Blog posts have been sparse because I lost my groove in March and April.

After three years of working on Infinity’s Heir, I decided to submit it to an agent for review (query letter, synopsis, and first three chapters). Overall, the agent thought the writing was “fine”, but ultimately wound up suggesting I either set the story aside or rewrite it from scratch.

At once, I was crushed and relieved.

I’ve tried my best over the past few years to keep Infinity’s Heir alive despite feeling that it wasn’t quite up to snuff. A part of me always knew that, even with successive edits, it wasn’t as good as the novels I’ve written since. Still, the assessment stung. And it struck at my desire to write.

For two months, I could barely put a word to paper. Reading and critiquing was easy enough, but creating something new was a struggle. Every time I thought about writing, I spent an equal amount of time thinking about quitting. If Infinity’s Heir was only “fine”, and Aiko’s Dive garnered almost no interest, what did that say about Missing Parts? Was it even worth editing? And would my latest WIP be worth finishing?

I spent a long time looking at the WIP I’m working on. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t really work. I wanted it to be better, but didn’t know how to fix it. So, I just ignored it and tried not to think about writing. But I did. A lot. And every time ripped the wound open again.

Then, something happened at the end of April: Inspiration struck.

Following Revpit, I formed a critique group with a collection of writers. After reading their stuff and digesting comments left on Missing Parts, I had an idea of how to approach my current WIP differently. Casting three chapters of first person present tense aside, I began writing something new. It was in third person limited, focused on the POV of the character, and led with the main conflict facing them. Almost 17,000 words later, I feel like this new narrative is far better than anything I’ve written before. I’m sure there are bumps that need to be smoothed out, but I’m really happy with how the story is progressing. And I’m always excited to add a little more to it every day.

Right now, that’s my focus. In June, I hope to spend a little bit more time talking about exactly what I’m doing differently. And expect a new video blog. Maybe a few if I can find the time.

More soon!