I've been a bad blogger lately, I know. My elder daughter got married at the end of December, several of us have been battling health issues, and I've been pushing hard to finish my next Sebastian book. It isn't due until 1 March, but it is finished. Almost.
Why almost? Well, I've done all the major revisions and the line edits, too, and printed off a clean copy. Now I'm just going to let it sit there for a few weeks, then come back and read it one last time with fresher eyes. I also haven't written the last few paragraphs of the final scene yet, either, because I want to wait until after I do that final read. So almost finished. But this breathing space is a rare luxury for me; normally I'm pushing SEND at 4:00 p.m. the day it's due.
I thought some of you might enjoy this glimpse into how I write. I divide the book into four parts, and keep each part in a separate file. As I print the book off, I also keep the parts separate, each with its own variously colored title page. I use the title pages to write notes to myself--the spelling of the names of people or places that I find myself forgetting or (especially at the beginning) even character descriptions. Why do I do it this way? Hmmm, maybe that would make a good blog post in itself!
In the meantime, what I am doing now? Why, plotting book number nine, of course! Can't tell you much, yet, except that it will be set in late January/early February 1813.
