fi has long been a love of mine. Most of my writing has traditionally been sci-fi or horror, so it feels a bit like going home.

Something that struck me as I read back what I wrote, is that the level of engagement I was feeling reading it is what I want my readers to feel when reading Empire, even if they are very different styles of books.

I think Empire will get there. Eventually.

Realistic fiction is hard for me because you want it to actually feel, you know, realistic. Realism is hard to hit, especially when you have a certain breadth of story you have to portray to the reader. I am going to have to find good scenes that give the reader the information they need within the confines of scenes of interaction and action. I know I can do it, but I definitely need to recharge my batteries before I attempt it.

I’m going to go ahead and finish the draft I’m working on, then print up a copy and hit it as hard as I can with a red pen. It is going to be tough, but I didn’t get into this because it is easy.