Big Update
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed your summer. I know things have been quiet on my front and their are a few reasons for that which I hope to clear up in this post. Up ahead prepare for some good news, some bad news, and looking ahead to the future. Excuse my rambling, but its the best way I know to get everything out.
Avoiding Author Burnout
So the bad news first. Since about the end of April - early May I haven't touched the fourth Bound to the Abyss novel. Before those that enjoy the story get out your torches and pitchforks let me explain why.
I started writing about Ean, Zin, and Azalea back in 2011. I was three years into teaching at a school an hour away from where I lived, newly married, and we had just found out our first son was on the way. Over the next three years I spent what dwindling free time I had into a story that I would later split into two novels. I ran a barely successful Kickstarter (THANK YOU SUPPORTERS) and things have steam rolled on every since. I just released Enemies and Allies, two years after the first and second book. Even while the finishing touches were going into Book 3, I was already plotting out and throwing scenes together for Book 4.
And that's when I realized I needed to step back. I feel like the fourth book will tell a great story and is plotted out to connect a good amount of threads from the first three books (if you finished the third, the fourth picks up at the exact moment the fourth ends so you'll understand what I mean). The problem comes from the fact that I've been writing about Ean and his crew for 5 years, nonstop, in what little time a full time teacher and father of two overly energetic boys can find. And going through the dozen or so chapters I was writing for Book 4, I realized I was just phoning it in and that's not what I want for this series I love so much. So I saved everything I had so far, closed the file, and haven't opened it up all summer.
Taking a Break Without Taking a Break
So what does a indie author do when he isn't working on his flagship series? Start something new! Over the course of the summer I've written a ~114,000 word horror/comedy novel. I don't want to go into too much detail on the above novel yet. It's just a first draft and I'm still fixing it up and having my wonderful critiquer run through it. When it gets closer to completion, I'll start talking about it more. For now though, I feel its more important to mention how it relates to the BttA Series.
Writing something completely different from the Bound to the Abyss series has allowed me to take a break from writing fantasy while still trying to improve my story-telling and writing skills. What this should hopefully mean for those that are fans of Bound to the Abyss is that Book 4 should be even tighter and more entertaining then any of my other novels. And more then that, after taking a four month break I am totally refreshed and ready to dive back in and really give the fourth novel the attention it deserves.
So Where Are We At?
This week I return to my full time job of teaching. A busy time with very little free time. After I settle into the year, it will be full steam ahead on BttA 4. As I mentioned, the plot and basic structure of the novel chapter by chapter is already lined up. My first task will be to go through the twelve or so chapters I've already written and really do them the justice they deserve. Then I'll move on to finishing the rest (at the moment its plotted out to over 40 chapters, so the biggest novel in the series so far).
Of course, this early in the writting process and having no idea how the school year will go, I can't give even the roughest estimate on when it could be completed. I missed a lot of guesses for the publish date for the third book so I certainly don't want to make that mistake this time around. Just know that I appreciate everyone's patience and I will obviously keep you all up to date as things move forward.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and I look forward to talking and hearing from you all as the writing process for Bound to the Abyss Book 4 really gets underway!
Avoiding Author Burnout
So the bad news first. Since about the end of April - early May I haven't touched the fourth Bound to the Abyss novel. Before those that enjoy the story get out your torches and pitchforks let me explain why.
I started writing about Ean, Zin, and Azalea back in 2011. I was three years into teaching at a school an hour away from where I lived, newly married, and we had just found out our first son was on the way. Over the next three years I spent what dwindling free time I had into a story that I would later split into two novels. I ran a barely successful Kickstarter (THANK YOU SUPPORTERS) and things have steam rolled on every since. I just released Enemies and Allies, two years after the first and second book. Even while the finishing touches were going into Book 3, I was already plotting out and throwing scenes together for Book 4.
And that's when I realized I needed to step back. I feel like the fourth book will tell a great story and is plotted out to connect a good amount of threads from the first three books (if you finished the third, the fourth picks up at the exact moment the fourth ends so you'll understand what I mean). The problem comes from the fact that I've been writing about Ean and his crew for 5 years, nonstop, in what little time a full time teacher and father of two overly energetic boys can find. And going through the dozen or so chapters I was writing for Book 4, I realized I was just phoning it in and that's not what I want for this series I love so much. So I saved everything I had so far, closed the file, and haven't opened it up all summer.
Taking a Break Without Taking a Break
So what does a indie author do when he isn't working on his flagship series? Start something new! Over the course of the summer I've written a ~114,000 word horror/comedy novel. I don't want to go into too much detail on the above novel yet. It's just a first draft and I'm still fixing it up and having my wonderful critiquer run through it. When it gets closer to completion, I'll start talking about it more. For now though, I feel its more important to mention how it relates to the BttA Series.
Writing something completely different from the Bound to the Abyss series has allowed me to take a break from writing fantasy while still trying to improve my story-telling and writing skills. What this should hopefully mean for those that are fans of Bound to the Abyss is that Book 4 should be even tighter and more entertaining then any of my other novels. And more then that, after taking a four month break I am totally refreshed and ready to dive back in and really give the fourth novel the attention it deserves.
So Where Are We At?
This week I return to my full time job of teaching. A busy time with very little free time. After I settle into the year, it will be full steam ahead on BttA 4. As I mentioned, the plot and basic structure of the novel chapter by chapter is already lined up. My first task will be to go through the twelve or so chapters I've already written and really do them the justice they deserve. Then I'll move on to finishing the rest (at the moment its plotted out to over 40 chapters, so the biggest novel in the series so far).
Of course, this early in the writting process and having no idea how the school year will go, I can't give even the roughest estimate on when it could be completed. I missed a lot of guesses for the publish date for the third book so I certainly don't want to make that mistake this time around. Just know that I appreciate everyone's patience and I will obviously keep you all up to date as things move forward.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and I look forward to talking and hearing from you all as the writing process for Bound to the Abyss Book 4 really gets underway!
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