Anyone else in a struggle season?

These past couple months have been rough. Not only for me, but like, my whole family and several of my friends.

For various reasons, I haven’t been writing a whole lot. I have gotten past a scene that I was a little stuck on, though I know that this whole first part is probably going to need another rewrite, but I will deal with that after I get through the whole draft. There is a chance I will still make my goal of 15k by this end of the month, I am sitting at about 9700 words right now, so I am making progress. Once I get past the opening where most of the work is needed, I should get through the rest a little faster.

I am so grateful for everyone who has been following me through this journey. It feels really good to be getting so close to actually publishing. I can’t wait to get this out there.

Here’s a little snippet:

Ray frowned, staring at Aaron. Aaron stared back, raising his brow with a shrug. “I am not suddenly going to know more. Are you reading me?”

Ray sat back with a sigh. “Yeah, but you’re right. You aren’t going to know more because I want you to.”

Silence fell between them. Aaron had hundreds of questions he wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure he wanted answers to any of them. He wasn’t ready. Vale being real still felt obscure, like this was all a book he was reading rather than real life.

Ray slapped his hands on his knees suddenly. “We’re going to have to go find it.”

Not as fast as I would like, but stronger

I did really well keeping up with my 500 words a day goal until I got sick.

I did mange to double the length, bring it just over 5k. The writing sessions I have been able to get in have been really fun and I feel like I have a better grasp of the characters and how to lay the foundations for the story a little better than I did before. Getting outside input was so helpful. I know this story and world so well, there were very simple, obvious gaps that I just couldn’t see being as close to the story as I am. It feels like this time around I am capturing what I need to on the page without putting too much.

It’s slow going, but I think this draft is going to be so much stronger.

Here’s a little peek:

“You are about to be so busy that I, who live with you, won’t even see you and you want to start something with a girl?” He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter next to the stove.

Zuriel shrugged. “It could be a good test.”

Halvar rolled his eyes and pushed off the counter. “Let me know when dinner is ready.”

“You are not invited to dinner, Ray.” Zuriel called after him as he left the room. “Ray? Ray!”

Halvar smiled to himself as he started up the stairs with Zuriel still yelling at him that he wasn’t invited to dinner.

Quick update

While I am waiting to get feedback on book 1, I have been working on getting the plot together for the second book.

I am using a little different technique than I have before, paying more attention to who needs to be included and what their arc will be to avoid some of the pitfalls I have had in the past, so hopefully it will come together faster and stronger, though I am still very much a discovery writer and won’t really know all the twists and turns until I write them. Already the story has evolved from the early scribbles I wrote out for it.

It has been so much fun to work with all these different ideas and characters. I am so excited to share this story.

A little scribble:

“I’m going to go for a flight. Do you want to join me?”

Halvar sat up. “Yes and no.” He grinned at Zuriel.

Zuriel felt his own mouth tick up. “Wuss.”

“Oh come on!” Halvar said as he stood. “There isn’t even a saddle. If he wanted to shake me off, he’d have no problem. We weren’t made to fly anyway.”

Zuriel smiled as they started out of the hall side by side. “If we aren’t meant to fly, why do dragons agree to fly us around?”

Halvar scrunched his face. “They’re arrogant buggers. They’re showing off.” He snapped his fingers, “That’s it, they are showing off their chosen like a pedigree dog.”

Zuriel laughed at that, grateful for his brother’s company.

Thanks for reading!

-Michelle R Bowen

Let’s Go!

I am so excited about getting this draft wrapped up.

I am a little stuck because I am getting into a long-ish battle sequence and the ending I have settled on has changed what book 2 is going to be and I am so excited about that part of the story as well and it’s pulling my mind a little ahead of where I am actually writing.

But, I am so excited to actually know where I am going with this.

I can’t wait to get into tearing it apart and fixing it. But I do have to finish it first. I am making good progress with that. The draft is now about 110,600 words.

Here’s a little snippet:

Aaron clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the empty whiteness where the bleed would soon open before him.

Deep breath in. Out.

He reached toward his sorcerer magic, holding each element near the surface.

They’d worked and planned and how he had to trust the men he worked with.

It’s time. Halvar’s voice filled his mind.

The air before them rippled as the bleed opened.

He took another deep breath, all the weariness and anxiety was lost in the surge of adrenaline.

“Go.”