The things I’ve learned

Hi guys,

I’m still alive!

Well, it’s been a couple of months since the last post and I wouldn’t call that a proper update anyway.

Truth be told, there’s no important news to speak of. Well, other than the fact that I’m still figuring out the second volume. No, I still don’t have a publishing date, but I’m not stressing about it either. I’m sure you’d like to read it faster. I know I would, but there’s been a bunch of stuff I’ve been rummaging through lately and I’ve had to reorganize some of my priorities. So, what follows is a bit of a rant.

Publishing has taught me a lot of stuff. The most important is not to rush, which I’ve successfully done with my first book. That turned out to be a mistake. Not the book itself, of course, but the rushing, pressuring, forcing things out.

Let’s call it impatience. It might’ve been that. Plot a book for seven years and there comes a time when you just can’t do it anymore. You just need to let it out. I did. I’m happy, but there’s still stuff I need to work on. Professionally editing it would be one of those things.

But don’t ask me when I plan to go back there, because, honestly, I don’t know.

The second thing I’ve learned is that you need a break from time to time. Taking a step back from your work and focusing on a different subject can give you a lot of insight on what you’re writing. Lordie knows I need that. A LOT. You probably knew this by now, but writing something that’s in a different genre and out of your comfort zone, can help you improve on your writing drastically and let you explore different perspectives.

That’s why in between writing sessions for Temporary Bliss #2, I started a project I’ve been postponing for a while now. I’m not going to get into details, but I’ll say this much. It’s on the opposite side of TB:

• it’s a third person, which is quite refreshing. Staying away from Alex’s twisted mind can be quite beneficial to me (lol) and it allows me to judge TB #2 with a more critical eye;
• it’s a fantasy story which I’ve decided to build from scratch. That’s taking quite some time, but the whole process is rather fun. Well, yeah, I haven’t even figured out a third of what I want this book to be, but we’re getting there. I’d say that probably in the next couple of years, depending on the time and dedication I’ll show to it, I could come up with a full, finished final draft. I know, years sounds daunting, but I’m not writing for a living and quite honestly, I’m more interested in the quality of the writing and the story itself than anything else;
• as it’s expanding in my head, it’s probably going to feature more than one plot line and it will focus on an array of characters; it’s going to feature some LGBT relationships, as well as hetero ones, but the focus itself will be on the story and how it unfolds.

And third. Well. I’m rather disappointed with the M/M genre in itself. I don’t want to expand on it, but let’s just say the toxicity surrounding the genre has left me a bit numb. As a young writer trying to put their best into their writing, I’ve been quite baffled at some of the attitudes coming from both readers and so-called prominent writers. But most of all it’s been disappointing to see an entire genre being reduced to the level of “hotness” or “steam” present in a book. I’m not going to open the discussion about plot or character development, because that’s basically non-existent. At this point, I think people don’t really understand how literature works, ‘cuz this is anything but.

In any case, that’s a discussion for another time, if I can actually be bothered to come back to it.

So, if you’re asking what’s taking so goddamn long, well that’s basically it. I’m taking my sweet time to come up with something worth reading. ‘Cuz if it’s not something that I would enjoy reading myself, then I might as well give up writing altogether.

‘Kay.

Zbye,

A. W.

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I wrote a book! Isn’t that exciting? If you’re here for the first time and you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can check it out here. Also, if it’s not too much to ask, your feedback would be kindly appreciated, so please don’t forget to visit my Goodreads page to leave a review. Thank you!