March went by at a blink of the eye, and I feel no closer to finishing book 2 of my YA Fantasy series. I have never chopped and changed and rewritten a book more than this one. It has been fighting me the whole way. It's because I wrote the first draft slowly, in dribs and drabs at a time when I was struggling with some rough stuff. Consequently the book didn't have a clear focus. Part of me thinks it might've been better to have thrown it all out and started again from scratch. But no. At least Part 1 now has focus and clarity and high stakes. Woo! It's just taken me way longer than I had hoped. But then, I want everything NOW!, and sometimes a story just won't play nice. This is one of them. On to part 2 and 3!
My photo above is a representation of my work on book 2. I'm getting into it, but getting all caught up in a tangle ;)
That was the insecurity part of the post. Glad that's over. On to the fun part:
Reading!!
Last month I read another three books. All three were great.
Wool by Hugh Howey is a post-apocalypse/dystopian set underground in silos. An interesting world with fully fleshed-out characters. Loved it.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is a YA fantasy set in a the rich, dangerous world of Faerie. This wasn't what I had expected. It can be quite dark at times. Another great read.
The Sword of the Templars by Paul Christopher is a treasure hunt type book. Think National Treasure, or Lara Croft with less acrobatics, or a modern day Indiana Jones with less swashbuckling. I got this because it was part of my brother's collection I inherited. This one is a light, fun read.
How has your writing been going? What have you been reading lately? What are you struggling with at the moment?
This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month the members of our group post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE
