Many things have happened since the last blog post, all of which have stunted my dedication to this writing project.
The whole year has in fact been a stressful, eventful, and meaningful one. 2022 will be a year I reflect on often. I moved and started my life as a university professor, which of course, encompassed a lot of my time and effort. Some hobbies changed. I have been enthusiastic to have activities that don’t involve a screen. This had resulted to my attention being drawn away from writing as well. This doesn’t mean this series has left my mind, much of it has been planned out and simply needs to be committed to actual words.
In the new year, with my schedule and life more in order, I can commit more time to writing. Therefore, I have set some goals for 2023. Although these goals are not set in stone nor do I expect to accomplish them, but they are the next steps in this project.
Book 1 – Turn into an audio book
I have investigated this, and it looks very doable without too much of a financial commitment. It would also give me the opportunity to re-write some parts of the first book that I dislike. This would mean the audio book would be “Edition 2”, which is weirdly exciting. The university I work at has some great audio equipment and resources I plan to use, how willing they will be to get involved remains to be seen. Perhaps I’ll get some of my friends with better voices involved. Contacting the university is the first step, with their confirmation I can look at reading the book out loud and finding places that need some slight adjustments.
Book 2 – Get professionally edited
I am happy with the version I have, but my self-editing will only take me so far. I would like to use the same editor I had with the first book, so the first thing to do is contact them and see when / if they are available. This step was put on hold as funds were an issue. A new job is nice, but it has taken time to get back to a stage where I can put money aside for this personal project. They will be contacted in the new year. I will still want to do another full read through before passing it on. Otherwise, I will hunt for a new editor. I would love to have this off my desk so I can focus on book 3.
Book 3 – Finish writing
All the story beats are known and outlined. I just need to commit time to putting them into the document. Getting back into the habit of writing everyday is a goal for the new year, with it, this book should be polished off in no time.
At the very least, I’d like book 2 to be at a stage where I can publish it, whether that is the self publishing route I did last time or with a traditional publisher. I am not sure yet, both have their benefits and pitfalls. I will see how I feel after the edits (and what kind of funds I still have).
I look forward to 2023, balancing this project with everything else I have going on is manageable. It is a shame I had to put so much on hold, but my motivation has not waned!
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