Writing Update

I've done a lousy job with this blog, but I'm making good progress with my writing. Here's the skinny on my next project:

I'm writing a post-apocalyptic sci-fi trilogy about a small group of people who survive the end of the world.

It's similar to THE DINOSAUR FOUR in a number of ways: Most of the characters are everyday people, there are some big mysteries to solve (How did this happen? How do we get out of this mess?), some nasty human villains cause trouble along the way, and of course there are lots of monster attacks.

It's different from TD4 in that it's much larger in scope. There's a huge cast of characters and the mysteries are much bigger. There are also many more science fiction elements, though it's still a "light sci-fi adventure/thriller" rather than "hard science fiction."

Book 1 is essentially finished. It's been through a thousand revisions based on feedback from my critique groups and beta readers. I'm still making tweaks here and there, but it's in good shape and I'm pleased with it. At 109k words, it's longer than TD4, which was about 78k words.

I'm currently working on Book 2. One of my critique groups has read through the first two acts and while they have provided some great feedback, the reception has been positive. The final act has given me some trouble, but I think I've nailed it in the past few days. It's currently around 92k words, though that will likely fluctuate.

I have an outline, notes, and a few rough chapters written for book 3. I want book 3 to be in solid shape before I publish book 1, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I've gone back and made changes in Book 1 to solve problems in Book 2, and I want the flexibility to do that for Book 3. This is really one big story, not a series. I also want readers to feel safe buying Book 1, knowing that I won't leave them hanging.

You won't find any concrete projections here, but I'm hoping to get Book 3 into decent shape before we get too far into 2021. Fingers crossed.

There are times when I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew, but it's going to be worth it. This is shaping up to be an epic ride!