Navigation

▼

Juggling Book Projects Can Give You a Headache

After hitting 28,000 words on the first draft of my new novel, We Love Trouble, I'm calling a halt to it.

Temporarily! Come on, I'm not going to give up on a story that I've described as The Thin Man meets Scooby-Doo. I'm having way too much fun.

But Emily and I wanted to get our new humor book, Still Slightly Off the Mark, out before the Christmas season. It's been so long since I last went over the final draft that I assumed--correctly--that I'd find more mistakes. So, while Emily works on the cover, I've started a line edit.

Emily's trying for a cover that's similar to the one for the original Slightly Off the Mark, seen here. But not so similar people think it's the same book. A lot of juggling goes on in the writing business.


Then I'm going to finish the rough draft of We Love Trouble, and while that cools and awaits a second draft, I'll finally go back to pulling photos together for our Albion Fire Department photo book.

It's like cooking a meal with multiple dishes at the same time. You have to add the various ingredients at the right moment, have them cooking at the right temperature, and keep anything from burning. I've always been exceptionally bad at cooking multiple-dish meals, which is why I make sure my smoke detector batteries are good.

Hopefully I'll be better with the multiple book projects. Although, come to think of it, if I should hear back from an agent or publisher things will get even more complicated.

Remember, if you don't get it all done, tomorrow is another day. Assuming those are early morning clouds, and not a UFO approaching.

 
 
Don't forget to find us on social media, including:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

8 comments:

  1. Three Hoodies Save the WorldOctober 5, 2019 at 3:50 PM

    I once wrote three different novels at the same time.
    All I can say is: never again.
    good luck to you, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark R HunterOctober 5, 2019 at 11:23 PM

      Sometimes my scheduling just works out that way, but it's sure not the way I'd prefer to do it!

      Delete
  2. William KendallOctober 5, 2019 at 4:11 PM

    That's keeping you busy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark R HunterOctober 5, 2019 at 11:23 PM

      Well, it's that time of year when I stop wanting to go outside, anyway!

      Delete
  3. Mari CollierOctober 6, 2019 at 5:47 PM

    You are so busy. I really do hope you hear back from an agent! Good luck with it all. Of course, I Tweeted.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eugenia ParrishOctober 8, 2019 at 10:23 AM

    Sometimes it seems that hopping from one manuscript to another tends to clear my mind when I'm stuck. Other times, it just muddies everything up. Which happens to you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark R HunterOctober 11, 2019 at 4:04 AM

      With me it's more muddling. I prefer to stick with one project until it's done--except for when I'm waiting for a "finished" book to cool down so I can check it for mistakes.

      Delete