Hello hello! It's been a minute since I've had a personal post, so buckle in because I've got a lot to say!!
I feel like I've been running in circles with writing for the past two months, but after a dreadfully unsuccessful Camp Nanowrimo, I'm finally back into a groove. So here's what I've been working on:
THE SECRET WIP. I can't yet say what this project is, BUT keep an eye on my socials on Sunday August 8, because sometime that day I'll finally announce what this big secret is –– and trust me, you don't want to miss this!! At any rate, this project has been a giant pain in the neck and has forced me to write it out of order, which I've never done before. It's kind of stressing me out and I know I'm going to have a whole entire struggle trying to piece everything together when I revise, but it's either this or remain stuck in one spot. So here we are, being chaotic.
It's finally starting to go well, though, so fingers crossed I don't back myself into a corner again! This project has actually made me rethink my entire writing process. I have a part-by-part outline that takes me from start to finish (which helps since I'm writing out of order). I know the ending, and I know the steps to get to the ending. I've never worked with a strict outline before, so this is totally different for me. I was afraid I'd get bored of the project before I even got a first draft, but I made sure to leave my outline vague enough that the story can still surprise me along the way. So far so good! Maybe I should -- SIGH -- outline things more often.
"SYNCHRONY." This is a short story I wrote a few weeks ago to have a change in pace from novel writing! It's a loose retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone, and it was SUPER fun to write. Yet it was also a huge challenge for me, because as we know, I like to word sprawl. And that doesn't work out with short stories. I'm getting better, though, and after three drafts of paring down this story, I have a stronger idea of short story structure and how to accomplish a plot and character journey in such a small space. My final draft of this story was still over 7000 words, so we're not QUITE there yet, but hey, 7k is better than the original 12k first draft!
A NEW STORY. I got a random idea for a soft, low-stakes fantasy novel (? story? novella? who knows), and jotted down some notes for two main characters and a vague plot. Don't ask me what the plot is. No plot, only vibes. We'll see if it goes anywhere.
THE NECROMANCER BOOK. Yeah, I know. But listen, the other day I got out my zero draft and my notes for this fricken book and ended up rewriting the first chapter somewhat successfully. So now it's in my head again, but don't hold your breath because this book truly hates me so I won't be surprised if all I get out of it is one chapter before it crumbles in my hands again. On god, someday I will successfully write this book and I'll get to hold it in my hands and it'll feel so damn good.
So that's it for writing! Sounds like a bunch, but my main focus is on the Secret WIP right now; the others are just kinda in the background. Again, keep your eye on my twitter and insta on Sunday for the ~big reveal~ of what this WIP is :3
And because I clearly don't have enough books in my life (they said with ardent sarcasm), here's the bundle of books I'm reading:
Percy Jackson: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan. "But Talli, didn't you start this series ages ago and fly through the first two books in two days?" Why yes, yes I did, and yet it's taking me weeks to get through book 3, not because I dislike it, but because it feels like I have 0 time to read books. So yeah, still chugging through PJ.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. Yes I started this one ages ago too, but listen I'm still feeling the effects of the awful reading slump I was in for most of the spring, so I need to be in the right mood for high fantasy. This book is REALLY COOL but it's a Lot for my scattered little brain to focus on. I'll get through it, slowly but surely.
Amber & Clay by Laure Amy Schlitz. I started this one because it's mostly a novel in verse which means it's easy to fly through and then gives me the gratification of speeding through 500 pages in not a lot of time. It's also absolutely gorgeous, and based on Greek mythology so it's right up my alley rn. I'm about halfway through and loving it.
Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault. Been working through this one for a bit (again, bad at reading) and I'm enjoying it a lot! I love the casual queerness that Claudie weaves into the worldbuilding (we love fantasy worlds with normalized queer rep), and the characters are all fantastic. I'm def looking forward to checking out more of Claudie's work when I finish this one. I've had my eye on City of Strife for a hot minute, so I'm particularly excited to dig into that one!!
Gathering of the Four by A.E. Bennett. Again, another high fantasy with a lot going on, so I can only read this when I'm not tired, but despite that I'm absolutely flying through this book. Like, to the point where I want to slow down because I don't want it to be done. But also I want to know what happens. The characters are wonderful, and Bennett has some really strong worldbuilding. Definitely a new fave series!
There's also like a dozen additional books in my kindle library that I'm dying to start, but I really gotta wait until I finish something to start another 😭 There's too many to choose from!! I have too many books!! Jk, there's no such thing ;)
So that's what I've been up to -- buried in books forever and ever. But that's okay! All good things!
And you can find the other versions of THE ORACLE STONE here!
Already read it? I'd love if you'd leave me a review on Goodreads, StoryGraph, or Amazon! Reviews help other readers find new books, and it'd mean the world to me if you'd take a second to rate and review THE ORACLE STONE.
Well that's it for today! I have a small break in indie author interviews, so next week you can expect to see a craft discussion...I just have to figure out what that'll be 🤣 Until then, see y'all around! Thanks for reading!
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