Steve’s Update 10/13/2018

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

My weekly update.  Sadly not too exciting because . . . well, editing.

So what have I done the last week?

  • A Bridge To The Quiet Planet:  Editing away, and two more chapters to go!
  • Way With Worlds: Writing away as well on the organization book (still due November, but we’ll see).  This one is turning out surprisingly good as, well, I manage professionally.
  • Other: Not too many other updates here because of my focus on the novel.  More on that below.

What am I going to do this week?

  • A Bridge To The Quiet Planet: Finish editing the chapters and probably posting most of them for betas.  Then gear up for a “polishing” readthrough.
  • Way With Worlds: Writing of course!

Long-term, I’ve learned a few things on my writing from the novel.  I share this as my status updates make them clear:

  • First, I do best with a good outline – then just vomiting things onto the page.  This works in fiction and in my nonfiction.
  • Secondly, things like Grammarly and other editing programs are absolute godsends.  They are best used as early as possible.
  • Third, I think in the future I will alternate between “doing several things” and “focusing on one thing,” not one or the other.  For instance, the novel would be better written in a fast vomit draft then edited, but except for that “vomit phase” I’d be better off doing two things at once to keep my mind fresh.

Steven Savage