Now that I'm back, I'm sure my legions of adoring fans are wondering what I'm working on, right? While I haven't been blogging, I have been working on some stuff for publication, starting with editing Schism. I realize that the linked post in the title there says that Schism is complete, but as I went back, I discovered it's not quite as complete as I might've liked.
For those who don't know what Schism is, it's a novel about a 2nd American Civil War, this one based on the red/blue model. The more I worked on editing it, the more it seemed not only applicable to today's polarized climate, but it seems prescient. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but reading the "news" and "blog" posts in the novel, I was having some real trouble distinguishing between that and the real world, especially in the buildup. We're so polarized, and we're so toxic, that this thing may end up as a history textbook before everything is finished. One wrong word is enough nowadays to start an argument, and people who've been friends for years cut each other off over political differences(I've personally experienced this with a fellow writer I once admired, and whose writing I still enjoy).
While the first three acts of Schism are now edited and complete, I have to do something with the fourth act - it's simply too rushed to give a satisfying ending. What I need to do is split it into two acts, beef it up a bit, and then see how it plays out. The first three acts set up a post-civil war America, but the fourth just settles everything in one fell swoop, and I don't like that, so I'm going to give more on what an America in the aftermath of a second civil war would look like.
I'm also about to start the next novel after Salvation Day. I know I originally said I was going to work more on the sequel to Akeldama, but I'm more inspired right now to tackle the former rather than the latter. Plus, it's my writing anyways, so that's just the way it is. I promise to return to Akeldama's sequel soon enough, but I feel the other one trying to ooze its way out of me, so I figured I should write it or watch myself slowly go insane. I've chosen option #1.
I'm also getting more and more involved in the writer community. It's hard to get noticed without engaging, so that's what I've decided to do. It has been quite a rollercoaster, but I'm grateful for the folks who've stopped by my blog to check it out - I hope it doesn't disappoint.
For those who don't know what Schism is, it's a novel about a 2nd American Civil War, this one based on the red/blue model. The more I worked on editing it, the more it seemed not only applicable to today's polarized climate, but it seems prescient. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but reading the "news" and "blog" posts in the novel, I was having some real trouble distinguishing between that and the real world, especially in the buildup. We're so polarized, and we're so toxic, that this thing may end up as a history textbook before everything is finished. One wrong word is enough nowadays to start an argument, and people who've been friends for years cut each other off over political differences(I've personally experienced this with a fellow writer I once admired, and whose writing I still enjoy).
While the first three acts of Schism are now edited and complete, I have to do something with the fourth act - it's simply too rushed to give a satisfying ending. What I need to do is split it into two acts, beef it up a bit, and then see how it plays out. The first three acts set up a post-civil war America, but the fourth just settles everything in one fell swoop, and I don't like that, so I'm going to give more on what an America in the aftermath of a second civil war would look like.
I'm also about to start the next novel after Salvation Day. I know I originally said I was going to work more on the sequel to Akeldama, but I'm more inspired right now to tackle the former rather than the latter. Plus, it's my writing anyways, so that's just the way it is. I promise to return to Akeldama's sequel soon enough, but I feel the other one trying to ooze its way out of me, so I figured I should write it or watch myself slowly go insane. I've chosen option #1.
I'm also getting more and more involved in the writer community. It's hard to get noticed without engaging, so that's what I've decided to do. It has been quite a rollercoaster, but I'm grateful for the folks who've stopped by my blog to check it out - I hope it doesn't disappoint.
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